Tuesday Tip-Day: Change of (Fabric) Plans

Confession time.  How long does it take for you to pick your fabrics when stitching?  Does a fabric pop into your mind as soon as you look at the design?  Or do you put two, three, or ten fabric swatches on top of a blank item to try to help you decide which one to use?  I typically fall somewhere in the middle of those extremes but have been on either end at some point too!

Do any of you get through a design and then realize you should have used another fabric?  I have had those problems too...but I have also been able to fix that issue mid way through a design!  Want to know the trick? 

At All Things Applique, I typically create the designs so all of the placement and tackdown stitches are at the beginning of the design and all of the satin and detail stitching follows at the end of the design.  This can't be done all of the time, but I prefer to get all of my trimming done at the beginning and then let the time consuming satin stitches run at the end while I prep my next project.  When all of my tackdown and trimming steps are complete, I usually hold up my hooped item and take a good look to make sure I like what I see.  In the picture below, I thought the fabric on the left for the crown was too busy.  When I put my fabrics together ahead of time, I thought the stripes would look great against the orange pumpkin, but once the small crown piece was tacked down I knew it didn't look how I pictured.  Sigh.  Instead of starting over, I simply went back one thread color on my machine and tacked a new piece of crown fabric on top of the old crown fabric! 

Here is the finished Princess Pumpkin with our Pirate Pumpkin...

Aren't they a cute pair?

A few extra tips:

• make sure that the new fabric is dark enough to cover the first fabric.  If not, try putting a solid piece of fabric in between the old fabric and new fabric
• make sure the first fabric is trimmed a close as possible before tacking down the second fabric
• in the example above, if you want to change any "bottom" fabrics (such as the pumpkin), you will also need to re-tack the top fabric. 
• I would only recommend doing this once.  The more fabric layers you add, the tougher it will be for the satin stitches to cover all of the edges. 

Hope this Tuesday Tip helps you work through any fabric change of plans with ease! 

Adding Extra Fabric or Stabilizer

Top o' the morning to you this fine St. Patty's Day morning. 

We had absolutely gorgeous weather yesterday which meant we were outside basically from sun up to sun down...which meant I did not accomplish my three blogs in three days goal. (sigh)  But we were able to watch my 4 year old's soccer game, start our seeds for our garden, do a little landscaping, and take in an afternoon baseball game so all in all it was a wonderful day.  They are calling for possibly more snow next weekend (or a very cold rain) so I am glad we got outside while we could!

During a couple of recent stitch-outs I decided to add some extra fabric/stabilizer in the middle of the process to ensure a great finished product. I had just finished stitching our Zig Zag Bunny on a shirt and everything was going as planned.  Just before I started stitching the name above the bunny, I checked the number of stitches left on the design.  It seemed to me that the font I was using was extra dense (lots o' stitches) so I decided to add a layer of tear-away stabilizer under the hoop to make sure the dense letters did not cause the shirt to pucker. 




Once the design was finished stitching I just tore away the extra stabilizer. No puckering.  Perfect!



On our Scallop Bunny Patch design I used a very bold chevron pattern for bottom fabric (the scallop applique) and a solid light pink fabric for the top applique (bunny). As I was placing the light pink fabric on top of the chevron fabric I noticed I could still see the chevron lines through the pink fabric. I decided to add a layer of while flannel in between the light pink fabric and chevron fabric to ensure no chevron lines would show through.



When you have multiple layers of fabric for one applique layer I recommend cutting as close as possible to ensure the satin stitches cover everything.  If you don't have white flannel, you could also try a second layer of the solid pink fabric (or whatever fabric you are using) or a white cotton, etc.  I just had the flannel handy and it worked for me. 

Here is the finished product...success!



So, don't be afraid to modify your process mid-way to achieve the finished product you are hoping for.   A little extra stabilizer or another layer of fabric can make all the difference!

