I was lucky enough to go on a sewing machine embroidery and appliqué workshop yesterday, a lovely birthday present from my husband. My tutor for the day was Katie Essam, a contemporary applied artist who I met recently at a craft fair. I fell in love with her machine embroideries and when I found out she runs one to one workshops I jumped at the chance to learn a new skill. Katie only lives about 20 minutes from my house, so yesterday morning I loaded my sewing machine and a bag full of bits and pieces I thought might be useful into my car and off I set. Katie and her 2 gorgeous dogs welcomed me and after a quick cup of tea we set to work, Katie firstly showing me how to put an embroidery foot on my machine and lower the feed dogs. Once that was done I was given a piece of calico backed with iron on stabiliser and told to go for it! I just doodled initially to get the feel of the technique. It isn’t difficult, but it’s a very strange feeling to be able to feed your fabric under the needle in any direction you fancy. It’s also surprisingly hard to stitch a perfectly straight line! I initially found spirals the easiest to do for some reason. Once I felt comfortable we set to work creating an embroidery from one of the pictures I’d taken along with me, a pile of old books. I chose fabrics from Katie’s huge box of scraps. The beauty of this technique is that often you can get away with using the smallest scraps of fabric that would normally go in the bin. I cut up a copy of the photo I’d chosen to use and traced round the edge of each piece (which I first flipped to the wrong side) on the reverse of the fabric, then cut them out. Next the pieces were arranged in their correct positions on a piece of bondaweb and ironed. We then carefully peeled the fabric pieces off the bondaweb, positioned them on the calico and ironed again to fix them in place. Then the fun part started! I chose complimentary thread for each piece of fabric and carefully began my freehand stitching around the edges, adding details the spines of the “books” as I went. Because you can stitch in any direction, on a fairly simple shape you can just keep going, and go over areas again to reach the next bit of you need to. Katie recommended going over each stitching line at least twice to give a more defined outline. Once I was happy with the stitching we moved onto painting, adding shadows, highlights and details with watered down acrylic paints and a fine liner pen. Here you can add as much or as little detail as you like. Here is my finished pile of books. After a break for lunch we set to work on another piece, this time a pile of tea cups. For this piece we used a similar technique initially, but ironed each piece onto the calico separately, behind a tracing of the photo. The tracing was used as a stitching guide and then carefully torn away after all the stitching had been completed. For this piece I used black thread throughout. Again, I added some detail with acrylic paints, and also a “pattern” to one of the cups and the saucer with some pink thread. Here is the finished piece, I’m really pleased with this one. After a fabulous day, Katie sent me away with a handout detailing the process and materials used, and a goodie bag containing pieces of all the specialist materials so I could get straight on by myself. And I have done exactly that, spending much of today working on an armchair. I used the tracing paper technique that we used on the tea cups, the collage below gives you an idea of the process. I added some gold thread to the scrolls on the chair, which you can just about see in this photo. I'm loving this new technique so far and can't wait to do more pieces - I can see all my friends and relations receiving these for Christmas this year! In other news, I had 2 entries in my post-birthday giveaway. I don’t want to have to choose between them, even if it is done randomly, so I’m going to send a little parcel to both Jaqc C and Liza Jane. If you could both drop me an email to sam(dot)molloy(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk with your address I’ll get your goodies in the post to you.
Embroider with you "normal" sewing machine - no need for an expensive, special embroidery machine ^-^
8" x 10" 17" x 21" framed Umbel silhouettes with rose hips. This piece was displayed at the Circle Craft Christmas Market at the new Vancouver Convention Centre, West. 2010, and Crafthouse Granville Island 2013. SOLD Machine and hand embroidery, couching, appliqué, some metallic threads. www.chursinoff.com/kirsten/
After my adventures at Hope and Elvis and my trawls around Hemswell, I had a lot of scrappettes and fripperies waiting patiently to be used. This piece has taken a long time to make but I loved every minute. I really enjoyed trapping the lace fragments in the stitching, it's a technique I'll definitely be trying again. The only problem I have now is what to do with it, should I keep it as it is, like a textile picture, or incorporate it into something else? Any suggestions would be gratefully received! Posted with Blogsy
... one of my favourite activites, which Kirstie Allsopp described as "the crack cocaine of the craft industry" on 'Kirstie's Handmade Britain' this week lol; not sure about that one but it is great fun :) I used the designs I did in my sketchbook yesterday, stitching them onto patches of felt I had lying around near my sewing machine. I had saved a funky label from a cardigan I'd bought from Fat Face this week and decided to add one of my pieces to this. I 'drew' onto my fabric, then cut around the body of the flower before adding it to the tag and stitching a stem and adding a leaf. Tonight we're off to a bonfire party :) I love it all, the sights, the smells, the treacle toffee and melted marshmallows, but fireworks still frighten me from a safety point of view. At least the dog is getting deaf as he gets older so the loud bangs don't bother him so much. I'd just like to say that my heart goes out to those who've lost friends and family in the M5 Somerset crash last night. Involved in a crash myself this time last year, similarly in the dark and wet, I still cannot begin to imagine how horrific this one was. Surely they can't now raise the speed limit to 80mph on the motorways!
