Splinters & Threads musings

Embroidery Tips and Tricks A compendium of ideas

2012-01-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

Give this great article a read. From the pages of Printwear Magazine!

Whenever two or more embroiderers gather together, the ideas, short-cuts and stories just flow. Here is a list of some of my favorite tips on the tools and techniques (along with some refresher information for the EMB-101s) that keep the needles running.

Needles

Swab needles with a bit of silicone to prevent adhesives from sticking to them.

The size of the needle is dictated by the thread.

The eye of the needle is dictated by the thread.

The point of the needle is dictated by the fabric.

Damaged needles are often the cause of ragged edges and holes in the corners or in tight corners.

Use small needles when stitching small letters and details.

Bobbins

Clean the bobbin area with an electric razor brush.

Test tension with a full bobbin; a half-used bobbin can be flatter which can decrease the tension.

Clip the bobbin thread’s tail to three inches so it doesn’t get wrapped around the hook shaft.

Check for debris on the leaf-adjustment spring on the bobbin if your tension goes out or bobbin threads show on the surface of the embroidery. Debris will open the space which removes tension from the bobbin thread, compromising your stitching. Use a thin piece of plastic to clean between the leaf adjustment spring and the bobbin case.

Machines

Place a bobbin on the top of the machine while it is running. If it rattles and rolls, use a carpenter’s level to check the machine. Level it if necessary. (Remember that leveling may require the heads to be re-timed.)

Skipped stitches and broken threads are not always a sign that the timing is off. Timing should be the last resort. Always check the needle first when stitching isn’t satisfactory. Many troubles can be cured with a new and properly-installed needle.

If the timing seems to be off, check for thread that may have wrapped around the shaft behind the hook assembly. This can force the hook closer to the needle and mimic a timing issue.

Hoops

Clean residue from hoops with Goo-Gone, denatured alcohol or even shaving foam. Make sure any oily feel is cleaned away before using the hoops again.

Wrap the inner hoop with velvet ribbon, florist’s tape or athletic tape to create a tighter hold. Blue painter’s tape will work but don’t use masking tape as it will leave a residue.

Hooping

Don’t remove a shirt from the packaging to embroiderer a sleeve.

Leave a placket shirt buttoned, hoop the target area so that the shirt loads upside-down and then reverse the design on the machine. Trim through the bottom, fold the shirt and be done.

Hoop a piece of backing on the top of a garment, then cut a window out for the embroidery. This will create a tighter hold without wrapping the hoop.

Never tighten the thumbscrew on the hoop after hooping. If it’s not right, start over. Since the fabric can easily be bruised or cut, leave the hoop a quarter of a turn looser and then tighten it carefully. Before you un-hoop, loosen that turn. (An exception is on T-shirts.)

Digitize a walking stitch around your design when it first starts. This will baste the garment and backing together. Use long running stitches that can be removed easily.

Baby or talcum powder applied to the rubbery side of a fabric will allow the goods to slip easily into the hoop and to glide across the throat plate during stitching.

Appliqué

For an appliqué that is more supple, cut out the center of the shape on the piece of fusible backing. Only the edges of the design will be fused.

Try something different and use a printed image as an appliqué. Make it easier by using a paper-backed fusible stabilizer. Iron it to the wrong side of the fabric that you are going to print but leave the paper backing on the opposite side. Print the fabric and then remove the paper and fuse the image directly to the garment, finishing with appliqué stitching or other embellishments. (There are many printable fabrics available that work well with a standard inkjet printer.)

Backing

Slide some waxed paper under the hoop when stitching though heavy fabrics or those backed with vinyl or rubber. The wax coating this creates on the needle will keep build-up from fouling the needle and help the needle pass through the fabric more easily.

Adhere the backing to fleece or knit before hooping. This lessens any movement between the backing and fabric and results in crisper embroidery.

Apply iron-on stabilizer to the reverse of stretchy knits where the design will be placed, then hoop with tearaway. The result will be straight grain lines and a lighter feel to the embroidery.

Placement

Use the trace function before you stitch. A misplaced stitch or a wide segment in a narrow part of the hoop can cause a hoop crash… and costly repairs.