Adding a Patch to Cover a Monogram

My sister-n-law was given a super cute hand-me-down dress with matching bloomers. The only catch was that there was an "m" monogram on the dress...and her daughter's name starts with a "c". So she asked me if we could make it work and I said of course! Here are the steps I did to make this adorable and FREE dress work for her.

First, here is a picture of the dress with most of the "m" still in tact. I got a little excited and started ripping out stitches before I took a picture. 



And here is a close-up of the process of pulling out the stitches. I decided to cover the "m" with a green circle patch to compliment the pink polka dots on the dress and to match the green rick rack trim. I could have left the "m" alone, but the stitches were pretty dense and therefore raised and I thought you would be able to feel/see the "m" underneath the patch so I decided removing as much of the "m" as possible was the best strategy.



To do this, I used both my applique scissors and a seam ripper and tried to cut through the bottom stitches. Once you cut through the bottom stitches, the top stitches are relatively easy to pull out. I was able to remove all of the top satin stitches. The bottom underlay zig zag stitches were very tough to cut out. But they were also pretty flat so I decided to leave them alone.

The next decision was what size Circle Patch to use to cover the "m". Because the "m" was so close to the top, I knew I was going to need a circle that was wider than the width of the "m" because the top of the circle would be covering the "m" instead of the middle of the circle where the width is the widest. Are you still with me?



I opened a Word document and created 3 circles of varying sizes, printed the circles, and cut them out. Then I placed each of the circles on the "m" to see the smallest circle that would fully cover the "m" but still leave a little bit of room between the top of the circle and the top of the dress.



Four inches was the magic number. I pinned this to the dress exactly where I wanted the circle to stitch and then got my hoop ready for stitching. I decided to only hoop the stabilizer. I used a medium tearaway (I think...it might have been cutaway) and then I used spray adhesive to position the dress where I wanted it.

The next step was crucial to getting the right placement. Once everything was hooped and ready to go...I loaded the circle patch design on my machine and used the layout buttons to move my design on the hoop so it would stitch exactly where I wanted it to.



I thought positioning the top center needle position would be easiest. I then used my arrow buttons to move the needle until it was exactly on the edge of the circle that I had pinned in place.



I even lowered my needle to double check that it was lined up. I checked the bottom, right, and left boundaries as well. Once I was pleased with the location, I removed my cut out circle template and stitched my first placement line for the circle patch.



You can see in this picture how the "m" is mostly covered by the top of the circle patch but there is still room to see some of the dress in between the circle patch and the top of the dress. Mission accomplished. :)

The green fabric I used for the patch was pretty thin and I was afraid you would still be able to feel part of the underlay stitches of the "m" so I tacked down a layer of flannel before I tacked down my green fabric layer.

After the circle patch finished...I stitched the monogram in a pink thread to match the polka dots.



And there you have it...a personalized hand-me-down dressed re-worked for another sweet girl.



I hope this step by step blog helps you recreate something too!

Hooping at the Bottom

For those of you that don't know...I have a niece that is almost 9 months old. Up until this sweet girl was born...all the kids in our extended family have been boys so I have been thrilled to make some frilly and pink things for my sweet niece!

For her Christmas shirts, my sister-in-law requested that the designs be at the bottom of the shirt because Camille is always wearing a bib. She is a drooler.  So the top of her shirts are ALWAYS covered up!

Up until now I had only hooped shirts to stitch at the top and center. I have a single needle machine and am sometimes intimidated by unusual hoop positions. Well, I tried it twice this week and I think hooping at the bottom is so much easier than hooping at the top and centered!



I took a few pictures of my process and thought I would share them with you in hopes that those of you with a single needle machine might want to try a different hoop option for a shirt too!

First, I should mention the shirts. I found these adorable blanks at Carter's on the clearance rack. They were less than $5, I think. I loved how they had ruffles and buttons at the top...so if Camille does happen to be without bib, the top of the shirt would have some visual interest to balance the applique design at the bottom.

