Putting it Together

I really am bad at this blogging thing. Has it really been that long since I posted??? I will try to do a bit better.

Today I thought I would share a tip for those of you who do in-the-hoop embroidery designs. The instructions with many of my in-the-hoop designs tell you to line up the front to the back matching the corners of the placement lines on both pieces. Easier said than done, right? What I don't show you is how I get them to line up really well - and it is really easy too. You can even call this a recycling tip.

My secret is a thick piece of Styrofoam. Not the kind that crumbles but the kind that they put in boxes with electronics and other fun stuff. The piece to look for is one large enough that will let your hoop lay flat  and thick enough to let quilting pins push into it all the way to the heads. I scrounged through my boxes and found the perfect slab - it was in my laptop box....

Now, when I am ready to put two pieces of a project together, I lay the hoop on top of the Styrofoam. Here I have my zipper bag back ready for the next step.

 

Next, I lay the piece I need to 'match' right on top. In this example I am sewing a prepared front to the bag back. I push quilting pins down though each of the four corners of the front piece right into the matching corner on the bag back. See the yellow pin heads in the corners?

 

 

The final step before putting it back on the machine is to tape it down really well so it doesn't move. I use blue painter's tape for this part. Don't be stingy with it either. Remove the pins from the corners and put the hoop back onto your machine. Easy Peasy, right???

 

 

This method works for all of my in-the-hoop designs. Coin purses, purses, mug rugs - wherever you need it to line up perfectly to put it together, I've included the placement lines in all the designs that require you to match front to back.  

 

 

 

Here is my finished project. It is a Kindle case with one of three pocket options that are available. It wouldn't have been quite so easy to put together without having that piece of Styrofoam handy! You can check out this design and lots more at www.pegboardcrafts.com.

 



From Applique to Paper to Cupcakes

I love to do different kinds of crafty things. My studio downstairs is divided into two rooms. One is for my embroidery, and one is for papercrafting. The lines are always being crossed. Here is a really good example. I created a set of 6 animal appliques for my grandson. They were used on bibs and the largest version became wall art for the nursery.

Then I discovered that my embroidery software, Embird's Studio, will export in SVG format. With a little tweaking, I was able to turn Lincoln Lion into a cutting file. Here is a table decoration I created, using my Black Cat Cougar. Wouldn't it be cute on a table at a baby shower? It would make a really cute card to go with that quilt you are giving the new mom too.

My daughters were decorating cupcakes for a baby shower. They needed some baby animals to put on them. I edited the applique file in Studio a bit more. I had to simplify the design for such small decorations. They used their Cricut Cake to cut the shapes out of fondant or gum paste. I can never remember which. Their cupcakes turned out so cute, didn't they? Try cutting those out by hand.

You will find the Jonathan's Room applique designs on my website - Pegboardcrafts. I purchased my Black Cat Cougar at KYCutters. Click HERE for the Lincoln Lion cutting file. Everything you need to make the free-standing card, and more, is there. You just need to get creative. If you enjoy using it, let me know. If I receive enough interest I will make cutting files for the rest of the set. You can view more of my daughters' handiwork on Facebook. Look for Katey Kim Cakes. Their cakes taste just as yummy as they look. Sorry, but the cutting files for the cupcakes belong just to them.

 





Key Fob Project

I have been loving the early spring we had. It has been really busy though. I had a lot of fun at the American Embroidery Conference in Marietta at the end of April. I taught a few classes on Embird and one on fun ways to use applique designs. I introduced a few  new sets too. Granny helped a lot of people make a zipper bag at our table. We collected $100 which we donated to Kids in Distress.

I've been seeing requests for simple shapes to make patches on a lot of my mailing lists. So I created Patches - Basic Shapes 1. It is a set of 7 basic shapes in 2 sizes, that all fit in the standard 4x4 hoop. They are basically done like my regular applique designs, but I've added another step and instructions for making free-standing patches with them. These are like blank canvases where you can add your own design and/or your own text to make patches. You can also use them to make key chain fobs and magnets. These are available on my website, Pegboard Crafts and also at The Stitchery Mall.

