The final Tip #6 is to get out, relax and have some fun. Creativity is always present when we are NOT worrying. Adding stress to yourself is the best way to strangle those projects waiting to be created. Even if being a creative is your job, you know that mundane life can keep you from seeing the potential in your tools and materials. So allow yourself to take a step back. Go do something fun like take a walk with your dogs, see a funny movie, walk through your favorite craft store without purchasing anything. Notice all of these things get you out of your creative space. Then when you come back, you will see it with fresh eyes.
So how have you been? Is winter messing with your "SEWJO"? I will be honest and say it has put a slight damper on my creative flow. That is not unusual for me and if I just admit it, I can move past it with a few tricks and tips. Tip #1 is to give myself permission to feel uninspired. Once I am settled in to acceptance, I lose the guilt that I have all of these tools, beautiful fabric and a wonderful studio just sitting there and going unused. It's going to be ok because the urge to create always comes back. You just have to give it time. Here is my backyard view. We always say that our area turns GRAY in the wintertime. The days begin to roll into each other and it's hard to imagine that the sun will ever come back. Even my dogs get a little forlorn. So once we have admitted we are not in a creative mood, what's next? TIP #2, Look for something EASY to do. Don't try that multi step project with brand new complicated techniques. I reached for a couple of hand towels that I wanted to do some embroidery on. SIMPLE and basic. It's not rocket science for me because I have done so many towels but once I got started, the creative bug bit me. I went to Google Fonts and found a free font file called Lovers Quarrel. Once downloaded, I just digitized the letter S in my embroidery software with a butterfly. These towels are going to be a gift for my mom. That's Tip #3. Make something for someone ELSE. It really is better to give and the thought of how much the receiver is going to love your gift will make you want to finish. The font is really pretty with all of the extra scroll work. Downloading these Google fonts is easy. Once on your computer you extract them and there is an install button. Your programs that use text or fonts should now pull them up as True Type fonts. You can use them in any thing you choose. Be sure to look at the licensing info before you do commercial variations though. There will usually be a text file in the download that tells you how you can use the free fonts. Once I had the design digitized, I stitched it out on two separate towels. Pretty right? Both have peach thread on the global underlay. This pulls that towel pile down so you can really see the stitching of the letter S. The towel on the right used white thread on the satin stitching. On the left, I chose a variegated thread and let it do all the heavy lifting. Some simple trim pieces sewn on with zig zag stitches and two custom gifts are made. These didn't take much time to finish. It was nice to do the straight trim sewing with zig zagging. No pressure here. Just easy sewing that can be done with minimal thinking and planning. A beautiful result though. Tip #4 is to let those companies that have you on their email list help to inspire you. Now this one can be dangerous because if you look through all of their free patterns, tips, ideas, you may get ANALYSIS PARALYSIS. It's easy to do my friend so remember, stay simple. Don't compare yourself with them or worry that they are better at coming up with cute ideas than you are. We have all been there. My husband who usually listens to me gripe has some great advice which is, "You are one person while they have lots of people in different departments working to come up with all of these ideas" He is exactly on point. So Tip #5 is to Listen to Your Husband, loved one or friend who cares about you. Stop comparing yourself and grab the easiest free pattern you can find. Or the one cute pattern that will make you so happy to finish. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. It's OK to make those short easy projects. I chose the Bucket Hat from Superior Threads. I downloaded the free pattern, chose my fabric from my stash and turned on the tutorial video. I watch it through one time fully. Then I sat my phone right next to my sewing machine and got to work. This was so much fun because Amy the presenter did every step and within a couple of hours, I had a finished hat. I did make sure to sew the circles on the crown to add structure. Amy mentions this in the video and I found it helped firm the hat up a bit. The fabric I used is linen on one side and quilters cotton on the other. You can see that it is reversible which I love. The linen has some good weight to it and I used this interfacing. I really like the feel of the finished product. I added a cute flower embellishment to the front of the hat. This is two pieces of marine vinyl just cut into a flower shape. Then I stacked two buttons and sewed the whole assembly together. A small safety pin was sewn to the back of the vinyl pieces so I could attach to the hat and remove later if desired. Here is a view of that safety pin. You could make two different flowers