Valentine's Day is fast approaching and Hearts are everywhere in our local stores.  So in honor of that upcoming day, I am releasing a brand new simple Fringe Heart Embroidery design.

I really like quick and easy designs for those last minutes projects and this one will most certainly fit that description.  In a short time, you can put this on pillows, T-Shirts, quilts or anywhere you want to spread some love.

I used a variegated thread on my sample so you could see that by making a unique thread choice, you will have a lot of options to use this design; not just for Valentines Day, but for other occasions. Moms, Dads, Grandparents and Kids are happy to receive some love.  The inside is blank so you can customize it with your own text.

The design stitches out with a wide satin and you can see the inner zig zag stitching also. This is important because you have to have something to hold those long threads in place for your upcoming trimming.

When you are ready to create the fringe, flip the hoop over and slide a small pair of scissors underneath the bobbin threads. Carefully snip those and the long fringe threads will be released.

Here is everything trimmed away and ready to turn over. Keeping the design in your hoop during this part will make it easier to trim as the hoop keeps it taut.

Then use a blunt object or your fingernail to gently pull the fringe to the front of the hoop.  It's that easy.  

Interested in trying fringe embroidery for free?  Check out this cute little Caterpillar available in my Free Embroidery Designs.

Have I got your creative ideas for Valentine's Day perking?  Visit my store here to see the new Fringe Heart Embroidery Design. Watch the short video below to see this design come to life.  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 New Year is here and my first design is being released today.  How about a Round Tuit Coffee Mug Wrap designed for the procrastinator in you?  This time of year is kind of dreaded by a lot of people isn't it?  There are a lot of things ending and life slows to a crawl for celebrations. Then the normal get back to work tasks creep back in.  The hardest part is getting started. So I designed this mug wrap to remind myself that I will                                     "Get Around To It" 

I am a hot beverage lover and real coffee mugs are necessary in my opinion.  It is truly a small pleasure that I indulge in daily.  There is something so decadent in sitting quietly with a warm mug enveloped in a quilted wrap.  I chose a floral fabric for this wrap and the quilting looks so pretty. I look forward to using it on my favorite pink mug.

This project has some applique in it so small pieces in your stash can be used up.  The design will require at least a 6x10 hoop and the entire wrap will be completed in one hooping except for a small opening to turn.

The text is really cute and simple.  I think the sky is the limit with color choices in fabric and thread.  

A button finishes everything off. If you are like me, you probably have a lot of buttons in your stash that need a project home.

What a bright and cheerful wrap.  I love the colors. Now instead of procrastinating, I can say I am going to get "Round To It"

Get The Round Tuit It Coffee Mug Wrap Embroidery Design here. I hope your New Year is going great so far and you are working on all of those needed tasks in your world. Remember to add in some time to be creative too. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

Happy New Year to you in your part of the world.  In honor of this day, I am releasing a brand new FREE New Year Ball Drop Embroidery Design. This is a fun one because you can play with MYLAR to add some sparkle. It has also been digitized for Knitwear. So decorate those T Shirts or Sweatshirts.

First there will be a placement line that will tell you where to place the MYLAR.

You can use whatever color you can find in the gift wrap section of your store and let your machine sew it down. I like to add a few small pieces of tape while it sews.

It will add amazing sparkle. I also used a variegated thread color on my sample above. Look how pretty all of those colors came out.  The MYLAR has also been pulled away for the remaining elements to sew.

Festive, Fun and you get three different sizes in the download. There is a 5x7, 6x10 and 9x12 (or 9x9 for JEF machines)  So you can stitch out one for each family member.  One more creative idea is to use some Glow In The Dark thread.  Perfect to see while you watch those fireworks!

Now you can see the original design does not have a year on it. That is because I want you to be able to sew it in the future. You can add your own fonts to customize the date like the picture above.

If you don't have MYLAR, no problem. It will look like the shirt above. Just an open fill with no sparkle.

Or just leave the year date off and your shirt can be used in the future. So many ideas for you to be able to celebrate the New Year Ball Drop anywhere in the world. My family will celebrate close to home this year which is perfect for us. When caring for a Mylar design, I would wash on delicate or hand wash and line dry.

Get this and lots of other FREE EMBROIDERY DESIGNS HERE. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.  See you next year!

My latest project was quick, easy and fun.  Yesterday was Christmas and I usually receive at least one gift with great smelling lotions, bath salts and perfume.  My favorites for sure.  If you have read many of my other posts, I am a saver of things that can be used again, recycled or repurposed.  Well, you know that means the bag that contained all of the toiletry items will become something I plan on using instead of throwing away.  I even save the hard paper inserts.  They are perfect for gift tags. Look at the deep purple color inside that bag. I can cut that apart and use it for lots of projects. The plastic bag could be taken apart and used for in the hoop applique projects and there is also a perfectly good zipper. So how much would those items cost if you purchased them separately? Or what would this bag cost you if purchased?  Not to mention it would be a shame to toss it in a landfill.

