Embroidered Greetings Cards

Our international trend continues this week with a project from Jean Isley in England. Growing up du [More]

Christmas Tree Skirt from Table Runners

To take a simple or plain idea and mold it into something personal and unique is always rewarding. Michelle Gauthier created a special Christmas tree skirt to become a focal point for holiday cheer in her home. Without spending a lot she gave of her time and love to bring special smiles to those aro... [More]

Simple Baby Quilt for Cold Northern Winters

Creating keepsakes for loved ones is such a joy for those who love to sew. With her simple blankets, Sue Kerlin shows us how she continues her love of giving to family even when life is too full for intricate details.Sue's Description:I picked this pattern of baby quilt because I am not a detail... [More]

A Little Treasure - Should I Or Shouldn't I?

  Hi, Folks,I'm in a bit of a quandary. When I set up this blog, I made it clear to the team here who help me get this to you that I really wanted the blog to focus on projects contributed by the AnnTheGran community. So far, you've all been great with that, and we've seen some gr... [More]

The Perfect Gift - Embroidered Wine Bottle Bags

Tuck a bottle of their favorite beverage inside a festive wrap - no wrapping paper required. Trisch Rosema's embroidered gifts of wine got rave reviews even though they were quick and easy. What a lovely hostess gift one of these custom wine bags would make! Or you could do as Trisch did and mak... [More]

Race Car Themed Quilt for "Big Boy Bed"

Every child's first birthday is exciting and every mother wants to create great memories of the event. This race car themed quilt was created by Gina Martinez to complete her son's graduation to a "Big Boy Bed" and give him a special birthday memory to cherish for years to come.Gen... [More]

Blown Away By Baby Blankets

This project was submitted by Kim Yunkun. I chose to post this one because it is simple but beautiful and any level of embroiderer can do it. Not everyone is an expert, but everyone can share the sense of pride that we all feel when we've accomplished something. Sometimes, when we've been do... [More]

Share Your Creations with our Community!

Our creations are like our babies! The amount of time and care we expend on a cherished project makes those products of our hands and our hearts feel pretty special.You are currently resting your eyes on my new blog. If you don't know what a blog is, don't worry about it. Neither did I until... [More]

Quick Project - Blackwork Placemats

We wanted to create a design collection that you could use to add some classic style to your project whether you are embroidering evening accessories, elegant linens or an heirloom piece. My Blackwork collection is a versatile set of ornamental designs, professionally digitized for beautiful results... [More]
Patriotic Star Hanger

Patriotic Star Hanger


Here is a patriotic project you can keep up all year, if you like! I used the 

Quilt Square Applique design by Great Notions.

Since this design is an applique with a satin stitch around the outside edge, it is perfect for making a freestanding design. Start by hooping a water-soluble stabilizer. I like to use a good quality wool felt for projects like this rather than quilting cottons. If you do want to use a quilting cotton, iron a fusible batting to the back before embroidering.

The first color stop is a placement stitch to show you where the fabric should go. Place the fabric and stitch the second color stop to tack it down.

Tape a piece of tear-away stabilizer to the back of the hoop to help support the satin stitching of the applique pieces.

This was not a particularly good job trimming to the stitch lines but it turned out okay because the satin stitching for the star was somewhat generous.

Continue stitching, stopping to place and trim fabric along the way where indicated. In retrospect, I would not add fabric to the red stitching above. The satin stitching for this part of the design was so tiny, it was nearly impossible for me to get the edges covered (and I trimmed them much better than the star fabric).

If I was stitching this again, I would just stitch the outlines and eliminate the red fabric. Either that, or I would add a fusible web product to the back of the red fabric before tacking it to the star. Fusible web would hold the fabric fibers together better, eliminating the shaggy edges, and would fuse to the white star fabric after trimming. Either way, the end result would be much nicer!

When applique is done, remove the tear-away stabilizer from the back of the project. Tape another piece of felt to the back and run the first placement stitch until it completes the outside square of the design. Stop the machine, remove the hoop, and trim felt to the placement/tackdown lines on both the front and the back of the block.

Place the hoop back on the machine and run the final stitch sequence that places a satin stitch edge on the block. Make sure to use the same color thread in the bobbin for this step.

When embroidery is finished, trim water-soluble stabilizer close to the satin stitching and use a wet cloth to wipe the rest away. Grab a wire hanger and a couple of miniature clothespins and you have an adorable mini quilt block that you can hang anywhere. Change up the colors and make one for every season!

Debbie SewBlest





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