I'm running a demo at Maker Faire on integrating electronics components onto fabric using conductive thread. No sewing, embroidery, or circuitry
HOW TO USE A SERGER Learn all about sergers and all that they can do to help your garment sewing. Download a free ebook to learn the basics – such as
I’ve gotten to spend the past two weekends doing one of my favorite things: dressing up and demonstrating needlework at Locust Grove! For these demos I was doing tambour embroidery, which was…
LilyPad Arduino Sensor Demo Mat: This tutorial shows you how to create a sensor demo mat for the LilyPad Arduino. I wanted a place where I could experiment with the different sensors, but also something that I could use to show examples of what can be done without constantly uplo…
The stitch at the top of the list of stitches I don't usually use but should has to be the pad-stitch. If you have been with me for awhile...
Ever wonder how decorative lip cord is joined on pillows? Where's the seam or the joint? If done correctly no one should ever be able to t...
When it comes to hanging up quilts - they are a wonderful addition to any home and a great place to use them to add interest and color is on your walls- hanging quilts can be a little confusing if it doesn't have a sleeve.
I’ve often considered myself a bit of a thread hog. I tend to hog threads. I like threads! And I have a lot of them! But I’m not really calling myself names here, nor am I calling anyone else a name. Instead, I’m referring to a stitch – the plaited braid stitch – which, as ...
Thank you to all of you who wrote about your favorite stitch this past week for the 2000 Likes on Facebook Giveaway. I loved hearing your descriptions of how certain stitches bring back sweet memor…
Inspired to buy a vintage camper Inspired to start the topography quilt I have wanted to do now for a while Inspired to embroider a love letter Inspired to hide out and read all day long in this lovely space What are you inspired to do nowdays?
Hello! I've been so remiss is chatting with you all. I've been so busy with some very involved custom orders lately. I love them, but each one seems to be a labor of love in the end. So many stitches and so little time! Here is the first of my new pears- Red Silk with Yellow Wisteria Vines. I have been up to my elbows in luxury these days. Beautiful dupioni silk, silky satin floss, hand dyed silk ribbons and lovely Austrian crystals. Oh my! While they are so beautiful in the finished piece, I find them not as lovely to work with. My hands, which are doubling as garden tools these days are dry and rough. If you've ever ran your hands over a fine fabric with rough callouses, you know where I"m going with this. I keep a piece of fine sand paper at the ready and I literally remove the rough spots with it! I may be able to rob a bank my fingertips are so smooth! Well, back to the end result, which is so much more fun to talk about. The 1st pear was created with a beautiful, deep, scarlet dupioni silk. I used satin floss to create the wisteria flowers. The stitches are easy- lots of satin stitches and modified chain stitches for the flowers and wrapped stem stitches for the vines. I then encrust the floral section with lovely, sparkling crystals in shades of amber, smoke, champagne and clear. I just love how rich this pair looks. My second pear is the Red Rose Pear on Golden Silk- I decided to forgo the crystals and simply let the hand dyed silk ribbons take center stage. After going through many hanks of Gloriani silk ribbon I finally decided to hand dye my own. If you've ever dabbled in silk ribbon, you know its not the average bear when it comes to price. Its also not available locally... by locally I mean the entire city and surrounding Milwaukee suburbs. It was beginning to get very costly and difficult to keep my stitching momentum going. So, I had to learn another technique...fast!Enter the fine art of silk dyeing! I used ColorHue silk colors and silk ribbons in white from Dharma Trading. I have to say that i was very pleased with their service and extremely happy with the quality of the materials. The silk ribbon I purchased was a dream to dye and wonderful to stitch with. Gloriani is the top of the line when it comes to embroidery ribbon, so that is saying something. I'll write more about silk dyeing soon. It is both addicting and intoxicating! Here are a few more photos of my pears. They both where ordered by one of my first pincushion collectors. She is a joy to work with and loves traditional embroidery. Thanks so much Robin! (I have the best clients on the planet!) Each pincushion has a heavy weighted base to keep it from tipping. The stem is wilk-wrapped raffia wire so it can be posed in a number of positions. The remainder of the pear is filled with new polyester fiberfill. I added embroidered silk leaf in deep green. Two beautiful bead topped pins come with this pincushion. You won't find this pincushion listed in my shop, but you can order one there upon request. Just send me a convo through my Fiberluscious shop page on Etsy. Please note that this is not a pincushion you will receive in a week. These pears take at least 3 weeks to create due to the heavy stitching and the unavailability of the materials. The materials are of the highest quality and challenging to work with. You may request a price quote when we discuss your custom pincushion. Although the price is much higher than my other works, these pincushions are well worth the time and price.
