My latest designs have been inspired by out daughter Katie who as you know is currently serving in the Air Force. Katie loves horses. Actually she loves all animals and for a long time she wanted to be a veterinarian. When she finishes her time in the Air Force, which will be next May, she plans to study equine dentistry and become a horse dentist. She hopes to live on a farm where she can raise lots of animals and little critters. She has the heart of St. Francis.
Remember the “Barn Girl” jacket she asked me to embroider for her.
There are three horseshoe applique designs and they are sold individually. There is a small single horseshoe which fits the 4 x 4 hoop, a large single horseshoe for the 5 x 7 hoop, and a double horseshoe which fits the 5 x 7 hoop.
The final stitching of the design is the nails in the horseshoe. These may be eliminated and you may replace them with rhinestones or sequins for an added touch. A bow also adds a bit of fun.
Just outside my window, mama robin has a big belly full of eggs!
Spring is working it’s way up to Michigan! It is up to 60 degrees today and the birds have been chirping all day long. Beautiful new life is showing itself all around and I couldn’t be happier! Today is such a nice day for sure.
It is a Baby Clothes Closet Organizer. This design is just in time being the perfect gift for the new mom or mom-to-be. It will help keep her closet organized by separating the baby clothing into the appropriate sizes. No more searching for clothes that fit her growing baby.
The design can be done in pink or blue colors if she knows the gender or stitch it in the colors to match her nursery. It is a gift any new mama will greatly appreciate.
This contains 7 designs. Newborn, 3 Months, 6 Months, 9 Months, 12 Months, 18 Months and 24 Months. It fits closet rods up to 1 3/8″ diameter. It is all done in the 4 x 4 hoop.
Happy Spring everyone!!
Be creative daily and live life beautifully,
Nancy
What a difference just one week makes with my kitchen skin herbs. Makes me smile. I love spring!
I’ve been having so much fun with my Rick Rack Alphabet! My embroidery machine has been busy. As the snow melts I’m certainly looking forward to warmer weather. I also wanted to create a banner for my eat in kitchen area. I will be putting the banner up very soon!
Can’t you just tell I’m dreaming that the thermometer will soon rise 🙂
Then I’ve always had in the back of my mind spelling out “Merry Christmas” with the Rick Rack Alphabet and using silver rick rack. I got started with the letter M this past week. Along with the yo-yo looking like a flower, it certainly looks like a lollypop so I’m going with the candy theme here. The little embellishments are from “Dress It Up.”
Finally, more requests have been coming in asking for the remaining Rick Rack Alphabet letters. I don’t have them all completed but here is what I am going to do. The letters will still be free, one each week, but as I complete other letters further down the alphabet, I will have them in my Etsy store. This way if you don’t want to wait for them to be free, you have the option of grabbing them sooner. I won’t promise when the additional letters will be available, so be sure to pick in from time to time.
Hugs to each of you.
Remember…Be creative daily and live life beautifully.
I tried my hand at selling my embroidery at craft shows. When I digitize, I test all my designs and therefore create many things, and my home can only hold so much!!!!
I thought it would be fun to compile a list of why I like to sell machine embroidery at craft shows.1. It is light weight. That means it is easy to carry to and from the car. I feel for some crafters transporting heavy ceramics.
2. It is easy to pack in tubs. Unlike paper crafting or glass that you have to be very careful to transport, fabric is much more forgiving.
3. Machine embroidery displays beautifully. Items with machine embroidery show an elegant touch and they look so professional.
4. Machine embroidery is popular. It seems that some of the most popular items are those which are monogrammed.
5. People like machine embroidery for themselves and also for gift giving.
6. Machine embroidery is a skill that not everyone can do. Not everyone owns an embroidery machine therefore you won’t see machine embroidery being sold at every booth unlike jewelry. If the craft shows you’ve been to are like the one I attended, jewelry was being sold at every other booth.
I considered taking my embroidery machine to personalize some items. I’ve seen this done in the past and it seems to be a popular thing to do. I decided not to do that just because I was running the booth myself and I didn’t want to be distracted away from customers while hooping and stitching items. If I had an extra pair of hands at the booth, this is something I would have done.
One more tip if you are selling machine embroidery at craft shows, I personally like to sell at church bazaars. I feel I’m offering a product that stands a head and shoulders above many items from other sellers. What I mean by this is at church bazaars, there are many women who have made things that were popular back in the 80’s or 90’s. Perhaps they’ve been bringing those items to the craft show ever since that time! I know they put hard work in those items but what they are selling is dated. That just helps my sales as people want something more trending. Also church craft shows are usually the least expensive to rent a table space as often times I can get one for $10 to $25. Can’t beat that!