Here is a key chain I made using the design Patch_OvalB (the larger oval) in my set. It is really easy and takes a minimum of supplies. You can use scrap fabric and scrap stabilizer. It has pretty fabric on the back of the key chain and is stiffened with a heavy stabilizer like Timtex or Stitch N Shape.  Instead of putting matching thread in my bobbin, I used a permanent marker and colored in my white bobbin thread on the back. I purchased the key fob and key rings from eBay. Another option would be to add a grommet to one end instead of the metal key fob and insert your key ring through it.You can download a PDF file with full instructions from my website on the Patches - Basic Shapes page. 

My daughters, Kim and Katey, are making key fobs to help raise money for their ride in Pelotonia in Columbus, Ohio. Theirs will look something like this one. You can use the design Rounded Rectangle 1B from the same set to make a similar one. This ride benefits the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. They have a common interest in riding this year as their aunt was diagnosed with uterine cancer at the end of 2011 and has been undergoing treatment at James.  If interested in donating to their ride requirements, here are their links. Kate is at https://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=63816. Kim is at https://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=112032.

I also showed how to make magnets using these shapes. They are basically done the same way. Instead of a key fob or key ring, I cut business card sized sticky backed magnets to the back side when finished. I will be adding a project sheet for one of them next month.

Fun with New Fashioned Paper Dolls

I used to spend hours playing with my paper dolls when I was a kid. Here is a new twist on them for your favorite little one. They are made on a computerized embroidery machine using fabrics, not paper. I've been working on this technique for a few years and am finally pretty happy with the results. Its pretty neat how you can make your embroidery machine do most of the work for you. These are from Jonathan and Allie's Winter Duds, my newest creations.

I start with tearaway stabilizer in the hoop. It makes it easy to remove the excess stabilizer when the dolls and their clothing are finished. I then place Timtex or Stitch N Shape on the tearaway and stitch a special outline on it. This outline is slightly smaller than what the doll will be. Take it out of the hoop and cut out the shapes, right on the stitching line. If you have a large hoop,  you can do fill the hoop. If you have a small hoop, you'll have to do singles.

Rehoop another piece of tearaway stabilizer (washaway will work too). After sewing the placement stitching, I put the piece of Stitch N Shape I prepared right in the center of it. There will be a tiny gap between the placement stitching and the shape. Hold it down with a bit of temporary spray adhesive or glue stick. Then stitch the next outline. It will hold the stiffening piece in place. The clothing skips this step. I use a piece of scrap cutaway stabilizer underneath the fabrics instead. My instructions tell you when and where to place everything.

Next comes the fun part, choosing the fabrics. You won't put these in the washer so you can get a bit more creative than you might with applique designs on clothing. Keep in mind, they will need to be hand washed now and then though. Go for varying textures as well as color. I used vinyl scraps left over from cutting with my Cricut (or eCraft) for the snow boots. Pleather works really well too. The hood is lined with Warm and Natural. If your fabric tends to ravel, back it first with a fusible interfacing. I like velveteen and satins, Warm and Natural, laces, ribbons, as well as quilt weight cottons. Start digging through your scraps!

Apply Aleene's Tack It Over and Over on the back of the clothing. They'll cling right to the doll. Reapply when they loose their tack. I keep them stored on poly page protectors when not in use.

You will find the Jonathan and Allie Paper collection on my website, www.pegboardcrafts.com, under Kids > Peggy's People. They come in 2 sizes, 4" and 5". I like the larger set best for little hands, but the 4" is great for those with smaller hoops.

Hope you've enjoyed my latest project....

Peggy

And the Winner Is ....

ME! Finally, I can announce it publicly. One of my designs won not one, but two categories in the 2011 Stitches Magazine Golden Needle Awards!

I entered my newest zipper bag in the 2011 Stitches Magazine Golden Needle Awards contest earlier this year at the urging of a friend (Terri Hanson of Terradon Embroidery). Stitches is a free publication for the commercial embroidery market. I've always thought of my designs as more for the home embroidery market than the commercial market, but figured I might as well give it a shot. I am glad I did. They liked the idea of an all-in-the hoop design.

