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Machine Embroidered T-shirt + Tips for Stabilizing Knits
Machine Embroidered T-shirts Machine embroidered T-shirts are often the first project beginners want to make. But taming those stretchy knits in the embroidery hoop can prove challenging. Light-weight cotton Jersey knits are tough to stabilize without stretching and puckering as the end result. With a few tips from expert Pamela Cox, a plain T-shirt is easily transformed into a “one-of-a-kind” special gift. Knits stretch, which is why we love them. However, we need to control this property during the embroidery process and yet still enable this wonderful trait to return. Because Sulky offers a variety of quality stabilizers to choose from, even within each category- Tear-Away, Cut-Away, Wash-Away, and Heat-Away–…
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Free Webinar with Crafty Gemini!
The Sulky Webinars are always sew much fun, full of inspiration and great projects, but I am particularly excited about our next webinar! My friend Vanessa, The Crafty Gemini, will be our guest! If you don’t know her, check out her blog here. Her site is full of inspirational videos and patterns that make sewing fun and easy. She is going to share with us a great table runner that is quick easy and fun using her 5″ slicer and the Crafty Gemini Favorites thread collection. Our webinars are always free but they fill up fast so go register today! Happy Sewing!
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Embroidery on Straw – Machine Embroidery Series
Embroidery on Straw Embroidery on straw, you ask? Why? Well, why not? Most of us take machine embroidery skills very seriously as we strive to produce “heirloom” quality projects; and well we should! We are investing many hours to create projects expressing love for someone or to capture a special occasion. We trust that this item will be passed down through the generations. However, along comes summer, which just cries out “do something just for fun”!! So what if the embroidered item is not considered an “heirloom”? What if we do embroidery on straw, like a straw hat? Fun is good; it all works! “Dollar Stores” are pretty prevalent across…
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Trends from 2016 Spring Quilt Market
My favorite part of Quilt Market is being able to spot the new trends for the industry. I love to see what is inspiring the people and companies in this wonderful world of quilting and sewing. Just like in the fashion industry, some trends seem to stay around for a long time while others fly off the scene as quickly as they show up. This year, I noticed some long standing trends slowly fading (I saw very little chevron compared to past shows) and some others leaving almost as quickly as they came (hint: we can use the whole rainbow again). After taking some time to digest this year’s Spring Market,…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Terry Cloth
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! Terry Cloth Terry cloth is a fabric characterized by long loops on both sides and most often noted for its usage in towels. The long loops whisk away moisture, hence making it the perfect choice for towels, but terry cloth is also great for sports related items (head bands, sweat jackets or swim cover-ups) as well as bathrobes, baby bibs and burp cloths. Although the “loops” of terry cloth provide a great service, this…
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How To Sew The Perfect Monogram for Men
Father’s Day! It’s just around the corner. Are you stuck for what to give the dad in your life? There are some great tutorials in this post “For Father’s Day – The Perfect Monogram” Speaking of monograms, if you really want a monogram like the ones on these dress shirts to look crisp and professional, the best choice for thread is Sulky 60 wt. PolyLite™. Because Polylite is a nice thin thread (in the world of thread, the higher the number, the thinner the thread), so small lettering, like a small shirt cuff monogram will come out much cleaner and sharper than if you stitched with a standard 40 wt.…
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Machine Embroidery Series: Hooping
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! Over the next few weeks, we will explore how to embroider on various fabrics, learn which stabilizer is most effective, and whether any specialty supplies are needed in order to be successful. However, success is not only dependent upon the fabric and the embroidery design, but a truly professional result begins with some prior considerations and often times, a bit of practice. All fabrics which can be pre-washed and dried, should be, prior to using. Please follow the manufacturer’s…
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Our Big Announcement! Cotton + Steel Thread by Sulky
You may have heard by now what we announced at Spring Quilt Market: We are doing a brand new thread line! It will be Cotton + Steel Thread by Sulky! This thread will be available for independent retail shops only! They will be able to order it at the 2016 Fall International Quilt Market in Houston. We are very excited about this new collaboration. Go to the Cotton + Steel Blog to read how this all came about. “Pennie Pendleton Pants” the cat is loving it! The thread will be 50 wt. cotton and will come in 100 beautiful colors that will perfectly complement all your quilting, sewing and piecing projects, especially…
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The Crafty Gemini – Sulky’s Featured Artist
The Crafty Gemini, Vanessa Wilson The Crafty Gemini is this month’s featured artist. Vanessa Wilson frequently uses her creativity and passion to create beautiful art with Sulky products. Our current featured artist is our good friend Vanessa Wilson. Learn how Vanessa got started as the Crafty Gemini, what she likes to do and learn about her Sulky thread collection! Vanessa lives on a five-acre homestead near Gainesville, Florida with her husband and two kiddos. Raised in Miami, FL, via NYC, her ancesteral roots are in the Domincan Republic. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a Juris Doctor degree but she finds her center in teaching everything from sewing to…
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A Couple More Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
Mother’s Day is next weekend but if you still aren’t sure what to do, here are a couple more gifts that you will have done in a snap. You can purchase the green version of this cute cosmetic bag here and this embroidery design from the Sulky Embroidery Club here. It’s a great way to remind a mom in your life that she really is super every single day. These linen cocktails napkins are also available at Sulky.com and the flower embroidery is here in the Sulky Embroidery Club. I just love these! You could do one, two, or twelve and they are a great gift for just about anyone.…
