AnnTheGran.com | Beautiful people make beautiful things

--> 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]

I can remember my mother mending piles of clothes. She mended the mends, and she even darned t [More]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

We are looking forward to another grandchild and I have vowed not to be scrambling when it arrives to be finishing things up. Only time will tell but our grandaughter and I have been working on a soft book for her new brother or sister. We will show it to you when we ... [More]

Welcome to 2010 .. the New Year has me off working on my designs site. It is truly a daunting task to find art that you are allowed to replicate and sell, digitize it, sample it, load it on the site, define the design, and ready it for sale and distribution. No matter how tough, our staf... [More]

BEADED AFRICAN VILLAGE, - Positive beadwork and the Rainbow nation Perceptions and associations of Africa frequently revolve around drought, starvation and AIDS. I wanted to design a piece that reflected the artistic and diverse cultural beauty of South Africa. While I love living in Ameri... [More]

These tips can be used for Windows XP and Vista and MAC- Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support. Several years ago, the 'powers that be' told us that we were going to become a paperless society. I don't know about y... [More]

As the holiday season heats up I decided to get my toes operated on. What was I thinking? This is time of year when everyone is running around. Not me. In the last few days I had to learn how to do my holiday shopping on line. My DIL helped me figure out how to get free shipping wh... [More]

About 3 years ago I was sitting on my porch looking out across the Puget Sound. John Deer (Adorable Ideas) and his family were visiting with us and we were just enjoying the view of the water and relaxing. It occurred to me to ask him, "If you could ask for any embroidery software feature that ... [More]

Just in time for holiday fun, here are a few tips for getting some really great shots. Let's start out with some basics: Start with a camera. OK, that sounds a little sarcastic, but the fact is that the auxiliary phones, ipods, etc., just don't have a great deal of real depth ... [More]

I've been looking through Spring catalogs from some of our suppliers and I'm seeing lots and lots of damask patterns and designs. It inspired me to think ahead to next year because I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of it too! It may be a little late to get something done for... [More]

Hello fellow embroiderers, design seekers and stash collectors! 'Leaping In' begins with a non-PC topic. No, I'm not being Politically in-Correct right out of the gate here at ATG. I'm talking about Mac computers and the lack of embroidery support for them. That other 'PC' ... [More]

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

AAAHHHH! Christmas Time-It’s a wonderful time of year when we all rush around, from one party to another. Rushing the kids to their parties, and activities, while planning for the cookies we will bake when we get enough time. We spend hours, thinking, planning scheming for th... [More]

These tips can be used for Windows XP and Vista - Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support. Many people are confused between optical and digital zoom. If you are thinking of buying a new camera for yourself or someone else, you c... [More]

By now everyone knows that at our house we have been slowly going green. It not only helps the [More]

Hey Everyone! It's that time of the year again---time to start coming up with some quick and easy gifts for folks on our list. I try to make the most of every single minute I have in the sewing room because I just don't get as much time in there as I want. But I do wa... [More]

These tips can be used for Windows XP and Vista - Operating systems vary, if in doubt, check with your provider and/or technical support. Years ago, I remember reading one of my favorite PC guru's newsletters and it said something like - This new PC has 10 MB of storage, you w... [More]

I have to tell you a story of love at first sight. I have to tell you the story of Keiko. She is one of the newest members of the family (kind of). We have two dogs at our house - a sixteen year old Pomeranian mix and an almost two year old Papillon. So do we need anothe... [More]

This has been a busy month. We recently went to Nashville again to sign a contract on a Motor Home that we saw last month. It’s like new, though used, and really beautiful. We will get it the first week of December. Also, my sewing machine has been back to the factory, or wherever dis... [More]

Hello everyone. Had some spare time in my new married life and wanted to touch base with this great community!! I have been emailing my customer base about needles and thread and how my experience may help those that are either new, or, just have never given these two important tools much tho... [More]

In today's office environment the more popular method of communication is email but when my phone rings I can almost guarantee that I will be hearing from someone who is completely enthralled by sewing and wants to tell more people about what is happening in the world of sewing in the... [More]

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to actually see the top of your desk through all those bills, notes, orders ...... and the list goes on. I know that feeling of "where did I just put that!" I know it's within arms reach because it was just in my hand and I haven... [More]

I used to be a really nervous flyer, every bump, thump, or noise would startle me. Reading just would not relax me and chatting to the passenger next to me would not succeed in calming me. Things began changing for me once I started bringing my African Folklore Embroidery kit on board the air... [More]

