Indice dei contenuti per Winter 2021 in Creative Machine Embroidery

Dear Readers, And just like that, it’s time to make holiday goodness! You’ll get no complaints from this team: We love crafting for the holidays. From handmade gifts to cute décor, the Creative Machine Embroidery Winter issue brings us joy every year, and we hope the same is true for you. Shall we get to making? • Stitch a snowman for your tabletop or mantle—or to give as a gift. See page 20, download the cute design (it’s free!) and make one with us! • Create a set of ornaments in felt! The new CME Vintage Ornament collection stitches up easily in the hoop for the perfect touch of vintage charm. Grab the freebie! For more information, see page 25. • Make too-cute his-and-hers aprons that are holiday-baking approved! Download…

HUE & VALUE • Hue refers to the actual color, such as blue, green or red. There are many hues of every color, and colors can have similar hues. Value refers to a color’s lightness or darkness. Each hue can have myriad values. Two thread colors can also have the same value, but different hues. For example, a light green and a light orange might have the same value, though very different hues. • The simplest way to change a design’s colors is to change the hue while retaining the value. If a design calls for a light pink, medium pink and dark pink, and you want to change it to blue, you will need a light blue, medium blue and dark blue. Maintaining the value of the colors in…

There’s nothing quite like a set of gorgeous vintage ornaments, just like the kind you’d find on your grandparents’ Christmas tree. Vintage glass ornaments inspired the Vintage Ornament collection, but made in felt. Featuring classic shapes and details, retro colors and appliqué for that extra-special touch, these ornaments are truly unique. They’re simple to create with felt and a few fabric scraps. The featured designs use cotton, but a touch of satin or sparkly fabric could elevate them to a whole new level. The combination of vintage style and modern embroidery techniques has never looked this good! Find the collection at www.sewdaily.com.…

Linen Gift Wrap Decorate linen fabric with reversible cross-stitch reindeer embroidery for a unique way to wrap a holiday present. Explore furoshiki, traditional Japanese wrapping cloths, to learn how to tie a gift using beautiful techniques and knots. MATERIALS +2/3 yard of linen fabric + Paper-release adhesive water-soluble stabilizer (See “Sources.”) + Needles: universal & size 75/11 embroidery + Thread: all-purpose & embroidery + Serger (optional) + One cone of wooly nylon serger thread (optional) + Two cones of polyester serger thread (optional) + Cross-stitch reindeer design (approximately 1.79"×2.20"; see “Designs.”) PREPARE • Cut two 22" squares from the linen fabric. • Position the linen squares with right sides together and pin. Stitch the perimeter, leaving a centered 4"- long opening along one edge for turning. Turn the square right…

Polar fleece is a very unique fabric to use for machine embroidery because of its soft, lofty structure. This makes any embroidery used with it highly dimensional. Avoid designs with small details or light stitching unless used intentionally to create texture, such as quilting designs. The small stitches will sink into the fleece, even with the use of a water-soluble film as a top layer. If using a reverse appliqué design such as on the featured sample, be sure that the appliqué portion of the design has wide stitching around the edges, preferably with plenty of underlay stitching. If you have the ability to adjust stitch compensation, increase the level of compensation to help ensure coverage on the thick fabric layers.…

Probably the most challenging part of this project is sizing your photo so that it fits into the wreath. If you have experience working with digital images, this may be a piece of cake. If you don’t, fear not. You can use the free web-based application Photopea to scale your images. • Go to www.photopea.com. • Select File/New Project to create a new document. Enter the settings: 6" wide × 4" high, 300 dpi. • Change the preferences (Edit/ Preferences) so that the units are in inches and turn on the grid with grid increments of 1" (or ½" if you are making the larger wreath). • Choose File/Open/Place and place the picture into the new document. • Move the image into place and resize by dragging the handles (holding shift to scale proportionally) so…

SKIRT PATTERN Opt for a midi-length skirt with fullness and pockets. FABRIC COLOR PALETTE: Winter white or deep tweed? The option is yours. Whichever fabric you choose, though, make sure that the embroidery thread is different for a pop of color and contrast! FINAL TOUCHES: Go full out and embroider the entire hem using layered flower motifs or scatter florals over the skirt to create the same effect. The key is to cut away the hemline right up to the stitching lines for that striking petal hemline. Pair with boots, a chunky sweater and/or blazer for a wintery wonderland look that glimmers and hints at the spring season coming up next! Have fun with accessories like hats, scarves and bags to coordinate with your embroidery thread.…

