Machine Applique and Embroidery

So I had a big birthday a couple of months ago.  No, I don’t want to talk about it.    Anyway, I got a couple of really amazing presents.  I actually can’t believe I got both of them. 

 

The first was a Brother se400 Sewing and Embroidery  Machine.

 

The second was a Brother 1034D Serger.

 

I’m working on learning how to use the embroidery machine.  It is a great first machine because it is also a sewing machine and the price isn’t too outrageous.  The only down side that I can see so far is that it can’t stitch any bigger than a 4”x4” hoop.  So if you want bigger than this save up because most embroidery machines cost over $600!  I don’t see that happening any time soon.

 

So I really like my Brother se400.  It has a great instructional cd too.  There are many helpful tutorials on the internet for learning to machine embroider and applique.  The best one that I found was HERE at Love From Texas.

Jessica gives lots of step by step instructions with photos.  She also links to her favorite sites for buying embroidery patterns.  Very helpful!

I thought that I would start with a free peace sign applique that I found.  I thought since it was round that it would be super easy.

 

 

  Ummm, I didn’t think about having to cut out the holes in the middle of the peace sign.  Lets just say that it didn’t go so well.  Even though I knew that I would have to be super careful, I still managed to cut a hole in the t-shirt.  Ughhhh! 

 

 

 

To salvage the shirt, I decided to cut through the other holes as well and sew a green piece of fabric on the inside of the shirt kind of like a reverse applique.  It didn’t turn out too bad.  I had to leave a little bit of the blue t-shirt fabric around the edges of the holes so that the stitching wouldn’t unravel.

 

 

My girls still liked it so I guess that is all that matters.

For my second attempt my girls wanted a butterfly.  Beautiful, no holes!

 

Here’s what it looks like with just the fabric pieces sewn down pre-embroidery.

Here’s what it look like after being embroidered.  I think that it came out pretty cool. 

 

I have to say that I am pretty excited about my new toy. 

I also made some cute Easter Bunny appliqued shirts for all four kiddos.

Happy Sewing!

Janey Jumper Pattern Review and Super Late Easter Post!

 

O.K., so I am super late with this post.  Better late than never right? 

(See the bottom of this post for a link to the Sock Bunnies tutorial.)

 

I used the Janey Jumper pattern by Lindsay of the Cottage Momma to make some Easter dresses for my girls.  I really love how they turned out. 

First of all, the Janey Jumper is not a PDF pattern.  It is an actual paper pattern that is mailed to you.  I loved not having to print out and piece together my pattern before starting.

There are lots of very clear step by step instructions with photos.  Best of all, Lindsay is super sweet and when I got stuck on the final step, I e-mailed her and she got back to me quickly!  Fortunately, I had already figured it out.  I would highly recommend this pattern to the intermediate sewer.  This dress is completely lined (which I love!) however, due to this it may be a little tricky for the novice sewer.

 

My favorite part of this dress is the beautiful scallops.  Lindsay gives a really genius way of making these turn out perfect.

 

Best of all, my girls loved them and they looked super cute for Easter.

 

On your mark…

 

Get set…

 

GO!!!

 

 

I also made a smaller version of this dress for my friend’s daughter to wear on her birthday.  Isn’t she cute?!!!

 

Happy Sewing!

P.S. I did a freezer paper stencil on the lining just in case the girls ever wanted to wear it reversed.

 

P.P.S.  I almost forgot to tell you about the sock bunnies.  They are from a very clever tutorial by Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo.

Easter Skirts

 

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail!

 

The girls wore their new Easter Skirts to school today.

 

 

Aren’t they cute?

 

 

The best part is that you can make this….

 

…from this.  (Kitchen Towels from Target.)  Awesome right?

 

I can’t take credit for this idea.  Ashley from Lil Blue Boo posted this cute tutorial for making the skirt.  Go check it out.

 

I’m glad that I added the rick rack to the bottom.  It just finishes it off a bit.  My girls are tall so I also added a pink waistband for some added length.  As you can see, one is as bit taller than the other so her waistband piece is a bit longer.

 

The girls were good sports because our photo shoot was as bit chilly!

 

 

Easter Skirts VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

 

Hoppy Happy Easter!

How to Make Your Own Printed Ribbon: A Tutorial

Here is a quick and simple way to make your own printed ribbon.  Truth be told, I took the pictures for this tutorial last year and never got around to writing it so here goes. 

Materials:

Ribbon 7/8” Wide

Transfer Paper

Scissors

Iron and Ironing Board

Computer and Printer

 

For this example I wanted to make my girls some ribbon with their preschool logo on it so that they could show some school spirit.  I found the image on-line and then saved it as a JPEG.  Next print out your image and check to make sure that it will fit on your ribbon. 

 

 

Now copy your image several times in rows across the page.  It is best to have your page in landscape so that you can get longer strips.  I did this test run on regular printer paper.  If everything looks good with your test print, print it out again onto the transfer paper.  Follow the instructions on the back of the package.  The most important thing to remember is that you will need to PRINT YOUR IMAGE IN MIRROR IMAGE! 

 

 

Now carefully cut apart your strips.

 

Iron the strips onto your ribbon and peel off the paper backing.

 

 

Viola!  Lots of beautiful ribbon for making hairbows!

Go To Dress

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Have you seen the tutorial for the "Go to Dress" on the Train to Crazy? It is super cute and makes a super cozy knit dress. I have been eyeing it for awhile and wanted to make one. I even happened to have some of the exact same fabric that Andrea used in one of her dresses. I hope that she doesn't think that I am a "weirdo" for copying her. :) What is it they say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."?

 

Anyway, I love the end results and the girls looked so cute heading off to Kindergarten today. The tutorial has lots of pictures and very clear instructions. It would make a nice first time project for sewing with knits if you have been wanting to give it a try.

For more details on sewing with knits, see my post HERE.

 

    

Happy Sewing!