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Cork Fabric Embroidery (Plus a Free Project!)
This series is written by guest blogger, Pamela Cox. Pamela is an expert embroiderer, designer, digitizer and all around wonderful girl! We are so happy to have her contributing to the Sulky Blog! Cork Fabric Cork, a natural product obtained directly from the bark of an evergreen oak tree – mostly found in Portugal – has been in use for thousands of years. Relatively recently, cork fabric has been developed by adhering thin cork sheets to a fabric backing. This innovative, new material presents the sewing world with a friendly, extremely versatile, medium to work with. Available in many colors and textures, cork fabric has the…
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In-The-Hoop Projects and Photo Frames – A Better Way (& a Valentine’s Day Gift!)
By Guest Blogger: Patti Lee, Vice President, Consumer Relations, Sulky of America I have fallen in love with in-the-hoop projects. Yes, the first prototype of each project takes some extra time; but once you’ve done the first one, they become easier and faster. My favorite thing about in-the-hoop designs is that when you’re done, you’re done. There is usually very little finish work once it is out of the hoop. We found this frame on at the embroiderylibrary.com – here is a link to the design/project Click here to download the “Hearts Abound” In-the-Hoop Frame Project. (Note: Fits in a 4 x 4 hoop.) You will need to sign in or…
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Machine Embroidery Series: Leather
This series is written by guest blogger, Pamela Cox. Pamela is an expert embroiderer, designer, digitizer and all around wonderful girl! We are so happy to have her contributing to the Sulky Blog! Leather Leather is not as difficult to embroider on as one might imagine. However, it is important to first understand leather’s properties and then to follow a few rules to ensure success. “Fabric” is made up of woven or knitted threads which can stretch, move and recover. Leather does not have this “memory” and is therefore not forgiving. Once a mark, or a hole, has been made in leather, it is forever there. “Unforgiving marks” also encompass…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Delicate Fabrics
This series is written by guest blogger, Pamela Cox. Pamela is an expert embroiderer, designer, digitizer and all around wonderful girl! We are so happy to have her contributing to the Sulky Blog! Delicate Fabrics Today, let’s talk about how to be successful when embroidering on light-weight, semi-sheer cloth. This fragile, woven-fabrics category is not specific to a fiber content. In other words: Batiste (cotton) Handkerchief linen (linen) Organza (silk) or one of the many synthetic fiber look alikes, all require the same steps and supplies for machine embroidery. Prior to use, it is always recommended to pre-wash and dry fabrics which can be cared for this way. This…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Embroider on Satin
How to Embroider on Satin This series is written by guest blogger, Pamela Cox. Pamela is an expert embroiderer, designer, digitizer and all around wonderful girl! We are so happy to have her contributing to the Sulky Blog! Embroider on Satin The fabric we call “satin”, actually refers to its weaving pattern which produces a shiny, slippery, easy to fray fabric. Read on for tips and techniques to embroider on satin with ease. The “fabric” can be manufactured from silk fibers, or synthetic threads, both sold under the “satin” label, although with much different price points! “Satin” fabrics produced by weaving cotton or polyester threads often are…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Velvet
This series is written by guest blogger, Pamela Cox. Pamela is an expert embroiderer, designer, digitizer and all around wonderful girl! We are so happy to have her contributing to the Sulky Blog! Velvet Picture Christmas represented by a fabric…..it would be a rich, elegant fabric, yet soft to the touch, bringing joy when caressed. Only velvet can fulfill all these wishes! Originally made from silk, velvet is now manufactured from synthetic fibers bringing price points down without sacrificing the deep nap or the soft-flowing drape of the cloth. Check “care instructions” found at the end of the bolt as most velvets do require dry cleaning. Velvet should never be directly…
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DIY Tassel Necklace – It’s Super Easy!
In case you are like me and need a couple more gifts, here is a fun and quick gift you can make. These trendy necklaces can be made in any color you want, and you can get them done fairly quickly. Here is what you need: Beads – I picked mostly glass beads with a few natural stone and painted beads thrown in. I got 3 necklaces out of each 112-inch string of glass beads. Bead Stringing Wire, .024 in – I bought 30 ft. since I knew I had a lot of necklaces to make. You need 34″ per necklace Connectors – I like the triangle ones, but…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Embroider Felted Wool
Embroider Felted Wool Felted Wool? or is it Wool Felt? Felted wool and wool felt are terms often used interchangeably. But they are, in fact, two different materials. The common factor is that both fabrics are made from wool. The difference comes in the way the wool is processed. Wool felt is produced by applying moisture, heat and pressure directly to wool roving, compressing the roving into a solid compact fabric. Felted wool is a woven fabric, washed in hot water and dried at high temperatures. Basically, the woven fibers shrink into each other. Probably difficult to see in a photo, the red felted wool has a softer look and…
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Gifts For Sewists
Finding the perfect gift for my sewing friends should be easy. They love sewing, just like me; so if I would like it, they will like it! Well, I have found that isn’t always the case! More than once, I have given a gift to a sewing friend and been met with that fake smile and forced, “oh, thank you.” Some have even said, “Oh good! something else I won’t have time to make.” (Don’t worry, those people went on the “don’t buy a gift for them” list). In an effort to become a better gift-giver myself, I have done some research and made a list of gifts that sewists…
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Machine Embroidery Series – FREE Baby Blanket Tutorial
This series is written by guest blogger, Pamela Cox. Pamela is an expert embroiderer, designer, digitizer and all around wonderful girl! We are so happy to have her contributing to the Sulky Blog! Baby Blanket Directions Approximate Finished size: 40”x 32½” Life has been good to us, especially if we can afford an embroidery machine; not that we didn’t have to work hard to make this happen! However, we still must be, not only “in a good place” with our lives, but possibly in a “better place” than many others. We have the ability to create many beautiful items while uniting our love of sewing with the technology of computerized,…