When it was time to hoop the shirt, I put it on a flat desk with plenty of working room. Next I put my hoop in the shirt and then started to push it over to the right as far as possible. I wanted to stitch as close to the side seam as possible, so I even rolled the shirt a bit to the left so the right side seam was just inside the hoop. I had to be careful to keep my hoop straight vertically. It was easy for the hoop to become slanted while trying to position in this different spot...so be sure to check that you are parallel with the bottom of the shirt before you actually hoop. I hope the below pictures helps explain a little bit more...



One thing I did find with hooping at the bottom of the shirt is that the shirt was not quite as secure as when you hoop at the top. I decided to add a layer of tearaway stabilizer before stitching.



After the shirt was hooped and stabilized, I attached it to the machine and was ready to stitch. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make sure the excess shirt fabric and sleeves were out of the way. When you hoop at the top/center of a shirt for a single needle machine, I am always afraid a piece of the shirt will end up under the needle! This was so much easier!





I did use my Layout buttons on my machine a good bit before I started stitching. Every machine is different, but you should be able to test to see the farthest right your needle will go and the farthest to the bottom your needle will go and so on. If you aren't pleased with the positions, use your Layout arrows to shift the design up/down/right/left until it is placed where you want it to be on your shirt. In this case, I made sure that the bottom-most point was just above the bottom hem of the shirt and that the farthest right point was just inside the side seam of the shirt.

Here is one picture from the second shirt I did. I stitched our Raggy Christmas Tree design on this shirt.



On this shirt I decided to do all of the fabric cutting when the shirt was completely done. I always like to wait as long as possible to trim because I feel it keeps the shirt as secure as possible when hooped. For raggy designs I almost always wait until the shirt is completely done and cut once it is out of the hoop. I also feel I can cut better when it is out of the hoop. When stitching raggy designs, I usually use flannel or felt as my base layer to add some depth and additional fray...but in this example I used fleece! I think it really made the raggy stitches stand out at the rest of the design have a nice puffy feel.



So there you have it...my tips on how to hoop at the bottom! Hope it helps!

Tracking Thread Colors

I recently learned a lesson the hard way and thought I would share my carelessness with you so you don't make the same mistake I did!

I noticed a few weeks ago that I was running low on several thread colors. When I lived in Richmond, VA, I had a great local shop where I got a great deal on thread and I could just go in and match whatever color I needed.

Now, I am 30 minutes or so from a good thread shop so I decided to try to order my replacement thread online. I found a great site...and the prices were better than what I paid in Richmond. However...several of my low thread spools were missing their identification number sticker! I tried my best to match colors online...how do you think that turned out???

Let me show you...



low baby blue on the left "replenished" with silver on the right...



a pretty lime green on the left "replenished" with a more yellowy green that doesn't quite match any of my fabric!!!



and look at this...a pretty pink on the left that perfectly matches the pink on the right. You know why???



Because the magic sticker was still on top of the spool!!!

So...my advice to you is to make a list of your thread color whenever you buy it! You never know when you want to replace it and if that oh so important sticker is still going to be around!

I recommend keeping track of the following information as a document on your computer:

1) Thread Brand 2) Thread Identification (color/code) 3) Where you purchased it 4) Specific Project - if you purchased it for a special project or to match a particular fabric you might want to note that too.

Hope this helps and keeps you from ordering unmatched thread in the future!

If you have any additional thread tracking tips...please leave a comment below!

To Top Stitch or Not to Top Stitch

Interested in your thoughts on top stitching...

Here is a picture of our Patriotic Heart with Satin Stitch only:



And here is the same Patriotic Heart with a Top Stitch on top of the Satin Stitch:



What do you think? Which is your favorite? Personally, I go back and forth. For simple designs, I always like to include it as an option. The top stitch can always be skipped during the embroidery process.

I find that I usually prefer the top stitch when I use simple fabrics that aren't too busy. Although sometimes, on a busier fabric, I like to use the top stitch to bring out another color in the fabric. The top stitch really adds a fun level of detail and can really make a design pop!

