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Machine Embroidery Series – Heavy Woven Cottons
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! Heavy Woven Cottons What do Denim, Duck-Cloth and Canvas all have in common? All three are considered “utility fabrics” because they are sturdy, heavier-weight, woven, cotton fabrics. Denim and duck-cloth are often used for slacks or jackets while all three are great for many home-dec projects and just perfect for tote bags!! Although woven fabrics can be secured directly in an embroidery hoop, often times the weight of a utility fabric precludes this from being a viable…
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Machine Embroidery Series – Embroidery on Mid-Weight Cotton
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! The term “mid-weight/medium weight” cotton fabric covers many fabrics known by other names such as oxford, “quilting cottons” pique, broadcloth, just to name a few. They are often used, but not limited to, tote bags, throw pillows, table-toppers, garments, quilts and other patchwork projects. They are the most common fabrics used for machine embroidery and by following a few simple tips, your machine embroidery on these kinds of fabrics will always turn out great.…
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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…
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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…
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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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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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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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Free Project – A Mother’s Day Sachet
Lavender is one of my very favorite things. I love how it smells, feels and looks. Walking through a field of lavender in France is on my ultimate bucket list. That is just one of the reasons this month’s Free Project from Sulky would be a perfect Mother’s Day gift for me. This month, our friend and machine embroidery expert, Pamela Cox created a fantastic lavender-filled sachet as our project. The project includes the machine embroidery design FOR FREE also! It’s such a quick and thoughtful gift, go ahead and make several for all the moms in your life. Do you need a source to buy wonderful dried lavender? I…
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How to do Machine Embroidery on Cardstock
With so many amazing embroidery designs out there, creating awesome and very personal cards can be easy and fun! When I started doing research about this, I discovered that most people were saying that you could only use certain kinds on designs if you want to do machine embroidery on paper. The rebel in me couldn’t help but figure out how to do ANY design on paper. I mean, why not! Who says machine embroidery is just for fabric? People have figured out how the do embroidery on toilet paper for goodness sake, why not card stock and any design? So I figured it out and here is the tutorial…
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In Honor of Veteran’s Day
My 9 and 10 year old girls have learned a lot about the history of our country this year. It has been fun to talk to them about the Revolutionary War and the birth of our country. My older daughter, Korey, is particularly fascinated by our country’s history and it has been fun to hear her perspective on it all. Remembering our country’s history has caused me to gain a greater appreciation for our Veterans. I am proud to live in a country where I am free to express myself, free to worship how I see fit and free to create. These are simple luxuries that are not awarded to…