There aren't too many things that need to be covered up once the paper and tags have been removed.  Just the top band has writing and that will be easy to disguise.  So, if you have something like this from your gifts, hang on to them and maybe try this project..

How cute is this?  It took me less than an hour to do everything on this bag. So how did I get it done?

First I measured the area on the top of the bag that I wanted to cover and found some ribbon in my stash.  I used my computer and Microsoft Publisher to design the artwork.  If you are using this program, you can find these images by inserting pictures from the internet inside the program.  Just click on the Creative Commons area for free pictures.  I grouped everything together and then saved it as a picture. This is important in Publisher because you can only mirror print items that it sees as graphics.  I inserted the saved image back into the software, rotated it and printed to my Sublimation printer.

The ribbon I chose is 100% polyester satin. Since I used white, I could print anything I wanted on it.  I did print it slightly larger than the ribbon so there would be some bleed around the edges and the artwork would fill up the ribbon. A few pieces of heat tape allowed everything to stay in place for pressing.

I set my heat press to 380 degrees and 60 seconds.  Then all I had to do was wait.

I also used my iron to press the ribbon under on each edge so it would not unravel.  My sewing machine was set up for regular sewing with a zipper foot.

A few pins and some masking tape held the ribbon in place while I did the sewing.

I added a small piece of grosgrain ribbon to the zipper pull with some beads. Now I  have a new make up bag that is just the color I wanted.  It really makes me feel good to reuse, upcycle things and be crafty.  If you would like to see more details on this project, watch the video below. I hope I have inspired you to upcycle something today, share something you learn and be generous with what you create. Someone, especially our planet, will thank you for your hard work.

This week has been all about the beanies in my studio.  The time of year is perfect to decorate these accessories.  I am not sure if you have seen or felt the supply crunch this year but the decorator industry definitely has.  For months, certain ball cap brand favorites have been no where to be found. Many companies are not accepting new customers until they get their back orders processed. I think that is why you will see this very trendy project everywhere.  I have even heard my embroidery friends state they love doing beanies so much, they would rather sew them all day instead of ball caps which are more intensive to embroider.  I will admit these are lots of fun and I have digitized several brand new designs for you to enjoy. Let's look at them below.

My first design is a Plain Patch for a beanie. This one completes really quickly and you can add your own fonts from your collection or machine. All of these Beanie Patch Designs are digitized to use Faux Leather or Marine Vinyl. There are so many vinyl colors out there, you will be able to use these over and over.

The next design is the Boss Beanie Embroidered Patch. You probably have someone in your life that kind of rules the roost. This is perfect for them.   

How about a Beanie Patch For Daddy? I used a tan faux leather for all of these and I can just imagine camo or hunter orange beanies with these patches. 

This Hubby Embroidered Beanie Patch would be so cute for a new couple. In fact, that is what inspired me to design all of these patches. It just grew from there!

Here is the Wifey Embroidered Beanie Patch. In a different thread color so you can see options. I like it stitched both ways.

We can't leave out Mama for a Beanie Patch. No matter how old our kids get we are always gonna be Mama.

Now here is where it gets tricky. What do you call your Granny?  Maybe she goes by Nanny and she needs a Beanie Patch too.  

In our family we had at least one Papaw so he needs a beanie patch.

There is probably a Mimi somewhere in your friends or family right? Well Mimi needs a beanie patch.

I know a lot of families have a Pops.  So I have created a Pops Beanie Embroidery Patch. Again, all of these are easy to sew and I love the Rustic border. It really does create a unique finish to the patches.

Now you might be wondering how do I sew a Faux Leather Beanie Patch on?  I have got you covered there also.  Scroll to the bottom of this page or to any of the beanie patch designs in my store and you will see a great instruction video. Also, when you download any of these you will receive cut files, design sheets and full color instructions to make it a fun and easy project. 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 fast approaching and we will celebrate on December 25th. Did you know in many places around the world, the celebrating continues through advent until January 6th? This is called the Epiphany.  I like the idea of observing this tradition until after the New Year. Maybe that is why so many people keep their decorations up until that time.   My latest In The Hoop 12 Days Christmas Tree Skirt embroidery design will help you do that.  This has been such a fun project to create. I think you will love seeing how it unfolds.

This design stitches entirely in your 5x7 embroidery hoop. There are 12 designs included and each one creates a different panel you can see above.  Once completed, it will be 16 inches across. This is the perfect size to use with a tabletop Christmas tree.  

Or you could decorate with some holiday candles.

Maybe you need a special place to leave Santa some Milk and Cookies?

So how can you complete a project that will be 16 inches across in a 5x7 hoop?  First you will stitch each panel.  Here you see one ready for releasing from the hoop.

Once it has been removed from the stabilizer, you will load the next embroidery design and stitch it out. Then, use a small amount of masking tape to hold the panel to the hoop, and your machine will sew a connecting stitch. It is very repetitive and once you have the first two panels sewn, you will get the hang of it.  

The project will continue to grow as you stitch and add panels.

Until finally you have all of the sections stitched out.

Even the back of the project looks pretty because you use a matching bobbin for the satin stitching.

