Dear Friends, Last month’s Embroidery Bee designs included these sweet Quilt Block Nugget Squares as the Candy Holder. The Quilt Block Baby Nugget Squares were a bonus that if done in the same colors as the Quilt Block Squares coordinate perfectly.
I just want to give you some happy “eye” candy this morning. 🙂
4 designs in the Quilt Block set. All are made using a 4 x 4 hoop.
These nugget squares were done in a very light pastel pink and blue. Sadly the photo doesn’t do them justice as they look stunning in person. You will just have to take my word for it. Perfect soft colors for a new baby.
5 Designs in the baby set. “It’s a Boy”, “It’s a Girl”, “It’s Twins”, “?”, and a Blank one for you to personalize as you see fit.
Both sets above done in the brighter colors.
Embroidery Bee member Dawn added a ribbon loop before stitching on the back and turned them into little Christmas ornaments.
And Dawn also made some for her sewing friends. Look at what is peeking out of them! LOVE this idea!!
And Elaine was busy for a new mama expecting Twins!
The Quilt Block Nugget Squares can be found HERE in Etsy and HERE in Zibbet.
I’m so excited to share with you that an in the hoop, applique embroidery sew-along is coming Tuesday August 8th! This will be a monthly sew-along on the second Tuesday of every month. This Wednesday’s newsletter will have all the details so be sure to sign up and get notified. Also I appreciate you sharing this with your embroidery friends and letting them know so they may join in too!
Here is a short video that tells just a bit more about what to expect.
I can’t wait to stitch with you!!
Also, here is the link for more information about the Embroidery Bee club mentioned in the video.
I realized I hadn’t shared with you last month’s Embroidery Bee designs that are now available for all.
The candy holder is the Christmas Lollipop Holder Set.
And the alphabet is the Bird Monogram Alphabet Set.
If you remember, throughout 2017 the in-the-hoop project will always be some type of candy holder along with a full alphabet set and all Embroidery Bee designs are made in your 4 x 4 hoop with the occasional exception that a bonus design might be thrown in that requires a larger hoop.
Get a head start with your Christmas gift giving. The Christmas Lollipop Holder Set is a set of three designs Make a basket full to set by the door for guests, Tuck them in Christmas stockings, or place them on the Christmas table. They stitch up quickly and easily using just felt. Make them for your child or grand child’s Sunday school or classroom friends and get lots of Oh’s and Ah’s from everyone.
This beautiful and delicate alphabet is perfect for an heirloom dress or linen napkins on the table. Stunning! It is made with four thread colors, but for an elegant look, just advance through the design without changing the colors.
Consider the beauty of tone-on-tone matching the thread to the fabric.
Friends, if you haven’t yet, give some thought to joining the Embroidery Bee Club. As said earlier, each month you will receive a full alphabet set and a candy holder at the cost of only $5 a month which is a savings over the regular price. The designs will arrive on the 1st of every month in your inbox. It is easy, simple and fun!
Immediately upon joining, so your sewing machine doesn’t have to wait to happily hum, you receive this fun Bee Bold candy wrapper design.
Creative Country Happenings
I’m reading and learning how to make Kombucha. Have you ever heard of that? It is basically a fermented tea which is supposed to be full of probiotics and nutrients. Bottles of kombucha may be purchased at health food stores or maybe even at your local grocery store, Costco also carries it, but they are costly little buggers so I’m going to do it on my kitchen counter. If you’ve tried it, what are your favorite flavors. I want to add fruit to mine but not sure what to start with.
My word of the year for 2017 is TRUST. Friends, let me tell you that rarely has a day gone by when I haven’t said that word in my head again and again. God is good – always. And He is in control – always.
You may recall, mom had a heart attack just before Christmas. Let me report she is doing wonderful. We’ve just finished up 3 months of cardiac rehab and she really has her energy and strength back to where she was at before the heart attack. – Trust.
I do see her getting a bit more forgetful with time and repeating herself as I hear the same news again and again many days in a row. – Trust.
Something I haven’t shared with any of you is in early April our oldest daughter who finished her 4 years in the Air Force had a house that she was trying to sell. It had been under contract twice and both times fell through. The third time it was under contract, one week before closing it was broken into by gang members and vandalized. Everything was broken, painted, torn up, smashed. This was back in April. I know this is all just physical “stuff”, but it was one of the most heart breaking things I’ve ever had to deal with. I think it was so hard because it just made no sense whatsoever. I’ve dealt with mom’s heart attack and dad living with cancer and some of that I explain to myself by saying it is a part of life. But when someone blatantly does something malicious, you are just left feeling numb. – Trust. Let me tell you, by the grace of God, the house did close. For weeks after, I kept thinking that something would still come back to haunt us with that house. Thankfully now, most days pass and it is a slowly fading memory.
