Fabric Markers For Embroidery

I'm often asked about marking fabric for embroidery.  My all time favorite is the Dritz brand fine tip water erasable fabric marking pen. The traced design shows up nicely on light colored fabric and rinses away in cold water once the embroidery is completed.

Tracing the design:
The white broadcloth was thin enough to lay directly on the design and trace.  For denser fabric you can tape the design and fabric to a brightly lit window which gives the effect of a light box.  Turning a clear baking dish upside down and placing a small flashlight underneath also works well. After years and years of transferring designs, I recently bought a 10" by 12" light box from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon.  The light box has become a well loved addition to my creative space!

Our "Heirloom Embroidery Book" includes 16 basic stitches along with many embroidery designs to choose from.

Michie'

Blanket Stitch A Bunny Applique'

With Easter rapidly approaching I felt the need to stitch some simple bunnies.  A new dishtowel, floral fabric scraps, and brown embroidery floss were all the were needed to give my kitchen a touch of Spring!

Click here for the free down loadable Bunny Applique and instructions. 

Michie'

Valentine's Day Embroidery

Sometimes a project needs something bolder than delicate embroidery.  Fabric paint, heart stencils, and Cotton Pearl #5 embroidery thread were perfect for a Valentine's Day apron. Since I used what I had on hand for the project, which did not include heart stencils, I used heart cookie cutters and freezer paper.  With the shiny side down, the freezer paper heart "stencils" were cut out with small scissors and pressed onto the apron with a hot iron.  The only trick to the fabric paint was to brush the paint from the outer edge of the stencil toward the center to prevent it from bleeding under the edges of the stencil.  I let the paint dry for about four hours, then began stitching.  A basic Running Stitch and Back Stitch to outline the hearts was all that was needed!

I like to keep thread and paints on hand so the cost of the project was the apron for $4.99 at Hobby Lobby.  This would be a great project for someone new to embroidery and easy to do with kids.  You can just let your imagination run wild on what you would like to add hearts to.  A few of the many things I thought of are tote  a bag, onesie, sweatshirt, tea towel, or placemats.  Just have fun with it.

Michie'

Embroidered Onesies

  
Baby Stitches 
 
1. White onesies
2. DMC embroidery floss

3. Hand sewing needle

4. Scissors
5. "Heirloom Embroidery Book"

Instructions:  Pick out a design from the book.  Refer to desired embroidery stitches.  Add sweet stitching to a onesie in just a few minutes.  :)

*  I enjoy making these for our local pregnancy center.

Michie'

A Sunsuit For Hot Summer Days

#132

 

For hot summer days, what could be cooler than a white pique' sunsuit?  The design for the hand embroidered puppy is included in the pattern.


Michie'

The Baby Gift

For a special friend, soon-to-be mommy, who is decorating the nursery in teddy bears. A sweet diaper shirt set.  The bear design can be found in the Heirloom Embroidery Book.

Michie'

Bubble With Embroidered Anchors

Coming up in the May/June issue of Sew Beautiful Magazine .....a sweet little bubble with Bullion embroidered anchors.  Blue and white gingham around the neck and a tutorial for binding the sleeves and stitching the anchors.

Michie'

A Bullion Bunny

A bullion stitched bunny from the "Heirloom Embroidery" book, is a great way to add a special touch to a garment when time is short.    Try stitching a few bunnies in a row or in different colors!

A few tucks along with a bullion bunny makes a special Easter outfit.

Michie'

More Yellow And White!

Another yellow and white Easter outfit for a little inspiration.  Pattern #113 was made out of yellow pique' and white Imperial Batiste.  Shadow embroidery stitches were used for the Easter basket and bunny on the collar. The embroidery designs for both are included in the pattern or the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

White rick rack was stitched to the collar edge after the collar was constructed using yellow DMC floss.