and swap them out if you wear the hat on the other side. That would be a cute addition. This bucket hat is going to be a gift for my mom as well as the towels and I know her head is slightly smaller than mine. When cutting out the pattern I used the larger size because most hats do not fit my head well. I assumed this one would be tight. With my hair my head measures about 24 inches around. This pattern is much more generous than that so once I had completed it, the size kind of floated around on my head. I decided to try adding elastic which you can see above. I sewed one extra seam right above the brim around the entire hat that created a casing. Then I opened the side seam carefully with a seam ripper and pulled narrow elastic through. The elastic doesn't have to be really tight. Just cut it about 2-3 inches shorter than your head measurement. You don't want it to be so taut that it gives you a headache. Once you put on the bucket hat, the elastic will pull out the gathers a little smoother and with the flower on the front, the shape really is attractive. Look how precious that is. Here is a back view. Such a cute pattern and it can be made using any style of fabric for anyone. You don't have to add the flower. You could put a snap on it instead to turn up the brim. The final Tip #6 is to get out, relax and have some fun. Creativity is always present when we are NOT worrying. Adding stress to yourself is the best way to strangle those projects waiting to be created. Even if being a creative is your job, you know that mundane life can keep you from seeing the potential in your tools and materials. So allow yourself to take a step back. Go do something fun like take a walk with your dogs, see a funny movie, walk through your favorite craft store without purchasing anything. Notice all of these things get you out of your creative space. Then when you come back, you will see it with fresh eyes. I'm ready for my close up Mr. Demille. There is a Studio Vlog you can watch below that shows me working on these projects. I hope you have been inspired by this blog post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. We are one week into 2023. How are you doing with your resolutions? Have you made any plans for change this year? Do you have a new focus? Maybe you are ready for a change but not sure where to start? I have a simple one for you that will make all the difference in your sewing and embroidery world at least. Your sewing needle is one of the easiest things to change. They are inexpensive but can make or break your stitching. My last blog was all about bobbin cases and when to change them. I would say that 90 percent of my problems with tension in my embroidery machine are usually related to my bobbin. The other 10 percent can be attributed to my hooping, stabilizer, fabric choice and needle. Now I don't know if you realize this but a brand new needle out of the package can have flaws. I recently tried a new brand from a local big box store and every machine needle in the pack was off center. By that I mean the flat part of the needle back and the eye were not struck the same. When sewing, my thread kept shredding if it picked up at all. Have you seen a lowering of quality in your sewing needles lately? Maybe other notions you usually purchase are not up to the norm? Buying your supplies from the cheapest outlet will sometimes lead to disappointment. I know I won't buy that brand anymore. Here is another sign that the needle needs to be changed. You are sewing along and you start to see the bobbin thread. Normally on my flatbed machine, I don't need to adjust the bobbin tension at all. On my multi needle, I usually check the tension at each bobbin change. When my flatbed single needle starts acting up like the picture above it is usually an indication that the needle has become dull. Instead of piercing the fabric and moving in between the thread fibers, it will pound the top thread down. It may look like white space or poorly digitized fill shapes at the join areas. You may even hear a distinct sound change in your machine as this happens. Here is a second stitch out after a needle change. Look how much smoother the fill is with no separation of thread at the junctions. Everything is the same except the needle. I used the same design, kept the original hooping, original stabilizer, bobbin and thread. When you change one thing at a time, you can isolate the problem more easily. This was the needle I changed to. I have a local sewing machine dealership and the owner has been repairing sewing machines for longer than most people in my age group have been alive. He has seen it all. On a recent trip to his store and in speaking to him about my needle woes he recommended I keep these in my studio. They did the trick on my flatbed machine. Like a knife through hot butter. Just a plug for your local dealership or quilt shop. They have so much knowledge and training. It is worth it to drop by and talk to them. They love helping you with sewing and embroidery. So here is that stitch out comparison again. What a difference a new needle can make. What does all of this have to do with resolutions? If you need a New Year change and aren't sure where to start, here it is. Change your needle. You can do this one. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.
