Take little time to study Embroidery designs

It was early afternoon today when my son and I realized that we hadn’t seen our two kittens since early morning. On any normal day, this wouldn’t have been much of a concern. On a moving day, though, all bets are off. Especially when the kittens’ favorite hiding place is inside the couch and those couches have been fully encapsulated with cardboard and tape.

It’s not a good feeling to think of what could have happened. Luckily, with the help of the movers, we were able to find them and remove them from the couch before it began its 12-week journey. The scare was horrid, but the joy at finding them soon overshadowed it. Still, I was rattled for quite a while.

I find myself responding like this more often these days when creating my beloved machine embroidery designs. Once I get the machine set up and going, I tend to do other things until the next color stop. If I leave the room, I keep an ear open for audible changes that could signal disaster. After four years here in Greece, my embroidery machine is making strange noises more and more. Taking it to the dealer for service is something I look forward to.

The problems got worse and worse as the noises became more frequent. I became flustered thinking that I was somehow forgetting my knowledge of machine embroidery. I thought the mistakes were my fault, instead of the fault of a machine that needs some tender loving care. Regardless, each mistake or problem makes me more jumpy than the last. Finally, I watched every stitch as it formed. That, along with listening closely, helped me to finish more projects.

When I become nervous about something, I do a lot of research on the subject until I feel certain that I can overcome any issues. With embroidery, I end up at my favorite embroidery design gallery instead. It’s so much more interesting than reading about a million and one machine problems. I’d much rather be finding new embroidery patterns! And I’m always guaranteed of finding a new free embroidery design for my efforts. Much more fun than research!

Now that I’m an experienced embroidery artist, I think I need to remind myself of the lessons I learned as a newcomer. It’s important to take time to get the project hooped properly. Take a little more time to study the embroidery designs before they stitch so that I am familiar with them. Then, just stitch. If it gets messed up, it gets messed up. There will always be some flaws or issues with machine embroidery, so it’s important to just go with it as much as possible. Agonizing over mistakes or what ifs will only suck all the joy out of the endeavor.

One thing that I do enjoy about watching every stitch form, though, is the knowledge I gain in how each embroidery design is created; how the beauty forms. If mistakes didn’t occur, I probably wouldn’t remember to take the great opportunity of this. Much like my cats hiding in a sofa and scaring me so badly, mistakes in embroidery offers a wonderful silver lining.

My number one tip is to just enjoy the calm after the storm, although dancing in the rain can be fun, too.

Quilting - Experimenting All The Way

A couple mornings ago, I woke up to an email message from a complete stranger.  I had made a comment in support of his particular group, which I am not a part of.  Luckily for the peace of my morning, this young man was pleased with what I had said and was complimentary to the point of making me blush.  It really put a great feel onto my day!

This morning, doing my regular perusal online for anything new in machine embroidery or for making quilts, I came across several items that seem to be tweaking my nose.  No, I’m not paranoid!  But, I do a lot of writing for both, and I have been seeing a large response in opposing viewpoints.  I really don’t mind, because I know that my way isn’t the only way.  Unfortunately, those who are responding to my writing either feel that there is only their way, or that I have insulted them.  If I didn’t care so much about teaching the many ways sewing, quilting and embroidery, it would be amusing.

One of the responses was so inflaming and insulting to me, that the site owner actually removed that post and any that had responded to it; unfortunately, a copy of them all hit my inbox.  What this woman was telling me was that she is an expert and I was wrong, even though my only advice had been about something that truly does work well for me.  Unless something is dangerous, that’s the only type of advice I give.  Honestly.
When it comes to embroidery or making quilts, I am always stressing that the words always and never should never be used and always be ignored.  I look at my techniques and methods as a No Nonsense approach.  If a less expensive product works for you, it would be nonsense to insist on a more expensive one.  If one technique is too difficult for you, it would be nonsense to not learn a different way to get to the same result.  I honestly just don’t have time for the nonsensical, unless I’m watching a comedian!

