Table of contents for Spring 2023 in Creative Machine Embroidery

Dear Readers, Spring is a hopeful time, bursting with renewal. A time to refresh, update, and be inspired. Whether you are taking up embroidery for the first time or brushing up your skills, this issue is packed with projects that will motivate you to embellish and add color (and fun) to your handmade world. An embroidered baby gift set and baby footprint make meaningful mementos to keep or share. Plus, you will love the goodies we have in store for Valentine’s Day and Easter. These tokens of affection are thoughtful gifts for loved ones—your TLC is stitched right into them. Of course, spring is also a lovely time to refresh our wardrobes and feather our nests. In this issue you will find these projects and more: • Stitch a stylish…

MATERIALS + Two coordinating squares of woven cotton fabric (main & lining) + 6" square of tear-away stabilizer + 10" square of lightweight fusible interfacing + 7"-long regular plastic zipper + Thread: all-purpose & embroidery + Zipper foot + Pizza slice design (approximately 5" × 6¾"; see “Design”) EMBROIDER • Load the design onto the machine. Hoop the main-fabric square and a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Place the hoop onto the machine. Adjust the design to stitch in the upper-right corner. • Embroider the design, changing thread colors as indicated and trimming jump stitches between color changes. • Remove the hoop from the machine and the fabric from the hoop. Tear away the excess stabilizer from the design perimeter. CONSTRUCT • Measure and mark ½" from the design perimeter. Cut along the perimeter line. Designate as…

MATERIALS + Fat quarter or ⅓ yard each of crushed panne velvet (main) & linen fabric (lining) + Stabilizer: lightweight woven fusible cut-away, mediumweight cut-away, mediumweight paper-release adhesive tear-away & watersoluble topper (see “Sources”) + Temporary spray adhesive + Thread: 40-wt. & 50-wt. cotton (see “Sources”) + 14″-long nylon regular zipper + Rotary cutting system + Starch + Zipper & piecing foot + Clutch tassel charm + Leopard design (approximately 5¾″ × 6¼″; see “Design”) PREPARE • Download the clutch pattern from cmemag.com/freebies. Print out the pattern, and then cut out. • Starch and press the lining fabric according to the manufacturer’s instructions. • From each the velvet fabric and mediumweight cut-away stabilizer, cut two 11″ squares. • From each the lining and fusible cut-away stabilizer, cut one 11″ ×…

MATERIALS Supplies listed are enough to make one pouch. + Two 6” squares of felt + 4” square of clear vinyl + Mediumweight tear-away stabilizer + Embroidery tape (see “Sources”) + Scissors: small appliqué & small sharp tip + Small round fabric punch tool + ⅜”-wide grosgrain ribbon + In-the-hoop lamb or teddy design (see “Designs”) EMBROIDER • Load the design onto the embroidery machine.• Hoop a piece of the mediumweight tear-away stabilizer. Place the hoop onto the machine. • Select the machine speed, automatic/manual function, and hoop size on the machine. If desired, use the design trace feature to ensure the needle doesn’t hit the hoop during stitching. • Embroider the placement line. Center the vinyl sguare over the placement line. • Embroider the tacking stitch. Remove the hoop…

PAPER SELECTION One of the most important factors in a successful result is selecting the correct paper for the project. Choose heavyweight paper, cardstock, or handmade paper with long fibers that hold up to repeated needle punctures and the stress of thread pulling through the paper. Handmade paper is the most forgiving because it reacts similarly to fabric, and needle holes are less obvious on a finished design. DESIGN SELECTION There are designs available for purchase that are specifically made for paper. However, this doesn’t mean other designs can’t be used with paper. Line, redwork, and open designs are generally safe choices. Look for embroidery designs that don’t use satin stitch or tightly spaced stitching that can cause the paper to tear. STABILIZER Select tear-away or cut-away stabilizer that is…

