Tutorials
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Cotton Thread & When to Use It
When to Use Cotton Thread & Why Choosing the right thread for your project is an important factor that determines the final look, feel, and oftentimes longevity, of the project. With so many choices, how do we decide? Sheen I think about thread sheen the same way I would if I were choosing paint for a room. Do you want the thread to shine, glisten, reflect light, look slick, matte or textured? These decisions will determine how to choose the right thread for your project, specifically whether you choose between rayon and cotton. Strength When choosing the right thread, decide if you need the thread to hold up to heavyweight…
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Pillow of the Month: How to Make a Trapunto Pillow
Pillow of the Month: Trapunto Pillow by Pamela Cox Continuing on our Pillow of the Month series, we’ll learn how to make a trapunto pillow using two methods. Trapunto is a hand-stitching technique in which designated areas within an embroidered pattern are stuffed, producing raised areas. The Trapunto effect is easily mimicked using an embroidery machine. Special collections digitized to copy a Trapunto 3-D effect are available on many embroidery sites. However, when learning how to make a Trapunto pillow, you may be surprised to find suitable designs already in your personal design library. Line designs, especially those with large open spaces, work well imitating Trapunto when stitched over a…
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Embroider a Pillowcase for Memory Care Patients
Learn how to embroider a pillowcase with our free pattern, plus donate it to a charity of your choice. We’re focusing our charity sewing effort on Memory Care facilities this month, and partnered with a facility to provide them with personalized pillowcases for their residents. If you’d like to join our effort and embroider a pillowcase, comment on this post and we’ll provide you with a name of a resident and mailing instructions for your pillowcase. This partnership will end March 16, 2019. After that time, or in lieu of participating in our effort, please contact a facility in your neighborhood and ask if they’d take pillowcase donations. Or embroider a…
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How to Make a Quilt Label with Machine Embroidery
How to Make a Quilt Label with Machine Embroidery Planning the Quilt Label Adding a quilt label to a quilt gift is a great way to add a personal touch and provide information to future generations. If you’ve wanted to learn how to make a quilt label, first decide on the design. Add just a name, a message or simply a design with initials. Make the label as big or as small as you like. I always add a quilt label after the construction is complete. I hand stitch it to the back of the quilt along the lower-left corner. I didn’t intend to have a “signature quilt label” when…
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Hand Embroidered Valentine’s Day Cards
How To Make Hand Embroidered Valentine’s Day Cards For Your Loved Ones Making hand embroidered Valentine’s Day cards is a great way to say I Love You with stitches. This project is easy enough for beginners, children included, and fun for everyone! Honestly, I don’t care if it’s a made up holiday or not, I LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY! How could I not? It’s all about love and romance and a great excuse to decorate and sew with all my favorite things: Pink, Red, Hearts, and more Hearts. I have already started making heart-shaped muffins for my family to enjoy at breakfast and, this weekend, we will make a heart-shaped cake.…
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Learn How to Make an In-the-Hoop Scissor Case
In-the-Hoop Scissor Case Join Sulky and Allison Nash of Sweet Pea Machine Embroidery for a FREE 1-hour webcast teaching you how to create an In-the-Hoop Scissor Case. This in-the-hoop embroidered scissor zipper case is the perfect size to keep any pair of scissors safe and sound in your sewing room. The design comes in two sizes and only requires one hooping. The case is lined with no raw seams and a thick tip to prevent the scissors from cutting through the bottom of the case. It is a quick, easy project to make – and the perfect gift! Join Us Live: Date: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 Time: 9:00 pm EST…
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Instant Pot Cover 4: Free Pattern + Recipe
Free Instant Pot Cover Pattern In the final installment of our Instant Pot Cover blog hop, Stephanie Kendron of Modern Sewciety wrapped it up with a perfectly modern quilted Instant Pot cover. Stephanie used our Free Instant Pot Cover Pattern to make her cover – along with orphan blocks, Cotton + Steel Thread by Sulky®, Sulky Fuse ‘n Stitch™, and her Janome Skyline S9. Check out her blog post here. Instant Pot Soup Recipe To round out National Soup Month, Stephanie calls this vegetable soup recipe “Magic”, and from the looks of it, we think she may be right! She suggests adding mushrooms, brussel sprouts and any other favorite veggies to make this soup…
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Embroidered Pillow: January Pillow of the Month
Embroidered Pillow DIY Pillow of the Month: January Edition For the next twelve months of 2019, we will feature a DIY Pillow of the Month with a a 14” square pillow form that can be slipped off and easily stored. January’s Embroidered Pillow keeps winter in mind with embroidered snowflakes and a touch of metallic sparkle. Not only is it exciting to regularly change decorating themes, but reusing the same pillow form will save money. January finds winter well under way and, even in those warmer states, it is always fun to think of snowflakes! Embroidery Library offers two enticing freestanding lace (FSL) collections of “Light and Lacy Snowflakes”.…
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No-Sew Wreath with Thread Wrapped Letter
No Sew Wreath Make a no-sew wreath in no time! This month, we’re decorating with wreaths to fill the holiday-decor void. We’ve had a colorful wreath made of thread spools, a snowflake wreath made with freestanding lace snowflake embroidery designs, and now a no-sew wreath composed of a wooden letter wrapped in thread. Make your own no-sew wreath to add some cheer to your front door, with a little or a lot of color. Sulky 12 wt. cotton Petites make quick work of winding the wooden letter, which can be found in a craft or hobby store (I found mine at the Target dollar bin!). For your no-sew wreath, choose…
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Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. + Free Design
MLK Day: Because Hate is Too Great a Burden to Bear Today is a day to reflect and remember with a free embroidery design including a quote from the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the many benefits of growing up in North Georgia is the ability to experience history, instead of just reading about it. As I think about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today, I am able to not just remember his sermons, inspiring quotes and speeches, but I can add my own experiences at the King Center and at Dr. King’s gravesite. I can remember seeing his childhood home and having lunch at the restaurant…
