Entering the World of Quilting

2016-04-16T09:45:00.002-07:00

My first post on the new blog site is going to be about machine embroidery. Specifically, about applique' quilting. I have just recently made a foray into the world of quilting. Those quilts with the minuscule squares, those things of beauty? Those are NOT for me, those are for my friend Sharon! She's a master at that! Myself...Mama doesn't have time for that!

I came across some beautiful applique embroidery files on a vendor website,(on sale now for a very good price!) and decided to give it a try. I purchased these from the vendor "Designs by Juju."

Over the last 2 weeks I have developed a method for doing these. Eventually, I hope to buy a Silhouette Cameo or a Brother Scan N Cut to eliminate the onerous task of trimming the fabric pieces and potentially ruining a garment or quilt block with a slip of the scissors. Believe me, it has happened to me a lot! I recently got some hands on experience with both cutting machines at the Everything Applique Conference this past week. I also got to use a multineedle embroidery machine.(stops to wipe of the drool) ;-) If I can get a business going, that is going to be a future purchase. It is hard (but not impossible) to embroider very small or very large items on a home embroidery machine. The free arm design of commercial embroidery machines, coupled with many innovations in hooping technology, makes things so much easier.

My trusty Janome MC11000SE

I have a home embroidery machine. Here is a machine like my embroidery machine, if you bought it new(I bought mine used, for a fraction of that price, and added upgrades as I was able.) To sew designs like this, an embroidery machine is necessary. Software is also necessary. Editing software, such as Embrilliance Essentials, makes the job easier for me. The Embrilliance suite is sold in modules, Essentials is the ground floor program, and there is quite a bit that can be done with it, such as changing file formats, design sizing, and printing the design in its true size for positioning purposes. I am very happy with the software, and there is a users group on Facebook, a very active Q&A forum on the Embrilliance website, and the ability to submit a ticket if problems arise. I have gotten responses from the developer himself! Now that's what I call service!

printed design

So, I bought my files. Now, what do I do with them? I load them in my software, center them, and fit them to the hoop, and save the modified design to my usb flash drive. I print out the design so that I can trace and cut the pieces of fabric to be used as patterns. As far as hooping goes, these are very easy to hoop. I cut a large piece of cutaway stabilizer, which I bought in a 50 yard roll, and fold it in half. Then I draw a line down the center(I use Crayola washable markers, any color *except* black(I have found that it doesn't rinse out as well). I cut 11"(I am using my 200 x 200mm hoop) squares of oxford cloth fabric(the fabric that will hold the embroidery), and I took one, folded it in half, and marked the center, and then turned it the other way, so that I have a horizontal line and a vertical line that intersect in the center of the fabric.

The next step is applying the adhesive to the back of the fabric to ensure a good hooping. Then I take my template which came with my hoop and put the center on top of the center of the oxford cloth. I move things around until I get things centered, and pop that hoop frame on. For hooping help, see here.

using tracing paper to get applique cut shapes

I buy large rolls of tracing paper from Dick Blick art supply, and here you see that I am preparing to trace out the shapes of my projet du jour. :)

traced design

Here I have traced out the general shapes, using the outer line as my tracing guide.

Copy of design. Use card stock if you want to save these cutouts
semi-permanently.

I then take the tracing paper to my printer and copy the page so that the designs are on sturdier paper. I then cut them out, and am ready to start tracing!
I am thinking about laminating the cutouts(which would save me some time later), and storing the template, color changes(which get printed out with the design template), and cutouts in a gallon baggie. If I do this, I will have to change where I trace the design(ie, the inside of the stitches, as opposed to the outside) so that the laminate will still be able to seal the design. (Let me know if you have ideas, I am open to new ways of doing things!) Cardstock is another option. The idea is to have a sturdy shape that you can either pin down or hold to trace the shape onto the fabric. *ALL* of this will change if I get the fabric cutting machine.

End of Part One. Stay tuned!

Southern Fried Stitchin'

Entering the World of Quilting