Sewing and Sowing in Central Scotland.
“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your...
www.mollysmum.com
Fused appliqué art quilt by Maryline Collioud-Robert
Hello, While I'm mulling over sofa coverings I've created the tutorial on free motion machine applique that some of you asked for. This is the way I made the Milkchurn Cottage picture. This is my old wheat bag cover. Rather yukky. I'm going to make a new one from this vintage embroidered tray cloth... and scraps of cotton fabrics left over from other projects. I never throw anything away. I'm going to applique the words 'feeling better' onto the linen. I've arranged the fabric letters where I want them on the linen. If you want to you can stick them down first using bondaweb or spray fabric glue, I didn't bother. (the fabric pinned on the right hand side of the picture is just holding the other letters in place.) When you put your fabric in the embroidery hoop, put it in upside down or the opposite way to hand embroidery. This will ensure the fabric lays flat on the sewing machine. Pull the fabric as tight as you can using your sewing machine screwdriver to tighten the screw. The fabric should be as tight as a drum. . Thread.- Use what ever thread you want, you can buy special bobbin (to use on the bottom) thread for machine embroidery, usually in black or white, you get about twice as much on the reel as normal thread so it is more economical. You'll be surprised how much thread you'll use. Next alter your machine. Drop the feed dog teeth in the base plate. My machine has a little wheel under the free arm. Here you can see the teeth dropped and I have attached an enclosed darning foot. You can have a go with an ordinary foot but you will have difficulty seeing where you are going. You can also remove the foot altogether just leaving the needle, but I wouldn't recommend this as you may easily include your fingers in your applique. (not good) This is another darning/embroidery foot, this one is open toed. The reason I have two is because sometimes when embroidering over something hairy or wispy (ie wool tops, used in felting) the toe of this foot can catch in the wispy bits. Next I loosen the upper thread tension a little. Normal on mine is #4, I have reduced the tension down to #2. The top dial is the presser foot pressure. I find as long as your fabric can be moved around freely when the your presser foot is lowered you don't need to alter this. Next I turn my stitch length down to 0 as I will be controlling my stitch length by how far I move my fabric and how fast or slow I make the machine go. It won't matter if you forget to alter this. Now to start. Slip your embroidery hoop under the machines foot, which should be raised as in normal sewing. Note which way up the embroidery hoop is in the photo. Your fabric should be flat against the base plate of your machine. . Position your needle where you want to start and lower your presser foot. Now without moving the fabric start sewing, get your needle going up and down quite quickly. Now you can use both hands to move your embroidery hoop around. . (If you've never done this before, have a practice on some scrap fabric without any applique on it. Better still, practice on something stiff like pelmet vilene, you won't need the hoop. Practice making circles by moving your hoop around and around. (by now your tongue should be out and you should be circling your upper torso in time to your embroidery hoop! lol) . You can see in the photo I often use my stitch ripper to hold down tiny bits of fabric, saving my fat fingers! As you can see here it doesn't have to neat and tidy, in fact it looks better if it's not. Stitch around each shape a couple of times to make sure everything is stitched down. . A little tip here- smaller stitches help prevent too much fraying. . (Move your hoop slowly and stitch quickly = short stitches.) (Move your hoop quickly and stitch slowly = longer stitches.) Each time I finished a letter I just lift my presser foot and move over to the next letter without cutting the thread. Don't forget to lower your presser foot again. This saves time, thread and fiddling about trying to get the hoop out and back under again. When you've finished, you can trim all of these cross over threads. Don't forget the ones on the back of your work too as they can pull and pucker your work. Ta-Daa ! . Go on have a go. It really is easier than it looks. Have a play around. The back. The front.. Just need to pop it in the wash to remove the pencil guide lines. . I tried to make it as simple as possible, any questions, feel free to email me. . Go on embroider a heart on to something for your valentine. . [email protected]
What is free motion embroidery? How long has it been around? What can you do with it? How can you get started? Read more here!