A little bit about Patten’s sewing space: We live in a town house. There isn’t much room for all my stuff, and my sewing room is also the guest room. A few years ago, I decided to remove everything in the closet—doors, too—and put in shelving, drawers, countertop, etc., and make it my sewing room. When company comes, I just grab everything off the bed and put it in the closet and close the curtains. The room is my "happy place," and I’ve been filling it with antigue sewing items I have picked up along the way. My neighbors are used to seeing the light on in there way into the early hours of the morning as I get involved with my latest project. A little history: I grew up…

julia griffey (“Welcome to the World Baby Print”—page 48) 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 ("Stitch the Love Cards"—page 52) 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. stacysews.com bianca springer (“Pizza Pouch”—page 19 and “Pop of Color Culottes”—page 34) is a native of The Bahamas who learned to sew at her mother’s side. She now resides in Pearland,…

MATERIALS + Woven summer dress (such as Summer Weekend Dress from Stitch Summer 2011; see “Sources”) + Fabric & notions (according to pattern instructions) + Paper-release adhesive water-soluble stabilizer (see “Sources”) + 40- or 50-wt. polyester thread + Darning or embroidery presser foot + Size 80/12 universal needle + Removable fabric marker PREPARE • Cut out the dress pattern pieces according to the pattern instructions. • Mark the skirt front and back hemline on the fabric right side using a removable fabric marker (A). • Trace or draw the chosen design onto water-soluble stabilizer using a removable fabric marker, making sure not to draw on the paper backing. If needed, use multiple stabilizer pieces to achieve the desired design. In addition, draw a simple design with curved edges and avoid…

MATERIALS  + Culottes pattern (such as Simplicity 1069; see “Source”) + Print woven fabric (amount according to the pattern envelope) + Mediumweight tear-away stabilizer + Removable fabric marker + Thread: all-purpose, bobbin & embroidery + Geometric design (approximately 2½″ × 5″; see “Design”) PREPARE • From the fabric, cut the pattern pieces according to the pattern instructions. • Transfer all pattern markings. • Stitch the front and back darts according to the pattern instructions. • Pin one culotte front and corresponding back with right sides together along the outer side seam; stitch. • Repeat to stitch the remaining culotte front and corresponding back together. EMBROIDER • Print six design templates; cut out ¼″ from each design perimeter. Mark the design vertical and horizontal centerlines on each template. • Position one…

MATERIALS Supplies listed are enough to make one onesie, bib, pajamas, and plush. + Ready-made plain baby onesie, bib & pajamas + Embroidery blank plush (see “Sources”) + Stabilizer: mediumweight cut-away & mediumweight paper-release adhesive cut-away (see “Sources”) + Lightweight embroidery backing (see “Sources”) + Embroidery design placement sticker (see “Sources”) + Embroidery thread + Appliqué scissors + Little Bean design (see “Design”) EMBROIDER • Load the Little Bean design onto the embroidery machine. If needed, resize the design on the machine or in embroidery software. • Position the onesie right side up on a flat work surface. Center a design placement sticker onto the onesie upper-half front; pin. • Hoop a piece of cut-away stabilizer and the onesie, centering the sticker centerlines within the hoop. • Place the hoop…

MATERIALS + Woven or light- to mediumweight fabric (such as voile, rayon, double gauze, lightweight jersey, or double knit; see Bathrobe Yardage Chart) + Stabilizer: type depends on fabric used (for a stable knit, as in the featured sample, use a mediumweight tear-away variety) & water-soluble topper + Temporary spray adhesive + Thread: all-purpose, bobbin & metallic or rayon embroidery + Serger (optional) + Moon embroidery design (no larger than 2″ × 3″ if placing on the lapel) PREPARE • Download the Evening with the Stars robe pattern. Print, and then cut out the pattern. It’s designed to print on US Letter (or A4) paper. When printing, make sure to select “no page scaling.” Print the first page and check the 2″ test sguare before printing the remaining pages. •…

