-
Make Quick Costumes for Halloween in the Hoop!
Halloween In The Hoop Costumes for Halloween in the hoop are some of the easiest and most fun to create because you can make them assembly-line style for lots of kids and adults. It is so fun to dress up in costumes, get together with friends and take the kids and grandkids out trick or treating. If you don’t want to don an entire costume, but still want to be in the spirit, these fun props will do the trick. These fun little Halloween In The Hoop projects will get you in the spirit. Pair them with some clothes right out of your closet for a quick costume that’s worry-free.…
-
Quick and Easy Vinyl Placemat – Tutorial
As an added bonus to our Machine Embroidery Series, Pamela Cox has designed this wonderful tutorial for a quick and easy vinyl placemat. If you have never tried machine embroidery on vinyl, check out Pam’s blog post here and then try this great project. Quick and Easy Vinyl Placemat Materials: 12-1/4” x 17-1/4” piece of textured vinyl, Usually sold by the yard with the intention of being used as a tablecloth, this type of vinyl will have a fuzzy, very thin, batting/backing. (1/2 yd. of 54” wide vinyl will yield 4 placemats) 90/14 Leather Needle Thread: Sulky® 40 wt. Rayon or Poly Deco™ 40 wt. embroidery thread – your choice of colors for your design Sulky…
-
Machine Embroidery Series – Embroidery on Vinyl – Probably Not What You’re Thinking!
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! Vinyl – Not the clear stuff! Since “summer fun” is right here at our finger tips, let’s explore vinyl, another material which might never be considered as an acceptable foundation for machine embroidery. Yet, it is perfect for quick summer or party accents, not to mention, it is actually useful for totes or accents on hand bags or even throw pillows. Once again, vinyl, even displaying beautifully embroidered designs, will never be considered an “heirloom”. However, with…
-
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–…
-
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!
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…