Fill a chalk wheel with baby powder and use this to mark your goods. Most of it will be gone before the stitching is complete and the rest just blows away.

The angles at the neckline of robes make lining up a logo more of a challenge. Close the robe naturally and place face-up on a table. Place a long ruler across the robe with the top at the area where the armholes meet the sides. Place a marker just above the ruler, far enough from the lapel so it won’t be covered during wear. This will be the center of a monogram unless it is very large; the marker will then serve as the bottom point of the design.

When stitching a design or monograms on towels, place the monogram on the opposite side and opposite end from the sewn-in label. The texture—and the color—of the towel will then appear the same on all the towels.

Fixing and finishing

A needle-threading tool or thread pusher will slip through the reverse of a shirt, grabbing any unruly threads or loops and pulling them easily to the back. A very thin crochet hook will work as well. Secure them with a small amount of fabric glue or weave them under adjoining threads.

Use a table with a black light to check incoming goods. Holes and oil spots will be easy to see.

Fly-tying scissors from the sporting-goods store are great for trimming threads. The fine points and larger finger holes make for comfortable and easy clipping.

For easy topping removal, steam and then blot with a coffee filter.

Salt added to water sets dye. Vinegar and water will set color.

When trimming threads between letters, cut one side and then the other to leave a longer tail to trim.

Bleach is a color remover, not a stain remover.

Quilting Hearts!

2012-01-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

This set of quilting designs for machine embroidery are fantastic when used for either redwork or quilting. Not only for use at Valentines, but pretty enough for year round. Great to use on children's quilts. Head on over and get yours today!

Color Swirl Beaded Jewelry

2012-01-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

Straight from the pages of BHG.com!

Combine swirled and layered clay beads to make funky one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Crafts Supplies and Instructions for Color Swirl BeadsWhat you'll need:

Polymer clay in desired colors
Phillips screwdriver, decorative-edge scissors, toothpick, or other items to create texture in clay
Toothpicks
Fine beading wire
Glass baking dish
Small beads

Create multitone beads by twisting clay in two or more colors together. The more the clay is worked, the more blended the colors will become.
Shape a bead by rolling a small amount of clay in your hands until the clay becomes soft and smooth.
To add interest to a bead, roll small balls of clay and press them onto the bead. Then roll smaller clay balls and press those onto the small balls as dots.
Give a bead texture with the end of a Phillips screwdriver, a toothpick, or another tool.
To make a twisted bead, roll two different colors of clay into long smooth individual strands. Twist the strands together, then roll them around a toothpick. Remove the toothpick.
Use a toothpick to make holes in the bead centers. If needed, move the toothpick around the inside of the holes to enlarge them. Check to make sure the wire will fit through the holes before you bake the beads.
Place the beads in a glass baking dish and bake in the oven according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Let the beads cool. String the beads onto beading wire. Alternate with purchased beads. Knot the wire ends.

17 Quilting Supply Storage Tips

2012-01-25T23:57:00.000-08:00

From the pages of HGTV!

