We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog: You see it everywhere today – lower case monograms catch your eye and make you wonder if it really is a ... [More]

  This project turned out so cute. It would make an adorable pin, magnet, or purse embellishmen [More]

Today I just want to share another addition to the Halloween décor for my daughter's fireplace displ [More]

If you remember from my last blog post, the AnnTheGran web site got its name from my AOL sign-in. I promised to tell you the story of how annthegran became my AOL sign-in. Like most stories like this it’s pretty simple and fairly silly. The year was 1994. My daughter, son-in-law and three ... [More]

If you have been embroidering for more than 90 days, like the rest of you, you may have had a fantas [More]

All we can say is “WOW!” We have been completely overwhelmed with everyone’s  enthusiastic response to the announcement and release of AlphaTricks! As we’ve worked with users, we’ve uncovered some common questions, as well as tips that it seems everyone would like... [More]

It's here again.  Already!  Halloween, apple picking, pinecones and colored leaves.  The season's fly by so quickly I can hardly keep up.  We took a trip out to the Old Town main street the other day to pick up our fall and winter spices.  It is an all cobblestone st... [More]

Applique has become one of my favorite techniques in machine embroidery. Designs are now so inclusive, that even the least experienced among us can easily create beautiful applique their first time out. I created a Basic Applique video showing just how easy it is using the Applique Quilting Hearts ... [More]

When I started researching the Bullion Rose design, I had no idea why it is called 'bullion'.  [More]

     What's "Tall and Skinny"?  It's the name of my new embroidery alphabet [More]

Last night I was watching the Million Second Quiz on television. One of the questions, which the contestant missed by the way, was which one of several brands was not named for an actual person. The answer was Betty Crocker. That got me to wondering if AnnTheGran had been one of the choices, how man... [More]

Much like pigments of the master painters, threads create pallettes for machine embro [More]

The quilters among us will recognize this stitch type but some of us are only just now finding about [More]

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog :  If you missed Part 1, click here. I was making excellent progress this afternoon—stitching block... [More]

Hi All, I hope you all had a nice summer  and are perhaps looking forward to the slightly colder months. This is my favorite time of the year, not so hot and not so cold. The last time I blogged there were a few complaints about the new site, so this time round I thought that I'... [More]

  With so many embroidery designs available digitally, and countless free designs offered online, it helps to have a plan when it comes to organizing them all. The task can seem daunting, but getting started is really the hardest part.  Make a Structure Remember when you had to create a... [More]

Before there was Facebook and Twitter, there was "Yonders My Best Friend" and I loved it.  I do [More]

Back to school.  Everyone is saying it - it is posted in every store and website that we visit. [More]

     I have added a third design for the Please Tie Me page of my baby activitybook.  Someone emailed to ask whether it would be okay for her to stitcheyelets instead of setting metal eyelets in the shoe quarter.  I thought it wouldbe easier to embroider the eyelets as ... [More]

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this co [More]

If you are attending a wedding any time soon, chances are this scripture will be included. And now a [More]

  It is just about that time of year when Mom's and Dad's are just a little happier and kids ar [More]

Dear Readers, Create this adorable hand puppet for the young kids in your life. See below for project instructions on how to make this "In the Hoop" applique hand puppet. Materials: 1 Kids Hand Puppet Embroidery Design 2 pieces of Tear Away Backing Spray Adhe... [More]

Embroider a holiday design on a piece of wool felt and you create an ornament. Trim it with an AccuQ [More]

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog : 1. Print a template(s) of your embroidery design so you can plan the embroidery layout. Place it on the ... [More]

We are preparing for VBS this week.  My daughter volunteered to co-ordinate the craft room and [More]

WOW!  "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was one charming, romantic and fun film.  I remember seeing [More]

The blog below was originally published in November 2011. The Merry and Bright bundle is currently on special right now and can be found here. The new Merry and Bright collection from Amazing Designs incorporates blinking lights with embroidery for an adorable holiday accent unlike anythi... [More]

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?  With silver bells and cockle shells & pretty 3D Flowers all in a row? Isn’t that how the nursery rhyme goes?  It does here at Starbird Stock Designs.  We can’t always rely on the weather here in Minnesota to grow... [More]

It's easy to create unique freestanding ornaments using applique designs. Much like freestanding lace is constructed on water-soluble stabilizer, freestanding applique is made stable from the applique base. With satin stitching all around, they can stand alone. Thi... [More]

You can make an ice skate ornament similar to the one I created that made the cover of the Designs i [More]

Have a baby in your future or looking for a keepsake baby gift? Often, things we make for baby becom [More]

If you have ever used mesh cutaway stabilizer and your machine embroidery project puckered after it [More]

If you are like me, you make several of the same embroidery projects to give away during the holiday [More]

If you embroider a lot of freestanding lace or freestanding applique projects, you end up with lots [More]

Do you embroider your youngster’s name on shirts and backpacks for school? Maybe you should rethink [More]

Have you ever wondered why some applique projects look so much better than others? One reason may be [More]

Monograms are one of the most popular items that we embroider and these tips will help you make them [More]

Here are a couple of reasons why basting stitches are useful in machine embroidery. What Are Bastin [More]

Want your embroidered text to come out crisp and clear? These tips will help! Since fonts are on sa [More]

  We know cottons should be preshrunk before we stitch but did you know that some stabilizers [More]

If directions call for a medium-weight tear-away stabilizer, do you know what that means? Stabiliz [More]

Do you like to sew and embroider with your children or grandchildren? Since you will probably be spe [More]

Thread tension is essential to beautiful embroidery. Do you know what it looks like? We don’t often [More]

January is typically a time of reflection. I have found that this task is essential to successful cr [More]

Templates are essential to exact positioning of embroidery designs, especially if you are creating p [More]

Ever wonder where some of the best-loved holiday traditions came from? Santa FaceSaint Nicholas was [More]

If I had this tool from the beginning, the success rate of my machine embroidery projects would have [More]

We are rapidly approaching the most wonderful time of the year and for makers, that is certainly tru [More]

I stitch a lot of in-the-hoop (ITH) projects, many of which require floating pieces on no-show mesh [More]

Stabilizer too small for your hoop? Here is an easy fix! As hoop sizes get larger and larger, we ar [More]

Do you trim your jump stitches as they happen? Maybe you should! Good digitizers have very few jump [More]

Hindsight is always 20/20. I recently read this thread and thought the information was not only usef [More]

Having a backup of your files means more than having two copies. Where you store these files is even [More]

Cleaning your embroidery machine is standard practice, but one tiny area can cause big problems. Ge [More]

When asked what they dislike most about machine embroidery, many say it is hooping.   Hooping [More]

Pets are like family and these two projects are perfect for anyone who loves their four-legged fur b [More]

This adorable ITH project can be stitched up quickly and is perfect for fundraisers or shower gifts. [More]

Industry expert Pat Williams has created this adorable project that can be used as a table topper or [More]

Color palettes are a brilliant way to get design inspiration. All of us struggle with choosing emb [More]