Embroidery Gifts

Embroidery Gift Ideas

by Susanne Myers

Embroidered items make great gifts. Not only do they have that handmade feel to them, but you can personalize almost anything with some simple embroidery and make it special. Here are a few ideas for gifts you can make if you love to embroider.

Baby Blanket

Embroidered baby blankets make a wonderful, personalized gift that will be treasured for years to come. You can either go with a general embroidered motive like a duck, alphabet blocks or a rattle, personalize it for a boy or girl, or even embroider the baby’s initials in the blanket.

Napkins

Embroidered napkins make a wonderful gift for both a wedding and a housewarming. You can give them by themselves or with a coordinating tablecloth. Embroidery designs can range from flowers to symbols and of course initials. You can buy pre-made napkins and just add the embroidery, or you can sew your own out of cotton, linen or even silk.

To read the full article:

http://www.learncraftsonline.com/embroider-this.shtml

Selecting Stabilizers

Machine embroidery needs a good quality stabilizer, the right backing has a big impact on how your embroidery will turn out. The backing is used to stabilize the design. The right backing will see that the stitches are formed evenly giving them a sharp finish.Many times people have sent me projects they have done that did not work out quite how they had wanted, on many of these occasions they have used the wrong backing.

Tearaway's

This product is used for woven fabrics (no stretch), used for items such as shirts, dresses, hats and the backing of towels. It tears easily from the embroidered design, for quick clean up.The type of fabric you use determines which weight you use.

ALL TEARAWAY

100cm Wide

Light $1.30/mtr $1.43/mtr INC GST
Medium $1.60/mtr $1.76/mtr INC GST
Heavy $1.82/mtr $2.00/mtr INC GST

It is important to remember when purchasing your Tearaway's that you buy quality.

There are many Tearaway's on the market that are made to a price not a standard. Cheap Tearaway's with diagonal stretch will give designs a cheap finish look. These Tearaway's are best used as tracing paper as that is what they are best used for. All Tearaway's sold through this site are woven.Remember perfect results can be achieved by anyone when using quality accessories.

Non Tearaway's - also known as Cutaway

This product is used mainly for stretch knit fabrics and is great for polo shirts, jumpers, t-shirts or any other type of knit. If you fabric does not stretch you can use Tearaway. The more stitches a designs has the more backing you need, use you judgement sometimes multiply layers of backing is better than the heavy, the medium weight is ideal for most applications. Please note this backing has to be cut with scissors.

To read the full article:

http://www.stirlingembroidery.com/stabilizers.htm

Some Tips to Successful Embroidery

EMBROIDERY TIPS

Lace Making
Hooping Tips

Hoopless Embroidery

LACE MAKING

l love making lace because it involves my head and hands when itcomesto making lace don't thing there are rules but just people experimenting what works for them. Making lace is a learning process that each and everyone one of us most work through. Anyone doing lace or been in my lace classes will know l love disposable bobbins andlove using them in lace making. If l had to wind my bobbins l would never get my lace done. I never have to touch my tension with them, they work like a dream in my Brother machines. Alot of bobbin thread on a big spool can sometimes be made very fast when winded which gives us many knots and can cause upper thread breaks and stopping and starting. This is frustrating when you look at the time one puts in for lace making. I love my spun polyester bobbins Nebs they are knotless and I get no dust on my rotary hook which many know dust can shorten the life of your machine. I love to use water soluble vilene for my lace making but the hooping of it is very important. I hoop it taut so there are no wrinkles usually just one layer. It is made for high stitch counts it will not stretch in any direction is not a film so it disolves quickly in hot or cold water. Water soluble vilene is as strong as a cut away ideal for my customers to use for there lace making. With my lace no one really looks at the bottom only the top so sometimes if it is a metallic I might match top and bottom just for looks. A very dence lace design l find needs 2 layers of water soluble vilene.

To read the full article:

http://www.stirlingembroidery.com/tips.htm

Do You See Your Favorite Style?

Different Embroidery Types: Which One is Yours?

by Robbie Darmona

Ever since the invention of needle and thread, man has started designing beautiful artwork by stitching on cloths. Embroidery, as it is called, is the way sheer sewing is transferred into something beautiful and creative. Decorative stitching reveals man’s desire to embody the spiritual and unique part of his psyche into his daily work. Embroidery is thought to date back to 3000 BC. There are different embroidery types in different cultures.

Each one of them is unique as it represents the given culture’s specificity. The ancient Egyptians for example used the so-called white embroidery. That is, namely, the stitching of white thread on white canvas.