Have I got your interest?  Are you trying to figure out how this works? Want to get the In The Hoop 12 Days Christmas Tree Skirt design? Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you can watch the instruction video.  When you download the design, you will also receive full color instructions.

I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday Season. Remember to share what you learn and be generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

Digitizing is one of those skills that definitely gets better with time and practice.   If you are reading this and are a complete beginner, you may not want to hear that. I remember just starting out and thinking I had to know everything all at one time. If I took a class or watched videos I sometimes came away with feelings of being so far behind and never being able to catch up. Sound familiar? Well guess what?  I have been digitizing for several years now and I still feel that way sometimes. There will always be someone out there who has more skills or more expensive equipment.  So how can you move forward?  Get friendly with your software of choice and tools available to you at this moment. Then, if you want to learn more or buy better, you can. ALSO remember, there are a multitude of ways to do machine embroidery. So be careful of thinking one way is the CORRECT way. Tools, techniques and products have a way of coming around in circular patterns.  It may look like a brand new thing or the latest buzz but they might just be old school reimagined. Keep an open mind and be ready to experiment. I thought I would show you some easy ways to digitize a cute design with built in software shapes. My latest design releasing today is Red Nosed Reindeer in honor of our holiday season and I used only ready made shapes that are in my program. No artwork necessary. Just playing with those shapes to see what I could come up with. This way of creating machine embroidery should be able to be used with any digitizing software as they usually include built in designs to help you.

Here is the reindeer portion of my design.  If you will notice when I originally digitized it, I was working in a 4x4 size hoop you can see in the picture. I added text later and moved it to a 5x7 hoop with that addition. In my software (Hatch by Wilcom) you can see all of the shapes listed on the right side of the screen by color. When you look at this Objects view, it really does keep it simple so you can sort everything. I like to do this to make sure I keep my color changes to a minimum. 

In Hatch by Wilcom, when you click on Digitize it will open up and you will see a Standard Shapes option. This is where all of those choices open up to you. 

Here is the shape I used for the collar. Also I wanted to keep my stitch count lower so I chose a cross stitch fill pattern for most of the shapes.  That choice is available when you click on the shape and on the Fill choices at the right side of the screen. Remember these options may not look exactly the same in your software, but similar choices should be available.

Each cross stitch shape was also outlined with a bean or triple stitch.  That can be done by making sure you have clicked on the shape and choosing create layout on the left side of the screen below digitize. A flyout will open and you can add any type of outline listed as well as the color choice.

I used a border shape that looks like a shield for the face.

How about this shape for the ears?  Once they were added I just rotated them and moved into place.  You could also create the first one, duplicate it then mirror so they are the same size.

A heart shape works well for the muzzle of the reindeer. Just rotate and move onto the face.

Antlers might sound tricky but check out this banner shape. Again create one resize it so it is the size you need, duplicate and mirror.

A circle shape can be used for the nose and then a tatami stitch is used for the fill so it really stands out.

A star shape is filled with cross stitch and then outlined like the other shapes.

Circles for the whites and pupils of the eyes. Then a satin fill is chosen for them.

So far most of the shapes are easy to add and put in place. You may have some parts that include trims that you don't want.  That is when you may need to add some travel stitches in between the objects like the ones circled in red.  These are just stitches that will keep your machine from trimming when you have the same thread color on objects. You can see these trims when you look at the design with True View unclicked. You will need to digitize a single stitch line. Start at the trim from one object then continue to the start area of the second object. In Hatch by Wilcom you can also click on objects you want to Join using the control key and then press the letter J. This is a hotkey that joins the objects and will hopefully remove trims between them if they are close enough and the same color. Any small triangles will denote trims.  In this picture all of the trims have been removed from the brown objects.

Here is that area mentioned earlier where you can create outlines for each shape if you want to. Click select on the object, create outlines and offsets. The shape will be outlined exactly on the edge and will usually be placed right behind the object in the stitch order for better stitch registration. I think it just gives it a better finish on those cross stitch fills. I didn't outline the shapes with Tatami or Satin Fills to keep the stitch count down.

I used fonts built into the Hatch by Wilcom software for the Merry Christmas words. This did increase my design and a 5x7 hoop was used for the stitch out. Normally you want to know your design size from the beginning but I didn't resize the reindeer. I simply added the text underneath and it no longer fit into a 4x4 hoop. Finally, all items were grouped together and then moved to the hoop center in the software before saving.  If you don't have digitizing software, I do have this Red Nosed Reindeer Design available in my store here. How about some ideas for last minute Christmas gifts?

A bag for that ultimate lover of the season. Notice the text colors were changed on this one and others below so they stand out more.

A onesie for a little cutie.

Or a Bib?

An apron for Christmas morning when you are baking those world famous Cinnamon Rolls?

A Holiday Tea Towel for kitchen or bath?

A warm sweatshirt to wear for that Holiday gathering?  So many ideas and there is still time to do some creating before the big day. 