Since this outfit reminds me of one my boys wore 30 years ago, I guess we can call it a classic!  :)

Michie'

Adjusting The Playsuit

This sweet little playsuit made by pattern #123, is just right for our hot summer days, and has been waiting for someone special to come along who could wear it.  So, last week I retired it from the Trunk Show and promoted it to Emma's closet.  But first it needed an adjustment...

Yes, the ice cream cones are hand stitched using the Satin stitch.  The ice cream cone design and Satin stitch instructions can be found in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

Emma is a short little thing, so the playsuit was a little long waisted for her.  Once again, hanging onto scraps is a good thing and I was able to find a scrap just the right size for a new waist band.  It didn't take any time at all to take off the old waist band and cut a new one, which also needed to be slightly longer.  I then shortened the front and back bib fronts by 1" and attached the new waist band.  Total adjustment time was less than 2 hours.  Not bad for a wearable outfit for our little sweetie!  :)

Michie'

Skip The Tucks!

For the reader who asked, "How do you adjust the Dedication Bubble pattern to fit different size tucks" you are in luck since this post explains a little more about the pattern!  Several of my newer patterns, including #126 Dedication Bubble, are designed so that the tucks are sewn into a square piece of fabric then the front pattern piece is pinned on top and cut out.  This gives you the freedom to use the tuck guides included in the pattern, make up your own, or make a plain bubble as shown above.  I know that you are now asking if the Dedication Bubble can be made plain, why is it not shown on the pattern front?  An excellent question, and one that I have no answer for except that it didn't occur to me at the time!    

The bubble is made out of white linen with the Blanket Stitch edging the collar and sleeve.  The duck embroidery design can be found in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

Michie'

The Great Bubble Debate

Here is what the well dressed man wore to church on Sunday. It might be January, but we are having an unusually warm winter and with his gray sweater he was fine. Besides Daddy has already expressed that the boy's bubble days are limited!

The bubble is made from pale blue pique' using pattern #105. A simple pattern with inverted pleats and no placket to deal with! The collar is Shadow embroidered with little airplanes that can be found in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

Here is what Daddy prefers him to wear every single day!!! Okay....I think he is really cute in his thermal shirt and overalls, and as long as the boy thinks I'm the coolest Nana around and Daddy lets me visit as often as I like, I'm not complaining one tiny bit!

Does it look like someone is about ready to crawl? So far he can only go backwards! :)

Michie'

*A Message from Anna:

We have clarified with Daddy that not all bubbles fall into the debate. Daddy likes slimmer looking bubbles not ones with gathers that "look too much like a dress." :-) I think we can work with that.

Anna Michie'

A Fall Romper For The Boy

Of course we couldn't leave the boy out when it comes to fall clothes! You might remember this romper made by pattern #103 from previous blogs which included tutorials for the bias edging on the collar and the satin stitched pumpkin.

Don't you love his expression? He is asking why on earth I am taking his picture when he is getting hungry!

The green fabric is Featherwale Corduroy and is one of my favorite fabrics for fall and winter. Besides coming in a beautiful range of colors, it is also suitable for smocking.

Michie'

A Pink Dress For Emma

First of all, how did our sweet girl get to be 10 months old in such a short time? And how am I going to be able to wait until November to see her again? In my opinion, one of the very best things about our technology age is that grandparents can stay in touch with e-mails and photos. And a special blessing to you young parents who take the time from your crazy day to post to the folks back home!

This is one of the little dresses that I took on my visit in August. The dress is made by pattern #106 and is such a practical and sweet dress for a little one. I used Imperial Batiste fabric so that the dress would need little if any ironing. I was told that I receive HUGE Nana points if things don't need to be ironed and I'm taking this seriously!

The beauty in this dress is the collar details. A tiny bias band is attached with a Bridging (Faggoting) stitch and a Bullion rose adds a little color. Detailed instructions can be found for the Bridging and the Bullion rose in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

Michie'

New Sew Beautiful Issue

The preview copy of Sew Beautiful's Red, White and Blue issue came in the mail and what a fun issue it is! It is one of those issues that just makes you long for hot summer days.