I’ve never tried to selling at an art show so I don’t have any real advice here. When I was weaving baskets, some of my fellow basketweaving friends would sell their amazing work at art shows and the entrance fee would be several hundred dollars. That alone cuts me out. I have seen some amazing quilters though at art shows who have done very well. Maybe someday I will get to show and sell my work at an art show, but for now, I’m quite content with the local craft shows.
Machine Embroidery on Hoodies and Happy New Year’s Eve
Dear Friends,
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and are now gearing up for the brand new year. A time for fresh beginnings awaits us.
I received some wonderful machine embroidery items for Christmas (will share with you in an upcoming post) but my most favorite gift of all was having my family all together.
You see, I was not expecting Katie to be able to come for a visit as she is in the Air Force. Mike and Katie had other secret plans as Katie had a couple of days off. It was two days before Christmas and we were all sitting in the living room. Mike says he has an early Christmas present for us and we are to close our eyes.
I jokingly said, “Is it a puppy?” I knew good and well it wasn’t a puppy. We all closed our eyes and our beagle, Cindy, starts yipping excitedly. I laughed and said, “It IS a puppy!”
Mike says to open our eyes and sitting before us was KATIE! He flew her in for a couple of days! What joy!
I was still in need of getting a few groceries for our Christmas meal. I rushed to our Meijer which is a one stop grocery/department store. It was a cold and snowy day.
Along with the groceries, I grabbed a few things to wrap for Katie so she would have SOMETHING under the tree. First, I got us all matching jammies. Then I also got her a warm hoodie and a robe. (I had mailed her Christmas gifts earlier)
Upon opening the hoodie, Katie asked for a bit of personalization on her hoodie which I happily agreed to. Katie loves horses. The font and swirl designs are built into my machine, Brother 1250D.
It was sad for us to say goodbye to Katie. She deploys early March to Kuwait. Please keep her and all our service men and women in your prayers.
I hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas. Having all our family around the table and going to church made it simply perfect for me.
The beautiful Christmas season always brings it’s own form of busy to our lives. That means I have time for only the quickest of projects right now. I’m sure you understand. 🙂
I’ve made sets of these snowflake cards to give as gifts. In the previous cards, I rubberstamped Christmas wishes. This time, I’ve left the inside of the cards blank so that the recipient can use these cards for any occasion.
Machine Embroidery Bride and Groom Wedding Reception Favors
The wedding favors are finished. All 100 of them! If you remember they are little wraps for Hershey’s nuggets and they will be placed on the tables at the reception.
Hi Friends,
I’m here but don’t expect to see too much of me this summer. It is a whirlwind of busy!!! So much has happened since my last post and I will get to that in a moment. For now though, let me show you some wedding favors I’m making that are a current work in progress.
These are little Hershey nugget wraps I’ve made for a wedding reception. I’m making 100 of them! It is a simple and quick in-the-hoop project done on white felt. I’ve used wisteria purple thread which is one of their wedding colors. The designs come from one of my favorite places, Embroidery Garden.
Well, since I last wrote a post, Emily graduated from high school. That was a big day. It was also the day that the horrible tornadoes went through Oklahoma City which is where Katie is stationed. During the middle of that afternoon we started getting phone calls asking about Katie. What a blessing she had two days off and was with us, safe and sound, for Emily’s graduation. Katie reported that some of the destruction was as near as 1/2 mile from the base. That tragedy is something that has weighed heavy on my heart so please know if you are in the area and affected, I am still praying every day for you. I think I was saddened most about the children. I don’t know what to say other than, I’m so sorry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Following graduation we celebrated Katie’s 20th birthday, followed immediately by Emily’s 18th birthday. Follow that by our 25th wedding anniversary! I love my sweet husband so much!!!
We went out for a special dinner and he gave me a silver bracelet. 25th is the silver anniversary!
Mike and I also went to Michigan for three days since I last wrote. It was so beautiful and green there. It is very brown where I live, high desert region.
Finally, I’ve spent two full days at the University of New Mexico with Emily at her orientation where she will go to school next year. She is so excited and I’m excited for her! I loved my days in college and it brought back a lot of good memories. Mike and I were college sweethearts!
As I said at the beginning, don’t expect to see me too much here, but know I’ll stop in when I get a chance. Know that I’m around and I’m thinking of each of you.
Machine Embroidery Boy Scout Neckerchiefs Finished
Finished!
The boy scout neckerchiefs are finished! Below is a picture of only about half of the troop. I just love those boys! My son Timothy is the one in the second row wearing shorts. They are all busy, busy getting prepared and in shape for the long 71 mile hike through the mountains of Philmont, a national boy scout camp here in New Mexico.
As for what else is going on around here, Emily graduates from high school in two days. Family is coming in for her graduation as well as my Air Force girl Katie!!!!!! God is so good to bring us all here together. I am so thankful to Him.
Have a beautiful and blessed weekend everyone.