”Betty Reaches for the Moon" by Michele Holmes (embroidery and stitching/textile art)
I love drawing but always feel as though I should take up painting or go back to screen printing or something to bring my work to life and give it colour and depth. The only problem is I think I…
Make Them for the Holidays or Just Because! These pretty little birds are perfect for your Christmas tree, decorating gifts and lots more. While they’re lovely for the holidays, they’ll also be fun spread around the house all year long. String several together for a garland to hang from the mantel, perch them on a …
Yarn couching is an easy technique to dress up an applique block or a garment. Three tips to help perfect your yarn couching adventure are discussed. You'll also find some great applique ideas using decorative stitches.
Learn the fundamentals of using appliqué in creative and artistic ways to enrich your art quilts and wall hangings.
Limitless. That’s how so many artists describe the creative medium of textiles. Time and time again they explain that the possibilities are never-ending, and
When I first got my sewing machine, I new this is what I really wanted to have a go at... thread sketching or free motion sewing. It is when you sew without the machine 'feeding' the fabric through. Having free motion to draw with the thread on your fabric. I've been asked numerous times for advice on this subject but have found it very hard to explain having never done a tutorial before, but also because everyone's machines are different. free motion foot for a Brother * So, you will need a darning/free motion foot for your particular machine. Follow your instruction book on how to fit it securely. * You will also need a strong needle. * Drop/disengage the feed dogs on your machine. Usually there is a switch or lever at the back or inside. (again, follow the instructions in your manual) If there is no way to drop the feed dogs, some machines have a plastic or metal plate that comes with it to cover the feed dogs. * You don't really need to adjust the stitch length, as the speed which you move the fabric, combined with the speed you sew determines the size of the stitches. Saying that though, some machines stitch length needs to be set to 0. You will need to experiment with this. (see what I mean about it being hard to explain with us all having diff machines!) * The needle thread tension needs to be set at about 2. But again, see if this suits your machine. * Use the same colour thread for both needle and bobbin in case there are slight irregularities in tension or you'll get spotty looking lines of thread. * Move your bobbin thread through to the top before starting. Pfaff free motion foot * Then hold the top thread to the side while you sew a few stitches in one place to prevent from undoing. * Stop and put the needle into the fabric again. Then with your hands flat, lightly holding the fabric taught. Start sewing and gently guide the fabric up/down left/right. You will probably want to sew slowly at first, BUT (and this is my main piece of advice) Put your foot down at a relatively steady/almost fast pace while moving the fabric slowly. This will give you a good stitch length. If you feel you are going awry or need to readjust your grip/decide which direction you are going in next - just stop, put your needle down, lift your presser foot and see where you are at! Flower Brooch * Fast hands + slow needle = long uneven stitches * Slow hands + relatively fast needle = stitches that are just right. You will need to practice getting the right balance between how hard you put your foot down and how slowly you move the fabric. Custom made brooch * Depending on the fabric you are sewing, you may need to stabilize it with some iron on interfacing before sewing. * What ever pattern you are sewing, make sure you keep the fabric at the same angle all the time - do not twist or turn it, as this will break the needle. If you want the fabric to face another direction, put the needle down lift the presser foot and turn the fabric. Free motion and fabric paint * Using an airasable (air erasable) pen is really helpful, so that you can draw out your word or pattern straight onto the fabric. Sew over it, and then either use a clean paint brush to wipe water over it - for the markings to instantly disappear or some brands of this pen will disappear over the next day if you leave them, depending on which one you get. Just make sure you don't iron over any pen markings, as they will become permanent! Free motion and green fabric paint I hope this is helpful for you. If I've left anything out, let me know. Just have a go, practice loads and have fun with it!x
All finished, hope you like it....x