Being fairly new to machine embroidery on my Brother PE800, at first I was baffled about which type of stabilizer to use on various projects – from hats to T-shirts to home dec. Sharing my ow…
Hello! I've been so remiss is chatting with you all. I've been so busy with some very involved custom orders lately. I love them, but each one seems to be a labor of love in the end. So many stitches and so little time! Here is the first of my new pears- Red Silk with Yellow Wisteria Vines. I have been up to my elbows in luxury these days. Beautiful dupioni silk, silky satin floss, hand dyed silk ribbons and lovely Austrian crystals. Oh my! While they are so beautiful in the finished piece, I find them not as lovely to work with. My hands, which are doubling as garden tools these days are dry and rough. If you've ever ran your hands over a fine fabric with rough callouses, you know where I"m going with this. I keep a piece of fine sand paper at the ready and I literally remove the rough spots with it! I may be able to rob a bank my fingertips are so smooth! Well, back to the end result, which is so much more fun to talk about. The 1st pear was created with a beautiful, deep, scarlet dupioni silk. I used satin floss to create the wisteria flowers. The stitches are easy- lots of satin stitches and modified chain stitches for the flowers and wrapped stem stitches for the vines. I then encrust the floral section with lovely, sparkling crystals in shades of amber, smoke, champagne and clear. I just love how rich this pair looks. My second pear is the Red Rose Pear on Golden Silk- I decided to forgo the crystals and simply let the hand dyed silk ribbons take center stage. After going through many hanks of Gloriani silk ribbon I finally decided to hand dye my own. If you've ever dabbled in silk ribbon, you know its not the average bear when it comes to price. Its also not available locally... by locally I mean the entire city and surrounding Milwaukee suburbs. It was beginning to get very costly and difficult to keep my stitching momentum going. So, I had to learn another technique...fast!Enter the fine art of silk dyeing! I used ColorHue silk colors and silk ribbons in white from Dharma Trading. I have to say that i was very pleased with their service and extremely happy with the quality of the materials. The silk ribbon I purchased was a dream to dye and wonderful to stitch with. Gloriani is the top of the line when it comes to embroidery ribbon, so that is saying something. I'll write more about silk dyeing soon. It is both addicting and intoxicating! Here are a few more photos of my pears. They both where ordered by one of my first pincushion collectors. She is a joy to work with and loves traditional embroidery. Thanks so much Robin! (I have the best clients on the planet!) Each pincushion has a heavy weighted base to keep it from tipping. The stem is wilk-wrapped raffia wire so it can be posed in a number of positions. The remainder of the pear is filled with new polyester fiberfill. I added embroidered silk leaf in deep green. Two beautiful bead topped pins come with this pincushion. You won't find this pincushion listed in my shop, but you can order one there upon request. Just send me a convo through my Fiberluscious shop page on Etsy. Please note that this is not a pincushion you will receive in a week. These pears take at least 3 weeks to create due to the heavy stitching and the unavailability of the materials. The materials are of the highest quality and challenging to work with. You may request a price quote when we discuss your custom pincushion. Although the price is much higher than my other works, these pincushions are well worth the time and price.
How to sew a french seam. See how to french seam pants, how to french seam a pillowcase and more - and see what's the (only!) catch with sewing french seams!
Sashiko is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) from Japan. Traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches. This j…
Want to learn how to use a serger? Well this video is perfect for you. Find out the benefits of using a serger and see how fun it can be.
We have a new sewing machine in the studio and it's the Baby Lock Sashiko machine. This is a specialty machine as it only stitches one stitch...but oh what a wonderful stitch! The stitch it produces looks like it has been hand stitched so you can get some beautiful results using just this one stitch. Watch the video below to see the unboxing and demo. The Sashiko style of stitch originated in Japan and was traditionally used as what you might call a functional stitch. So it was used originally to repair fabric. The more traditional Sashiko creations that you
Just a block I used for a class demo.
Lately, I’ve been needled a lot about hand embroidery needles – lots of questions from beginners and beyond about this mysterious tool that we certainly can’t live without. Today, I want to share a few points about hand embroidery needles, so that you can make a good choice when you select the needle you’ll use ...