Love,
Nancy
More Machine Embroidery Free Standing Lace Coasters
Dear Friends,
I really enjoy creating free standing lace. It is just so delicate.
Remember this one? It is the one I gave to my mother when we went for a visit.
These are from the same collection by Pixies Rule in their Lace Coaster Set. I just finished up a couple more of them the other day.
On a sour note, I’m typing this in bed as I’m dealing with strep throat. I had made it through the winter with nothing more than a sniffle (blessed) but WHAM I’m knocked off my feet today. Praying the Tylenol and antibiotics kick in quickly. All prayers for pain relief are appreciated. Thank you.
I really think this hit as I feel under tremendous stress here lately so I’m certain my immune system is down. I’m dealing with Emily’s high school graduation, Katie’s wedding and so much more to list here. I’ve made a long L-O-N-G list of all that needs to be done and recuperating was NOT on that list.
Here’s praying that all my readers are healthy and that you have a happy day embroidering. One more note; all the coasters were made in a 5 x 7 hoop.
Just take a look at how dense this design is. It has 71,000 stitches. Lots of stitches can really create some beautiful designs, but that means the design will be heavy.
There are times when using a matching color of thread for both the top and bottom is necessary such as when doing free standing lace or when the finished product can be viewed from the back side as well as the front.
But when doing a dense design such as this one, it is best to use a thread specifically made for bobbins, be it pre-wound or that you wind yourself.
Bobbin thread is finer and depending on the brand of both top and bottom thread you are using, you can decrease the denseness or heaviness of your design by up to 1/3. This means on a design such as the one above you have less chance of issues when creating your project such as less chance of the thread creating a nest, less chance of needle bending and of course the most common and frustrating issue of thread breaking. Did you know that? Have you ever heard your embroidery machine going POP – POP – POP as the comes back up from out of the design and it slightly lifts your hoop. Ok, some of that can be due to digitizing and too many stitches in the same place. By using a lighter weight bobbin thread you can help prevent some of that from occurring.
I hope you found this helpful today. The embroidery design comes from Embroidery Library and the bobbin thread is from BFC-Stash.
Happy Embroidering and Blessings to you today!
Nancy
Humming the tune of “Rawhide” in my head. Sewing, Sewing, Sewing, the bias tape keeps growing, da da da da de da Rawhide!
I’m sewing the bias tape on the 20 boy scout neckerchiefs. Each neckerchief takes a full package, 4 yards. That’s 80 yards I’m stitching on. I’m on my 6th neckerchief right now. Just needed a break!
Have you seen a presser foot like this? It is a “binding foot” and it hold the bias tape open and in place and the fabric fits in a little slot that feeds it right down the middle of the tape. Sure makes it easier to sew as there is no pinning required and it catches the bias tape neatly on both sides.
So I keep plugging away singing my little diddy. Actually, I’m listening to podcasts as I sew. Have you ever heard of Daily Audio Bible or Merry Ministries? Those are two great ones to listen to, and they are free!
Hugs and blessings,
Nancy
ps. Want to know a little secret? I have produced some podcasts myself. Back in 2010 I made several podcasts that you can find on iTunes. My podcast was titled “Making Our Home a Haven.” In my very own home, I have always strived to make it a haven. I don’t always succeed, but I do always strive for it. 🙂
Whew, the neckerchief design for the boy scouts is done! This is my second digitizing design I’ve completed and I’m thrilled at the results. Remember what it started out looking like below? It is a map of the hiking trek that the boys will be taking this summer at the Philmont National Scout Ranch.
More was added in the detail and we went to three colors. I’m making the neckerchiefs as well. I’ve used broadcloth to stitch them on. The stabilizer is Floriani’s fusible wash away. It certainly makes for a smooth surface to stitch on. For the final step I’m stitching on 1/4″ bias tape. That’s what gives it the nice candy stripe effect as the neckerchief twists up at the ends.
Here is my son Timothy, our youngest. He is such a character and was goofing off for the camera below. He really has a great sense of humor and loves to tease his sisters, and his parents too! I’m very proud of him and all he does in boy scouts. He is a good young man. Timothy is a Life scout and will become an Eagle scout this summer. He and Mike have been involved in scouting since Tim was six years old. He will turn 16 in July. Golly I’m feeling old. My babies are all growing up!
Now I’m working on making 20 of these neckerchiefs for everyone. It’s keeping me busy for a few days!
Anyone want to hike 71 miles up, down and around a couple mountains? 🙂
Hi Friends,
This past week was spring break for my children and boy did we have fun. Mike and Tim went on a boy scout camping trip and Emily and I drove to Oklahoma City to visit Katie in the Air Force.
Two beautiful sisters, Emily and Katie. Oh how mama loves you both!
