Requirements:-
Main Fabric – I have used white cotton fabric. Whilst each panel is 52mm square, you will need a piece of fabric large enough to be hooped, for the best tension. To make the most of my fabric, I like to stitch 6 panels in a 5x7 hoop.
Iron on interfacing the same size as your fabric
Tear away stabiliser
Embroidery Thread
Free Christmas Bauble Template embroidery designs from Julie Hall Designs
Instructions:-
Iron the interfacing onto the back of the cotton fabric.
Hoop together Main fabric (with interfacing attached) and tear-away stabiliser together in your hoop.
Load the Free Christmas bauble Template design onto your machine, and use the lettering in your machine, or your software to create the wording inside the template.
Stitch the design out.
Remove the excess stabiliser from your project (not the interfacing), and trim closely around the edge of the panel.
Press the panel with a warm iron.
Take your Christmas bauble, and remove the sticky cover.
Centre the embroidered panel over the adhesive, and gently press to secure.
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Instructions:-
Colour way 1 stitches the outline, and shows you where to place the zipper.
Lay the zipper on top of the rectangle outline, and stitch colour way’s 2 and 3 to secure.
Lay down your piece of main fabric, with the edge turned under, and embroiders felt underneath (if you need the extra stability – I have used vinyl so there is no need), on top of the stitched outline, with the turned under edge along the zipper, and stitch colour way 4 to secure.
Colours 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 add the details onto the pouch front. I have used colours, White, Blue, Black, Yellow and Green.
Take your first piece of lining fabric, and with the edge turned under, attach to the back of the design, again along the zipper edge, stitching colour way 10. You can hold the backing to the design using either sticky tape, or magna pins.
The next step is to attach the backing to the design. Take your backing fabric and embroiders felt, and lay on top of the stitching outline. Stitch colour way 11 to secure.
The final colour way (12) will secure the lining fabric to the design. Remove the hoop from the machine, and lay the second piece of lining fabric face down on the back of the design. Secure with sticky tape or magna pins, and stitch out colour way 12.
Remove the design from the hoop, and take away any excess stabiliser and stitcky tape or magna pins.
Trim around the design, leaving extra space around the opening of the holder (but only on the lining layers.
Pull the bag inside out through the lining, and close the opening using either hand stitching, or double sided sewing tape.
Remove excess stabiliser from the zipper area, and turn the bag right side out through the zipper.
Only use 100% cotton fabrics on this project. You do not want the fabric to melt.
Magnapins will help when you are holding the project together, but are not mandatory.
Hoop your polycut stabiliser in the hoop, and load the hoop into your machine.
Load your design of choice (make sure you choose the “quilt” version of the design) into your machine, and stitch out the design, until you reach the last two colours.
Remove the hoop from the machine, and flip over. Lay the wadding and backing fabric over the outline of the design, and secure with either magnapins or sticky tape, and return the hoop to the machine.
Stitch the second last colour to quilt through all layers of the fabric/wadding.
The last colour way provides a stitch around the entire area of the design.
Remove the hoop from the machine, and trim around the design with a 1/4” edge.
Take your bias binding (either purchased or home made), and bind the pot holder, leaving a loop for hanging the holder.
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The first change I am making is to stop using straws as a family. I love the metal straw movement, but I hate the idea of carrying around a used straw with me. So my solution is to make a holder for it.
This holder is flat, the perfect size for a regular sized straw, and when lined with PUL fabric, it is waterproof, and you can carry a used straw without worrying about making a mess.
Make this design for family and friends, or make them to sell at your local craft market.
I sourced my metal straws from k-mart in australia. They were in the party section, and come with a cleaner which I carry in mine as well.
Requirements:-
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This week I am working on presents for hubby and the kids to give workmates and favourite teachers.
When I am thinking about Christmas presents for work colleagues, I am always looking for something small and inoffensive, something that is useful, but also doesn’t cost that much (in December we have 4 birthdays as well as Christmas). The gift that I have found works well is my Christmas Tea Towels, wrapping up a round of shortbread.
I love these Tea Towels, with their Christmas messages, and a gift to eat is always appreciated. I really love it when Edward comes home with text messages from colleagues thanking him for the thoughtful present.
To make your own Christmas Tea Towel….
Requirements:
Instructions:-
My favourite shortbread recipe…..
