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Trends Spotted in Spring 2017
We usually do a post around this time of year, that specifically talks about the trends that we see at Spring Quilt Market, but this year, I couldn’t help but notice some really cool trends popping up all over the place this spring, so I thought I would expand my trends post to be a little more inclusive. Let me know what trends you are seeing in the comments below. 1. Flowers – Not that flowers ever go out of style, but this year they seem to be everywhere! I see them in fabrics of all kinds, traditional, modern and reproduction fabrics, in machine and hand embroidery designs and in the…
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Shortcut for Machine Embroidery on Linen
Confession Time: I wait until the last minute. I know I should plan ahead, especially when it comes to a gift that I am making for someone’s wedding. It’s not like I haven’t known the wedding date for almost a year. Yet, alas, I still seem to wait until the day before to start on the gift. Although this is a horrible idea, and I have more than once been caught in a pickle because of this practice, I have also learned some nifty tricks for getting things done rather quickly! One of my favorite wedding gifts to give are monogrammed linen towels and napkins. What new bride doesn’t want…
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Rayon Thread: It’s Beautiful and It’s Earth Friendly
Sulky Rayon Thread is, and always has been, a favorite in the machine embroidery world because of its soft, warm feel and natural-looking luster. What many people don’t realize though, is that Rayon (sometimes referred to as Viscose) originates from nature! It is made from ENKA Viscose, which is 100% biodegradable; and the availability of the renewable resource, wood, is virtually unlimited. The raw material needed for the production of viscose is cellulose pulp, and the original material for the pulp production is wood. Cellulose is the natural building material needed by plants for forming their cellular walls. There are only a few wood types where the cellulose develops the properties…
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Big Stitch Quilting with Sulky 12 Wt. Cotton Thread
I have to be honest, I had always looked at beautifully hand-quilted quilts and thought, “Well, that’s just crazy.” Although I loved the look feel and texture that hand quilting added to a project, I never saw myself doing such intricate work. The funny thing is, I love hand embroidery. Ah, the slow pace, the relaxation of having a project to work on at all times (I always have a hand embroidery project in my purse); and the satisfaction of finishing something that only required a simple needle and thread. I don’t know why it took my so long to realize that hand quilting is just one big hand embroidery…
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Free Webinar – Quilting with Your Embroidery Machine!
Join us for this special FREE webcast with Eileen Roche, an innovative expert in the field of computerized machine embroidery. Even if you do not have an embroidery machine, or if you have one and are ready to expand your skills, you will be inspired to create in new ways and learn some really great tips. Eileen will show you how you can use an embroidery machine to quilt anything from a pillow to a full-size quilt. For those of you who do not do computerized embroidery, you can apply some of her methods with your preferred way of quilting. In this 60-minute webinar, Eileen Roche will share her 20…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Paper
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! Embroidered Paper Several years ago, when first asked to present a machine embroidered paper project, my initial thought was…. “why?” Why invest time, not to mention the cost of materials, into a “disposable project”? Seriously? However, once the experimentation began, it was then I realized that paper is not only a fun foundation for machine embroidery, but it presents many wonderful possibilities, which I guarantee will never be thrown away! Some embroidered items, such as a card, may be treasured for the…
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How To: Upcycle Clothing with Embroidery
Our Friend Laura from Trash to Couture shares how to upcycle clothing. She takes a boring shirt and transforms it by adding embroidery using a Sulky Stabilizer, Sulky Rayon Thread, and the BERNINA 560 machine + embroidery module. We love this concept and are so excited to see more of her work. Take a look! What did you think? Let us know in the comments section! Happy sewing!
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Cork Fabric Needle Case – A Free In-The-Hoop Project
Cork Fabric Needle Case In-The-Hoop Project by Pamela Cox Supplies: 3-1/2”x 5-1/4” piece of cork fabric 3-1/2”x 5-1/4” piece of felt Sulky Soft ’n Sheer™ Stabilizer Sulky KK 2000™ Temporary Spray Adhesive Sulky 40 wt. Rayon thread Basic Needle Case Embroidery Design – Free download (Download is below) Color Chart for Needle Case – Free download (Download is below) Embroidery Design of Choice – optional (No larger than 1-1/2”x 2-1/4”.) Preparation: Download both the needle case design and the color chart here: Needle Case Emb Designs If a design is to be added to the cover of the needle case, open the basic case design in a software editing program. Be sure…
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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…
