Keeping It simple - Bandanas - Perfect for Summer and No Need to Tie

Our girls have longer hair but it is so fine.  Pony tails and pig tails seem to last about 20 minutes before the hair starts creeping out and looks messy.  We saw the teens at the park wearing bandanas  to keep their hair back and the oldest commented that she thought they w... [More]

Holding the Slippery Stuff

Slippage and marring are the two biggest challenges when hooping satin. Because of its soft hand, it is necessary to hold it securely without damaging the delicate surface yarns. Hoops may have nicks, splinters or burrs that can catch and damage these long delicate warp threads. I prefer that the ho... [More]

Embroidering for Pets

  Identify your pet and add fun sayings to pet bandanas. Make a patriotic one for the 4th of July - and then keep it rolling, making a new one for each holiday or mood. Rather than regular tie-style bandanas, you might want to make a slip-ver-the-collar bandana. This type of ban... [More]

Reusable Grocery Bags

USING CREATIVITY TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT In the next few weeks many cities are enacting a law that will allow grocery stores to charge for plastic bags. Some of you have already been using reusable tote bags; some purchase these bland reusable bags from the store at which they are shopping. Howe... [More]

An Easy Way to Keep the Dust Away!

My cousin just came to visit and helped me do some Spring cleaning (yes...it's Summer already).  I was forced to face the dust that has been finding it's home on my sewing machines over time.  It's really not fair to the machines and I'm sure machine repairmen would tell me... [More]

Pucker-Free Quilt Squares

Because quilt fabric is usually lightweight, embroidered quilt squares are often puckered. To avoid puckers on your squares, fuse a piece of ShirtTailorÒ by PellonÒ to cover the entire back of your square. It will not be removed after embroidery. Rather, it adds body to the quilt squar... [More]

Embroidery Advisor Presents "Sweet Dreams"

Good Night! SleepTight!  Now that is something we all hope to do each night.  Whenever we don’t get enough sleep, there is usually something we can do about getting more and sounder sleep so we can stay in dream land longer each night.  Some people prefer to have it totally da... [More]

A Quick Gift for Father's Day

At our house we always seem to be slightly behind and end up cramming to get our father's day gifts done the night before that special day.  Sometimes they don't go as planned and we spend a frustrating time figuring out what to do.  This year we decided to change this (maybe the r... [More]

Would you like to win $500 Cash?

Would you like to win $500 Cash? YOU are invited to enter your completed African Folklore Embroidery in the upcoming challenge. Entry forms are on online at www.aflembroidery.com. THE GRAND PRIZE is $500 cash, 2nd prize $50 and 3rd prize $25.00. All entrants will receive certificate of part... [More]

Loosely Woven Fabrics ? Control Them with Ease

  Fear No Pashmina! One of my favorite newer stabilizers is the self-adhesive wash-away mesh type. This stabilizer can be pricey, but it stands alone when you need the unique advantages offered by this highly evolved specialty product.The item being embroidered must be compatible with wate... [More]

Look Mom! No Zippers!

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

Embroidery Advisor Presents Sew Story Books

Remember as a young child and one of your parents, or grandparents, would cuddle up next to you and read you a story before bedtime.  You would listen to your favorite story until your eyes slowly closed and you drifted into fairy-tale dreams.  Now that you have grown up and have children ... [More]

Leftover Minky and those Elusive Binks

A friend gave me some leftover 5" squares of minky fabric the other day.  There were not enough to make a quilt so I pondered what to do with them.  In the meantime someone stepped on the clip that held the baby's pacifier so it didn't get lost.  She really only gets it w... [More]

Junk in my trunk - African Folklore Embroidery Elephants

 JUNK IN MY TRUNK and the African Folklore Embroidery Elephants One of my favorite animals to observe while on safari is the elephants. I love watching the baby elephant walk in between his mom and dad and seeing how protective the moms are toward their babies. The elephant is the largest... [More]

Keeping It Simple - Owls Are In

I know that I have told you about all the babies that are on their way.  And their mother's are now doing the decorating.  Many of our daughter's friends have seen her baby's room and when she asked them what they would like as a shower gift several requested the fram... [More]

Multi-Media = Major Fun!

As exciting as standard embroidery is, you'll reach a creative crescendo when you add other elements. When you incorporate everyday elements with even the simplest embroidery, the result is almost always a pleasing surprise. In this example, "The Busy Bride" from the Circle of Life des... [More]

Easter Goodies for Infants

"What will the Easter bunny bring for the baby?" our grandaughter asked.  Now, this is the same [More]
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If you haven’t tried stitching with Mylar yet, you are in for a nice surprise! The subtle sparkle re [More]

Keeping It Simple - Tied Bolster Pillow Cover

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My daughter has been doing a lot of redecorating recently: paint, rugs, wall décor, you know the dri [More]

Why Test Stitching is so Important

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If you read any forums or follow social media groups, you undoubtedly have seen some of the blunders [More]

5 Favorite Timesaving Habits

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5 FAVORITE TIMESAVING HABITS [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Suzani from Uzbekistan

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Sometimes in the world, we hear that an area, group or faction is creating havoc, if not war. Whe [More]

Jacket Logo Makeover

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Most of us have at least one embroidered item we would like to repurpose. For me, it was a jacket. A [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents – Monograms Today

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monograms blog by pat snyder [More]

Garden Flags

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Browsing a social media group, I came across an adorable idea that would be so easy to make. They ar [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Cary Grant without a tie??? On Mother's Day???

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One has a very difficult time imagining Cary Grant without a tie.  Off hand, I cannot think of [More]

Custom Jigsaw Puzzles

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     In my previous blog I described how to remove the pictures from my jigsaw & [More]

Fontitude: Tips for Using Fonts

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Tips on Using Fonts There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of machine embroidery fonts on the market [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - A little 3D for an interesting touch.

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I have always loved the 'boxed frames' where you can put small items into the frame for hanging.&nbs [More]

Tips for Buying Glitter Vinyl

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Glitter vinyl is the newest rage in applique. But not all glitter vinyl is created equal. I was foll [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Bobbin Tip, Bibbide, Bobbide, Boo

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When people have 'tips and tricks for organizing' on the Internet, I am all on it.  Some are s [More]

Copyright Issues

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I am sure you have seen this too, but I am so surprised by embroidery digitizers who openly sell des [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents – Intro to Bunka Embroidery - It is an art form of great beauty.

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Introduction to bunka embroidery [More]

In the Hoop Fun!

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If there is one new thing you should try this year, it is an in-the-hoop (ITH) project. I recently s [More]

The Dreaded Empty Bobbin Message

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Several weeks ago, I wrote about quilting Sunkissed on the Shorte. I promised to tell you what you d [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents – Knock it OFF!

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The Avid Embroiderer Presents – Knock it OFF! One of the most prevalent things I am seeing in today [More]

Fussy Cutting Applique

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Fussy cutting can really make an impact when properly combined with applique.The whole idea of fussy [More]

The Avid Embroiderer - What a tangled web we weave - - -

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When first we practice to adjust an embroidery design.I have a very complex design that is extremely [More]

Avoiding Sticky Hoops

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I am always surprised by machine embroiderers complaining about sticky hoops when they use spray adh [More]

A New Bag

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Nothing puts a little kick in your step quite like a new handbag – especially when you make it yours [More]

The Avid Embroiderer Presents: Nailed It!!!

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The Avid Embroiderer Presents: Nailed It!!! [More]