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

I’ll bet you can think of a million different uses for these darling little baskets and, since they [More]

Try this design.I'm really liking patchwork applique, which seems to be trending on several quilting [More]

Last week I got an ad from one of my favorite stores saying they had "Relaxed Hobos" on sale. My fir [More]

Halloween costumes are always fun to make. We have girls so we have made a lot of princess and [More]

I really believe that décor should be simple and unconventional, lovely and not ostentatious, classy [More]

This design is a double applique, and it’s on sale! I’m going to stitch it as a freestanding appliqu [More]

Recently, I have have experienced the pleasure of using a 200 x 260 Snap Hoop Monster and it is fabu [More]

Tension is a word that has a very bad PR agency. The mere word gets blood pressure to rise and grow [More]

Perhaps you faithfully change your needles with every eight of stitching - or at the beginning of ev [More]

QUILT WITH AN EMBROIDERY MACHINE IN 8 EASY LESSONS [More]

After 15 plus years of machine embroidery, I recently started using Superior Thread's Bottom Line in [More]

I have been embroidering for more than 15 years. I was generally self-taught and I started wit [More]

With so many food restrictions and allergies, perhaps the best Valentine treat is one you make on th [More]

Looking for a project for Valentine's Day? Here are 14 projects (and some free designs) to share the [More]

I have a "Love" "Hate" relationship with some of my sweaters. I love my "creamy orange," light-weigh [More]

Embrilliance Essentials is a fabulous embroidery editing software. But just because it is $139 doesn [More]

Doesn’t it make you so proud when you finish an embroidery project and are amazed at the results? Th [More]

Part of machine embroidery is that we love to make special things for friends and family. One of my [More]

This time of year, we all do more metallic thread designs and here are some tips for you to have bet [More]

Embroidering on Toilet PaperBy Bonnie Abbott It is so close to the holidays and some of us are [More]

A few weeks ago, many of you responded to my request for future blog topics. I’ve found your suggest [More]

Embrilliance has several pretty fantastic programs ranging from lettering and basic design editing t [More]

Can you spot the error in these tips?Jump stitches are important to cut. Leaving them in can have th [More]

Inspiration can be found everywhere. However, the truest inspiration comes from within us—it’s [More]

I have begun to teach my new neighbor Savannah how to sew. For her firstproject, [More]

We all know most of the ‘generalized’ stitches for embroidery. Those are the work-horses of the embr [More]

If you love the look of cross-stitch but don’t want to bother with the counting and charts, you will [More]

This snowman is made in the hoop and takes 5 hooping’s. I made mine so that it looked the same on bo [More]

In my last blog, I made mention of the fact that it is a good idea to do the basting around designs [More]

A couple of weeks ago, I showed you how to add text to embroidery designs using Embrilliance in this blog. As I continued working on the bunting project, the importance of test stitching, testing a design by stitching it out, once again showed its value.

I will show you how the bunting is stitched, what I learned by testing the design, and how I fixed problems before stitching all of the pieces.

If you have read any of my blogs you know that I am a big fan of freestanding applique. By stitching an applique design on fabric-type water-soluble stabilizer, you can make it a stand-alone design and the bunting design was perfect.

Stabilizer is hooped and the first color stop is a placement stitch. Stitch it right on the stabilizer. Remove the hoop and place a piece of felt over the placement stitches. Return the hoop to the machine and run the second color stop which tacks down the felt. The next color stop is the placement stitching for the center applique.

Place the applique fabric over the placement lines and run the next color stop to tack it down.

AnnTheGran.com | Beautiful people make beautiful things

Trim the applique fabric close to the stitching. Return the hoop to the machine and stitch the satin stitching. The center letter would stitch next, followed by the outer satin stitching (after trimming the outer edge to the first tack-down stitching.

This is a procedure I have used many times in the past, but the test stitch showed several things that I needed to change:

1. The outer satin stitching pulled away from the felt.

This was due to three things. First, fabric-type water-soluble stabilizer does have some give to it and can stretch during use which can take applique out of alignment. The felt I was using was a woven blend and it was not substantial enough for freestanding applique; it raveled and pulled away from stitching. Because the satin stitching did not have a secure surface, the final piece did not lay flat either, it rolled.

The fix: Use two layers for a more substantial base upon which to embroider, change to a premium felt, and add a backing to the base piece.

2. The top applique fabric was rather thin and did not lie flat either.

The top applique also rolled a bit.

The fix: Fuse a layer of lightweight interfacing to the back of the applique fabric before stitching it down.

