Fall Machine Embroidery Blog Hop

Welcome to the first stop in The Fall Machine Embroidery Blog Hop.  SewCalGal hopes you enjoy learning about the machine embroidery design house that we are showcasing this week and that you have fun visiting all of the participating blogs.  And, you don't have to have an embroidery machine to follow along in this hop, as many of our tips can apply to free-motion embroidery that you can do on your machine.  We just find that machine embroidery is so much easier, faster and we love the ease of pressing a button and having our machine stitch the design!


This week we are showcasing the Embroidery Shoppe, from South Africa.   They have high quality designs, including many 3D designs and in the hoop projects.

When you visit the participating blogs in this hop, you'll find tips, tutorials and inspirational projects.  Plus, there is a sponsored giveaway at each blog where you have a chance to win your choice of design from the Embroidery Shop.  Here is the lie up for this hop:

Monday, Nov 4th

SewCalGal 

Tuesday, November 5th

I Have A Notion

Wednesday, November 6th

Patsy Thompson Designs 

Thursday, November 7th

Beaquilter

Friday, November 8th

Stormy Days

SewCalGal 

As this is a long post today, I'm kicking off this blog hop and sharing a few tips with you.  On Friday I'll wrap up this hop and share photos of the projects I've created using designs from Embroider Shoppe.

Tips from SewCalGal

Many years ago, Kelly Jackson/I Have A Notion recommended the Famore MicroFine Tweezers.  I've come to love how these tweezers help to pick up the finest thread.  A must have tool for anyone that enjoys Machine Embroidery.  Plus they work well for pulling out threads for any quilting or sewing project that requires reverse sewing, as well as those situations where you simply need to remove a fine piece of thread. 

I prefer to stitch out embroidery designs using softest stabilizer I can use and the least amount of layers.  Sometimes I may start a project with one or two layers of stabilizer  but as I get going I want to add more.  To do this I will "float" stabilizer underneath the hoop.  In many cases I can re-cycle stabilizer from prior projects.  In the photo above, the left over stabilizer is removed from my stitch out and I would cut it in half, with a line splitting the placement of where the design was removed.  These scraps of stabilizer are frequently perfect fit for floating underneath my hoop.  

These scraps are also handy when doing blanket stitching on your machine, free-motion embroidery or heavy threadplay, as well as stabilizing small bags, pin cushions, etc..

Wondering what stabilizer I used?  There are actually many different brands that work well for this type of project.  In this case, I grabbed a role of OESD's Ultra Clean and Tear, which is a good medium weight tear away stabilizer that works well on woven fabrics.  I also feel it allows the design to remain soft on the Pasmina, yet visible (thread doesn't sink into the fabric).

For my first project, I wanted to stitch out one of the birds from the Embroider Shoppe's Retro Bird Collection onto a Pasmina Scarf. To avoid "hoop burn", I didn't want to pin the scarf inside of my hoop, so I used two layers of a tear away stabilizer inside of my hoop and pinned the scarf down.  To stop the extra area of the scarf from moving underneath my hoop, where it might accidentally get stitched where it shouldn't, I used the Clover Wonder Clips to secure it.

The Retro Bird embroidery collection comes with six whimsical bird designs and two floral spray designs.  And I enjoyed stitching out these sweet designs on several Pasmina Scarfs, which I think would make excellent gifts, as well as on 100% cotton for a quilt.  

I used Aurifil 40wt 100% cotton threads which work beautifully for machine embroidery and I found to also give an excellent feel on the Pasmina Scarf.  Isacord and other machine embroidery threads have always felt to heavy for me, when stitched on Pasmina.  Plus, I get far less lint when using Aurifil for machine embroidery than I do with other threads.  I just wish I had more bright colors of Aurifil thread.....better yet, I wish I had every Aurifil color!

Want to see them my projects?    Come back and visit SewCalGal on Friday to see my projects, and get an extra entry in the giveaway sponsored by Embroider Shoppe.

Did I mention a Giveaway ?

The Embroider Shoppe is sponsoring this giveaway and you get to pick out your favorite design.  To enter, simply visit the Embroider Shop and leave a comment on this post letting me know what is your favorite design that you would like to win and stitch out.  I'll randomly select a winner on Monday, November 11th and send that winner an email, as well as update this post.

Want extra entries to my giveaway?  Followers will have a chance to comment on any blog post released on SewCalGal this week pertaining to the Embroidery Shoppe.  Leave a comment on those posts and you'll get an extra entry, increasing your chances of winning!  Plus, on Wednesday I'll be sharing photos of some of the Embroidery Shoppe's projects that I saw at Quilt Market.  While pictures of their designs on their site are lovely, they are absolutely brilliant when you see them in person.   

And, don't forget to visit the other blogs participating in the hop this week as they too will be hosting a sponsored giveaway, as well as sharing tips, tutorials and inspirational projects.  I've seen a few sneak peak photos and their projects are really cute.

Also, Embroider Shoppe currently has a 25% off sale on all of their Christmas designs.

****Congratulations to 2NE, the winner of this giveaway on SewCalGal.

SewCalGal combined all the comments, from three ME posts this week and randomlyselect 2nd as the lucky winner.

You can find Embroidery Shoppe at:

http://www.embroidershoppe.com
https://www.facebook.com/embroider.shoppe.7?fref=ts