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Embroidery machines today do much more than embroider and there are creative digitizers out there who are finding new ways for us to use our embroidery machines – including creating a patchwork block in your embroidery hoop by a method called piecing in the hoop. This is similar to foundation piecing but, as all the stitches are programmed into the embroidery design, the completed block is much more accurate.
This tutorial covers some of the basics of piecing in the hoop but each designer creates their designs differently so you cannot religiously follow the steps detailed here for all designs. I have written this tutorial to show you what is possible with your embroidery machine and to encourage you to create beautiful and fun things.
Follow these instructions to create this fun quilt block entirely in the embroidery hoop.
If you have ever tried paper or foundation piecing then you’ll know that you can create patchwork blocks by layering pieces of material one over the other, in sequence, and stitching them down. Well, this is the same except each seam is considered a piece of embroidery and the whole block is created in the hoop.
There are six things you need to create a patchwork block similar to the boat block demonstrated here:
There are a lot of thread colours at the beginning of the block but it is not necessary to change the actual thread. They are called thread stops and are put there by the designer to stop the machine so you can place, or trim, the patchwork piece of material. Therefore, it is not necessary to change your thread each time there is a thread stop as this thread will not be seen. In the steps for Creating the patchwork block (below), it is not necessary to change the thread colour until step 11.
Trim the finished block and remove the stabilizer, if required.
Written by Elaine Raahauge - business writer and home embroiderer
You can make beautiful free standing lace (FSL) using your embroidery machine. This is lace that is meant to stand alone and is not embroidered onto other material (except possibly organza – more about that later).
The sample squares I made for this tutorial can be joined together to make a doily or even a tablecloth. You can make FSL to put on the edge of sheets or a tablecloth (why not make a tablecloth with cutwork corners and a lace trim). Other uses include Christmas ornaments, bookmarks, lace bowls or you can appliqué the lace to clothing. You can make beautiful 3D items, such as a flower or butterfly, by hooping a layer of netting or organza with the water-soluble stabilizer.
These items show what can be made using the FSL technique. These designs are digitized by Stanislava Krachunova of S-Embroidery and these samples are shown with the kind permission of the designer.
There are only four items you need to make FSL:
Join the finished pieces of FSL (on the wrong side) by butting them together and using invisible thread and a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. You can also use the same colour rayon thread to join the pieces.
Go to s-embroidery.com for more tutorials on FSL including how to attach the lace to material to make this beautiful table runner. There are free designs that you can download – including a FSL Christmas stocking.
Written by Elaine Raahauge - business writer and home embroiderer
Silk, velvet, leather, suede and corduroy are just some material that shouldn’t be hooped –the pressure of the hoop causes a hoop ‘burn’ that cannot be removed so these materials are embroidered using the hoopless embroidery technique. This means that only the stabilizer is hooped and the material is stuck to the stabilizer using double-sided tape or spray on adhesive.
Use either of these two methods to embroider towels and items that can’t fit into a hoop, e.g. the edge of a napkin and collars.
Cutwork is making a comeback in fashion but few people have the time or the skills to create a beautiful cutwork tablecloth or blouse by hand. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter, as your embroidery machine will give you perfect results in a fraction of the time.
Follow the instructions in this tutorial to create this lovely cutwork design entirely in the embroidery hoop.
This is a technique where you cut out specific areas of your material and your machine embroiders (usually a satin stitch) around the cut edges to seal them. These cut out areas are usually connected by Richelieu bars, or bridges, which help the piece keep its shape after the stabilizer is removed.
The supplies you need will depend on whether or not the material to be embroidered can be hooped. See Dealing with items that cannot be hooped, see below.
Some items cannot be hooped, such as the edge of a napkin. Use the hoopless embroidery technique, then follow these instructions to embroider the cutwork.
To make the initial cut, lightly place a finger underneath the hooped material (being careful not to stretch the material) and use it to feel if the scissors has penetrated the stabilizer. I like to slide the point of the scissors into the material at an angle almost level to the fabric as this reduces the chance of piecing the stabilizer.
Here are some of the 24 designs from theVintage Cutwork (Set 1) Hatched in Africa design.
Beautiful cutwork designs can also be purchased from s-embroidery.com. They also have a cutwork tutorial and a free cutwork design to download and try.
Written by Elaine Raahauge - business writer and home embroiderer
You can make appliqué blocks decorated with beautiful embroidery all in one step within your embroidery hoop. This tutorial uses a crazy quilt block to demonstrate how easy and fast it is to create a fun block that can be joined with others to make a crazy quilt.
This tutorial covers some of the basics of appliquéing in the hoop but each designer creates their designs differently so you cannot religiously follow the steps detailed here for all designs. I have written this tutorial to show you what is possible with your embroidery machine and to encourage you to create beautiful and fun things.
Follow these instructions to create this fun quilt block entirely in the embroidery hoop.
These blocks can be joined together to make a quilt or wall hanging.