When events such as these happen in our lives, and I know life changing events happen to all of us, it reshapes it. It changes our perspective and our goals. I know it has not only affected me, but it has affected Embroidery It. Goals and plans have been adjusted and changed as needed.
These have been just a couple of examples how “trust” has been placed on my heart. Seriously though, there has hardly been a day that has passed when I haven’t thought, “just trust Nancy, just trust.”
With everything going on, disarray has settled in. Many things need to be finished. I turn my head I see something that requires a phone call to be made, an e-mail to send, or steps to take to finish the task. When you see that all the time, your mind can’t relax, and you don’t feel peace. I have said my focus in July is to “complete”. Finish all the little things yet to be done. I’ve been keeping a running to-do list that grows as I see things that need to be done. It helps though to get everything on paper and it even helps me by writing here and getting thoughts and feelings out of my head. I’ve come to realize my word for, if not just July, the last half of the year should be “complete”.
What’s an embroiderer to do but that to my shirt cuff. The soft denim shirt I wear every day like an apron. As “complete” was stitching I realized how beautifully it goes with the word “trust”. “Complete Trust.” Amen.
I have complete trust; to finish the tasks at hand, for my family, for my mom, for my health, for Embroidery It, and the list goes on.
Have you kept your word of the year top of mind? Has it had meaning in your life? I’d love to for you to share in the comments and hear your story.
Previous blog posts about Trust this year may be read HERE and also HERE.
Welcome to the final day of the Embroidery It Birthday Party.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, kindness and generosity. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. It is through you that my dreams, goals and visions are coming true. I sincerely thank you.
As we wrap up the birthday party, it is Sunday, a day of rest. I hope you will use these inspirational teacup coasters as a gentle reminder to enjoy each day and all life has to offer with its many blessings.
Make a set of 4 or 8 coasters for yourself, or they make a lovely gift bundled up and added with some tea, a teacup and a homemade muffin or small box of chocolates. Give as a hostess gift, housewarming, get well, birthday, retirement gift and the list goes on. There are 8 designs in the set.
These are stitched on felt and made in your 4 x 4 hoop.
You will find the Inspirational Teacup Coasters HERE in Etsy
So happy to have you here today on Day 6 of the Embroidery It Birthday Party
Today’s Birthday Party Special is a good ol’ fashioned Gumball Machine.
It is made using your 5 x 7 hoop and is stitched on felt and clear vinyl.
For the clear vinyl, you will find that at your local fabric store or Walmart carries it too in their fabric department. You will find it in the section where they sell tablecloth fabric. Just get the thin cheep stuff and you only need 4 inches wide so get 1/8 of a yard.
The candy goes in and out the dispenser opening at the bottom of the design. I know what you are thinking….the candy will fall out. Nope, it doesn’t. You pinch it a bit to get the candy to come out.
Here in the photo I’ve filled them with Skittles, but you could use M & M’s or other small candy or small gumballs.
Also in the photo, I’ve stitched it with both red felt on the back as well as clear vinyl on the back. It just depends on the look you want.
The hanger is optional.
This really is a quick and easy design and only uses two thread colors.
Oh I so hope you are enjoying the birthday party. Today is day 5 and what a sweet design set it is.
Mason jars are just adorable and can be used for so many things. Here is an alphabet set that fits a wide mouth mason jar.
Fill the jar with colorful candies, or a stack of cookies and give to someone special. If you don’t want sweets, fill it with pretty spools of thread for your sewing friends. You could even roll up a small sewing project like a fabric panel and give as a gift in the jar. Just embroider their initial for the top and it is ready for gift giving.
Welcome to Day 4 of the Embroidery It Birthday Party!! Woot Woot!!
You’ve been asking for this and here it is as today’s party special……
Banner Numbers and Ampersand to go with the free banner letters.
This will be a fun addition to the banners you are making.
For those of you new to Embroidery It, a new letter is offered free on the main page each week.
Just scroll down to the bottom of the page to instantly download it. After one week, the letters are then placed for sale in the Embroidery It Zibbet store. You may find all previously released letters HERE.
Friends, if you haven’t yet, just subscribe to the weekly newsletter. It is a nice reminder that the new alphabet letter has been released. Also, a couple times a year, newsletter only subscribers get a little som’in – som’in. Just say’in. 🙂
Welcome to Day 3 of the Embroidery It Birthday Party!!!