When I learn a new hobby, I tend to pick up information from several different sources.  Some instruction seems nonsensical to me, while other information fits the way I like to do things.  Neither is right or wrong, just different.  Although I teach, if I can’t quite get the result I want, I will take a class on a technique that will get me there.  While I usually end up modifying the technique after class, I’m always grateful for the ability to learn.  I don’t then turn around and tell the teacher she is doing it wrong.

If you’re learning a new hobby like machine embroidery or embroidery quilting, or even cooking or auto mechanics, find a source that you feel comfortable with to learn the basics.  Once you’ve got the basics down, branch out to other sources.  Not only will you learn new techniques for advanced results, but you’ll also be introduced to new ways to complete the basics.

And, always remember that different people have different ideas of the right way to do things.  Don’t get sucked into their drama.  Instead, learn from what each of them says.  Never relegate yourself to only one style or technique.  Making quilts, machine embroidery, painting and more are all forms of art!  Make your art your way!

Choosing the Right Fabric for Quilting

There’s been quite a bit of chatter this week on one of my groups for machine embroidery about the proper fabric to use for embroidery. While I have used and agree with some of the suggestions, I have learned a lot about fabrics from making quilts home décor items and fashion. While all fabrics can be proper for something, not all are good for everything!

Since fabric for making quilts is all-around good, sturdy cotton broadcloth, let’s start there. We will assume that all of these cottons are good quality! From basic muslin to the priciest designer prints, we choose these fabric for our quilts for several reasons; they are inexpensive; they have a good weave and even hand; they last forever; and, they are easy to work with, having few issues with raveling, stretching, etc.

However, the relative affordability of quilting cotton is still too much for some, and they choose polyester or poly-cotton blend fabrics for making quilts. Since this is the worst choice for quilts for many reasons, this is one area where I say never! Polyester fabrics are too thin, too stretchy, and melt/warp when ironed under the high heat required for proper patchwork piecing. It is not sturdy, can be difficult to work with, and it is made from a dwindling, expensive resource … petroleum.

While some quilters are quite brilliant in making quilts from satins, silks, woolens, velvets and other heavy fabrics, most of us choose plain reliable cotton. There’s really nothing to argue about when quality meets every expectation at a reasonable price.

In the world of machine embroidery, though, we aren’t just making quilts. We create fantastic heirloom christening robes and wedding dresses; sturdy totes and fancy purses; fun toys and soft books; and anything else we can fit into or onto our hoops.

For each project, we choose the fabric we want to work with. We wouldn’t make a tote from sheer organza any more than we would make a wedding dress from burlap! Instead, we match the project desired to the fabric required. Hopefully, the embroidery designs we want to use are appropriate for the type of fabric! Ah, I bet you forgot that part, didn’t you? It’s okay. We all do it. Once we figure this out, we must decide how to stabilize the fabric and design for optimum stitching. It goes far beyond just the best fabric!

Embroidery designs that are light and airy can be stitched on just about any fabric, although care must be taken with thick items like bath towels or the designs won’t show up. They will stitch beautifully and then become invisible. No fun! A layer of tulle on top of the towel loops can keep this from occurring!

Dense embroidery designs should not be stitched on anything other than very sturdy fabrics! Denim and twill are good choices for totes, purses and anything else that you’d normally make for strength! Did you notice that I did not say that dense designs could not be stitched on anything but denim or twill? Yes, they can …

If you have dense designs that you want to embroider on a less sturdy fabric (linen or cotton), you can choose a heavier stabilizer to make the fabric more able to withstand what is demanded from the embroidery designs. This does not, however, mean that you can stitch a very dense design on sheer fabric by using more stabilizer. Eventually, the stabilizer must be removed, and thin fabric may not support the design.

See? It’s still not just about the best fabric! Fabric + stabilizer + design = perfect machine embroidery designs. Always!

No one person has all the answers because each design, fabric, stabilizer, and machine we use are completely different. It is necessary to do research and try various methods until we find those that work for us. Because I spend so much time making quilts, I start with muslin and go on from there.

For me, the best fabric is not the cheapest I can find. It is the one that will work for the project type, along with my choice of embroidery designs and the stabilizers that I have.