INGREDIENTS
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I am loving these place mats. As anyone who has met me knows, I am a huge fan of K-mart. There is a local store next to where I do my grocery shopping, and I often duck in to find new products to embroider for presents.
One of my favourite products only comes out at Christmas, and is the K-mart Christmas Place mats. They are $1.50 each, and made of silver or gold vinyl (I also love picking these up at the after Christmas sales if your store has any spare – last year I picked these up for .50c each). I have been using them over the years to create place mats using the Zentangle designs, and this year I have taken it to the next level.
Using the Face Up To Christmas Design collection, I have embroidered these place mats with reindeer or snowball faces. Making it simple to embroider, and to avoid using either double sided tape, or basting stitches (which would leave marks), I have secured the place mats to the hooped stabiliser using my MagnaPins.
Just a few hours (I finished all 12 of mine in a night) of stitching, and you will have a unique Christmas place mat setting that will be enjoyed by all.
I added extra glamour to my designs by using my metallic threads.
Face up to Christmas Design collection from Julie Hall Designs
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I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Please check out the designs for the pencil case HERE.
Until next time, have a Stitchin' Day. Julie.
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We have been using Vinyl with our embroidery machines for the last couple of years, we have been using cork, and I am loving this new fabric, and how it will engage the wearer (particularly young ones)
The fabric comes in 4 different colours, Pink, Yellow, Blue and Purple.
It is the perfect fabric to use for applique for children's embroidery. This week I have been embroidering ice cream with this great fabric.
as you can see from the image above, when inside the house - even in standard lighting, the fabric is white, with just the slightest tinge of colour (at night it is plain white).
once I take the embroidery out into the light however, the colour emerges, and my ice cream cone is full of bright colour.
Naturally, when you are using specialty fabrics, wash with a cold or warm cycle, don't use the dryer, and don't use direct heat to iron.
We are happy to share with you the freebie design for this gorgeous ice cream cone. Download yours today!
]]>Christmas is coming, and if you are anything like me, you are starting to think about your Christmas embroidery. I love the idea of having some special Christmas touches to my home, however at the same time, I want to step away from the traditional Christmas elements, such as holly, santa, and snow. Instead I am going geometric, and using Christmas colours as my inspiration, and Metallic thread to glam things up!
Requirements
And I know what you are thinking – what does that have to do with embroidery and crafting? For me a lot. I am loving the planner, and the ability to keep a track of lots of things at once, but not my issue is travelling around with the planner, and how to store all of the excess stuff for it, such as pens, and washi tape.
I purchased an a5 planner, so that I could place it into my gorgeous notebook cover, and this notebook pouch goes perfectly with it.
So my solution was simple. I needed a zippered pouch, I wanted one that could be a bookmark and placeholder as well, and I wanted it to be pretty.
And so my free lined notebook pouch in the hoop was born.
Requirements
Instructions
Enjoy using your pouch for many years to come.
Julie
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When I first began embroidery back in 2001, I knew nothing about thread quality, purchased a few spools of metallic thread from a big box store, and gave it a go!
It shredded, pulled, snapped, and was a general nightmare. For a few years after that, I steered clear of ALL metallic threads. It was probably 3 years later before I had a go again, and very quickly learnt that not all metallic s are made equal.
As far as metallic threads go, I do have a preference. And quite honestly – for me it is a hard and fast rule. I really, really swear by KingStar metallic threads by Designs in Machine Embroidery. You can get it online from DIME.
I love that this thread can stitch at high speeds, and even works on multi needle machines. I generally sew at approximately 700 stitches a minute, with this metallic thread, I don't change my embroidery needle from my standard 75/11 size. I just start her up, and love how beautifully it stitches.
KingStar has a polyester core that is wrapped in rice paper with a metallic finish. It does not kink as it unwinds from the spool and runs smoothly through thread tensioners. Smooth sailing means fewer thread breaks, less headaches, and gorgeous embroidery.
If you are finding you are having difficulty with your metallic thread, there are a few things you can try.
When you are looking at adding a metallic thread to your project, think accents more than bulk. Consider using metallic thread to highlight individual elements of a design, such as ornaments on a Christmas tree, or as jewellery on a face design.
Metallic thread is perfect to use as lace ornaments, simply make sure you use the same thread on the bobbin.
There are a few places that you should NOT use metallic thread
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