This was my first time to visit her there! She gave us a tour of the base and her dorm room (tiny dorm room). She has her own bedroom with sink, but shares a bathroom and kitchen with another girl. In her kitchen I saw she had one of my tea towels. (I was wondering where it had gone to!) Of course she can have it. I’m delighted she liked something I had made and wants to use it! Here it is…
It is just a tea towel with a fabric strip sewn onto the bottom to add more color. Then for the butterfly, I used colors to match the fabric. The interesting part of this design is that between the butterfly and the diamond, a wing needle was used with white thread to add a beautiful dramatic effect.
Just look how wide the needle is. As the needle punches through the fabric, it pushes the fabric and creates a little hole. Can you see it in the picture above? It gives is a richness with the texture it creates. The hole is created by the needle going through the same spot numerous times. One thing is that you do need to do is manually turn the handwheel of your machine to make certain the needle passes through the throat plate easily.
Just a note, if using a wing needle, be sure to do it on a cotton fabric. If you use it on a fabric with polyester or other man made material, the fabric will have a tendency to spring back into place and the little hole will fill in and not be noticeable.
Also it is wise to use an embroidery design especially made for using a wing sewing needle. This design is from Sew Inspired by Bonnie.
So we are back home now. This morning we are home and the sun is shining. The leaves on the trees are the most beautiful spring green and the robins, finches and other birds are singing. Spring always has been and always will be my favorite season.
This has been a busy week following Easter. Even so, I finished sewing names on cheer skirts and gym bags for a team. They asked me to specifically sew over the pleats which I was very hesitant to do. That is what they wanted. Needless to say, when the girls have them on, the skirt flairs out so my concerns were aleviated and all looked well.
This is our beagle, Cindy. I set up a folding table in Katie’s old room to have extra room for doing the skirts. Cindy follows me everywhere, so as I worked, she was right there with me in the room, shoring soundly! She too, was tired from a busy week 🙂 I do have to say, the bed she’s on had been made, but that little ornery girl pushes all the covers off to the side and makes a mess of them and the pillows. Funny girl 🙂
With the money I’ve made doing embroidery, I splurged on this that I have been wanting for a long time! It is a medium Wacom Intuos 5. I’ve never used a graphics tablet before, but as I learn to digitize embroidery, I’ve felt this will be a huge time saver and it has been recommended by many to me. Our son’s boy scout troop wants me to design their neckerchiefs for their big camping trip this summer. That set me over the top in “needing” one.
Machine Embroidery – New Phone App to Erase your Stitching Mistakes
Hi Friends,
This is a must see video from Alex Anderson. It shows the latest and greatest new phone app to erase your stitching mistakes. This new tool is super cool and is a must have for all who sew. If you have any problems with the app, please don’t ask me, just contact the developers of it.
It’s Spring! I’m doing the happy dance here because it is my favorite season! My favorite colors are anything pastel. Love it!!! The trees are budding out now with the most beautiful spring green as their leaves unfold. Take a look at the rhubarb poking with its head out of the ground. I’m ready for a yummy rhubarb strawberry crisp and I can’t wait to start planting my tomatoes and other delicious vegetables.
With the warmer weather, I’ve been walking outside much more and being out in nature just gives me the feeling of being closer to God. Despite my trials (we all have them) I have so much to be thankful for and spending time outside, especially working in my garden, just gives me a quiet opportunity to reflect on my blessings and to ask the Holy Spirit to guide me.
We have family coming to visit and I’ve been busy getting the house ready as well as planning the meals. Sometime I just don’t know what to fix. There are a lot of meals. Do you ever feel like that?
My front door ready to greet everyone. You are welcome to come for a visit. I’d love to meet you!
The embroidery is from Needle Little Embroidery and is titled Rosebud Egg Applique. I thought stitching it on burlap turned out so sweet. I used a bamboo skewer to make a plant pick with it. It is ready to welcome you at the door.
I had a very special weekend. I was fortunate to get to go to Kansas to visit my parents. Katie, who is in the Air Force drove up from Oklahoma City to be with us as well. It was so nice and a blessing to see family!!
I made this very sweet free standing lace doily for my mother. The pattern for it came from Pixies Rule. It is from their “Lace Coaster” set. I’m quite fond of free standing lace and thought this set was so pretty.
Sweet hubby needed some cross country hours and since I was wanting to visit my parents he flew us and I got to play co-pilot. Just thought you might enjoy a few pics.
1. It is light weight. That means it is easy to carry to and from the car. I feel for some crafters transporting heavy ceramics.
The boy scout neckerchiefs are finished! Below is a picture of only about half of the troop. I just love those boys! My son Timothy is the one in the second row wearing shorts. They are all busy, busy getting prepared and in shape for the long 71 mile hike through the mountains of Philmont, a national boy scout camp here in New Mexico.