TYPES Wool is available in a variety of types and blends, including: 1. Boiled Wool: Boiled wool is shrunk and felted in boiling water. It’s often used for hats, scarves and coats. 2. Cashmere: Cashmere is made from the Kashmir goat and is durable and has a soft hand. It’s typically used to make sweaters and scarves. 3. Felt: Felt is a nonwoven cloth that’s made by matting, condensing and pressing woolen fibers. It’s commonly used to make hats. 4. Flannel: Flannel is a woven fabric made from loosely spun yarn. It’s often used to make blankets. 5. Merino: Merino is made from the Merino sheep. Merino is often deemed the softest and most luxurious wool variety, and is typically used to make coats and sweaters. 6. Mohair: Mohair can…

MATERIALS: + 1½ yards each of 54"-wide white velvet fabric and lining fabric + ½ –1 yard of red wool felt (depending on size and number of poinsettias) + ¼ –½ yard of green wool felt (depending on size and number of poinsettias) + 5 yards of 5/8"-wide double-faced satin ribbon + Rhinestone buttons (number and size to fit poinsettias) + Thread: all-purpose, bobbin & embroidery + Hand-sewing needle + Tree skirt pattern + Freestanding poinsettia flower designs (approx. 3.70"×3.90", 4.65"×4.88" & 5.55"×5.87"; see “Designs.”) EMBROIDER • Follow the freestanding flower directions provided by the designer to create the desired number of flowers. The featured sample uses three large, three medium and two small poinsettias. CUT • Download the tree skirt pattern from www.sewdaily.com/go/CMEfreebies. Print and cut out the pattern.…

MATERIALS + Pullover knit sweatshirt pattern with raglan sleeves (such as Simplicity 1317) + Interlock knit fabric (amount according to the pattern envelope) + 1 yard of coordinating 59"- wide voile fabric + Stabilizer: fabric-like fusible water-soluble & water-soluble topper (See “Sources.”) + Thread: all-purpose, bobbin & embroidery + Removable fabric marker + Poppy flowers & vine flowers designs (approximately 4"×7" and 3¾ "×3 7/8"; see “Designs.”) PREPARE • Cut out the pattern pieces. • Before beginning the alterations, pin-fit or make a muslin fitting sample of the selected pattern. • Make any necessary fit adjustments to the pattern, then trace a copy on paper, transferring all the markings. • From the knit fabric, cut the needed pattern pieces following the pattern guidesheet, but excluding the sleeves. • From the…

MATERIALS Supplies listed are enough to make two hair bows. + ½ yard of linen fabric + Mediumweight cut-away or water-soluble stabilizer + Thread: all-purpose, bobbin & embroidery + Removable fabric marker + Two 60mm French barrettes + Hand-sewing needle + Hot glue gun & glue sticks (optional) + Pine bough & snowflake designs (approximately 1"×1½ "; see “Designs.”) CUT • From the linen fabric, cut two 6"×36" strips. EMBROIDER • Print the pine bough design template and cut it out. • Fold one linen rectangle in half lengthwise with wrong sides together; finger-press and unfold. Position the linen rectangle right side up on a flat work surface. Designate one short edge as the upper edge. Draw a ½ " seam allowance line from each rectangle edge. • Position the…

MATERIALS + A-line skirt pattern (such as Simplicity 8420) + Mediumweight skirt fabric (type according to desired cutwork method & amount according to the pattern envelope plus 1 yard) + Fabric-like fusible water-soluble stabilizer (See “Sources.”) + Thread: all-purpose and coordinating synthetic embroidery + 1 yard of ½ "-wide glitter trim + 1½ yards of double-sided fusible web tape (optional) + Fiber-removal gel (optional; see “Sources.”) + Toothbrush (optional) + Small blunt-tip scissors (optional) + Clear tape (optional) + Cutwork lace design (approximately 4" square; see “Design.”) PREPARE • Cut out the pattern pieces. • Before beginning the alterations, pin-fit or make a muslin-fitting sample of the selected pattern. • Make any necessary fit adjustments to the pattern, and then trace a copy on paper, transferring all markings. • From…

