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Easy Christmas Tree Skirt & Invisible Thread Tutorial
Christmas Tree Skirt by Ellen March This Christmas tree skirt tutorial is super easy and helps use up all the holiday fabric remnants in your stash. You’ll learn how to make the Christmas tree skirt, plus learn how to work with invisible thread for a flawless finish. This Christmas tree skirt is reversible, too, giving you more bang for your buck! And you can adapt the tree skirt to make a holiday tablecloth. The featured tree skirt was sewn on a Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic sewing & embroidery machine. Christmas Tree Skirt Supply List Approx 1-1/2 yard of backing fabric (amount depends on size) Low-loft batting Approx. 1/2 yard each…
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10 Reasons You Didn’t Finish Making That Gift (And quick alternatives you can do in minutes)
I never learn. Every year, I over-commit myself to a number of gifts that I can actually make and give people for Christmas. And every December 26th I resolve to start earlier so I can actually get them all finished. One year, I failed so miserably at finishing gifts, I literally just gave my family the fabric with ‘IOU’ notes attached. My family members were not thrilled. I didn’t get the normal warm and fuzzy feeling that I cherish from giving people I love handmade items. No, instead, I felt horrible. Not a great way to start Christmas morning! In order to help you avoid that feeling, here is a…
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In-the-Hoop Christmas Stocking Tutorial
In-the-Hoop Christmas Stocking by Pamela Cox Stitch this Christmas Stocking to use as decoration, a gift, or to fill with goodies! It is made in two “in-hoop” sections: the embroidered stocking, and the lining, with finishing touches stitched on a sewing machine. Don’t be afraid of the high stitch count for the patterned stocking front. The rows are decorative patterns, so the stitches are all small. It stitches up quicker than you might imagine. Supplies: 1/4 yard wool felt 1/4 yard lining fabric 5-1/2” decorative cording Topstitch Needles: 100/16 – use with wool felt 80/12 – use with lining Sulky® Stabilizers: Sticky +™ Soft ’n Sheer™ Thread: Sulky 40 wt.…
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FREE Gift Tag Pattern & Printable
Holiday Gift Tags by Ellen March Handmade holiday gift tags are the perfect finishing touch to a wrapped present. Even better if you include a message to the recipient, letting him or her know you made what’s inside, too! These cute handmade gift tags are made using Sulky 12 wt. Cotton Petites thread but you can also use 30 wt. or 40 wt. thread for different looks. Download the free printable to use as a hand embroidery template, machine embroidery template, or simply print them out onto card stock and use the tags as-is! GIFT TAG SUPPLY LIST Supplies listed are enough to make 6 gift tags, depending on size…
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Holiday Mini Hoop Ornaments – FREE Hand Embroidery Patterns and PDF
Aimee Davis of daisyeyes handmade created these adorably festive Holiday Mini Hoop Ornaments and honestly, we’re obsessed with them! The best part? The pattern is designed for all levels of embroiderers and is perfect for beginners, so even the little ones can join in! These would make a great addition to the Christmas tree or even to hang around the house. Supply List Fat quarter of white cotton fabric Sulky® Stick ‘n Stitch™ Stabilizer + a printer (if desired for printing your patterns) Thread Heaven (suggested for using with sewing Sulky Stick ‘n Stitch) Embroidery needle Small embroidery scissors Mini wooden hoops (holes are 1″) Red/white cotton bakers twine for…
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A Perfect Little Dress – Tips for Making a Dress for 18″ Dolls
My friend Erin Hentzel just came out with the most adorable book, “Doll Dress Boutique.” It is full of over 40 projects, including a dress for 18″ dolls. If you have a young girl in your life, she most likely has a doll this size. These dresses make great gifts, but they are also great projects to use to teach the younger generation how to sew! Because of my love for all things 70’s fashion, and because I had a small piece of this awesome 70’s-style fabric, I decided to do a take on this dress from the book. The directions in the book are great, and easy to…
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2018 Houston Quilt Festival Winners
The 2018 Houston Quilt Festival is underway and the winners of the quilt show were just announced! Drum roll, please…. Best of Show Sponsored by Handi Quilter Winner: Sherry Reynolds – “Eternal Beauty” Abstract, Large Sponsored by Elna First Place: Eunjoo An – “A Self-Portrait in an Ancient Bronze Mirror” Abstract, Small Sponsored by Benartex First Place: Shirley Gisi – “Cool Jazz” Alternative Techniques Sponsored by Madeira Thread First Place: Aki Sakai – “Small Happy Crazy Quilt” We’d like to give a special congratulations to one of our Sulky Designers, Karlee Porter, who won 3rd place in this category with her incredible quilt titled “The Royal Huntress”. The quilt took…
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Sunflower Wallet – Make One in an Afternoon!
Pam Damour, The Decorating Diva, will show us how to make this fantastic sunflower wallet. Made of Cuddle Suede, the wallet features a metal frame closure and an exclusive wrap around embroidery design that hasn’t been released yet. Co-author of the book Hold Everything: Purses, Totes and More, Pam will share her professional wallet construction techniques and inspire you to customize your wallets. After learning how to make the Sunflower Wallet, you will be able to make one in an afternoon! Learn: How to embroider on specialty fabrics with Sulky 12 wt. Cotton Thread How to Topstitch with Sulky Holoshimmer™ Metallic Thread Tips for using stabilizers for purposes other than machine…
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DIY Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Pillow
Create your own Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Pillow! Halloween will be here before you know it! I don’t know about you, but we’ve already started decorating for the festivities and sewing spooky projects. Guest blogger Pamela Cox stitched up this amazing Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Pillow for us and you’ve got to check it out! It would make a fantastic addition to your Halloween decor that you can use year after year. Isn’t it great?! This pillow is available as a FREE Project on the Sulky website, equipped with free design downloads, free instructions, a supply list, and free tips and tricks. Check out these details! And it really glows! You can find the…
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Why Blendables are the Bomb for Quilting
“You will love the intriguing results you get with Sulky 30 Wt. Cotton Blendables Thread.” I remember being in a quilting class when I heard this statement. Honestly, my interest was peaked because of the word ‘intriguing’. I would never have described my quilting that way, but gosh, I sure wanted my quilting to be intriguing! So, I got some Sulky 30 Wt. Cotton Blendables Thread and tried them out. Before I tell you my thoughts on them, let me tell you a bit about the thread itself. Blendables are different from other variegated threads for several reasons: They are a masterful blend of different colors within the same range of tone and intensity…