If you are looking to freshen up your wardrobe or add a personalized touch to your favorite clothes, follow the below tips to use built-in decorative stitches to customize your favorite clothing! For example, turn a plain blue linen blouse into this!

General tips for embellishing ready to wear blouses:

• Choose garments with high natural fiber content such as linen or cotton. Decorative stitches such as cross-stitches are the perfect compliment to these types of fibers.
• Pre-wash garment, press, and then lightly starch areas that will be embellished.
• The blouse pictured above has lengthwise seams down the front of the blouse. These seams are perfect areas to add decorative stitches because the seam allowance acts as additional stabilizer.
• Select a remnant of fabric similar to your purchased blouse to use for testing purposes. If you do not have this fabric in your stash, it is well worth it to head to the fabric store to purchase a small piece of fabric similar to your blouse in color and fabric type.
• Test stitch your decorative stitches using a variety of stitches and different colors of thread until you have results that please you.
• Be sure to try combining different stitch patterns into a row for a unique look!

Suggested Shopping List:

• Brother SE-350 Sewing and Embroidery C-Combo Machine: http://www.brother-usa.c...ID=SE350&tab=project
• Open toe presser foot
• Brother Embroidery thread
• Light weight tear away stabilizer
• Ready-made linen blouse

• Fabric marking pen or chalk pencil.

  Note: It is wise to pre-test all fabric markers before using them on your actual fabric. It may be necessary to remove marks before pressing to avoid leaving marks on the fabric.

Embellish blouse front:

• Stitch rows of decorative stitches along vertical seams, beginning at the shoulder line and ending at the hemline.
• Add lightweight tear away stabilizer to the wrong side if necessary.

Embellish blouse cuffs:

• Stitch one or more rows of decorative stitches along bottom edge of cuff, adding lightweight tear away stabilizer to the wrong side if necessary.
  Note: you can mark lines on your fabric or simply use the edge of the presser foot as a guide for even stitching.

Embellish blouse collar

• Mark a diagonal line across the collar approximately one-inch from the collar point.
• Select a single pattern stitch to embellish the collar along this line.
  Note: You may want to make a sample before stitching on your collar to determine proper placement.
• Remove excess stabilizer & fabric markings, and then press your finished blouse.

Wear your new personally embellished blouse with pride! Show it off to friends and family, or add these tips to a ready-made gift for a friend!