julia griffey (“Sweet Wreath Ornament”—page 50) likes to make fun and modern projects using her sewing and embroidery machines. She holds an MA in apparel design and an MFA in design and teaches at Webster University in St. Louis. When she’s not teaching or in her sewing room, she’s striving to be solid B+ parent. www.machineembroiderygeek.com stacy schlyer (“Trée Chic Tree Skirt ”—page 28 and “Candy Cane Couple Aprons”—page 31) is a self-taught seamstress and self-proclaimed fabric junkie whose goal is to reach SABLE (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy). She lives in Kansas with her family and blogs about her sewing adventures daily. www.stacysews.com bianca springer (“Frosted Poppy Sweatshirt”—page 39, “Jingle Bell Bow”—page 47 and “Gilded Gala Skirt”— page 53) is a native of The Bahamas who learned to sew…

Download the Simple Ogee design at www.sewdaily.com/go/CMEfreebies until Dec. 31, 2021. Find the design after the expiration and the rest of the collection at www.sewdaily.com. MATERIALS Materials listed are enough to make four ornaments in a 4×4 hoop and two ornaments in a 5×7 hoop. + Eight 4½" squares of felt + Four 5"×7½" rectangles of felt + Scraps of fabric for appliqué + Mediumweight tear-away stabilizer + Thread: bobbin and embroidery + Embroidery or painter’s tape + Appliqué scissors (optional) + Eyelet punch (optional) PREPARE • Download the Simple Ogee design from www.sewdaily.com/go/CMEfreebies. Load the design onto the machine. • Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. • Wind the two final colors onto bobbins. • Thread the machine with embroidery thread in the top and bobbin thread in the bobbin.…

MATERIALS + 2 yards of green cotton fabric + 1½ –2 yards of striped fabric + Apron pattern (such as Gingham Gourmet from Sew News; see “Source”) + Cut-away stabilizer + Thread: all-purpose & embroidery + Rotary cutting system + Left/right embroidery designs (approx. 5"×5"; see “Designs”) CUT • Download the Gingham Gourmet apron pattern from www.sewdaily.com/go/CMEfreebies. Print and tile the pattern. • From the green fabric, cut two apron fronts, two 3½ "×13" facing strips and two 9"×14½ " pocket linings. • From the striped fabric, cut four 2¾ "×16½" side accent strips, two 3½"×22" neck straps, four 2½ "×36" waist ties and two 9"×14½ " pockets. EMBROIDER • Print a template of each design. • Place the right-facing template over one apron front, centered horizontally and with the…

MATERIALS + Dress pattern (such as out-of-print Kwik Sew 3929 or similar design with a center-front panel) + Satin fabric, notions & interfacing (according to pattern envelope) + Stabilizer: cut-away or tear-away & lightweight fusible tricot + Thread: all purpose, 60-wt. bobbin & embroidery + All-purpose zippers: one 9" & two 18" + Water-soluble basting tape + Hand sewing needle + Embroidery machine with decorative stitches + Tailor’s chalk + Pattern weights (optional) + Embroidery software (optional) + ½ yard of ¼"-wide faux leather trim (optional) PREPARE • From the satin, cut the dress pattern pieces following the “with nap” instructions. To avoid snagging the satin, use pattern weights rather than pins to secure the paper pattern pieces. Serge- or zigzag-finish the pattern piece edges. EMBROIDERY • Determine the desired…

So, you love machine embroidery and want to explore bigger machine options. Perhaps you want to embroider larger designs or place designs in smaller spaces without unstitching a completely sewn item. Maybe you want to stitch out projects in less time or stitch out designs that require more than four thread colors. Or you’re looking to start a home embroidery business, and you need an embroidery machine that can handle the volume. If any of these describe you, a multi-needle embroidery machine might make sense. Most people start off using a single-head, single-needle, domestic sewing machine with an embroidery module. Once they get the hang of using it, they find themselves wanting to create more significant projects faster and with no thread changes. Upgrading to a single-head, multi-needle embroidery machine…