Appliqué in the hoop has many variations but it is basically where the embroidery machine appliqués pieces of material onto a background – usually a stabilizer. The machine stitches the outline of the block (including the placement lines for each piece of fabric) onto the hooped stabilizer. Individual pieces of material are laid over the outlines, stitched, then cut into the right shape. The machine joins the fabric together (usually with a satin stitch) then embellishes the block with embroidery. The result is an appliqué block that has been completed using only your embroidery machine.
There are five things you need to create an appliqué block similar to the crazy quilt block demonstrated here:
5. A small pair of scissors with a thin, sharp point. This is required for cutting away the excess material close to the sewing line and your curved embroidery scissors will not work here.
There are a lot of thread colours at the beginning of the block but it is not necessary for you to change the actual thread. They are called thread stops and are put there by the designer to stop the machine so you can place, or trim, the appliqué piece. Therefore, it is not necessary to change your thread each time there is a thread stop as this thread will not be seen. In the steps for embroidering the appliqué block (below), it is not necessary to change the thread colour until step 8.
Written by Elaine Raahauge – business writer and home embroiderer
Question: I have viewed your tutorial on Crazy Quilting. Can you please help me out as I make my quilts as "quilt as you go" so would I be able to use the embroidered designs for crazy quilts as a quilt block - ie top, wadding and backing in the all in one go? I am very interested in the design in the hoop crazy quilt, but it will not work if maybe the 'sandwich' was too thick? The designs in the hoop are so decorative that there would be little or no space to quilt in the traditional way - ie do the top and then layer. (Jenny N. from UK)
Suggestion: I embroidered my crazy quilt pattern directly onto a hooped cut-away stabilizer - laying down the fabric over the stabilizer, as required. Once all the blocks were completed, I removed the stabilizer from the seam line only then joined the blocks together with a quarter inch seam. I laid the quilt top over the backing and connected the two together by zig-zagging over the seam lines (from the front) I did not quilt the quilt as it doesn't need it and there is nowhere to quilt anyway.
I will try and explain why I did it this way and give you other options.
You can use anything as the base for the block. I chose the cut-away stabilizer because it is easy to hoop and it provides a solid foundation to build on. You could hoop a tear-away stabilizer and baste a layer of wadding (not too thick) over the stabilizer and lay the fabric directly onto the wadding. I have never hooped wading by itself and have no idea if this would work well. I would be worried about it stretching during the embroidering. Therefore, I recommend you use a stabilizer base with it. You can remove the tear-away stabilizer afterwards, if you want.
You can even use a layer of material as the base and then baste the wadding onto that. You may not even want to use wadding as it is really not required (as there is no quilting to enhance). If I was doing this again, I would hoop a layer of flannel and lay the applique fabric directly onto this. No matter what base material you use, the quilt will be stiff as there is so much decorative stitching on the blocks. If you use wadding, use the thinnest possible.
There is no way you would want to include the quilt backing in the layering in the hoop as you wouldn't want the back of the embroidery to be visible in the finished quilt. The backing has to be added after the embroidery is finished.
This is really a wall hanging rather than a quilt and is quite small. I have a large embroidery hoop and my blocks are 200mm x 200mm. If you don't have this sized hoop, you can make smaller blocks to fit your hoop. Therefore, you won't have a large and cumbersome quilt to fight with.
- Elaine Raahauge
Question: I am just starting out making gymnastics leotards in stretch lycra for my grand-daughter. I want to know what products are best to use to applique stretch cut-out designs onto stretch lycra. I figure I need a water-soluble "glue" sheet which will allow the fabric to be flexible when it is worn, and also a water soluble "stabilizer" for when I am sewing on the applique - is this correct? (from Magaret Neith - VIC)
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Suggestion 1: You need to use applique wonder or visafix to the piece of fabric that is the cut-out. Make sure you have an applique mat when you are ironing the applique to the main garment. You must use a needle to suit stretch fabric and sew slowly. There won't be any stretch in the applique piece as the glue will become a little stiff. the needle is very important as the use of an incorrect one will result in small holes and ladders will appear. I hope this will help. (Helen Senior from Glenroy, VIC)
Suggestion 2: I have tried several techniques. The most successful (though time-consuming in the extreme) was to cut out the applique and spray it with embroidery spray on the back, place it on my fabric then lightly iron on (and pin) a tear-away stabilizer on the top, then zig-zag sew the edges through the stabilizer. This seemed to hold the lycra without any stretching. The most time-consuming bit was pickikng out the tear-away from between the stitches. I also tried the same technique but pinning a water-soluble fabric on the top of the applique instead then zig-zagging - this was OK, but did lead to a bit of "waviness" on the lycra. (Magaret Neith)
As rayon thread is made from a natural fibre, it must be stored correctly to protect it and to extend the life of the threads. The main problems areas are heat, light, moisture and dust.
There are several ways to store your threads and most are valid - with some provisions. The type of storage depends on the number and sizes of your threads and how often you need to access them. This article covers three ways to store threads that I have used successfully and one more I haven't tried. But there are doubtless many more ways and you may already used a better one.
It is important to secure the thread ends before you store the reels. You can tie a know but thread nets are much better and stop the thread from unravelling. I also use self-clinging tape (that sticks only to inself) but, under no circumstances, use sticky tape.