You know, any time you have a party or something special you write yourself notes and create lists. Now you can always have pen and paper at hand.
3 Designs in the set. They are stitched on vinyl and made in your 5 x 7 hoop. You will find vinyl at your local fabric store and it may be called marine vinyl.
The notepad holders hold the 3″ sticky back notepads such as Post-it Notes.
A magnet on the back lets you stick it to your refrigerator or inside a locker.
These make adorable gifts or make a special one just for you!
Welcome to the Embroidery It Birthday Party!!! It’s Birthday Week. Woot Woot!!! Come on into the party. So glad to have you here. The music is playing and everyone is here so grab a slice of cake and some punch and lets have some fun Seriously everyone, I wouldn’t be here without you all and my heart is just bursting with gladness as I’m just so grateful to each and every one of you for your support of my little business. My family and I truly thank you.
Friends this is exciting and will be a week of fun. Each day this week you will get a newsletter showcasing a new design/set available for only $1.25 for 24 hours. You will NOT see these designs at these prices ever again so grab them when you see them. Sprinkled throughout the week will be some free goodies as well.
3 designs in this set of full size Birthday Candy Bar Wrappers. Make them in your 5 x 7 hoop. Perfect for giving to guests, tucking in treat bags or including in your gift to the birthday boy or girl.
Also Friends, If you missed last year’s birthday party, the Big Birthday Bundle which includes all 21 of last year’s designs is 50% off this week only through June 25th.
The Embroidery It Birthday Party Begins tomorrow! You won’t want to miss a single day of the fun. New designs daily. Freebies sprinkled throughout the week. Daily specials. It is going to be a week of fun, fun, fun!!
Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to keep in the loop on all the exciting activities. Link is just to the right.
Thank you for letting your embroidery friends know about Embroidery It so they can have fun too!
Your embroidery machines will be happily humming with great new designs.
There is a lot of excitement going on around here as Embroidery It is getting ready to turn 3 next week and that means it is PARTY TIME and YOU are invited!!
Here is what you can expect…..Each day of the week new designs/sets are going to be released and will be only $1.25 for 24 hours. That will be a big savings to the regular price. Then after 24 hours, the next design/set will be released. Fun free embroidery designs will be sprinkled throughout the week you won’t want to miss. A newsletter will be sent each day with the new designs so be sure you are on the newsletter list! There is a full week of great designs lined up ready just for you to give you some fun summer stitching. Or for those of you down under, some fun winter stitching. 🙂
So sign up for the newsletter in the link on the right and get ready for the fun to begin, Monday, June 19.
If you’re new here, or haven’t yet checked out the Embroidery Bee, there is a lot of “Happy Stitching” going on. Just click the one minute video to see just some of the club’s previous designs.
On the 1st of each month you receive a newsletter with a full alphabet set and an in-the-hoop candy holder. Both are ideal for stitching up something special for yourself or for gifts to give to friends and loved ones.
There are fun creative ideas as well as inspirational photos sent in by our members.
I want to make sure you see the free alphabet and to remind you that the letter changes weekly. Be sure to grab it each week for FREE! After that, the letters do go up for sale in the Embroidery It Zibbet Shop. Today the letter “I” has been released. You may get it HERE.
Offering you the free letters is my way of saying “Thank You” for visiting and your support. I appreciate each of you so much!
Also, just a small head’s up. Remember last year’s Birthday Party? Embroidery It turns 3 in just one month! I’m working on a little some’in-some’in just for you that you won’t want to miss.
Several weeks ago I asked in the newsletter about electronic cutting machines and what you use. What do you like or not like about the one you own. I received lots of good information so Thank you!!! I was honestly surprised at the number of different electric cutters are on the market.
After your guidance and much continued searching of reviews and what the machines are capable of doing I decided on the Janome Artistic Edge with the Simple Cuts Software. I had narrowed it down to between this and the Brother Scan N Cut. My sewing machine dealer sells both of these and when I explained what my intentions were in how I want to use them, she encouraged me to go with the Janome and I chose the 15″. Below you can see what came with it: cutting mats, cables, blades, pens, software and very basic manual. I purchased mine through my sewing dealer. I could have gotten it a tad bit less by using Amazon, but honestly, my sewing machine dealer does me right. She provides support and I think that is worth the small amount saved. Also they are going to start up a club for these electronic cutters and I plan to join. How fun that will be!
One of the biggest plans I have is to begin adding the option for rhinestones to be included with some of the embroidery designs I offer.
