It seems that we all need more time these days, I sure know I do.  Don’t you just wish that som [More]

This great project idea came from one of my officemates, Kimberly.  She stumbled on this great [More]

What the heck is Steampunk?  Well, its called steampunk because it is a mix of steam powered era style and futuristic style, sort of as if the future happened in the past (if that makes any sense). Its punk because its a bit of that style thrown in. So really you can call anything that loo... [More]

  Everyday I see new ideas every where I turn.  If it is not a new thread, it is a new mac [More]

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

Here is how I recover almost designs that have hopped out of the hoop. 1. Walk away for a moment. Calm down and begin to work on getting it fixed. 2. Find some running stitches that are on a curve or angle. If you don't see any, you may need to remove some stitches covering them. For... [More]

If you frequent the Forums here at AnnTheGran or any other site, you will often see users asking whi [More]

Starbird Inc. has been dedicated to the embroidery industry for the past 25 years.  Our talented and educated staff has many combined years of embroidery digitizing experience.  Along with custom digitizing we also do stock designs which are all professionally digitized at our headquarters... [More]

 Teaching an African Folklore Embroidery class is one of my favorite things to do. In the last few weeks, I have taught workshops at quilt guilds in Washington, Visalia, Long Beach and Covina. I have had all types of people in my classes, from people who have been quilting for many years, but n... [More]

Without thread, embroidery is just a piece of fabric. . .  The thread can make a great design m [More]

Wristlets are great if you have lots of other stuff to haul around (like kids and diaper bags and laptops...) and don't want the extra weight of a purse.  But after a hard winter the ones we have been using look pretty bad so I decided to surprise the girls with new ones this week.  I ... [More]

     Individual characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) from my alph [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.  It seems like everyone needs to save time. It is just a fact of life these days.  The following "Control Key" list is to help you do just t... [More]

Yes, I know - I do lots of baby stuff.  I can't help it - my girls and all their friends are at [More]

Every day I see digitizers trying to create something new for machine embroidery.  I see things [More]

(Baby Bibs and Burps are now available at AnnTheGran.com.  Click here , also click here to vew other new blanks on special)   Just recently we’ve had two customers call us to let us know they were unhappy with our baby items.  They said they “fell apart” and t... [More]

I have never been certain why Microsoft does not place a calculator on a computer screen. There are a number of them on the Internet, and I have one that I like for several reasons. For one, I can turn off or on the keyboard. With the keyboard off, I can just use my computer numeers. You can find it... [More]

Occasionally you may be working with a dense or very sheer fabric and experience what is called hoop [More]

Doll Making and the Ndebele Tribe- a special African Art form  The Ndebele, one of the smallest [More]

Newborn photo shoots are fun.  But what do you do with all those pictures?  Here is an ide [More]

       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]

There are so many gadgets on the market for machine embroidery. I'll show you what I think is the be [More]

One trendy spot for the Schoolyard Sparklers is hanging out from the zipper and straps of a backpack [More]

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A center point – is the center of the embroidery design but NOT necessarily where the first stitch w [More]

I just recently purchased one of my most favorite notions for sewing and machine embroidery – the Ma [More]

MONOGRAMS FOR MEN [More]

I hope you are learning and enjoying my Unique Tips Series. Most of these tips are ones I thought up [More]

It doesn't get much better than 75% off, so now is the time to buy fonts! I will show you some optio [More]

Looking through my previous blogs, I checked`my Lingerie Blog and remembered that there are some int [More]

While we are very familiar with using stabilizer to support machine embroidery stitches, you may be [More]

Since I began doing these Unique & Simple Tricks, I have had a lot of new ideas and creative tip [More]

Summer Lovin’ by Kimberbell Designs is so darn cute and versatile, too. I’ll give you some ideas on [More]

I do love doing my blog. Some of them were wonderful hits and some - not so much. I am listing three [More]

Sometimes, you find just the right tool for the job and it isn’t always made for that job. This one [More]

Embroidery, whether it's done by hand or with the help of an embroidery machine, is undoubtedly a fo [More]

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE [More]

Last time, I showed you how to handle three layers of applique on a pre-purchased placemat. This tim [More]

I started doing this blog in May, 2008. Can you believe that?  Well I can't so I went back on M [More]

People will never believe you made these clutches on your embroidery machine.  They look like t [More]

Standard applique is one thing. Even separate applique designs in multiple areas isn't too bad. But [More]

If you have not had a chance to see my Unique Tips Feature, you may want to check them out. While yo [More]

One of our favourite holidays is right around the corner and we couldn’t be ‘hoppier’! That’s right, [More]

One of the most visual ways to ensure your designs are going to stitch exactly where you want them, [More]

Several years ago, I decided to go through my clothes and single out items that were in poor conditi [More]

AN INTERVIEW WITH EILEEN ROCHE BY DENISE HOLGUINDH: Eileen, you are a very busy individual! You [More]

Last month, Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine hosted a stitch-along in conjunction with Baby Lo [More]

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

Getting all those time and money saving from the Net is a full time job. I enjoy seeing them, even [More]

Stabilizers are an essential foundation for good embroidery. Get them now while they are on sale!Not [More]

I had a tip in a previous Blog about getting those bed skirts to stay put and here is my next bed ma [More]