Snug as a Bug (TSS 007)

Just a little behind but finally finished my Snug as a Bug block by Amy Sinibaldi. I knew the moment I saw it that I needed to pull out my crazy-quilting skills! And my crayons.

Have you ever done this? Color in an area with Crayolas to give your embroidery another dimension? Super easy. Just make sure to heat set it with your iron. Before pressing, cover the area with a scrap piece of fabric to prevent any melting wax from transferring to your iron.

The embroidery and the coloring went well - the child reminds me of my oldest niece, Moniqua. Now 29 (and still beautiful), Moniqua was a beautiful baby with this shock of dark, thick hair and beautiful big eyes. 

Heat setting was the last time anything "went right" with this block. With each step in completing this block I thought, "Well, I blew it now!" But I LOVE IT!

Oops! That shouldn't have happened!

Here's a good example. I had decided not to piece this 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" quilt because I thought adding the extra seams would be too bulky for the tiny machine embroidery stitches. So, I decided to use fusible web to adhere the sections in place. It's been years since I fused - had to scrounge around the quilt room to even find a piece of fubsible web - and once I pressed I remembered why I don't like it.

GAPS! DOH!

See the creamy background peak through? I was so careful prepping the crazy quilt pieces and pressing into place but still had gaps. Simple fix? Pigma pens. I knew I'd eventually sew over those seams so I filled in the gaps and heat set the ink.

That's a glimpse of one of my pens in
the upper left corner. Purple, I think.

And once I added my stitches, perfect! Disaster averted. Note to self, if I ever do another block like this, add the horizontal (shorter) crazy stitches first and then the long vertical ones over it. Oh well!

Keeping my promises.

I think the other reason I love this block is the ability to use up my scraps - these scraps were originally used in the Happy Happy block so it ties in well with my other completed blocks.  I also promised to break out the saved 'rainy day' threads and fabrics. I love the dimension the variegated thread has added to the stitches and the border. 

The clear foot in the upper left was the key to my machine
embroidery success! Makes for perfect pivots and easy guiding.

Great Tool Tips

Amy Sinibaldi had a great tip on her blog for this pattern. See those extra thick lines in the pattern above? The ones in the 'blanky' portion of the embroidery? She said:

For a more dynamic look when embroidering with the backstitch, go back in and thicken your line at the curves. It adds a subtle touch of character. 

I will have to remember that.

Admittedly, I was a little nervous marking my block for the embroidered border. Hated the idea of screwing this up on the last step before completion, but I rationalized that, if I blew it, I could trim it away and add a pieced border.

Love how delicate the variegated thread made the
border embroidery look! 

So I pulled out my trusty post-it notes. Yeppers, post-it notes. My block should measure 6 1/2" raw, but I needed to add a 5" top-stitched border before trimming. To make sure I used the right marking lines and could visually center the embroidery, I adhered post-its along the marking lines on the ruler. The stickiness is only temporary and gave me a window to work with.

Always keep post-its of various sizes as hand

I also keep a stack of small post-it notes next to my machine. Peel of a quantity of them (a dozen or so) and adhere it to your machine's throat plate as a temporary sewing guide. Really handy when working with bulky materials and can't see the markings on the plate. 

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

That's a lot of pieces!

I've decided to keep a counter at the bottom of these posts to track them. 

The totals are based on the original patterns and not on deviations.

Snug as a Bug= 1

Total to Date: 163 pieces

Prepping Fabric for Hand Embroidery - Redux

I originally posted this in 2011, and, in anticipation for today's release of The Splendid Sampler, I thought I'd re-share. I'd added some updated comments in blue.

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So much to do and so little time!  A friend asked how do I prep my fabric for embroidery because I don't use a hoop so I thought this would be a good time to share.  The below instructions work for me, and I hope you find them useful for yourself!

If you are participating in a Block of the Month (BOM), prepare all your squares (plus one or two extra) ahead of time.  That way, when you are ready to transfer your new pattern, the squares are all ready to go!  I like to prep 1 or 2 extra squares in case something happens when I'm transferring the pattern.  If I don't need them, then I can use them afterwards for a quick project to give as a gift (like the Mug Rugs I made last month).

Embroidery 101: Prepping the Fabric

1. I love Kona Cotton (though I will use others if it suits the project). I always buy more than I need, wash it, label it, and set it somewhere safe. Note, not all white fabrics are equal so always ensure you have enough for a project because matching it later will be impossible.

I STILL love Kona cotton, but, for scrappy projects, I will mix and match my background.

2. When cutting, always cut slightly larger than needed to allow for edges shredding or a little distortion when embroidering. For Birdie (image above), my finished block is 8.5" square so I cut it into 10.5" square.

3. When pressing, I like to use Mary Ellen's Best Press to give the piece a little stiffness and a very smooth surface.  

And I still LOVE Mary Ellen's Best Press. It's light, does not leave residue on your iron or ironing board, and does not spot on the fabric.

4. I cut a piece of Pellon's lightest fusible interfacing about a half inch smaller than my fabric and fuse it to the wrong side. Several good tips to keep in mind:

• Make sure your fabric has no lint or pet hair on it prior to fusing - it will show!
• After I fuse, I let my fabric rest for a moment or two giving the interfacing time to cool/adhere.
• JoAnn Fabrics sends out regular 40% off coupons so I buy my interfacing by the bolt.

5. Using my fabulous light box (also purchased with my 40% off coupon), I will transfer my design to my fabric.

• Print pattern and cut any extra paper away from the design.
• Tape pattern to the light box. To prevent the tape from permanently adhering to the box, I will apply the tape to my jeans first and then use it to tape the pattern down (fuzz on the tape prevents it from permanently sticking to my light box which causes a bumpy transfer surface later).
• Tape the fabric to the light box (centering it using a ruler) and tape down with more "fuzzy" tape.
• Trace pattern using color Pigma pens. I always trace the lines in the same color I will use to stitch because it guides me to color placement later and is covered by the floss.  Here is my February block for Birdie Stitches: 

6. After transferring the pattern, I will carefully remove the fabric from the box and peel off all the tape. Then I will press the fabric (no steam) to set the ink. 

I've had phenomenal success with these techniques and hope they help you, too. 

Elisa