Once again, it was a nice surprise when a recognized one of my patterns in the magazine. The precious dress on the left was made using pattern #12o. Details about the fabric and machine embroidery design for the yoke can be found in the magazine.

A special thank you to the seamstress who designed this dress and congratulations on appearing in the magazine!

While I was flipping through the magazine Anna pulled this out of the closet and said, "Gee Mom, why didn't you submit this?" An excellent question. Let's just call it lack of organization and leave it at that. This outfit is the boy version of pattern #120. Can't you just see Anna's little guy at the beach in this next year?

The sand pail design along with Shadow Embroidery directions can be found in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

Michie'

Embroidered Bunnies

Here is a little inspiration to get you going on your Easter Sewing! I made both outfits from pima cotton and few simple changes to the collars were all that was needed to give them a totally different look.

The little boy's bubble was made from pattern #115 and the embroidered bunnies are in the Heirloom Embroidery Book. To change up the look of the collar a Madeira Trim was added to the bottom edge.

The little girl's dress was made from pattern #131 and appeared in Creative Needle Magazine several years ago.

Click here for down loadable directions for the Madeira trim collar. Good luck with your Easter Sewing!

Michie'

A Baby Shower Gift

Although I have know for months that I was going to need a baby shower gift, I was caught off guard when the invitation came in the mail! This is also one of those cases where the parents don't want to know whether baby is a boy or a girl ahead of time. So, the challenge was to make a gown suitable for either and a winter baby at that! I had enough Australian Cashmere Flannel left from Emma's gown and I always have plenty of gingham scraps on hand.

The gown is a variation of pattern #128 and goes together quickly. I made the gown and a matching blanket and then did the embroidery after all of the sewing was completed. The embroidered bunnies can be found in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book" and are done with a Back Stitch. The tutorial for adapting the gown can be found in a previous blog.

Michie'

Revised Embroidery Book

The same great book, but new and improved! All the classic stitches are still there, along with the Eyelet and Blanket Stitch The illustrations and instructions have a cleaner updated look and there are several new pages of embroidery designs.


This picture shows a small portion of one of the new designs. It is the "Sweet Dreams" pillow for the embroidery class at Martha Pullen's School of Art and Fashion 2011.



All "Heirloom Embroidery Books" shipped from the website are now the new and improved version!

*Vintage Dress Lesson 1 will post this Friday!

Michie'

#112 Pattern of the Week

The pattern of the week is pattern #112! I designed this pattern several years ago after struggling to find a boyish Christening Gown. The pleats in the front and back gives the gown a tailored look. The pattern has a choice of three different style collars and may be made with a boy's, girl's, or a long sleeve.

This first version is made from white pima cotton and is trimmed with ecru lace. The Shadow Stitched cross design can be found in the pattern and the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

This gown is made from Handkerchief Linen. Large shank buttons are stitched to the front pleats and only a touch of lace is used around the collar.

The instructions for the heirloom lace techniques can be found in the pattern.

This Christening Gown is one of my favorites, because it goes together quickly, is simple enough for a beginner, and is still elegant without having to spend a lot of money on fabric and laces. I am looking forward to teaching the construction and embroidery of this gown in a two day class at Martha Pullen's School of Art and Fashion in July!

Michie'

Embroidered Ducks

While reorganizing I ran across this little print dress made by pattern #106. It has been in my collection for several years, so I am sure that the fabric is no longer available. The blue cotton fabric has little yellow ducks and laundry hanging on the clothes line. How sweet is that?

The collar is made from white Imperial Broadcloth. I used orange gingham for the piping and for the covered buttons.

The embroidered ducks were traced from the fabric and were hand stitched using a Satin Stitch. This dress is fun and playful, exactly like what my daughter wore when she was little!

I hope this inspires you to keep sewing!

* Don't forget about the free give away!


Michie'