Q As a beginner, in-the-hoop projects intimidate me—everything has to be aligned so perfectly! What are some tips to help me with ITH stitchout success? A You shouldn’t be afraid of ITH projects! when working with an in-the-hoop design, you’ll always get a set of instructions that will take you through the process step by step. Read through the instructions thoroughly before beginning and make sure everything makes sense. Take note of whether the project is created in one or more hoopings and make sure you have all the required materials. Most ITH projects have you precut pieces of fabric, and they are almost always larger than what you actually need. This is so that if the fabric isn’t perfectly centered, it won’t matter because there’s extra fabric. When I’m…

FAUX SUEDE FABRIC Most faux suede fabric is made with a knit fabric base, except Ultrasuede, which is a non-woven fabric. Faux suede is soft, is comfortable to wear, stretches, and has a heavy, fluid drape. The fabric doesn’t fray and can usually be machine-washed and dried. DESIGN SELECTION When choosing a design for faux suede, consider the fabric density, which is the space between the fabric threads. The more space between the threads, the more room for embroidery threads to be added. Faux suede fabrics vary in density from a very dense inner structure to a relatively open-knit backing. The fabric density affects the design density that can be successfully embroidered. If a design has too many stitches placed close together (dense), it can warp the fabric structure and…

MATERIALS + Ready-made footstool with cushion + Heavyweight linen & thin batting (amount according to footstool measurements) + Mediumweight tear-away stabilizer + Staple gun + Needlepoint design (see “Design”) PREPARE • Measure the footstool cushion length and width; record. Add 5” to each measurement; record as the panel measurement. • From the linen fabric, cut one panel according to the recorded panel measurement. • From the batting, cut one panel according to the cushion length and width measurement. EMBROIDER • Load the design onto the embroidery machine. • Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer and fabric panel, centering the panel within the hoop. Place the hoop onto the machine. • Embroider the design, changing thread colors as desired. • Remove the hoop from the machine and the fabric from the…

MATERIALS +12” square of mediumweight linen fabric + Stabilizer: mediumweight cut-away & mediumweight paper-release adhesive tear-away + Temporary spray adhesive + Thread: bobbin & embroidery + Baby footprint JPEG image + Square, circular, or oval picture frame with at least a ” mat opening + Online photo-editing software (such as photopea.com) + Online vector-graphics software in conjunction with corresponding open-source embroidery software (such as inkscape.org & inkstitch.com) + Embroidery software (such as embrilliance.com/express or Embrilliance Essentials; optional) DIGITIZE Note: The following instructions are for the listed online resources. Any other resources used may have differaent steps. • A typical baby foot is approximately 3” long: however, record the precise foot dimensions to ensure the final design represents the actual footprint size. • Open the online photo-editing software. Open the JPEG…

MATERIALS + Button-down short-sleeve shirt pattern (see “Sources”) + Fabric, interfacing & notions (amount according to pattern envelope) + Mediumweight tear-away stabilizer + Thread: all-purpose, embroidery & matching bobbin + Temporary spray adhesive + Removable fabric marker + Embroidery software + Vertical geometric designs (approximately ⅜″ × 6″; see “Designs”) PREPARE • Download the Geo Beads designs from www.sewdaily.com/go/CMEfreebies until March 31, 2023. Find the design at www.sewdaily.com after the expiration date. • Position the upper-front pattern piece on a flat work surface. Draw a vertical line ¼″ from and parallel to the center-front line, extending it from the neckline to the hem. Draw a vertical line ⅜″ from and parallel to the first line. Designate the column as the first of six designplacement columns. • Repeat to draw five…

FABRIC COLOR PALETTE Springy green embroidery on crisp white woven fabrics, like linen, add a breath of fresh air to any wardrobe. EMBROIDERY The embroidered flora and fauna provides creative details and interest to these simple relaxed pieces. Mix and match embroidery designs to create a springtime landscape full of fresh greens and even butterflies! PATTERNS Choose a loose-fitting boxy top with a wide sleeve option and pair it with simple tailored shorts. Remember that your favorite pants pattern can easily be turned into shorts!…