Also, did you know that any designs with a Top Stitch (or Redwork Stitch) can be stitched as a raggy design? I will try to stitch this same heart as a raggy version soon to illustrate. If you want to turn this design into a Raggy Desgin, simply skip the satin stitch steps!

To summarize...if a design has a top stitch, you really have 3 different stitching options:

1) Satin Stitch and Top Stitch (stitch ALL steps)
2) Satin Stitch ONLY (skip top stitch steps)
3) Top Stitch ONLY (creates raggy effect!) (skip satin stitch steps)

What is your favorite?

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

...a very good place to start.

Anyone else singing "Do-Re-Mi" from the Sound of Music now?
Love that movie!

Since this is the beginning of All Things Applique's blog, I thought it would be a good time to go over some of the first products you need when you start embroidering.  For you seasoned embroiders out there...keep reading...I bet you find something new that you want to try too!

A few weeks ago I attended an embroidery conference where I had the opportunity to take several embroidery classes as well as meet with lots of embroidery vendors.  It was mainly an educational trip for me, but I did make one purchase...

The Gunold Introductory Kit

This box is packed with lots of goodies any embroiderer would love!  Here is all that came in my box as well as a brief description of the products:



A: KK 100 - a temporary spray adhesive perfect for applique fabric

B: Curved End Scissors - I purchased my first pair of embroidery scissors from Wal-Mart for $7.00 several years ago. And really, they have done great, but I have been wanting a new pair for over a year and just haven't made the purchase. These retail at $10.30 from Gunold and are fantastic. They cut without any effort and I am able to get so close to the tackdown stitch even around small curves.

C: 2 spools of Sulky Rayon thread (white and black)

D: 6 spools of Gunold Poly thread

E: Stitch Saver - A textured, 100% polyester fabric that looks like it has been embroidered. I thought this would be great for those large fill stitch areas that take so long...eyes, truck tires, etc. It is pricey, but you would only need small squares each time you use it so I imagine it would last a long time.

F: a 10 pack of 75/11 needles

G: Disposable Snips - these are $14.00 for a dozen and are perfect for thread trimming at the end of a project.

H: Metallic Thread....love this...especially for holiday projects!

I: Bobbins! Can't live without these, right?

Here is a closeup of the Stitch Saver:



And one more close-up of the scissors and disposable snips:



Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun product to try? Well, that is just the top layer of the box! Check out what else was inside:

Who needs thread charts? We all do! It is really helpful to match your fabric to actual thread samples.



The top is the Sulky Rayon color card and the bottom is the Gunold Poly color card.

The Poly line has variegated thread...which I love!



When I first started embroidering I was so confused with what stabilizer to use for what project. I ended up with lots of rolls of different types of backing. Some I used and reordered. Some are still collecting dust. Sigh. I wish I would have known about these backing sample kits when I started!



This has over 20 square samples of backing. It is great to be able to feel the difference between the different weights and between the cutaway/tearaway/topping, etc. and know what you are getting before you order.

Each sheet is labeled with it's name, weight, and catalog number.



In addition to the backing sample back, I also received a good starter collection of some of the most popular types of backing:



*25 pieces of Quick Tear - Tear Away Backing
*25 pieces of Soft n Sheer - Cut Away Backing
*25 pieces of Solvy (great for bibs and terrycloth)
*25 pieces of Totally Stable - Cut Away Backing



*5 pieces of Filmoplast Self-Adhesive Backing
*12 pieces of Tear Away for Caps

And finally...one more product that I can't wait to try:



Puffy Foam! I will be digitizing some designs specifically for puffy foam very soon. This will really add dimension to your products!

So, there you have it.  Getting started in embroidery in a box.  Pretty fun, huh?  This box won't answer all of your questions...but it really is a great place to start.

Questions? Please leave a comment or e-mail us at allthingsapplique@gmail.com