How to Add Magnets to Raggy Numbers or Raggy Alphabet

I had so much fun making the Raggy Alphabet and I hope you guys have enjoyed them too!  But what really added to the fun was watching my boys enjoy them!  Because the raggy letters stitch so fast, my oldest sat on a stool and watched me make almost every letter.  I had to finish a few after he went to bed...and he snuck down the stairs 30 minutes after we put him down and wanted to know what letter I was working on.  He was thrilled to wake up to the finished alphabet the next morning. 

I decided to try something a little bit different with the numbers...I added magnets!  There are plenty of ways to go about doing this...but I thought I would share my process.

I first stitched the placement stitch.  You can see the "8" placement stitch in the picture below.  Then I used a little bit of spray adhesive on the back of the magnets.  I wanted to make sure they stayed in place during the stitching process.  Ideally, I wanted to place a magnet at the top and at the bottom of each letter...but I also wanted to make sure the needle had enough room to clear the magnet when stitching...so I sometimes placed the magnet off center in order to have more stitching room.  It is very important that your magnet not come in contact with the needle...so make sure you leave enough room and I would recommend staying close during the stitching process. 



After the magnets were just where I wanted them...with spray adhesive keeping them still...I added the fabric to the top and bottom of the hoop.  Then I started up the machine and kept a very close eye on the process.  When the needle got close to the magnet, the presser foot would raise up on top of the magnet.  The stitching sounded different, but it worked just fine.  As soon as the needle would pass the magnet area, the presser foot would snap back down to be flat on the fabric and would go back to its steady noise that we are all familiar with! 



I should have used flatter magnets...but this it what I had around the house and it worked. 

The numbers have been back and forth in our house...from the fridge to my magnetic office desk to the floor...they are still enjoying them!

Hope you enjoy them too!