Your bobbin case gets a lot of use in your embroidery machine. Think of it like your car. You maintain it by keeping gas in the tank, changing the oil and washing it on a regular basis. For bigger problems, you have a mechanic look at it and if needed you replace parts. Your bobbin case and bobbin area on your machine needs to be maintained by cleaning and applying oil on a regular basis. Through use, the bobbin case that holds your thread can become damaged if you have dropped it or you might not be able to adjust the tension to your normal setting. So the case might need to be replaced with a new one. I have had bobbins work one day and the next day when I turn on my machine, they are extremely loose on the tension. After cleaning and trying to adjust them with no success, I will usually put them through my Bobbin Tension Gauge to see if the thread pulls off smoothly. If I see any jumping or uneven movement of the bobbin in the case, it is an indication the case may be warped or "Out Of Round". A good clean bobbin with tension adjustments appropriate for your machine, thread, fabric etc will usually produce even separation of color. This example shows the upper thread on the outside blue color and the inner white bobbin thread. A dirty bobbin can cause the middle or bobbin thread to look very jagged. When I see this in my stitches, especially satin, I will normally pull the bobbin thread out of the case and clean underneath the tension area with a business card. Sometimes that is all it takes along with using your tension gauge and adjusting the small screw on the side. If all of this fails, you may have a bobbin case that is out of round from wear or being dropped. It doesn't take much as the small metal flanges on the side are thin. You will feel a wobble when you pull the thread off the bobbin. It is a good idea to keep extra bobbin cases with your machine spare parts. They aren't expensive and you can find the part number through your manufacturer or dealer. Another place to look is your owner's manual. I have a video below you can watch that shows how to clean the tension area and what the bobbin will look like with a wobble. This one was replaced and my machine is back to smooth stitching. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. Christmas is almost here and our area is experiencing one of the coldest weather spells we have had in years. I thought a mug rug would be perfect to enjoy some hot cocoa with. It has been a while since I released a fringe design so my Fringe Christmas Tree Mug Rug is in my store today. This embroidery design has a lot of different skills for such a quick project. You will have quilting. I love the Christmas tree motif that fills in the background. There is raw edge applique on the trunk and the tree. This reduces the stitch count and makes it easier to work with the next step which is the fringe. Fringe on your embroidery machine is a lot of fun. You will need to do some creative cutting on the bobbin threads once everything has completed. Don't worry, there are color instructions included. A blunt object or your fingernail will pull those loops to the front. It is very satisfying to complete this step. A little hand sewing and pressing then VOILA, you have a mug rug. I can see you now sipping something hot while you watch Christmas movies or the kids opening gifts. If you would like to see the entire project come together, watch the instruction video below. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.
This information is helpful and I think it would be a fun way for you to play with your machine even if you don't have a Baby Lock or Brother. Sometimes we need to move through all of the menu items and just look. Also, that quick read you did on the owner's manual when you opened your machine the first time has probably been forgotten. You may have some of these options available in your embroidery machine but you won't know unless you get brave and search. A patch is usually a series of steps and all you have to do is let each one stitch out, then perform a task. If you have a run stitch and a satin stitch shape in your machine that are roughly the same size, you should be able to create a patch. My Baby Lock also has an Applique button so it will turn a run stitch shape into an applique with a satin outline. In between those two steps there will usually be a tack down stitch that will sew and then stop allowing you to remove the hoop and carefully trim away the excess fabric. You don't have to have a satin outline on your patch. You could do raw edge applique, frayed edges on your fabric, decorative stitching, blanket stitching etc... In addition to the Applique button, you can manually add each step into the machine. You might prefer that method as it is a great way to become familiar with how patches will run on the machine. If you have purchased a blank patch embroidery design like these, you can add your own fonts or text from the machine catalog. In the Baby Lock you press the add button and it will take you to the design area. So many fonts are available and you can resize them to fit inside the patch. Your patch can be embroidered onto a clothing item or if you use Wash away cutaway stabilizer, you could have a patch with clean satin edges ready to adhere with stitches, glue or adhesive to an item like a beanie or shirt. I made this quick patch using the manual process in my Baby Lock and I filmed a video to show you the applique and manual processes. Don't forget, I have digitized several blank patch designs in my store also. Just in case you don't have time to play and you need something right now. Are you ready to design a patch without software? Click on the video below and I know it will make you curious about your machine for sure. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. Christmas usually signals cute gifts or promotional products. Machine embroidery on toilet paper can be a great inexpensive item that you can gift to so many different people or organizations. It is not hard to accomplish but you do need embroidery designs specifically digitized for toilet paper. I have six new embroidery designs ready to help you with those gift exchanges, secret Santa games or possible promotion if you have an embroidery business. Click on the link and you will be taken to the store page. Some people will only use really thick toilet paper, but I have used both thick and cheaper brands. To accommodate the thin paper, just fold the end of the roll over itself several times. I hoop cutaway stabilizer and use a little spray adhesive to hold it in place while it sews. In fact I buy the cases at my local Sam's Club and as of this blog post they are about .54 cents each. I also use the Great Value brand twist tie bags to wrap the completed rolls in. They are currently .03 cents each and you get 100 in a box. So with my time , stabilizer and the material cost I can make a promotional item or gift for very little money. I know you have a list of people like teachers, doctors, dentists, veterinarian etc that you might need a small gift for. Here are a few pictures of the Toilet Paper Embroidery designs available in my store. Are you ready to try your hand at Embroidery on Toilet paper or do you just want to see how it is done? I have a video you can watch below that will show a complete design being sewn. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. Do you need a cute Santa Hat to wear to work or a party this holiday season? I have a brand new Bah Humbug Santa Hat Embroidery Design being released today. It is digitized for two layers of fabric and cute text. You can customize it so may different ways and I know you will get the most comments from friends and family. Here is a little bit about the design. Look at those two fabrics I used. An animal print and a polka dot! Who would have thought they would look so cute together? Then I topped it off with Lime green thread for the text. Santa hats come in lots of colors and sizes. This one is an adult large and I used T Pins to secure it to the stabilizer while it sewed out. It really is a versatile design because you can change Bah Humbug Santa Hat Embroidery Design to any fabric and thread color that matches your Santa Hat Look at that grumpy bear. This would be so perfect as a gift to that person who walks around saying Bah Humbug! If you want to see how easy it stitches out, watch the instruction video below. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. Free standing lace embroidery designs are fun to make especially when you add mylar. Christmas is a perfect time to go over the top with sparkle. Mylar gift wrap is very inexpensive and comes in alot of colors so you can create an infinity of different looks. I am releasing a brand new set of FSL Mylar Christmas Embroidery designs. The most important thing to remember about free standing lace is to use a matching bobbin. You will see both sides of the finished project and since this is designed to hang on a Christmas tree or wreath, you want both sides to be pretty. Another great tip is to use two pieces of wash away stabilizer. This gives extra structure while the design sews out. I like to use silver Mylar because it is a great neutral to let your thread colors really show. A FSL embroidery design will have loose fills to capture and tack the Mylar. It should also stitch around the perimeter enough to perforate the Mylar so you can tear it away. Once you have removed the Mylar, a satin outline will clean everything up. A short dip into some warm water will melt the stabilizer away. Not too long though. If you leave a little of that stabilizer in the design, it will dry just a bit stiffer. Here are the six designs included in the FSL Mylar Christmas Ornament Set A Christmas Bird With Heart Wing A Sparkly Christmas Tree With Red Trim A Christmas Present A Christmas Ornament that can be changed to so many different colors. A Christmas Star A Christmas Poinsettia. Stitch this is White or Red Each design has less than 7000 stitches and they sew up within 15 minutes. You can either embroider them individually in a 4x4 hoop or gang them up in a larger one to save stabilizer. I have an instruction video below you can watch that will show how fun and easy these are created. I bet your kids or grandkids would love making these! How about slipping these ornaments into your Christmas Cards this year? These would also be great stocking stuffers for teachers, your doctor, dentist, postal carrier or any other person you want to give a small item to. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. The time is here to get those Christmas cards in the mail if you want them to arrive in time. I am releasing a brand new design today that will stitch a card using your embroidery machine. The Holy Night Card design is easy to complete. All you need is blank greeting cards designed to do embroidery on. OR... Heavy duty card stock. At least 80 pound similar to business cards. You can cut your cards to the size indicated in the pattern download and get to stitching. I picked up these greeting cards from the OESD booth at the Houston quilt show and wanted to design a card for the Christmas Holidays. They do make it really easy since the envelopes come in the package also. Your local quilt shops probably have these in stock right now so they would be a great place to check. You will use tearaway stabilizer in your hoop and once the placement line sews, adhesive spray. This keeps the card in place while stitching. Use the embroidery thread of your choice also. Within about 15 minutes, you will have a completed card. Pretty paper and glue can be used to cover up the inside where all of the bobbin threads will show. Want to see how this Holy Night Card sews up? Watch the instruction video below. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. Every order through our website will have an additional 20 % taken off at checkout NOVEMBER 25 - 30, 2022. The only thing you have to do is
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AuthorLagniappe Peddler believes that the process of working with our hands can be one of the best forms of healing the hurts in our lives and welcomes all who visit this safe little corner of the world. What is a Lagniappe Peddler?
ˌlanˈyap,ˈlanˌyap - something given as a bonus or extra gift Archives
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