The style is so sophisticated and the motifs so difficult that even the modern technologically- based embroidery machines can’t reach the quality of the originals. The Chinese developed the famous two-sided embroidery- a stunning example of intricate art. The decoration is so refined that it takes years for the devoted embroiderer to accomplish. In Western Europe another type of embroidery is famous: the crewel technique. It involves the stitching of woolen two-ply thread on a linen cloth, called twill. It is still used today for producing of many home decorations- counterpanes, different hangings and coverings.

To read the full article:

http://www.freecraftunlimited.com/articles/different-embroidery-types.html

Select Your Designs with Care!

Embroidery Sewing Quality of Machine Embroidery Designs

Many new to embroidery have experienced numerous problems because of the inferior quality of free embroidery design files that they downloaded over the internet. One of the biggest mistakes that many new seamstresses make is using free designs patterns that have problems built in. Even if you are lucky enough to do everything else right and use inferior designs, results will probably not be good. Many of the free embroidery designs files that one can download are the first efforts of someone that has just begun to digitize and thus are not very well made. Many new to this great hobby use these because they are free and easy to download without using a credit card, but this is where the trouble begins. Then when outlines are off or there are gaps in the sewing and poor results are evident, how does one know where the problem lies? Is it the designs or the stabilizers or even worst - Can it be the new embroidery machine? We have a test so one can determine if the design is at fault or if the stabilizer is the problem. We make available free designs, free sewing lessons, free thread color charts and info that you may need to learn so you can get great results with your embroidery designs projects.

To read the full article (you need to scroll down just a bit to see it):

http://www.free-online-advertising.com/embroidered/ea-machine-embroidery-designs.htm

Quick Fix Tips for Your Embroidery Machine

Do It Yourself Sewing Machine Repairs: A Sewing Machine Repairman Provides Helpful Tips

By Reuben O. Doyle

Your sewing machine is a wonderfully useful machine when working properly, a frustrating, confusing monster when it's not. Oddly, a vast majority of machines sent to repair shops for repairs, could be repaired at home with little or no technical knowledge.

The first thing to remember is not to panic! Don't let your frustration get in the way of your good sense. Depending on the type of problem you're having, the following suggestions may be of immediate help to you.

TENSION

As you change projects and start sewing on different weight materials, you should test stitch on a piece of scrap material of the same weight before beginning the actual project so you can adjust your upper tension to that particular fabric. As an example, if you're changing from a denim type fabric to a silky fabric, you would definitely want to make sure the tension is correct and the stitching looks right before you start to sew the garment.

To determine whether the upper tension is too tight or too loose for the fabric you want to use, try the following test. Take a small scrap of the fabric, fold it, and stitch a line ON THE BIAS of the fabric, using different colors of thread in the bobbin and on top.

Grasp the bias line of stitching between the thumb and the index finger. Space the hands about 3 inches apart and pull with an even, quick force until one thread breaks.

If the broken thread is the color of the thread in the needle, it means that the upper tension is too tight.

If the broken thread is the color of the bobbin thread, the upper tension is too loose. If both threads break together and take more force to break, it means that the tensions are balanced.

To read the full article:

http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/sewing-machine.html

What Thread Should You Use?

Thread Theory

The latest quilt trend is in Fiber Arts, the art of embellishing a textile with various fibers to create a work of art. Fiber Art can take many forms and use a myriad of materials especially created for the artist. This article is about Threads, both specialty threads for embellishment and regular, average, every day thread.

There are so many different types of thread available! How do you choose which one is right for your project? Start with the reason you will be using this thread and go from there. Generally, 28 wt. or 30 wt. thread is used for in the bobbin for decorative work. 40wt thread is a quilting thread and 50 wt is a piecing thread. This is only a rough guideline, however, rules are made to be broken! Experiment with what works best for you. To help you with your selection, read the end of the spool. Generally, you will find information about:

• the manufacturer and brand of the thread
• the color number
• its weight and the number of plies (strands) that are twisted together. This is usually referred to by a number that looks like a fraction. For example, if you see the number 60/2 that means that the thread is a 60 weight 2 ply thread. The higher the first number, the finer the thread.
• the fiber content
• whether or not the thread is mercerized
• and maybe even the country of origin.

What is mercerized thread? Simply put, mercerized cotton thread has been put through a series of processes causing the thread to swell, become round and straighten out. Any fuzz is singed off. This increases the luster of the thread as well as improves water and dye absorption. Since fine, long stapled fibers respond best to mercerization, it is usually those types of cotton (Sea Island, Egyptian, Pima) that are used.

When using your thread on a machine, be sure to put the top part of the spool up. This isn't always as obvious as you might think. To determine which part of the spool is the top, hold the spool horizontally by the top and bottom. Unroll about a foot of the thread. If the thread hangs freely, you unrolled it from the top. If it twists back on itself, you unrolled it from the bottom.

To read the full article:

http://www.quiltbus.com/threadtheory.htm