I have to admit that I am a sucker for challenges. Tell me something that is not easy to do or can’t be done…I’m right there trying it out. Some time back, a customer had asked about creating a cutwork
edge on the neck line of a t-shirt. As t-shirt material is not a stable fabric, I had explained about the difficulties affiliated with the idea. However, as time went by, I wondered if there was such a possibility of taming the knits to where cutwork could be applied.
The hemline of a t-shirt is different than the neck line of the t-shirt. In the hemline, one has the blessing of the weight of the rest of the t-shirt which helps the fabric from curling to the inside. On the neckline, however, one does not have the luxury and care has to be taken that the design won’t curl, wash after wash. My first inclination was to prepare the knit, just like silk, and use the no show fusible poly mesh behind it for strength. However, the knit t-shirt that I had planned to use was quite slinky and thin. No show fusible poly mesh is great for a lot of things that need stabilizing but for slinky knits, it can add weight depending upon where the embroidery will be. In the end, I decided to use the good ole’ $1.47 Pellon sheerweight fusible interfacing. As if pretty obvious from the picture, the interfacing worked like a cham and is definitely not so heavy as the fusible poly mesh. The designs are from the soon to be released Vintage Linen 2 collection.
Having prepared the fabric, I was ready for my challenge: a cutwork neck line. Using the PR600 gave me advantage in having the design stitch out in one go but…a word 
of caution for friends who may want to try the method. It is far better to open the shoulder seams and then do the embroidery than it is to try and do the embroidery on the neckline of a t-shirt. As my t-shirt is form fitting, I had the dickens of a time in doing the embroidery, which resulted in my standing next to the machine, literally holding my breath and the t-shirt so it wouldn’t get caught under the needles. My greatest relief that moment was that it is a good thing the designs are fast stitching, otherwise I would be standing here for hours. I have to admit to some doubts when I went to wash the t-shirt. Will it curl or not? As you can see from the pics, it held pretty good and yes I did have to try it on to see how it felt….felt great! The back side of the t-shirt was a simple scallop edge. So, for any friends out there who want to experiment in creating a completely different look for their t-shirts, my advice is to check and see the t-shirt 
first, whether it is a cotton blend or slinky type. I believe either type of t-shirt will work fine using the Pellon stabilizer and then using water soluble stabilizer in the hoop. I have noted to include the blue-print of the designs for creating a variety of neck lines etc. in the PDF for the collection.
This has given me several ideas. One is to definitely go shopping for t-shirts, preferably with a cotton blend. Meanwhile, my friend Carolyn sent me something that has sparked my interest. I am thrilled that she used the Vintage Linen 2 edge as a border around the collar but her hand smocking is absolutely gorgeous. Thanks Carolyn for sharing such a lovely creation. Off I go to finish some more writing on the PDF and finishing the techniques. I am looking at releasing Vintage Linen 2 very shortly now….I know I have been saying that for a long while…
And how does one do that? How does one redefine the cutwork edge? One of the most simplest ideas popped up in my head not too long ago 
and that is one of the main reasons why I have delayed releasing the Vintage Linen 2 collection. I truly love the collection as it has variable edges, in contrast to plain edges that I had been working with before. The idea was so extremely simple that I had to experiment with it. No, you do not see my experimentation of it on the side, as it is still in the works. But, I did talk about the idea with my dear friend Carolyn, who immediately used it to create a check book cover and a bag!
As I have explained previously, cutwork is nothing more than an another form of applique. It uses the same three steps, except fabric is added in applique, whereas it is taken away in cutwork. Cutwork edges have to be carefully digitized, otherwise, the edge tends to wander away from the design, leaving a gap within the embroidery. For best digitizing of a cutwork edge, it is imperative that any design portion that will be upon the fabric be added after the edge is secured, just like applique. In applique, it is important to secure the outer edge before applying any stitches to the applique portion, otherwise, the fabric will move and the edges are not secured.
Although I love the cutwork edges, yet I wanted something different where another type of fabric, or color of fabric could be applied to the bottom portion of the cutwork edge design to give a completely different look. And that is exactly what I did! By the way, I have to put in a plug here for Carolyn, as she did a fabulous job with the purse and the check book cover. If you have not seen 
Carolyn’s purse patterns, do visit her site and check them out. Another reason why I wanted to redefine the cutwork edge is because the edges of the designs in the Vintage Linen 2 collection are not in a straight line which makes it rather difficult to attach trims etc. if the designs are to be used on a shawl. Well, the holiday season is upon us and shawls and wraps are great embroidery items, and as I wanted to attach a beaded trim to my shawl, I devised this method. Mind you, the beaded trim was attached to the design in the hoop! I know, I could have attached the trim afterwards, but this is so much easier and interesting, don’t you think. I do have some more interesting ideas using the technique and hopefully, fingers crossed….the collection or collections will be released very soon. Meantime, here are some pictures to share with you all.