I actually really LOVE the art of appliqué! Even though I don't use it that much (practically never) but I do love seeing others' works on the Internet and appreciate the artistry so much :) My October project that I've mentioned earlier in this post is also appliqué-friendly and, personally, I'm going to experiment a little in this field! So I thought if anyone wants to try the same I should tell a bit more about the methods of applique in advance. Method 1 So, the first thing you should remember is that the majority of fabrics tend to fray on the edge. And because of this, if you just simply baste a cutout to the ground fabric, eventually it will fray quite a lot even if at first it doesn't look like it. However, sometimes this kind of ragged and frazzled edge might be the desired effect! Especially, for enthusiasts of rustic style. In such cases, this method is what you need. And, basically, all you need to do is just work back stitch along the whole shape, stepping a little away from the edge. Make your stitches rather small so that all of the fibers are secured. I'm using quilting cotton in this example and it doesn't really fray that much – I frayed it myself for this picture as well as I could. However, if you use linen, for example, it is likely to fray a lot easier and the fibers might pull apart right in front of the stitches. In this case, your back stitching should be even smaller. Method 2 If you don't want the edges to fray, you can work buttonhole (blanket) stitch around the shape. You can work it more densely, of course, like I did in one of the examples in this post. By the way, I'm using a thread of contrasting color for all of the appliqué methods in this article to make it more clear. Naturally, you can use thread of a color similar to the appliqué cutout if you don't want it to stand out too much. Ah, and this method is commonly used in felt applique! Method 3 Now, if you don't want any fraying to take place but also don't want to work a border of buttonhole stitch around it, you can use a fusible interfacing! :) Instructions are easy: 1) cut a piece of interfacing material equal to the piece of fabric you want to apply it too, 2) interfacing material has two sides, one of which is adhesive. Put the interfacing piece with the adhesive side up, and lay the fabric piece on top of it, with its backside down and face up. In conclusion, the adhesive side should be next to the backside of the fabric. 3) iron it thoroughly (settings of heat are according to the type of fabric) staying for several seconds in one place. When you have applied interfacing with the fabric, cut the shape out of it. The thing is, the fibers are now glued from underneath so they are going to hold together and are very unlikely to fray. It is almost like paper. Well, unless you expose it some rough tugging like in a washing machine or if you use it on everyday clothes So, what you will do now will depend on your artistic choice. If you want it to look raw like it is, you can baste it down with tiny running stitches of similar color. Or you can use any decorative stitch, you can find many on the Stitch Library. I used french knots here :) Method 4 This one is likely to look a bit more dimensional, but there is like 0 chances for any fraying to happen. And again, we need interfacing material (it will give a certain advantage but actually you can use another fabric, I will mention it below). BUT we need to put fabric and interfacing material in a different manner now! So, what we do is we put fabric face up, and then we lay interfacing material with adhesive side down. So, the face of the fabric and the adhesive side are supposed to be looking at each other. Then you can draw the shape down and backs titch along the edge. Cut the shape out with a seam allowance and cut a slit in the interfacing material. The turn it out. Now you have a shape like this – face of the fabric up and adhesive side down. You can now place it where you need on the ground fabric and iron it down. If you want to secure it even better, you can stitch a border of buttonhole stitch again, or baste it down in any other way. Or you can work invisible stitch like I did in this example. Like I mentioned, this method can be used with a different fabric instead of interfacing material. Just skip the ironing part and baste the piece down in the way you prefer the most :) So, here are 4 methods for your fabric appliqué! As for me, methods 2 and 3 are what I'm more likely to use but in the end, it all depends on the situation. Hope you find the method you of your liking too and try some appliqué in your next project! :)
Aurifil Thread Cotton Mako 50wt Large Spool 1300m Long staple Egyptian cotton is the best in the world! The 50 weight is the finest of the Mako threads and is very smooth and strong. 100% mercerised cotton. 1300m spool. Perfect for piecing, applique, hand quilting, machine quilting, or embroidery.USES: Needle Turn Applique, English Paper Piecing, Hand Piecing, Bobbin and Machine Lace, Machine Applique (Straight Stitch, Zig Zag, Blind Hem and Blanket Stitch,) Machine Embroidery, Dense Machine Quilting, Subtle Machine and Longarm Quilting, Basting, Whole Cloth and Micro Quilting, Dense Background Designssmall spools of variegated 50wt Cotton: her preferred thread weight at all times. It perfectly coordinates with a wide range of her fabric collections with Free Spirit.You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. Tag us @craftsfabricsuk and show us what you made for the repost.
Originaire d'Hollande, Annemieke arriva en Australie à l'age de 7 ans. Issue d'une famille de créatifs, elle a toujours été fascinée par la nature. Elle retranscrit cet amour grâce à de nombreuses techniques : broderie machine et broderie main, peinture...
Today the schools went back and we all came back to work. I have been doing the odd bit of work over the holidays - some retail orders, some organising and proofing printing, that kind of thing but there hasn't...