So why am I showing you how to digitize when I sell designs myself? I want you to be successful whether you buy my designs or create them yourself.  If you are reading this article, you love machine embroidery and are my kind of people.  When I started trying to learn how to do machine embroidery, there were only a couple of professional industry people that were openly generous with digitizing information. I am forever grateful to them because my digitizing craft has brought me forward in life. It is always here when I am ready and sits back quietly when I am otherwise busy.  I want to pay it forward to someone out there like I was helped. So, are you getting excited to try using built in shapes in your digitizing software? I think you could do an infinity of embroidery designs using this technique. That would be a real confidence booster for you in your stitching journey. Or maybe this has inspired you to try machine embroidery again and you need some inspiration? If so, try my Free Designs Page. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work. 

A brand new FREE Embroidery design is being released today!  This Tree Of Life stitches out in a 4x4 hoop.  The cross stitch pattern will bring back memories of "Old Fashioned Holiday" projects. If you are like me, you may have some pillows, hankies or tea towels from your creative relatives. I love walking in my local thrift stores and finding these treasures. So much work goes into hand sewing. It truly is a labor of love.

Maybe you love the cross stitch look but don't have the patience to work with needle and thread?  This is a great way to try it with your embroidery machine. Here are a few ideas to stitch this Tree Of Life design out.

A soft Cotton Tea Towel would look perfect hanging in your kitchen.  You can add some meaningful text above or below the tree.

A designer pillow for a chair or sofa is another great project. If you purchase plain covers that slip onto pillow forms, you will have a custom gift.

A wine holder as a gift filled with your favorite brand would be a unique gift for friends or family.

Check out my store page for this FREE Tree Of Life embroidery design and many others. All you have to do is add designs to your cart. Pick one or all of them, then proceed to checkout. Enter your info and receive an email link to download.  I hope you enjoy this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

My latest In The Hoop Santa Tized Holder embroidery design  being released today is a cute way to carry hand sanitizer for the holiday season. It completes in a 5x7 hoop and finishes really fast.  If you have marine vinyl remnants in your stash, you will be able to stitch up several in no time.

The text is a play on words and I know it made you smile. I love corny jokes. The project is designed to complete in one hooping and with some creative cutting, even the top loop will finish so you can install any kind of hanging hardware you like.  I used a key ring here.

Now I bet this picture has piqued your creative thoughts?  If you are interested in seeing the instruction video you can scroll to the bottom of this page and watch.  Wash away cutaway stabilizer is the best way to get a good stitch out so all you are left with is the project once complete. I like to use the type that is woven as it has enough strength to hold the weight of the stitching.

The tab is looped so various sanitizer bottles will fit inside. I had several that I showcased in the instruction video. If you give this as a gift to someone, they should have no problem finding one to fit.

Are you ready to be "Santa" Tized?  Look for the design in my store here and don't forget to watch the video to see how the project comes together. I know you will enjoy making these and maybe filling a few stockings.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

Pine Cone Turkeys are cemented in my childhood memory.  They were an annual craft in my elementary school years.  Usually the last day before we got our fall break the teacher would have puzzle pages, mazes and some sort of craft.  We usually used construction paper for the pine cone turkeys but this In The Hoop Pine Cone Turkey project will make them sturdier and sparkly.

So how cute is this?  A simple pine cone transformed into a decoration that you can use on your holiday table. How about one for each of your family members and dinner guests?  Notice the small tag hanging on the front says "Thankful For".  A chalk marker can be used to fill in whatever you want. How about a new family tradition where each person writes in what they are most thankful for?

The special material used to give all that textured shine is Mylar. I have talked about the magic of Mylar before and it is so much fun to work with. Look for it in the gift wrapping section of your local store.

Ultra Firm Interfacing is the other material that allows the finished pieces to stand up tall. Here you see the pattern piece for the turkey tail. Mylar gives the shine to the front, the interfacing gives structure and the fabric conceals all of the stitches on the back so everything is pretty.

Here is the tail with all of the beautiful fall colors. You can customize those any way you like. You can also see the removal of the Mylar. It comes away very easily.

Once all of the pieces are completed, there are a few steps to prep them for installation. Here you see yarn being used  in button holes.  This allows the pieces to be woven into the pine cone and held securely in place. 

Have I piqued your interest and sparked some creative thoughts?  You can watch the entire In The Hoop Pine Cone Turkey video stitch out below to see how fun and easy this project will be. See the design here in my store. Once the Thanksgiving season is over, you can remove all of the pieces and store for next year. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

October has flown by for me.  I have been busy making and donating, designing and doing a little bit of traveling.  My latest embroidery design came about a couple of months ago and it is finally being released today.  It is an In The Hoop Medic Alert ID Tag. Even better, it is FREE.  

Like most of my designs, there is usually something that triggers my creativity.  On this particular one, I had a friend that became acquainted with an autistic person.  The family had tried the medic alert jewelry for identification purposes, but this person did not like it and wouldn't wear anything that they could keep permanent.  He also had a tendency to run away if he was in a stressful situation.  This caused a lot of stress because the family members always worried. I thought about a possible solution that could be worn on a pair of shoes.  If they were used to wearing shoes, the id tag wouldn't be noticed and the shoestrings would keep it tightly secured.  Also, it could be washed and dried along with the shoes. Once I digitized the ID Tags, I noticed they could also be attached to pretty much any other item like bags or key rings.