1. Store thread spools in clear plastic egg cartons. These are also great for stacking.
2. Cut strips from inexpensive vinyl/cling wrap and wrap it around a thread spool and bobbin to keep the thread from unraveling.
3. Buy medium and large pizza boxes for storing quilt blocks. They're easy to stack and your blocks are organized. They work especially well if fabric is cut on the bias and handling it repeatedly can cause distortion.
4. Buy a flannel-backed vinyl tablecloth from a dollar store or buy flannel-backed vinyl at a fabric store and hang a portable flannel wall near the ceiling with grommets and small finishing nails.
5. Cut out large pieces from a flannel-backed tablecloth, lay quilt blocks on them and roll them up for storage.
6. Use a pants hanger to hold your pattern book to keep it from getting lost under fabric. Hang the hanger on a bulletin board, a nail in the wall or a kitchen-cabinet knob.
7. Make a pin holder from a recycled breath-mint box and magnetic sheets. Magnetic sheets can be purchased at a craft store.
8. Store sewing tools in a silverware basket from an old dishwasher, and hang it on a pegboard. A revolving pencil holder is also great for tool storage.
9. Use trading-card dividers for needle storage and place them in a binder. Insert needles into felt or muslin squares that have been cut to the size of the dividers. The holders can also be used to store swatches of your fabric stash.
10. Store a thread spool in an old prescription bottle to prevent the thread from tangling. Burn a hole in the lid with a hot nail for ease in controlling the thread. Bobbins can also be stored this way, and prescription bottles also work for discarded needles, lessening the chance that they'll get lost in the carpet.
11. Keep spools of thread and matching bobbins together by storing them on a large golf tee. Secure the bobbin and thread together with a rubber band.
12. Attach an acrylic suction-cup hook on the side of the sewing machine for hanging small scissors or thread clippers.
13. Tape a pen cap to the sewing machine to hold a seam ripper.
14. Organize and connect quilt blocks, block pieces and paper work with basting guns. They're also great for quick fixes for curtains and for securing buttons.
15. Divide a tomato pincushion into sections by labeling it with one machine-needle number per section.
16. Store glue sticks in the refrigerator to keep them from drying out or molding.
17. Organize and store cut fabric strips by hanging them on an over-the-door towel rack or a wooden or plastic drying rack.

Stir-Fried Shrimp and Snow Peas in Orange Sauce

2012-01-24T23:54:00.000-08:00

Straight from the pages of Weight Watchers!

Weight Watchers Recipe

Ratings (66)

4PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 9 min

Serves: 4

Fresh ginger, orange zest and honey, give this recipe fantastic sweet-heat. To easily peel ginger root, scrape off the skin with the back of a metal spoon.

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray

4 medium uncooked scallion(s), thinly sliced

1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced

1 Tbsp orange zest, finely grated

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced; or 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic

3 cup(s) snow peas

8 oz uncooked shrimp, small, peeled, deveined (about 36 to 40 per lb)

2 cup(s) uncooked bean sprouts

1/2 cup(s) unsweetened orange juice, freshly squeezed recommended

2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp honey

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

Coat a large nonstick wok or saute pan with cooking spray; heat to smoking over high heat, about 2 minutes.
Toss in scallions, ginger, orange zest and garlic. Stir and toss constantly over the heat for 30 seconds.
Add snow peas. Continue tossing until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Add shrimp; continue cooking, tossing all the while, until shrimp are pink and firm, about 2 minutes.
Add sprouts, orange juice, soy sauce and honey. Toss until bubbling, about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, combine cornstarch with rice vinegar in a small bowl.
Stir in cornstarch mixture; continue cooking until sauce has thickened a bit, about 30 seconds. Remove wok or pan from heat and drizzle oil over the dish. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Notes

Skip some of the prep work by buying convenience products like jarred pre-minced garlic and pre-minced ginger in your grocery store’s produce aisle.

Embroidery and Chopsticks!?

2012-01-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

By Mary Corbet at Needle 'n Thread.com

No, no. We are not embroidering with chopsticks. But we are embroidering in the company of chopsticks. And I don’t mean that annoying piano piece we all learned as kids – you know, the one that can effectively drive even the most resilient person nuts in a matter of seconds?
I really do mean chopsticks, as in Asian eating instruments.

This is a solution that’s often used in Japanese embroidery when you need just a bit of extra tension – inserting a stick or a chopstick where needed, to add extra tension.

By inserting the chopsticks between the lacing and the side slats on the slate frame, I was able to get just that tiny bit of tension that I needed, and that I couldn’t get from adjusting the lacing because there was no room to pull the fabric closer to the slats. It worked really well!
And I discovered something else. When you just need a touch more tension, it’s much easier to insert a chopstick than it is to untie and tighten up the laces on the frame. It almost feels like cheating.
And I bet if I had to, I could insert two chopsticks. Or three! Or the whole set!

Next time you need a tad of tension on your slate frame – try a chopstick!

Mardi Gras Mask Set

2012-01-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Fabulous set of mask designs to commemorate Mardi Gras with! As stunning as the real deal these designs are eye catching as embellishments to your party projects! Break out the confetti and get a set of your own!