These are relatively cheap and can hold a good number of threads. They are handy because the cases are portable and you can move them around as you need to. You can put all your pinks/reds in one case and all your greens in another. On the down side, they can be too short for some reels and some don't provide the betst protection against light. This method works best when you have only a small number of threads as it can get pretty exprensive to keep buying more cases. The cases can have one or more compartments.
A good (and cheap) way is to store your Marathon thread is in the boxes they come in. You can write the colour name on the box to keep them organised and the threads always fit into the box. Plus, the boxes are free! On the downsides, you can't see your threads at a glance, e.g. when you have several boxes of greens.
Drawers are great for storage as they keep out the elements and the dust but can be expensive to purchase. This option suits embroiderers with a lot of the threads. The big advantage is that drawers hold a lot of threads so all my pinks and reds fit into one drawer and my blues in another - I just have to open one drawer to see all my threads in that colour group.
Furniture can take up to a lot of space so see if it can be incorporated with your sewing table. I use 'table legs' from Ikea that consists of five draweres - two drawers fit the 1000m reels and thread drawers suit the 5,000m reels and general embroidery notions. I use two of these table legs with a tabletop as the stand for my embroidery machine. They are really deep, so hold a lot of threads and essential notions. The drawers come in a flat pack and have to be assembled (always a pain unless you'r gifted in that area) but are easy to move around, if required, as the table legs are not attached to the tabletop. I have a third unit that I place to my right (as I'm right handed) where I place the threads that I'm using in my current project.
This image of the Vika Curry table leg is used with permission from Ikea. Ikea did not provide any assistance (financial or otherwise) for this article.
The drawer don't have to be new - look for second-hand desks and chest of drawers.
This is the option I have not tried and I don't know if Marathon thread reels fit. It does make the threads easy to see and access but leaves them exposed to heat, light and dust. If you have a thread rack on a wall or stand, keep it out of direct sunlight and cover it when not in use to keep out the dust.
Here are other great tips from Embroidery Library.
By Elaine Raahauge - Business writer and home embroiderer
Choosing the right needle for the job and using it correctly is as important as stabilizing and hooping your embroidery. If you are having problems with thread breaks, skipped and uneven thread the first thing to do is to change your needle.
There are many types of needles suitable for machine embroidery and it is best to have a selection on hand and choose the right one for the job. Needles blunt easily with use (especially with stabilizers) and it is important to change them frequently (about every 100,000 stitches). A sharp needle will penetrate the fabric cleanly and will result in a well-stitched design. A blunt needle can catch on the fabric or the embroidery and ruin your work.
The larger the needle number - the larger (and stronger) the needle. Sizes range from 60/8 to 110/18. Always choose the smallest possible needle for the design, fabric and thread you are using. The thread should easily pass through the eye of the needle - if it doesn't, use a larger size needle. All needles produce holes in the fabric as you sew and using an unnecessarily large needle will weaken the fabric around and underneath the design.
If you are having problems with the thread breaking or shredding, the first thing to do is to change your needle – either to a larger size or to a brand new needle.
* Embroidery. This is the most common and frequently used needle for machine embroidery on everyday material. It is designed for rayon, polyester and fine cotton (50wt) thread. It has a slightly larger eye and the eye is smooth so it reduces the chance of the thread breaking or shredding as it passes through. Start with a 75/11 and, if the thread breaks or shreds, go up to a 90/14. * Gold embroidery needle. These needles are coated with titanium which resists adhesives and penetrates course and densely woven material better. The needle has a slightly rounded point and a large eye. They last way longer than normal embroidery needles – up to twice as long. They are available in 75/11 and 90/14
* Metallic. These needles are designed for use with metallic thread. They have a large, elongated eye and a grooved shaft so the thread moves through the needle and fabric better. This reduces the heat and friction and results in less thread breaks. They come in the two sizes - 80/12 and 90/14. Because of the abrasion the eye of these needles receive from metallic thread, they have to be changed more frequently than ordinary needles – around every 50,000 stitches. If your metallic thread is fraying then change the needle.
* Jeans (also called denim needles). They have a strong shaft and a very sharp point. The eye is bigger than usual so they are suited for embroidering on heavier materials such as heavy fabric, canvas, tin foil and leather. These come in many sizes - 70, 80, 90, 100,110 and in assorted packs. * Microtex (also called sharps). These are used to sew on tightly woven fabric. These needles are very sharp and cut through the fabric as you sew: resulting in a smooth edge to your embroidery. They come in various sizes including the 60/8, which is the smallest needle available.
* Quilting. These needles are designed for machine quilting as they are sharp and can penetrate through many layers. Their eye is not as smooth as embroidery needles so they are not the best choice for machine embroidery. They come in two sizes – 75/11 and 90/14.
* Twin embroidery. This is a specialist needle mainly used in heirloom embroidery. They come in 2.0 and 3.0 and the size relates to the distance between the two needles. Follow your machine’s directions on how to thread them.
Beautiful Marathon Embroidery threads have been available in Australia for more than 26 years now, supplying commercial embroiderers and people who simply love creating beautiful designs with machine embroidery at home.