I have MOVED! Find me at http://www.astitchincjtime.wordpress.com/
Blogspot was fun, but hard to do layouts/pictures.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Jumping through hoops...
Let me start by saying that I am in NO way an expert. Perfectionist, yes. Expert, no. I have this weird form of perfectionism that doesn't apply to anyone but me. I will beat myself up for days for sewing something crooked, or messing up a project I am doing. It's bizarre.
My birthday present last year was a Brother SE-400 sewing machine. It was the absolute BEST thing I've ever been given! It's a duo sewing/embroidering machine. I had my grandmother's OLD machine that worked 1/4 of time. I remember a time specifically trying to hem some curtains and I ALMOST threw the thing out the window. Anyways, I have spent the past 10 months teaching myself how to do digital applique and embroidery. I had no one to ask what to do when my needle would jam/break or when my tension was wrong. I went to blogs and websites and learned by reading and doing (thus jumping through hoops-no pun intended). I can't believe the wealth of information out there, but it's true that sometimes you just have do it yourself.
My birthday present last year was a Brother SE-400 sewing machine. It was the absolute BEST thing I've ever been given! It's a duo sewing/embroidering machine. I had my grandmother's OLD machine that worked 1/4 of time. I remember a time specifically trying to hem some curtains and I ALMOST threw the thing out the window. Anyways, I have spent the past 10 months teaching myself how to do digital applique and embroidery. I had no one to ask what to do when my needle would jam/break or when my tension was wrong. I went to blogs and websites and learned by reading and doing (thus jumping through hoops-no pun intended). I can't believe the wealth of information out there, but it's true that sometimes you just have do it yourself.
I thought this first real post I would show step by step how a shirt with an applique comes together. This is an exciting shirt because it is the first time I'll use the 'raggy' technique. This applique comes from Applique Cafe.
I started by hooping my shirt and starting my applique. There are always 3 steps to an applique. Marking, tack down, and stitch. The firecracker closest to the front has been marked. The firecracker in the back has been stitched. Later, there will be a picture that shows the tackdown for the fire part.
I have started applying heat n' bond to the back of all my applique fabric. I believe it helps the applique last longer on the shirt.
Once the heat n' bond is applied and cools down, it is applied like a regular piece of fabric to the applique. Here is a "tack down stitch".
After the machine stitched the satin stitch on the blue firecracker, it moved on to the flame. This is the fun part! I start with a piece of fleece and a piece of yellow fabric.
Instead of leaving it as a plain applique or adding a name, I thought "lil' firecracker" would be a perfect phrase for l-man. He is a firecracker that is for SURE! I had to stagger the font (which is Nelly) to get "firecracker" to fit. I usually don't like embroidering anything more than 6-7 letters on a line. Someday when I get my 6x10 hoop machine I will have more flexibility with phrase size! Also I cut the yellow fabric to make the 'raggy' texture!
LOVE this applique, this font, and this shirt!!
I started by hooping my shirt and starting my applique. There are always 3 steps to an applique. Marking, tack down, and stitch. The firecracker closest to the front has been marked. The firecracker in the back has been stitched. Later, there will be a picture that shows the tackdown for the fire part.
I have started applying heat n' bond to the back of all my applique fabric. I believe it helps the applique last longer on the shirt.
Once the heat n' bond is applied and cools down, it is applied like a regular piece of fabric to the applique. Here is a "tack down stitch".
After the machine stitched the satin stitch on the blue firecracker, it moved on to the flame. This is the fun part! I start with a piece of fleece and a piece of yellow fabric.
Instead of leaving it as a plain applique or adding a name, I thought "lil' firecracker" would be a perfect phrase for l-man. He is a firecracker that is for SURE! I had to stagger the font (which is Nelly) to get "firecracker" to fit. I usually don't like embroidering anything more than 6-7 letters on a line. Someday when I get my 6x10 hoop machine I will have more flexibility with phrase size! Also I cut the yellow fabric to make the 'raggy' texture!
LOVE this applique, this font, and this shirt!!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Available Options:
Bibs
Burp Cloths
Onesies
::white long or short sleeved- newborn, 0-3 months, 6 months, 6-9 months, 12 months, 18 months
::colored (+$5): short sleeved-pink, black, gray, light blue, navy, red-6,12,18 months
T shirts- 12 months, 18 months, 2T, 3T, 4T
Towels (kitchen or bath)
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