As I keep saying over and over again….machine embroidery is not just embroidery. It is a means towards each and every type of hand work: knitting, crochet, lace making and of course quilting. Learning to multi-hoop a 5×7 hoop design on a 12″ square coupled with quilting is what my students at a Janome store learned last weekend. I didn’t quite capture all the finished projects but here is a peek at what some accomplished.
Quilting is all about color and the placement of color. The class created a quilted cushion cover using designs from Vintage Quilts. Each one of the finished project was different although the same pattern was used. As always, I enjoyed the class and the satisfaction that comes from sharing knowledge with others.
The 2nd quarter contest for the Heirlooms in Machine Embroidery group just ended and our winner is Gisela. Her table topper is to die for and one can see her mastery at placement and excellent stabilizing. Congrats Gisela!
And that is exactly what I ventured out to create, an edge that would be 
cutwork, with a variety of colors and creative edges. Cutwork edge designs are generally larger scallops without the fuss of details. However, as yours truly is forever testing the “impossible” with machine embroidery, I decided to create an edge using regular embroidery motifs. It can be done but requires a bit more diligence so the fabric won’t have a wavy effect when the design is completed.
It’s been a while since I created a complete outfit for myself, and an invitation to a wedding was just the trick to get me back in the sewing room. I do have to admit that it took me a long while to finish the outfit that I had designed. The wedding has an Eastern theme and I really didn’t want to create something that I would wear for just one occasion. Sketching various outfits, I finally decided upon creating my version of Thai pants, and a long shirt with slits on either side and the front.
The Thai pants are generally straight pants which fit on the waist and hips, with the width of the legs so wide that it almost looks like a skirt. I used georgette fabric for the outfit and as I really didn’t want to line it, I stitched out one layer as the pants only. The second layer was attached to the first layer only at the top of the pants, with the rest of the legs opened on both sides. The same technique was used for the shirt. Falling well below the knees, the shirt was self lined with two layers of the georgette, with slits up to the hips on both sides and a slit in the front past the abdomen.
The Vintage Linen 2 designs are a very simple floral border, using two colors to give it a vintage effect. For my outfit, however, I decided to use only one color which matched the fabric perfectly. For a bit of a sparkle, I used antique gold for “Sadia’s signature” candlewicks, along with Swaroski crystals scattered on the bodice and around the embroidery. The effect is stunning and I am pleased. Never mind the countless hours where I just wanted to pitch the whole thing and work on something else, LOL. It also didn’t help matters when I found out that I did not have enough fabric to finish the shirt!
Finishing the outfit, I needed the one most important accessory which every woman must have at all times, yup, you guessed it, a purse. As I really didn’t have any fabric left, I went shopping to find another type of fabric of the same color. Would you believe that I found every shade of blue under the sun except the one I needed. As my shoes were black, I decided to go for a black purse, which is a much more versatile color and besides….I can then use the purse with some other outfit as well.
Creating the perfect purse was not the easiest thing in the world and I had to 
call up my “Purse Expert”, Carolyn. My vision was to create a longish but not so tall clutch purse. With guidance (and I think Carolyn is perfecting the pattern as I write, wink, wink), I cut out the pattern for the purse.
My ideas was to have a rather stiff purse which could stand on its own and a cutwork edge flap. The fabric for the purse is a light weight crushed faux velvet. I ironed out most of the wrinkles and the crush part of the fabric and took the chance of using two layers with peltex sandwiched in between to stitch out the cutwork designs! Using the same vintage gold thread I stitched out the design on the flap, taking extreme care when cutting out the excessive fabric on the cutwork edge. As I wanted the inside of the flap to be just as nice looking as the front, I used a gold color in the bobbin (not the metallic folks but a bobbin weight thread). I used water soluble vilene as the stabilizer as the flap had right sides of the fabric on both sides and I didn’t want any stabilizer to show afterwards. As for the trimming, it was not difficult to do, even with all the meandering scallops.