If you use a light colored fabric, you can also write all of the important info on the inside of the tags.  A Sharpie or laundry marker will help make it more permanent so it can go through the wash. If it fades, just write it again.

Here is a tag attached to a small bag zipper.

Here is a tag on a key ring

And here is a tag on a shoe.  If someone had a fall or fainting spell, you would definitely notice the red medic alert on the tag and then see it could be opened to reveal information.

The ITH Medic Alert embroidery design will complete two tags in a 4x4 hoop. So it is great for using up scraps in your stash.

When you download the design, you will receive color instructions. I also have an instruction video for you to follow along with. My wish is you will make these and donate to someone in your life that can use it. Check out the video below. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you make. Someone will appreciate your hard work.  

I have a new Free Ribbon Survivor Embroidery design being released today. Click the link above to be taken to our free design page where you can download one or all.  This time of year we are coming into the month of October and Breast cancer awareness. There are many other Ribbon causes that use the ribbon and this design is perfect to use for all of them because you can choose your own colors.  

Notice the ribbon, text and each rainbow line are all different shades of pink or purple.  You can stick with those or stitch out with your preferred thread colors. This is also sewn in a 5x7 hoop so it is a good size design that will show up on your projects. Let's look at some mock ups to give you some inspiration.

How about doing a tea towel for someone you love?  The open stitching would work very well on flat cotton towels. Fluffy towels might hide the open stitching so if you are going to do this project try to find those broadcloth or diaper material towels.

If you have a run or walk event planned, you could sew the design to a shirt . This baseball style with colored sleeves would be really cute.

Lunch bags or any kind of tote would be a great gift for a loved one so they can be reminded daily that they are a survivor.  This bag could be for an ovarian cancer survivor.  Just change the thread colors to lighter shades of teal.

How about sewing the Ribbon Survivor Design to the back of a jacket?  This black jacket would really showcase the stitching and if you use metallic threads it would pop.

This would be a "cheeky" survivor display. Stitched on the back of a pair of sweats for a Ribbon Run and you would give someone a smile.

Finally how about on a pocket of your luggage? You may strike up a conversation with other survivors while traveling. 

Are you inspired to do some embroidery?  Remember, this would be a great design to add to your donated items.  There are several other Service Projects on my site here.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

If you have visited my site in the past you may have noticed that my projects are varied and unique according to the materials I have on hand. That is because I have a habit of shopping in the remnant bins and clearance sections.  I love to find items that are on are their way out because of season changes. In fact, if you use your creativity, you can save some money and sew projects to donate. This solves problems. First, those items will become something brand new and usable. Second, you will be giving back to your community which is always positive. Third, you can lift your own spirits if you suffer from feelings of depression or getting low. It is true that doing for others always makes you feel better. The hardest part is getting started. This Felt Crayon Pouch is a great project for accomplishing all of those things.

So this picture might pique your interest a bit.  A 9x12 piece of felt is the main part of the Crayon pouches. I was walking in my local Hobby Lobby and in the rear corners, they usually have the clearance section. Sometimes you find gold there.  The felt pieces are usually .99 cents each.  I found these for .19 cents.  There were others for .24 cents.  There is nothing wrong with them.  The store was restocking to move in their fall merchandise and these were from the previous season. Now you may have thoughts of Pumpkin Spice and Falling leaves in your head right now, BUT.... the receiver would love these bright colors and cute designs ALL YEAR ROUND.  So when you are feeling low, drive to your local store and just walk, look and keep an open mind. When you find a great deal, buy the materials bring them home, sew then give it away. You will feel better.

This project really lends itself to assembly line production. I was able to mark pin and sew several of these then move on to each step in the pattern. I finished 36 of them in two sewing sessions of about 4 hours each.  It is all straight sewing so beginner friendly too. Do you belong to a sewing guild or lead a scouting group?  Your members could whip these out quickly for Christmas shoebox giving.

I wanted to include crayons and a small tablet in each of the pouches so I calculated the cheapest crayons I could find locally. Right now school supplies are marked down in most stores and you will probably be able to find them cheaper than these. I went to Walmart and the usual price on a 24 pack of Crayola crayons are. 50 cents each. If you have ever purchased them you will notice they have duplicates of several colors in these boxes. You will have multiples of blues, reds, oranges, greens and purples in one box.  Weird but true. So these are perfect to split up and use.

The small tablets came from the Dollar Tree. These composition books are usually in packs of three for $1.00. The size is perfect to slide into the crayon pouches.

When you download the pattern you will also receive this cost breakdown sheet.  I wanted to show each unit cost including the crayons and tablets. Also, this will  make it easy for you to buy enough materials for 36 pouches.  Where I got everything, yardage amounts for the Velcro closures, ribbon for the loops, Felt squares, crayons and tablets.  It assumes you will have thread and free labor also.  But if you are looking for a service project for your organization, you could print this page off and take it shopping. It also shows three different price ranges depending on whether you are able to find the felt at a discounted price. If you pay full price, each unit would be around $1.55. If you are able to find the felt for .19 cents, each unit will cost around .80 cents. WOW!  Kind of fun to see what you can do with materials that might be overlooked and a little bit of creativity.

