Embroidery Week

I have decided to have an embroidery week. I gave myself freedom to decide what I want to embroider. I got my two embroidery machines ready on Monday. I search through my designs for all those beauties that I look at regularly but did not have time to embroider. In the process I also saw many that I did not notice before.

It is difficult to decide on what I will embroider. I try to think what I would like to do with the design- and I try to think small- if it will become a big quilt, I will have less time to embroider. So this flower with the ribbon is part of a whole set. I like the No Nonsense way it was designed and thought it would look nice in a shoulder bag. I regularly buy R5 bags of scraps from a curtaining place. So I had a thick weave fabric that I used for this.

I have started to digitize Aie Rossmann's Affairs of the Heart. This is 15 cm (6 inch) blocks. Some of the fabric pieces that she used is so small that I rather embroider them. In the bigger hearts I used Batik fabrics for a lovely effect. Although the designs is already available as digitized patterns, I prefer to digitize it myself. Not only is it a good project to improve my digitizing skill, but I prefer to use other stitches to cover the edge than satin stitch only. So this week I have stitched two more blocks in my two colour ways.

Isn't this Bear just adorable. I first sew it on a soft leatherly fabric which is then appliqued on the baby blanket. There is some more bears in the set that I will stitch next week. Yes I am enjoying myself so much- that every week will be an embroidery week- till I have a new deadline. (Oh my gosh I do have one- 10 September. OK I will only embroider one more week.

This heart block is part of a set for a Quilt. It is designed by Ellen Jay Designs and is available from Oregon Patchworks. I think I will make this quilt- I have the plan ready- I just need the right fabric!

It seems that I had a week of Hearts? I cannot help it, I love hearts, flowers and circular designs. I have lots of heart blocks. I plan to sew them all and combine it with a nine patch.

On Wednesday we had a meeting of Swartland Guild. One of our members demonstrated fused applique and had a pattern ready for us. I started to do the blanket stitches with the machine. For the bigger pieces I will use the double blanket stitch and for the smaller pieces the single blanket stitch- or perhaps I should also try some of the other patterns? (This is not digitized)

It is for the bed

I need a new duvet cover and my search for one  lead to nothing. So the decision was made to make a duvet cover. Although I sleep under sheets and use the down duvet as a “blanket” or Quilt, the cover stil need to be wash often because of pets that also like to lie on it.

I bought a cotton sateen for the duvet cover and some stretchy satin to do the embroidery on. (After I embroidered the first designs I realized that the stretchy satin will need a permanent stabilizer- so I choose to use a non iron on interfacing as stabilizer).

I usually do not like to work in one color but I thought little specs of colour in the embroidery would not look good. So I choose three greens that is very near in value to each other to use for the Fabulous Flower Quilt 3 designs of Ace Point Quilting that I bought from Secrets of Embroidery.

I have now completed the designs. I plan to arrange these motifs around one central motif.

Hopefully I will be able to show the completed project later this week.

Applique in the Hoop

I have always loved appliqué but did not like it as a hand work. There were just to many pièces and I did not feel it is transportable. Machine appliqué is a skill one need to acquire like machine quilting and I never had.

Digitised appliqué was all I wanted from machine appliqué and I have the opportunity to have all kind of fancy stitches on the edge and not just a satin stitch.

This design was bought from  Ace Points Quilting  design at Secrets of embroidery   and was digitized without appliqué. I wanted a contrasting colour and just add the appliqué.

The machine is digitized to sew a placement line. The appliqué fabric is then attached with a straight stitch and trimmed close to the stitching line. An open thin sig-sag stitch are then sewn to make sure the fabric is well anchored and to provide an underlay for the satin stiches to follow.

Joanne Winn introduced me to have a fancy edge by first sew a decorative stitch on the edge before adding a satin or stem stitch.