Ta da! My newest apple on Fiberluscious. I had just planned on making a PDF pattern for my pear pattern, which I will, I promise. But I got to thinking about originality and how we all love to leave our own mark on this world. Thats such an important part of creating. Its a desire we all share. I can't say my designs are completely original. They may begin with a simple pattern of which I can't seem to copy without changing its shape, size and dimension. Here are a few of my favorite patterns- If you are a seller of your work its very important to draft your own patterns. Most designers will ask that you only use their patterns for personal use. Creating a pattern really is a challenging and rewarding experience. It frees you to sell your pieces without stepping on another artist's copyright. Although flattery is a compliment, it also really ticks some artists off, to the point that they deny Pinterest Pinning and occasionally post horrible things about you on their blogs or forums. I usually don't get upset. No two people ever do the same thing the same way. I just ask that you don't get rich on my designs with at least not giving me a bit of credit for your inspiration. For those of you who want to do this, but can't quite find the time and feel exhausted just wondering how one would go about such an adventure, let me guide you through it. I promise you a complete sense of satisfaction and pride when you apply this to your creating. The challenge is all just one step in the journey. So lets go! Here are a few tools that may come in handy for this and other patterns. Paper. I use grid paper for many of my patterns. It helps me to keep things symtrical. However, you can use scrap paper, newspaper, kraft paper or cardboard. A soft measuring tape, a ruler, a protractor, a compass and an eraser. I suggest you create a prototype. For that you will need muslin, fiberfill, a sewing machine, needle and thread. It is very helpful to have a model or something close to the size of your finished project is optional so you can gauge the approximage size of your final pattern. A calculator is also necessary. Step One- Make your measurements. Begin with an object close to the size and shape of your desired pattern. I know its not fair that I am using a finished apple to show you the measurements, but stay with me. I'll make it clear how you can begin with simple ball shapes, such as the silver ornament above. Here is an illustration showing you how these measurements become the foundation for a very simple shape. Note, you can easily flip this diagram upside down and create a pear pattern... and you thought that this was going to be hard. Here is how to draft your pattern onto paper. Begin by recording all measurements. I am writing mine on the top upper corner of my pattern paper. Then draw a line showing the height of your desired pattern. If you are beginning with a simple round shape, simply extend the tape measure up past the top of the ball and inch or two. Round the measuring tape off on top to simulate the curve of the 3-D object. (Its better to over estimate this measurement than under estimate it.) Now you need to come up with your width measurements. Sorry, you will be needing a bit of math here, but it's not hard and you don't have to be exact. Next add your 2 width measurements. Extend how big those areas should be. Now its time to create a shape. Each end needs to come to a gradual point. The curve should be rather drastic. If the curve is long and gentle, you will create a pointed end. Not a great shape if you want your pincushion to sit straight up. It would just tip over. however, you may want that kind of a curve for the top of a bosc pear top. You will need to join the two sections in the middle. You can curve that line in and make it shapely. If that line is straight from one section to the other, your final shape will look kind of squatty. Do what ever you like the best. Your the boss! Now add a seam allowance all the way around your pattern shape. I usually use an approximate 1/4" allowance. This is one time that you don't have to be a perfectionist. Do what is comfortable. Just do it the same way each time for each section. Once you think you have your pattern, I suggest that you create a muslin prototype. This is so worth the time. You don't want to use your favorite fabric only to find that your shape is not at all as you imagined. Use muslin and cut 6 sections. When I created my muslin prototype I realized that I wasn't too fond of the shape. I was close, but it just was off. Here is a photo of the final muslin shape, the original pattern draft and the final pattern piece. Just a note. When adjusting your pattern, do it in small increments. Eveyr change will be multiplied by 6. A 1/4 inch change will create a 1 1/2 inch total different in the final piece. How can you determine just the right change? Why don't you pin little tucks or let out a few seams in your muslin piece. I often don't sew it completely shut, so I can remove the stuffing and make my changes on the original instead of having to resew a new muslin piece for each change. Save your muslin piece. It makes a great tool for your embellishement design. Here are some different versions of my pear pattern. Just a few small changes in the pattern shape can make a big differnce in the final piece. Here is my very first pear. For this pear, I elongated the pattern. The top is longer and more drawn out than my first pear. Just a note, using different fabrics can change the final shape of your pattern. These 2 apples are from the exact pattern. The pieced patchwork caused everything to be tighter and look smaller. The original pattern is bigger and plumper. I love both of these apples Experiment. Have fun. Once you have the outsides figured out, embellishment is next....oh the creative process just never ends.
I posted a picture of the cute ponchos I've been making on Instagram and got a few requests for the link. I figured the easiest way to always have it is to post on the blog so we can both find it!! I have tweaked the pattern slightly from the original found here Here are my adjustments: (I wasn't a fan of the fringe so I made my pieces bigger and added 2 rows of the bind off stitch all the way around the bottom edge after it was sewn together) I used 4.50mm hook and Bernat Cotton, for the two tone I made one rectangle in variegated cotton and the the other in a complementary colour. small(approx. size 2-4): chain 74, 15 rows of double crochet med(size 6-8): chain 94, 20 rows " " large(size 10-12): chain 104, 25 rows " " when sewn together I did a double row around the bottom edge of the single crochet, chain one pattern (placing the sc in the space between the dbl crochet) If you have any questions don't hesitate to email me.
Enjoy evocative spring crochet daffodils in various free patterns for beginners and more complex designs. Create unique accessories or incorporate them into larger items like bags, blankets, or pillows.
Did you miss the Zoom workshops? No worries there is now a standalone video tutorial with a set of instructions so you can make your own basket anytime of the day or night!!
This post includes step by steps instructions in the built-in Project File of the HV Designer EPIC 2 and how it makes it super easy to learn new embroidery techniques and sew effortlessly any thing you want. In this post Elaine Theriault demos how with a cell phone case.
Learn how to sew fold over elastic step by step photos and video. Fold-over elastic is quick to apply and is a fun way to add contrast.
Intarsia knitting. An explanation of how to do it. Sample chart to try it out with a detailed set of steps to complete the chart. Includes a demo video.
A collection of the latest Painting tutorials for you to watch online. Watch, rate and comment on completely free.
Oh, Kathie, i found this wonderful vintage ribbon wedding doll with real hair in Halifax.
I’ve gotten to spend the past two weekends doing one of my favorite things: dressing up and demonstrating needlework at Locust Grove! For these demos I was doing tambour embroidery, which was…