Wouldn't you love to get something this cute for free? I can think of so many places these would be appreciated. How about, classrooms, libraries, doctor's offices, shelters, retirement centers, adult daycares, cancer treatment centers, police and firemen, counselors?  Have I got your creative side sparked?  GO HERE to get the FREE Pattern. Watch the video demonstration below to get even more inspired.  Better yet, September is National Sewing Month. What a great way to celebrate by sewing and donating. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

A brand new FREE embroidery design has been released today!  Daddy's Little Helper is in honor of LABOR DAY.  When I was growing up, our household was a working one.  That meant we didn't take a lot of vacations or if we had an extra day off from work and school, we utilized that time for home projects.  In fact, anytime Mama or Daddy were working around the house inside or out, we were right there beside them. It was encouraged and today I am glad because I can do just about anything around my house.  Or figure it out.  So I digitized this cute design to pay homage to those times.

 All of my free designs are available for download here in my store. So check  them out.  They are very easy to receive. Just add them to your cart, enter some information and you will receive a link via email.

Daddy's Little Helper has been digitized for hats so it will sew center out and up.  You can also stitch it on flat items.  Here are a few ideas. Remember the little helper could be a boy or girl so the sky is the limit on your color choices.

You could of course do hats or you could decorate little aprons.

Hoodies or sweatshirts would be other great items to add this cute design.

So what are your plans for Labor Day?  Maybe this project? GET THE DESIGN HERE. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

Ironing or Pressing is something that should become second nature when you are doing any kind of sewing project.  I can admit that when I began sewing as a child, it was my least favorite part and I couldn't understand why I had to do it.  There were many projects I completed without pressing between steps but they didn't turn out exactly as I hoped.  As I practiced more, I saw that using my iron to create flat surfaces and hem openings made fitting pattern pieces so much easier.  Now, it really has become just a habit to heat my iron when I am starting to sew.  My board surface shows the use so I have been thinking about updating the cover with a bright piece of fabric.

This is the before picture.  It might be a little hard to see, but it had become stained with the steam and spray starch over time.

I really had never looked at how it was attached to the board until I decided to update it. When I looked closely, I realized the manufacturer had used just an overlock seam and some heavy duty string to gather the fabric around the edges.

The string that had been passed through the overlock seam was tied off on the end and there was a small piece of plastic that held the wrapped string in place.

This is a picture of the piece of plastic.   The document below is a good resource if you would like to replicate the plastic piece.  I scanned the piece on my printer and it should print off in a good size.

I used a piece of plastic cutting board from the Dollar Tree to trace over and it worked just as good as the original.

My fabric is canvas that I found in a remnant bin at Hobby Lobby.  When I purchased it, I wondered what I could do with 18 inches of fabric.  Well, you can always think of something creative. I used a heat away marker to trace 2 inches wider than the ironing board and cut around it.  That extra 2 inches was enough to come up and around the board.

2 layers of quilt batting made the board extra fluffy so I will have padding now when I press projects.  I just cut the batting to the size of the wooden top.

On my serger, I set up my seam for a four thread wide overlock.  I finished the entire edge around the perimeter and then finished the thread tail with a needle so it wouldn't unravel.

I used a  large needle with 6 strand embroider floss underneath the seam leaving extra length on the ends. This is the part that did take the longest to complete.  It would be good TV time sewing.  My best advice is to use a large blunt needle so it doesn't get caught on the fabric as you are passing it underneath the seam. I tied the ends with a knot and a bow so I could grab them and pull to gather. 

The fabric was put face down then the batting and finally the board.  When I pulled on the string, the cover began to gather.

The edges cupped around the board just right and then I used the plastic piece to wrap the string around and lock the position.  All of the ends pieces were neatly tucked under the material.

Here is the newly covered ironing board ready for use.  I love the bright color.

                      BEFORE                       AND                         AFTER

I have a video you can watch below that shows the entire project.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

My latest embroidery design is being released today. I think you just might say, I could use one of those! It is an In The Hoop Flyswatter Holder. In our area, this time of year brings out all of the flying bugs.  Every time you open the front door, one seems to be waiting and then we are looking for the flyswatter.  I currently have a push pin that I hang mine on, but I wanted a better place so here it is.

This ITH Flyswatter Holder uses a small amount of felt fabric and is completed in a 5x7 hoop.  You will be able to complete all of the steps in one hooping.  

Felt is a good material because it doesn't fray and it has some body that helps it keep it's shape. I made sure to use a low loft felt because there is some folding of fabric and you don't want it to be too thick to fit under your machine foot.

The sample in the pictures has white bobbin thread on it but I would suggest using a matching bobbin because you can see that thread once it is finished.

