New Trends in Embroidery - Create More Business

I just got back from the Atlantic City Trade show and I noticed some very interesting trends.  Diversification is moving ahead full force.  Companies that only offered 1 decorating type have now branched out into many different areas.  After all, you can only sell the same embellishme... [More]

Keeping It Simple - Designer Infant Gowns

Girls, girls and more girls.  Although I have five brothers we have not followed that tradition.  We have two girls, two granddaughters and now another on the way.  Personally, I think this is great!  After growing up with all those little brothers I have always loved little girl... [More]

LaRueSews-Quilts-Stitch With Care

It’s time again for LaRueSews to tell all of you a bit more about Quilting.  For the past few months, we have been doing a Block of the Month.  This time, it will be little more challenging.  The block will be the Arrowhead block, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Right now... [More]

Internet Connection Slow?

This information may help you if you are using IE 7 or IE 8 The following tips can be used for both Windows XP and Vista.Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support. I don't know anyone who thinks that their Internet connection is as fast as they wou... [More]

Baby Bibs

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [More]

Taking African Folklore Embroidery to a new level... African Kettles and grocery bags

While I love teaching the techniques to complete a African Folklore Embroidery, I get even more pleasure in seeing how each person takes their design to a whole new creative level. Chain stitch is the dominant stitch, and any color can be used to stitch on the pre-drawn black fabric, however wh... [More]

Photo Analysis

One of the most interesting, IMHO, studies of the human condition is body language.   Posed or casual, many of us can see the indications that are coming from the way a body presents or does not present itself. Taking that one step further, if we really look at photographs, we can often o... [More]

Leaping in with a Mac, part 2

Leaping In with a Mac part 2 It turns out that a lot of you here at AnnTheGran are Mac users or, dare I say, “Mac curious?” You have seen the ads and heard the talk, but your embroidery stuff runs on Windows, and the kid down the street (nephew, son in law) can keep your system running.... [More]

Customers Large or Small?

Hello everybody, welcome back to Scott's Corner.   I recently had a conversation with one of my customers regarding a big customer of his that was very demanding.  This customer had great volume but a low profit margin.  My customer was considering telling the customer that h... [More]

Keeping an Eye on Things

 Anyone who reads the supermarket tabloids has been seeing all kinds of advice about the easy way to lose weight. I and a group of friends decided to follow one of the more popular diets.  We formed teams, printed out the diet plan, communicated every day and were positive that we would lo... [More]

Composing a Terrific Photograph with Matt and Frame Tips

With the new digital cameras on the market, photo taking can and does take on a new reality.  You can take 100 photos and discard 99 of them without the expense of processing.  That is only one of the benefits.  There are so many features, most of them universal, they are too numerous... [More]

LaRueSews-Quilts-Applique-My Favorite

Hi there, EveryBuddy.  This Blog is a milestone.  Ya know, sometimes when you count things, (anything noteworthy) the numbers that end in Zero are important.  That goes especially in Birthdays, like 20, 40, etc.  Some of ‘em, are BIG ones.  Well, my friends, this Blo... [More]

Exhibition of African Folklore Embroidery Art draws 20,000 people

I was so excited by the number and diversity of entries and the positive response from over 20,000 people that viewed the African Folklore Embroidery Exhibition at the Road to California Quilt Show. While the rules of African Folklore Embroidery are simple,  (‘Whatever color you choose to... [More]

Take The Quiz!

--> It’s time for some fun. I was recently asked about doing a Facebook application. You know, Facebook, one of the social sites on the internet. Where people who haven’t seen each other can chit chat and generally make a nuisance of themselves. It’s a good way to keep ... [More]

Keeping It Simple – Getting the Right Design to the Machine

Getting the right design into your machine is a most important part of enjoying your embroidery experience.  I have been using an embroidery machine for so long that lots of things have become second nature and I just do them without thinking.  Like viewing designs using the Brother PED-Ba... [More]

I know, I know...you want a blog!

