Reversible Applique Towel

Take your applique to the next level by making it totally reversible. It is really easy to do with m [More]

Embroidery Advisor Presents: Ice Cold Beer

Football season has begun and you know what that means!  A lot of us will be glued in front of our HD TV screens watching and cheering on our favorite football teams and Fantasy players.  Sipping on an ice cold beer can really enhance the viewing pleasure though while your favorite team an... [More]

Keeping It Simple - Is it a Snake or a Caterpillar?

Now, here is a fun idea, complete with designs to make it, that would make a great stocking stuffer or busy bag learning toy for any preschooler on your list.  My daughter was looking for ideas one day and came across one of these cute little guys that had been made with colored felt squares.&n... [More]

Embroidered Notebook Covers

Make this from this    and this! It is almost back-to-school time and this embroidered notebook cover is a quick and easy project using a standard 50-cent composition book. It takes about a half-yard of fabric, or two fat quarters, and a few scraps for the applique. Best of all, you c... [More]

Simple Casserole Carrier

              These casserole carriers are simple to make and are perfect for upcoming pot luck gatherings.  You can make them different by using an assortment of fabrics (maybe from your “stash”) and embroidery designs. Materials: 2 pieces o... [More]

All Tear-Away is Not Created Equal

      There are differences in tear-away stabilizer besides their weight. I find that most embroiderers are very familiar with "firm" or "crisp" tear-away. But a wonderfully supportive tear-away is "soft" tear-away. Crisp or firm tear-away is made fr... [More]

Cutwork Poinsettia Napkin or Basket Liner

Cutwork is so very elegant, and it looks much more difficult than it really is. This project creates a holiday napkin or a gift basket liner or dinner roll cover. The poinsettia is part of the Christmas Cutwork Encore embroidery collection by Dakota Collectibles and it is available from Ann the... [More]

Keeping It Simple - Pillows with Flapped Edges

Our girls love to read.  So much that our daughter is making a special reading nook out of a closet in her schoolroom area.  The seven year old, who always wants to add her thoughts to a project brought me a picture.  The pillow had these different,  flapped edges and she asked i... [More]

Celebrate Christmas in July

We’ve just passed the halfway mark of the year, so it is time to get a jump start on your holiday projects. Whether you like to create to give or make things to decorate your home, this Christmas Tray is sure to please. Featuring the Baby Lock Enterprise 10-needle embroidery machine, our ... [More]

Hooping T-Shirts for Embroidery

Hooping and embroidering garments that don't open down the front, such as T-shirts and sweatshirts, can be challenging. Even when you get them hooped, it can be hard to get them on and off the machine. Watch this video for tips on how to do this more easily and take at least half the work ... [More]

How To Embroider Those Adorable Stuff Animals!

Following are the instructions for embroidering these cuties!  You'll need the following: Embroiderable Cubbie of your choice Temporary Adhesive Spray Water Soluble Stablizer Medium Weight Tearaway Stabilizer       CHECK OUT ALL CUTE CUBBIES AVAILABLE HERE

Holding the Tough-to-Embroider Items

If you think that you can't embroider items that you can't get into a hoop, or hold with self-adhesive stabilizer, think again. There's another method that will let you hold big, bulky items under the embroidery needle. I embroidered this tote bag on my single-needle home embroide... [More]

Sewing Box Hero

As a Quilter and Sewer I know how important it is to find products that make my projects better and easier without blowing my budget or potentially damaging my work by using something complicated or harsh on fabrics.  It is a balancing act when shopping for supplies, tools, and accessories ... [More]

10 Household Tools for the Machine Embroiderer Part 2

By Eileen Roche We received such a positive response from my recent blog: 12 Household Tools for the Machine Embroiderer that I decided to revisit this subject. JoAnn Connolly of Garden of Daisies Embroidery thinks craft foam and a cardboard carton are great reusable items ... [More]

Keeping It Simple - Keeping Track of the Camera Lens Cover (and more)

My daughters and I love to take pictures.   With digital cameras  we take lots and lots.  However with three little ones almost always in tow one big problem I now encounter is keeping  track of the lens cover.  And Andrea is always looking for hers, digging i... [More]