This project does have some creative cutting on the stabilizer. Usually we are taught that you have to keep this in tact but if you are careful and the design is digitized for it, you can do some techniques to mimic sewing on a machine.  You do have to be very careful and use a ight touch so your stabilizer doesn't stretch out.

This view shows the hole that will later become the place where the Flyswatter hangs .

There is a pocket on the back also.  Two small strong magnets are slipped inside and they hold the weight of the flyswatter.

Here is a closeup of the project. It would be a really great stocking stuffer for that person that has everything. I bet they don't have one of these.  Also, if you are doing craft fairs or farmer's markets, these would be a unique item to sell.

Flyswatters come in various styles and I tried two that I have in my house. Both fit the design very well.

Are you curious to see how the In The Hoop Flyswatter Holder is made?  I have a video tutorial below that you can watch.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.

I had a unique project to work on this week.  One of our friends purchased seat covers for their vehicle and they wanted patches sewn to the headrest portion.

Here are the patches sewn on and you can see what the covers looked like before.  They were made of a stretchy material backed with foam on the front. The back was a thin polyester knit and the bottom had elastic. Once I looked at the construction, I knew that taking the side seam apart would make it much easier.

The patches were actually a gift I made for my friends. I sent them in the mail as a surprise to Texas and thought they would be able to have them installed there. Well, I recently made a trip to Texas and the patches travelled back with me along with the seat covers. Life is weird sometimes isn't it?  NO worries. I really enjoyed doing the project because I got to see how good they looked with the bright blue color they chose.

When I was looking at the covers I did however notice that the foam material although stretchy was fragile. You can see it beginning to split in several areas. So I knew I needed to be extra gentle as I took the outer seam apart.

A Seam ripper was the best tool to use and after I started with the point, I switched to the ball so the material would not become more damaged.

I only opened the seam enough to fit under the foot of my sewing machine. Pins helped place the patches and I used a ruler to ensure even placement.

I used a 75/11 needle in my sewing machine and made sure to start with the needle down.  The seam was sewn inside the satin edge with matching thread and bobbin all around the perimeter.

Here is a close up of the seam. It is barely visible as long as you use the matching thread colors.

Once I had the patch sewn to the cover, I used some clips to hold the fabric edges together so I could repair the opened seam.

I set my Serger up for a four thread overlock and stitched along the edge. I was very careful to keep the trimming to a minimum along the knife edge. My bamboo skewer helped me guide the fabric also.

I used a large needle to run the thread tails through the seam also.  This will help it keep from raveling. 

Here are the completed covers ready to be installed.

I had to try them out so I could send pictures along before they were shipped back to Texas.  I think someone got a car ride as well.

I have a video you can watch below that shows all of the steps. Maybe it will inspire you to sew a patch to a seat cover as well.  This method will work for just about anything as long as you can fit it under your sewing foot and your machine will sew it. 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 project has been on my mind for a long time.  I have a small loveseat that sits at the end of my bed. Our household is VERY dog friendly.  They are allowed to lay on the furniture and pretty much go anywhere they like.  The only place that I want them to stay off is my bed.  I am a person that makes her bed every morning. I love to wash my sheets and crawl in to sweet smelling linens. For me, it is very difficult to watch two boy dogs coming in and out of the house and jumping on the comforter.  We also have a tick problem in our area this time of year. Even though we treat our dogs with medicine, I have found critters and that is not fun.  So I have been using a baby gate with pillows stuffed around it to block their path from the loveseat. If I am not careful and the pillows are not tall enough to create a visual barrier, my dogs will walk right through them.

So, here is my new dog barrier.  It was an easy project with all straight lines to sew. I just had to take some measurements.

I measured the space in between the posts and then around the bottom and top.  I wanted to have a height that would allow TV viewing even when you were laying in bed but tall enough to keep the dogs from jumping across. So it is a rectangle panel with webbing that wraps around each post and secures with snaps. I did add one inch to my overall measurement of the panel to allow for a 1/2 inch hem around the perimeter.  I also cut the webbing extra long so it would wrap around the posts and give me enough to pull it taut while I installed the snaps.

The fabric I chose is Screen mesh from Lowe's. I had some extra from a previous project where I sewed a Screen Door cover. I am still using that screen and it is one of my best home upgrades. The screen is very easy to see through and lightweight. Since my dogs are used to the baby gate, I figured they would understand this was just a "NEW" gate and would stay off as usual. If your dog isn't used to a gate, you might want to try something a little sturdier at first and then transition to the screen. If they push with their nails, they could puncture the screen. 

I had a large spool of webbing in my stash. It is one of those materials I found at a local sale and I purchased it knowing one day inspiration would hit.

The snaps made installing the panel easy. If you are using heavy duty webbing, you may need stronger snaps.

I used polyester thread and matching bobbin as well as a 90/14 needle.  This helped pierce the webbing.  A zigzag stitch worked great. I did use a small amount of sewing glue on the reverse side of the webbing along with a few pins.  

Here you can see three vertical pieces of webbing. They made the screen much easier to handle after attaching and gave structure. Using the cutting mats helped me mark everything nice and straight with my chalk marker.