Yesterday my Artistic Edge arrived. It is a beauty! It is huge in comparison to the Cricut. You can see them side-by-side above. I have a 1st generation Cricut from about 12 years ago. In case you are wondering why I don’t just use the Cricut, it is because with the Cricut (at least my old version) you are limited to only using their designs. I cannot incorporate my own. Also, the Cricut doesn’t have the ability for adding the rhinestones like I want.
The 15″ is also wireless and connects to the computer via Bluetooth. That said, I’ve had trouble setting up the Bluetooth. I think hubby is the missing link and will have to give me a hand with that. 🙁
Otherwise, I’ve been watching YouTube videos and learning how to use it. Unlike the Cricut where everything was integrated completely in the machine, now everything is on the computer and the machine itself has very few buttons. It is a learning curve for sure to figure out how to operate the software which in turn operates the machine.
So I attempted my first rhinestone design using a heart design that was prebuilt into the software. I cut it from flocking paper and was a little off on the placement of it. However, it still worked perfectly. I set the design to cut for the size rhinestones I had on hand. Then I used transfer tape to place the rhinestones on the fabric and ironed them on as they have a heat set adhesive on the backs of each stone. I was so excited to see the finished result. It was the same kind of happy feeling I had when I did my very first machine embroidery design. 🙂
Just in case you are interested, I purchased the rhinestones, flocking paper and transfer tape online from Specialty Graphics Supply Inc. I did some searching in this area as well. There are places less expensive but I would have to purchase in such HUGE quantities. It didn’t justify me going that route and Specialty Graphics Supply Inc. had great reviews and I received my order in just a few days. If any of you use other places for purchasing your rhinestone and crystal supplies, please leave a comment and let me know who else to check out. Thanks!
Well, that is it for now but I look forward to sharing more about my experience with the Janome Artistic Edge as I learn more and try new things on it. Also, just for your info, it cuts much more than rhinestone designs. It cuts fabric, paper, stencils, vinyl etc. Now I just need to figure out a way to add another table to my little embroidery room! Ha! That room is already mighty full. 🙂 Right now it is sitting on my cutting table on my cutting mat.
One final word, this isn’t an advertisement for the Artistic Edge. I really haven’t even tried it out enough to give you an opinion on how it works. If you are looking into getting an electronic cutter, visit our friend Google and type in the “cutter name” and “reviews” to do your research on which one will work best for you. 🙂
I woke up to this beautiful morning. Don’t let the sunshine fool you, it is only 40 degrees outside! Perfect for wrapping up in a quilt and enjoying my morning coffee outside. Still, the tulips and daffodils are blooming and the trees are budding and leafing out. Glorious!
In celebration of spring, last month’s Embroidery Bee designs have been released to all. Here is the Organza Flower Alphabet Set.
Add some sweet decorations to wreaths. Tie a flower onto your sewing machine handle with your initial. Attach to the zipper of a backpack and more.
The center is free standing lace. The petals are intended to have a fabric such as organza, or other sheer and shiny fabric. Mylar is another great option for shine and sparkle.
Hang several in the window and let the sun catch and reflect from them.
The hanger is the first color stop. Use the design as an applique on a child’s shirt by just advancing past the first thread color. Then add a bow for the finishing touch.
As with all Embroidery Bee designs you can make these in your 4 x 4 hoop.
The Organza Flower Alphabet set may be found in Etsy and in Zibbet.
Friends, I hope wherever you are, that you are having a beautiful day too. Do something creative. Make something fun. Do something to make it a great day.
And if you are not a member of the Embroidery Bee club yet and to get designs similar to this one, just click the button below.
After a rainy few days, how good it is to wake up to the sunshine!
The Embroidery Bee May designs went out to club members bright and early on May 1st. So the April designs are now available for all.
The candy design for April is this sweet Bloom Candy Topper Set. Grow a garden of flowers with your embroidery machine and a couple pieces of felt. Perfect for party favors at your next ladies luncheon, or for the ladies in your sewing, quilting and embroidery clubs. Also sweet for Sunday school teachers, bus drivers, or anyone you want to give a token of thanks.
Assist a younger child in painting the flower pot and you can help him make a gift for his mother on Mother’s day.
Use a 9″ or larger circle of tulle, or nylon netting to gather small candies up with. Let your imagination go in embellishing the flower pot. Add rick rack, pretty buttons or other pretty add on’s you find in your crafting space.
4 designs in the set and as always, made in your 4 x 4 hoop.
Not a member of the Embroidery Bee Club yet? Find out more about it HERE.
And to find the Bloom Candy Topper Set, just click one of the buttons below.
