Make a HoneyBea Thread Doll set for your little Honey – No Batteries Required! When I was little, I loved the Betsy McCall paper doll in the back of McCall’s magazine, and I even cut out paper dolls from the pages of my Mother’s Sears Roebuck catalog.... [More]

I am a big fan of free computer software. Some of it is worth free and some of it is quite valuable. One that I like, and have found to be praised by many computer professionals is CCleaner by Piriform.com.  This one has a very nice Pedigree - - If you are not using this software, you may wa... [More]

     Individual designs can be found on my Stock Design Page.  My designs a [More]

Thread colors and names inspired by African Savanah  From The COLORFUL world of African Folklore Embroidery we bring you a complete selection of multi-colored hand dyed variegated threads from House of Embroidery, South Africa.  Our exquisite hand-dyed threads are suitable for all types... [More]

Frankly, when it is cold outside, it is also cold inside. I remember living in Phoenix and the air c [More]

Mural Painting- The Ndebele women-Creative Inspiration- Enter to win 4 African Folklore Embroidery kits  While there are many tribes in Africa, the magnificent beadwork, doll- making and wall mural painting of the Ndebele tribe are a constant source of inspiration. The houses of the Ndebele... [More]

Embroidery on knits can be tricky, but the real secret is in the hooping.To get great results on knits, you must stabilize this stretchy fabric. You probably know that the text book rule for fabrics that stretch is to use a cutaway stabilizer.This should be followed, except in rare instances. If it ... [More]

 You know that WWW stands for World Wide Web. Typing in WWW tells your browser that you are connecting to a Web server. However, as the Internet and related-technology evolved, prefixes became mostly unnecessary. But we are creatures of habit and many Websites use both WWW and non-WWW addresse... [More]

Hello, Granners! It has been a while since I've been able to write to you, and I'm sorry about that. For the last year or so we've been working hard on some new products. But while products are under development I can't really tell you much about what we're doing.... [More]

Many embroiderers enjoy reading magazines on line. The latest thing is to put them there for your co [More]

Some days I cannot find my keys, or my glasses or whatever I really need. Too often, I cannot find a file I need and that presents a lot of problems for me. I am always on a schedule and get frustrated with delays!  This small application is really worth its weight in gold and then some. Check... [More]

There are times when attaching a patch or emblem is a lot easier than trying to apply embroidery directly to a difficult item. Other times, it’s helpful to be able to change or remove the embroidered identification easily.  For these times, it’s nice to know how to make emblems... [More]

I hope your holidays were full of fun with family and friends.   I listened to people make their New Year's resolutions   the other night.  Some were new but many were the same old ones they make every year and find so difficult to keep.  So, we talked with the girl... [More]

Your current scissors are probably not going to make it to a museum, I know mine won't.  But a [More]

     Individual designs can be found on my Stock Design Page.  My designs a [More]

Quick Coasters in the hoop- Designs Included Ever need something right now!  Well last year one of the charity craft bazaars in my mom's neighbourhood needed lots of little things to fill in.  So we made a bunch of these in one night.  In sets of 4 of these quick coasters, tied i... [More]

If I had one item that I would have liked to really have been knowledgeable about from day one, it h [More]

Well, the Christmas music is playing everywhere, most of the shopping is done but the sewing pile still looms, at least at my house.  I have at least four more gifts to make before Christmas Day.  November and December have been busier than usually with things unplanned but just part of li... [More]

I started this project over a year ago and for various reasons, I did not want to proceed with it.&n [More]

Shadow Work by Machine is a technique invented, perfected and patented by designer Suzanne Hinshaw. Patented designs created Suzanne are the only genuine, legitimate designs for shadow work by machine. That's fine - because her designs are timeless and elegant and are totally goof-proof. I promi... [More]

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

Seasons Greetings Everyone! If you happened to catch my blog around Halloween, you  may remember that I used the cutest designs from Amazing Designs---little candy corn characters dressed up for Halloween.  It was the “Sweet Halloween I” collection.  Well I had so much ... [More]

At this time, there are only a handful of design creators for whom we all would know for certain of [More]

With Christmas right around the corner the first thing that comes to mind is Santa Clause of course. [More]

There are a few things that are easier than in-the-hoop projects, but for doing holiday items, this [More]

There are several very nice slideshow programs on the Internet, but I thought that this one was the best.   Most of the freebies are minimal and require that you download their data down to your PC.  As I have noted several times, more and more of the software will be purchased/used/a... [More]

Do you love the look of monograms on men's cuffs? This is a stylish touch that almost any man can appreciate. The trick is to create these small wonders in the correct size, without bulky corners and with proper placement. You can get confidence to embroider cuffs by practicing on cuffs fro... [More]

Exciting New Holiday Designs from African Folklore Embroidery We have several new designs just in time for the Holidays. Some of these include the new Hanukkah designs (this year Hanukkah starts December 1st.) Two special designs that celebrate this holiday include the Hanukah Menorah; it is custom... [More]

I'm not sure why but I really enjoy making Christmas stockings.  I have made traditional ones, funky ones, country ones and elegant ones depending on who they are for.   We always make a stocking for each new addition to our family.  Some years, with weddings and births, we h... [More]

Since I am not a digitizer, I don't know much about this particular technique called photo-stitch.&n [More]

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A couple of tips from my own observations -When you live alone, and you can't find something, you ha [More]

Troubleshooting is a never ending factor in modern life. It seems like issues of years ago were simp [More]

Fabric shows some movement, usually up & down, but it can be left to right. This is general [More]

There are a few things that may not be obvious when buying your first or next embroidery machine.&nb [More]

Sometimes you need to embroider something that won't fit accurately in a hoop. For instance, you wan [More]

I love toss pillows but I want them to be fresh, spotless, and interesting.  [More]

There are always room for a few little tips and/or tricks to make your project a step up from averag [More]

I have often heard (and wondered myself) why doesn't this expensive machine communicate and give me [More]

A few years ago, there was a fad of melting crayons and creating some pretty terrific artwork. I per [More]

I was just watching a video from a very well-known embroidery expert, Ok it is Lindee Goodall.  [More]

As the USA is buried in snow and very cold weather, here in Surprise Arizona, it was 72 degrees toda [More]

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I have been wanting to create a Trapunto Design for some time. I figured it required the courage of [More]

It is likely cold where you are, it seems like it is cold all over the world.  [More]

C:\Users\pat71\Desktop\0 2020 blogs\12 19 20 Chaos Coordinator\bobbin screw.pngEvery year about this [More]

reverse applique [More]

SewTites are a game changer. Whether you sew, embroider, or both, they will forever change the way t [More]

Nomenclature for any process, job, task or craft can be daunting. During my research (I actually do [More]

If you are old enough to remember the Polio Epidemic in the 1950s, you may be interested in thi [More]

I am no 'History buff' but somethings have a way of being interesting just by "being." For years, I [More]

I am probably the only human in the World who has a serious dislike for my favorite shorts come out [More]

I vowed, in 2005 when I started this blog that I would give my honest findings when I had an issue w [More]

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Just like any function or task, there are often ‘templates’ for setting up a project. For instance, [More]

This Blog is going to be a little different from any others I have done. I did a lot of research for [More]

There is so much for a Newbie to learn about machine embroidery that just a little 'hit or miss' can [More]

For me, I am watching/reading less news these days for my sanity. I sincerely appreciate your visiti [More]

I have been embroidering since December 2001. You may recall that 9/11 did occur in 2001 and jobs ha [More]

Everyone knows that as your thoughts occur, they lead to the path of a lifetime. Be careful wha [More]