It sure has been a busy month....On December 10, I took the plunge and had toe surgery....I had two hammertoes that required a bit of slicing and dicing.  That meant I hobbled around with "the big boot" for a few weeks and then I got to don the "little boot." I had to chuckl... [More]

Rogue Security Software

These tips can be used for Windows XP and Vista - Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support.   Perhaps the term Rogue Security Software is new to you, it is a form of computer malware that deceives or misleads users into paying for the fake or si... [More]

Keeping It Simple - Crayon Chalk Tote

  I have been dog sitting a five month old puppy for the last 2 weeks.  Sage is pretty good, but she is definitely all puppy.  And Big! Ok, I admit I am used to small dogs - Papillons, which are usually 7-10 pounds.  So, when this pretty Brittany Spaniel jumped in my lap right b... [More]

Scott's Corner - What's coming in 2010

Hello everyone,   I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and had a wonderful bringing in of the New Year. I am looking forward to all the information we have to share with you in 2010.  It is going to be an exciting year.  We will be looking at Microsoft Outlook more closely and expl... [More]

It's Good to be Home

Just to clarify, the rumors that I fell off the face of the Earth are patently false. While it’s true that I was skipping about all over the face of the Earth, at no time did I actually tumble into the stratosphere. So, where have I been? First I went up to Kentucky for two weeks with my daugh... [More]

LaRueSews-Quilts--Quilter, Quilter, Who Are You?

My quilt guild, called Memory Makers Guild was just a little over the top today.  The guild is a small group, but what it lacks in numbers, it makes up for in talent.  I’ve known most of these ladies for at least a year, and some of them, as much as three years.  We have grown c... [More]
An Easy Way to Keep the Dust Away!

An Easy Way to Keep the Dust Away!

My cousin just came to visit and helped me do some Spring cleaning (yes...it's Summer already).  I was forced to face the dust that has been finding it's home on my sewing machines over time.  It's really not fair to the machines and I'm sure machine repairmen would tell me it's actually really bad for the machine!  I found some beautiful patterns for sewing machine covers, but honestly they seemed like a lot of work and I feel compelled to make one for each machine...that's just time I really don't have right now.  Instead I started looking around and decided a small tabletopper would make an excellent cover for my machine.  The easy-breeziness of the look and the work involved is right up my alley.

For my project I used the pretty Cutwork Tabletopper found here.  I wanted something feminine looking to go with the light and airy feeling of my sewing room, and I chose to monogram it in way that's popular nowadays with the applique capital letter and my name underneath.  It's pretty and feminine, and when I'm tired of looking at it, I can embroider something in the opposite corner and switch!  Maybe I'll put a holiday design in the other corner!

Also, I have a friend with a very dry, funny sense of humor, so I chose a plain hemstitched version of the tabletopper and will embroider a funny saying in the corner.  Maybe something like "Remove cover to find my sanity" or something along those lines.  I don't know---I'm still working on that, which is why I am not showing you the finished version of that project yet!  LOL  Stay tuned...

BTW, if you are doing any applique by machine, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend these scissors:  (click here).  They are made especially for applique projects and helps keep you from cutting something on your item that isn't supposed to be cut.  How many of us have been there and done that?  These scissors really help.  Truthfully, I think I use them the wrong way...the duckbill is supposed to be held against your applique design, but I have really found it easier for me to do it this way.  Whatever works for you is the right way!

This is another one of those really fast projects that can actually make a difference.  30 minutes spent on making it pretty now, and no more time spent cleaning the dust out of those hard-to-reach places on my machine! 

Enjoy!

Susan

Comments (3) -

Soooooooooooo beautiful!  


You mention a void of projects!  Start making Christmas ornaments.  Hoop, using mesh water soluable stabilizer on the bottom, clear water soluable on the top, and find snowflake embroidery patterns.  Make with all white thread, or other colors.  It there is no holder for hanging, make one with the eyelet part of the buttonhole section and position on top of the snowflake.  Use a gold or white thin ribbon to have a hanger!  


A beautiful cover and project. I must add,though,  that my machines stay too busy to gather much dust.


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