Caring for Antique Linens

Beautiful embroidery goes hand in hand with beautiful linen, and this is the perfect time of year to find antique linens at flea markets, estate sales, and yard sales. There’s nothing like the feel of antique linen. It could be that it’s pure nostalgia. More likely, it is because it is ... [More]

12 Household Tools for the Machine Embroiderer

By Eileen Roche 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 Digital Camera– best design tool in the house (besides pencil and paper). I use a digital ca... [More]
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Bobbin Basics

Bobbins are the cement that holds embroidery stitches together, so they play an important role in the outcome of every machine embroidery design. Here is an overview of what you need to know about bobbins. Bobbins are not one-size-fits-all. They are available in three basic sizes for home embr... [More]

One Sassy Lady!

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:   September 18, 2013 By eileenroche Katherine Artines   We introduced Stipple! Sass... [More]

"Mod Olives" Tutorial

To watch a tutorial on how to cut and piece curves using the Quick Curve Ruler go here.    Fabric Requirements for above layout:  *Optional revision to tutorial can be found here. -(48) 6 x 8 rectangles prints (center diamonds) or -(8) Fat Quarters (you wi... [More]

Tear Away or Cut Away. Which Stabilizer Should You Use?

Lightweight tear-away stabilizer (top) and heavy cut-away (bottom).   Like the foundation of your home, stabilizers support the stitches you place upon them. If the foundation is not good, the structure isn't either. With all of these different weights of stabilizers, which do you use? ... [More]

Well, here I am, once again

Well, here I am, once again trying to think of something about which to write. It’s been more than five years since I’ve touched a sewing machine for anything other than to put up a hem or repair a seam. I was never an expert on anything sewing or embroidery related and now the bit o... [More]

Fancy Shoulder Purse

     Do you remember this purse?          I showed it to you in my October 2009 blog, Be Productive.  In that blog I encouraged you to keep a record of your sewing projects so that you could see just how much you are accomplishing.  Have you d... [More]

Embroidery Studio Organization in 6 Easy Steps: The Stitching Sisters’ Practical Guide

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:   Marie and I are known as the Stitching Sisters. Not only are we really sisters, we are also the best of... [More]

Embellishing Embroidery

  Machine embroidery is so versatile it becomes a palette with enormous possibilities when you add simple embellishments. Embellishments add interest by making embroidery three dimensional, introducing textures, and adding sparkle. Hot fix crystals are one way to accentuate embroidery designs... [More]

Pinteresting Embroidery

  Pinterest is probably the greatest digital scrapbook ever created. Essentially a collection of images linked to websites, Pinterest is a one-stop way to connect to whatever your interests may be. With more then 25 billion pins, the site is a treasure trove of ideas, but for the purpose of th... [More]

Fancy Chess and Checkers Set

NOTE:  The design sizes as described here and in the Stitch Counts documentavailable below are correct.  Determine which design size is right for you based onthis information.  I used 130 x 180 mm, 150 x 240 mm, and 200 x 260 hoops for Small,Medium and Large designs respectively. ... [More]

7 Ordinary Towels – One Fabulous Gift Part 2 of 2

 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:  Add the Icing In case you missed the first installment of this 2 part series click here: &... [More]

Easy Stitch Fix

  It's happened to all of us at one time or another. A project is stitching just fine then, out of nowhere, a glitch with the stitches. It isn't just the waste of materials that we mind, but the loss of time invested. In the sample above, I got almost to the end and ran out of th... [More]

Pucker up!?!

So, stabilizing. I have to admit that it’s something with which I haven’t had many problems. When I got my first embroidery machine, a Brother 7000, the gal in the shop just slipped a piece of stabilizer under the hoop. Until I learned better from fellow embroiderers on the Internet t... [More]

Taming Metallic Threads

  Metallic embroidery threads adds a touch of class to any project—if you can stand to use them that long! Here are some tips for avoiding pitfalls typically associated with metallic threads.   Although this design is beautiful stitched in rayon, the metallic snowflake is exquis... [More]

Every newbie wants to know…

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:  By Sherry McCary, Product Development, Designs in Machine Embroidery How do I get designs from the... [More]