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Thread gets into everything! - And a Mom's dilemma

February 28, 2020 Brown Eyed Lady EMB 101 , The Avid Embroiderer , Design Tips & Tricks , Machine Tips Comments (1)

If thread is the life blood of embroidery, then messed up thread will be the headache for your whole set up.

There are some tips for your consideration -

Thread needs to be kept away from - - - the sun, kids, animals, and in some cases, other various adults.
It needs to be fresh. That fantastic 'sale' is likely to be thread that has been around for a long time.
Never (well almost never) use rubber bands, tight wrapping, or paper clips. (Don't do what I have done in my example.)
Dropping a spool will have some pressure/dent on the thread that becomes flat. These also are often in 'sale' bins. Flat thread, despite seeming minor, can cause missteps in your machine and/or small flat spots in your design. That may be small, but the 'devil is in the details.'
IMHO, I use spray silicone on thread. It will assist in keeping it fresh, drying resistant and smoothly running through your machine.

The first photo is the silicone I use, click on the photo go find these online. It is 11 ounces and sells for around $8.00. ($0.73 per ounce)

The second photo is specifically for sewing needs (??). It is 13 ounces and $18.00. ($1.38 per ounce)

The facts are that silicone is silicone. They are all alike. There is no specific weight and, unlike the popular 'oil' spray. Silicone does NOT leave anything behind but a smooth, slick surface. The oil type leaves oil, stains, and collects dust.

Silicone is -

Dry, odorless, colorless, non-staining, and waxless
Stops squeaking, sticking, and binding
Saves time, protects and preserves equipment

Getting back to thread, this happened to me late one evening. I got up from my machine, made a 90 degree left turn; went up the stairs which has a 180 degree turn also to the left; entered my bedroom at a 180 degree right angle and slept for the night. When I got up in the AM and discovered that a thread had attached itself to me (I don't know how). It had accompanied me all night without my knowledge. Thread is strong, this was a 40# embroidery spool. Pinkie swear, it happened.

I have a 'cone' spool of thread that I can no longer identify. I don't know the brand or exact color. I had tried to replace it with other golden colors. I have never been able to find the same luster, hue and beautiful color. This thread is dazzling in person. Here is a peak at a IRL (in real life) thread.

Alas, I managed to drop it and the bottom broke off. Scads of thread unwound immediately. Here is my, almost good, solution.

First, don't wait, pick it up immediately and gently. I did not and the unwinding became the monster that ate Brooklyn. I threw away a lot of it before I started working on a solution.

The next thing is to take a firm piece of fabric or paper, and create a faux spindle to hold the loose thread. It needs to be long enough to keep any loops from the spool in place.

Here is where I ran out of ideas. The left over loops were difficult to keep in alignment. I placed a binder clip to hold them securely. In the above tips, I noted NOT to use something tight. But, I am at a loss as to how to hold those unsecured coils. If someone has a suggestion for holding that spot, please let me know in the Comments below. I will be forever in your debt.

For my last tip, you will want to see this video by Deborah Jones on tying thread on a spool. It is 1 minute 27 seconds that will help you tame your threads. Tie off video.

Here is the Freebie this time, this is something every Mom knows well. As a wall hanging, pillow or on a kitchen towel, this is one fun thought for the whole family. Every Mom has a super-power, finding the lost, adrift and wandering items of the Universe.

Note: Because the Mom is very dense, I recommend using a adhesive heavy weight cut away stabilizer. It is not suitable for a light weight or loosely woven fabric.

truly lost 4x4 17k 11 color The Avid Embroiderer.zip (520.2KB)

I am fortunate to be able to come to you with my ideas, tips, tricks and Freebies. My very best wishes to each of you!

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - If you thread it, it will create. And, a freebie/nearly free idea for Halloween.v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VMThe Avid Embroiderer Presents - Shredding Thread and a Freebie for Labor DayThe thread that binds and then shreds. I have been working at collecting ideas that work for othersThe Avid Embroiderer Presents - Taming metallic threads and a Freebie with a quote from Maya Angelou.I sincerely hope that you and yours are all safe and well. Frustration will cause further damage to

Comments (1) -

pat71896 3/1/2020 2:15:41 PM

Thank every one of my readers. I love doing my blog. I actually do about 40+ hours of each but it is a labor of love - and appreciation to YOU ❣

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

Please login to comment

Previous Post:	Next Post:
The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Spring is a delight for everyone. And, a Freebie for the gardening crowd.	Great Embroidery Spaces in Out-of-the-Way Places

Related posts

Comments (1) -