I did fold over a 1/2 inch hem on both sides before I laid the webbing on top and then sewed it with the same zigzag stitch.

When I was ready to sew the horizontal pieces of webbing for the top and bottom with a 1/2 inch hem, I made sure to cut enough to wrap around the posts with some extra. My webbing was thick and I did have to do some hand stitching on the overlaps as I didn't want to damage my machine.

The snaps were installed with the panel on the bed. I used my clips to hold it in place.  You will also notice I added a piece of webbing in the middle because I thought my dogs might try to push around the side of the panel. Once I had the snaps installed, I trimmed the extra web and heat sealed with a lighter.

Here is a close up of the snaps. They make installation very easy. If I need to take it down for cleaning or flipping the mattress, it shouldn't be a problem.

Someone has been blocked!  Looks like a successful project! I have a video of the project as it was being sewn below to give you more inspiration. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work!

Laying Out Multiple Embroidery Designs can get frustrating if you have an item that is an odd size; or if you are like me and math and measuring don't always come easy.  I have gotten so much better at using tape measures as I have practiced, but my latest project gave me an opportunity to figure out a simple way to work around using just measurements. You can see in the picture below that trying to get many designs placed just right when they are separate is very time consuming.

This baby blanket was the item that I wanted to work with. I found it in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby for a great price so of course I purchased it and stored in my stash until inspiration hit.  One morning, I woke up and Gingham Embroidery Letters flashed in my head. I thought, I will digitize an entire alphabet to go on that little quilt and it will be so cute.  Then I set to work in my software.

The Gingham Alphabet letters are stitched in a 4x4 hoop.  Once I laid them on the blanket, I discovered it was wider in the middle and sloped toward the curved ends.  When I tried to take measurements from any point, I couldn't get a good center mark to even begin with. The edges were not an option because my letters would rise up.  In order to get a grid set up, I would need to do some figuring and each time I tried, I just couldn't get it right. The individual printed letters would slide on the quilt and move out of place when I bent over the surface. Then I noticed that each letter I had printed out would be really difficult to get straight. That would affect my ability to hoop them squarely.  I knew this was going to be a wall hanging, so any skewed letters would show up prominently.

So I got several pieces of regular copy paper and I cut them out to a 4x4 size.  That way they were the same size as each of the letters.

Then I used regular tape and put all of the letters and blank squares of paper together to form one large template.

Now this was so much easier to work with. I could place it anywhere on the blanket and slide it around without fear of the letters becoming skewed.  Also since the center grids were printed on the designs, I had a ready made place to mark all of my letter placements. It was so much easier to be able to take just a few measurements now around the edges.  I used a heat erase marker and my long ruler to mark lines and then I removed the template and connected all to create the grid.

Here is everything laid out.

To make it easier to keep up with the exact placement of each letter, I wrote in the center of each cross mark the name of the letter design that would be sewn.  This helped tremendously. Embroidering 26 letters can get monotonous and I would have hated to sew the wrong one in the wrong place.

Another great simple tip is to use a check off list.  I crossed off each letter as they completed. I also wrote the colors ahead of time and used this to double check I had the correct thread color sewing each one.

Once I had everything set up, I was able to work through them one by one with my Echidna Hooping station and Mighty Hoops. I have a small plastic template that I made to help me make sure the letters were placed well.  I also did not use any stabilizer when these sewed out. The baby quilt was thick enough and the Gingham Embroidery Letters did just fine. 

Here you can see how I arranged the quilt in my Multi Needle machine as it was stitching out.

I finished the blanket with a couple of quotes from the Alphabet song. Since I had my grid already laid out, their placement went really quickly.

All of the grid lines went away with a quick pressing.

Guess what?  There are numbers in the Gingham Alphabet pack also. I stitched these on a different color background and thread so you can see that they are just as cute in baby color tones. These designs can go from the nursery all the way up to classroom. If you home school, you could add these to your home study area or even make a soft book. How about using the letters for monograms?  Maybe add a name across the letter? Have I got you inspired yet?  I have a video below that might help even more.  It shows you how I laid the blanket grid out and shows some of the letters 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!

My latest embroidery design releases today. It is an In The Hoop Belt Bag Wrap. The bag completes in a 5x7 hoop. The entire project is done with one hooping and that includes the zipper.  If you are a person that doesn't like to carry a purse, you will love this project.

The front has detail stitching around the zipper.

The back has a tab that allows you to pass a belt through. Snaps make it easy to take the bag on and off.

The size is large enough to hold credit cards, cash and lip balm. Other items you might want to use this for could be your car key fob, ear buds, or a USB stick.  Perfect if you want to keep your hands free while walking or shopping.  I think I will be using mine while I go to my local antique shops and trade days. Moms would love this also so they can hold their kids hands instead of worrying with a purse. This is slimmer than a fanny pack so much more discreet for a minimalist.

Here you see the 5x7 hoop with masking tape, a zipper and vinyl. When you download the design, you will receive all of the instructions.  

Are you curious to see how this In The  Hoop Belt Bag Wrap is completed?  I have a video below that shows the entire process.  I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work.