My biggest surprise came when I washed out the flap to remove the stabilizer. Friends, peltex does not dry easily. After waiting twenty-four hours for it to dry, I finally threw it in the dryer. Thank goodness for my foresight in making the flap much wider than the purse as it shrank considerably. The finished purse is about six inches tall and sixteen inches long with a depth of about three and a half inches. By the way, peltex is a Pellon product, similar to Timtex and is fusible on both sides. It is perfect for creating stiff purses. My purse is finished, minus the crystals, which I’m still debating upon. Now that it’s all done, I did the math and realised that I took well over a month to create one outfit….YIKES! Oh well, at least it is completed. The Vintage Linen 2 is also finished, except I’m still trying to figure out the best possible way to set the designs for all hoop sizes. Why, oh why does every machine brand have different hoop sizes???
No, I don’t have any time and no I’m not sure if I’m sane but….the world is moving 
towards the space age faster than you and I can say “what”….and it is spearheaded by Facebook, Twitter and blogger. So, should I sit back and continue the way I was doing business or should I move along with the world? I chose to move right along.
So, here’s an open invite to anyone and everyone to come join the “Journey of Machine Embroidery” on Facebook. The group is exactly as what it says on the right…for all machine embroidery enthusiasts to learn, share and promote machine embroidery. I know its way past my bed time and I really should not be sitting here doing this…but oh well. Come one and all.
Some years ago, when I had released the first in the series of Vintage Linens, 
I had full intentions of following it up with consecutive designs. However, I never got around to finishing the many designs that were in the second part of the series. When I finally did open up the files, I was amazed at the number of designs, and decided to do some editing.
One of my favorite techniques is to create the cutwork edge. The original designs that I had created were embroidery only designs. To have a challenge, I decided to try my hand at creating the cutwork edge using the various motifs. Not the most easiest of things to do, but as I never say no….I decided to go at it. My first test was to create a georgette handkerchief using one corner design. It certainly was a success and I was hooked.
When using a cutwork edge that has a multitude of edges, one has to be extremely careful in digitizing. Some of you may remember the ripple effect that I have mentioned in the past. This occurs when the top stitches are 
not in tune with the underlay, and the result is a rolling edge when the water soluble stabilizer is removed. In a straight or semi straight edge, the digitizer can control and avoid this effect. However, when several edge shapes are introduced, then the digitizer has to be extremely careful that everything lays perfectly flat upon the removal of the water soluble stabilizer. Added to my concern was the fact that I had different type of stitches for the edge. The florals had a satin edge but the scallops in between the flowers were a divided satin edge.
A dear friends’ daughter recently married and I had promised a bed room set to her. While testing the Vintage Linens II designs, I decided that they would be perfect to use for not just the bed sheets but also for the quilt. I absolutely loved the effect of the bed sheet set. Using my technique of stitching out the designs on chiffon, I attached it to a satin ribbon and then to the pillow cases and the bed sheet. The tedious task of opening the pillow case hem and the bed sheet hem was avoided completely. I’m still working on the quilt, however.
The collection is indeed finished, with two sections: cutwork and embroidery. I am in the process of testing, however. As for its release…hopefully by next month.
Notions: American Sewing Guild:
Yours truly has an article published in the American Sewing Guild magazine, Notions. I have to admit that I had completely forgotten about the article until I started receiving emails from friends. My thanks to dear friends, Carolyn and Evanlee for sharing their pictures with me for the article and to the wonderful staff at Notions and ASG. For those who don’t know it, ASG is a wonderful organization and continues to promote sewing. For more information, do visit the ASG website, it has so much to offer: http://www.asg.org
Whether you are into sewing or not, it is a great organization and a wonderful place to share all kinds of techniques, whether they be sewing, or machine embroidery. Let’s face it…embroidery is closely connected to sewing and even if it is via machine, it is a form of continuation of the needle and thread. Local guilds can be found anywhere and if there isn’t one in your area, you can form a guild.
Dear John….
Although this is my journey through embroidery blog, yet I think I need to 
dedicate today’s writing for my best friend, my husband, and my hero, John. He is the only person that can bring a smile to my face, crack me up in laughter so hard that my sides hurt, and do some of the most amazing things in the world. John is at the moment on the other side of our planet, in Afghanistan. I do miss him, and I know he misses not just me, but also the home of the brave and the land of the free. Via this blog, I want to reach out to friends all around the world, whose loved ones are trying to make our world a better place. For some while now, my heart has not in designing or doing anything but being glued to the computer screen, and I had to stop and think. Life must go on, and we must pick up our feet again and 
again to do something not just for ourselves, but for the good of many. I’m proud to know such a person and proud to share some personal glimpses.
There are many friends who have met John and know of his adventuresome nature. See if you can recognize him in the native garb! I’m counting the days till his return.
Hopefully, by writing this blog, I can get over my anxiousness and do something productive.