My Kindle bag, the latest addition to my line of in-the-hoop zipper bag took first place in the Embroidery - Accessories, Fashion category. At the time I was told, I thought it a little strange as I had entered it in the Digitizing category. But a win is a win, right? Then I found out a few weeks later that it also took first place as the Best Fashion Accessories, Design in the Digitizing category as well! Double exciting!

I guess I tend to think of commercial embroiderers as those with machines running lots and lots of heads all at the same time. It isn't really true any more. There are lots of people running single heads machines who are looking for unique items that might not be cost effective for a larger establishment. I think my zipper bags fill that need pretty well. Each bag can be unique without making any changes other than making it from a different fabric or changing the color of the ribbon. You can add a monogram to personalize it. There is space for an embroidery design above the pocket or on the back side - which is closed with a zipper - also applied as part of the in-the-hoop process. You can precut the fabrics and have everything ready to go to help streamline the process. I usually cut one out while one is running. The bag is also very versatile. You don't have to have an e-reader to make use of it. If you add a shoulder strap (easy to do, too) it makes a really cute purse!

The other thing that really thrilled me was that this proves that you don't have to have the most expensive software or the most expensive machine on the market to do good work. Award winning designs can be achieved using whatever software/machine you own. It is the imagination, the skill and the dedication of the person using them that makes or breaks it. I use a relatively inexpensive embroidery software called Embird Studio to create my designs. It might not have all the bells and whistles that some of the really expensive stuff does, but it does everything I ask of it and it does it well. The proof is in the results, right? I would rather spend my dollars on other things - like fabric and thread and new laptops, or amazing paper-cutting machines.

If you don't get Stitches Magazine, you can view the issue on-line. At the time of this writing, their website wasn't yet updated to the November issue, but I suspect it will be soon. My design is on pages 46 and 51. The bright colors really show up, don't they? You can purchase the Kindle bag design as well as my other zipper bags on my Pegboard Crafts website. Don't forget to look at my other applique designs while you are there and pick up a few freebees too. I'm not all just about zipper bags!

Indianapolis ASG Expo

I had the privilege of attending the ASG Sewing Expo as a vendor last week. My friend Annette drove down with me and helped me set up. She stayed with me the whole time and kept me sane - running zipper bag demos and talking to customers, taking orders, whatever was needed. Beth Meyers, my trusty assistant from IEC, joined us on Friday and Saturday. She brought her machine to demo the larger bags I do, but it decided it was having none of it and ended up going to the repair shop instead. My little Pooh Innovis 500 had to take over. It did a pretty good job as long as the person making the bag was happy with lavender thread on Thursday and pink thread on Friday and Saturday. We were NOT changing that thread. We had a great time. We saw old friends and made lots of new ones too. Annette took pictures of almost all of our zipper bag students. We'll be adding them to my website and to my Facebook page as soon as I get a few spare moments. Here are two showing how much fun we were having! I lost track of how many little zippered coin purses we actually made, but it was a lot.

Class and Workshop at the Sew-N-Save

I can't believe it has already been over a week since the class and workshop at the Sew-N-Save in Westerville, Ohio. I had a great time and I think everyone who attended did too. I had 6 students who learned how to make zipper bags in their hoops. Several were women I had previously met in classes but I had 2 new students. Things were a bit hectic but everyone got their bags made. Lunch was what slowed us down. The neighborhood Panera was hit with a rush of lunchtime orders - must be unusual on a Saturday. But everyone was patient and though there was a slight mix-up, we all ended up with our lunches, just a little bit late.

Several students stayed to do the workshop and we had several new participants drop in. We helped Kim make 14 bags. She still had a least 6 to make but that was much better than doing all 20 by herself. We netted $225 for her Pelotonia ride which I will be depositing in her account later today. That does not include the money she has from the bag orders themselves. She is very happy with the results and thanks everyone that helped. Mom will be adding some more later this month - watch for a special offer!

The poor girl has the misguided notion that mom can make the 25 mile ride NEXT year. I don't think so ... 5 miles is about all I can manage at one time.


Special thanks go to Annette and Granny who came in to help me with both the class and the workshop. Thanks to all who participated. And thanks again to Susan and her store family who helped make the day a big success.