Ideas

IDEAS!

I just completed a little dress for my daughter using the dalmatian at Patricia Kok's web site and the paw print someone (sorry I don't know who) contributed to an exchange a while back. I got the dress from Wal-mart on sale for $1.50 (it was just a plain white T-shirt type dress from the craft department) and I embroidered the dalmatian on a square of black denim, then top-stitched it to the chest of the dress. Then, I embroidered a trail of paw prints all around the skirt. Finally, I took a white knit collar from my stash and stitched a border of dogs (one of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine) around the edge and serged it to the dress. It came out really cute Denise

Baby bib

Use one finger tip (or hand) towel Cut a 6 " diameter hole 2 " from the back of the bib, centered from side to side. If you use a hand towel. cut the hole 3 " from the back of the bib. Use T-shirt ribbing cut 10 " long and 2 1/2 " wide 1.seam ribbing together at the center back.
2.Fold ribbing in half, with wrong sides together, pin ribbing to towel matching pins.
3.Mark both ribbing and towel into quarters with pins. with right sides together, pin ribbing to towel, matching pins
4.Serge or seam ribbing into neckline, stretching the ribbing as needed.
5 decorate the bib as you wish.

Water Bottle Covers

I am making water bottle cover/carriers using the pattern that is in the " Serge it in an Hour or Less " (which I don't have in front of me right now, so I can't tell you the publisher, but I think it is Chilton) and embroidering designs from Criswell's ballet disk and names on them. They are quick and easy to make and a friend of mine had the mesh for the tops. I already had Terry scraps and some poplin pieces so the only thing I had to buy was the strapping. My daughter had asked me to come with something to sell in their boutique which they use as a fund-raiser. Lois A. Williams

Button Covers

I bought a kit to make 2 1/2 inch covered buttons for clothing. I'm going to embroider the school mascot for DD#2 (a ram's head) and turn it into a spirit button. She'll be able to pin it on with those little button safety pins. One more idea, embroider tiny designs on fabric and make small or medium sized covered buttons for an outfit. You'd have one of a kind buttons that could match any fabric. Robin

Various Covers

A couple more ideas for using our machines. How about making tooth fairy pillows or birth announcement pillows. Phone book covers, address book covers personalized with the family name, embroidered panels to put on purses, embroidery squares with fruits or flowers and then attached squares to plain white curtains, either appliqueing or another technique. How about diaper covers with cute messages for holidays, or for that matter, bottle covers with the child's name on them. Babies can never have too many onesies. Buy the multipaks and monogram them for newborns. I think you would want to use 60 wt thread for this one. Sewing World brainstorm

I have embroidered every blank piece of clothing I own; have done towels and napkin rings. For the latter, I did the embroidery design on 4 layers of soluble sulky and then dissolved the stabilizer. Then I stiffened the design with a fabric stiffener. Sewed this to a 1 inch wide by 7 inch strip of belting, which I covered with solid fabric and satin stitched the edges. Made this into a ring by sewing velcro on both ends of the belting. Can also use these types of designs as button covers, pins, earrings, belt buckle, anything you can sew or glue a backing onto. Fern

I recently bought a satin skirt (long) in grey. I found some material to match and made a vest that had yokes. I embroidered the same color flowers on the yokes of the vest. I wore a blue satin blouse underneath it also embroidered. (the skirt had different color blues and greys in the flowers. It looked great! I also had this idea. To make a shawl to wear over a dress when you go out try this. Buy 1-1/2 yds of silk. Finish the edges all around. Embroider the middle of the back with a design of your choice (match the dress etc. Put the shawl on your shoulders. Tie a knot around your wrists. It looks like you have sleeves. It looks great! Barby Pompano Beach, Florida

Rice Bag Table Trivets

I make table trivets filled with rice. I take whatever material I want to make it out of ( I usually make them out of heavier material, so that they last longer). I usually cut them 6 X by 6 1/2 " (finished product is about 5 1/2 X 6 " ). I add a ruffle, and after that is stitched in place, I turn it inside out and then topstitch the outside into 3 even sections (I just fold them to get the measure of where I need to put the stitches) This gives me 3 tubes that I then fill with rice, and when about 3/4th's full, I topstitch the opening shut. I originally received one of these as a wedding gift, and decided that I could make them easily. They're handy for using on our table. Denene

Hotpads

Mary wrote: Any ideas for making it somewhat heat resistant -- although I assume the item will just be a novelty " for show " and quilt batting inside will suffice to have it look right. Mary, I would suggest that you use only cotton batting inside the potholder. You can also purchase a cheap iron board cover (the silver- type heat-resistant fabric) and cut it apart. I would use a layer of the heat resistant fabric on each side of the cotton batting, then cover this sandwich with your final embroidered fabric. Sheree in M!ch!gan

Bookmarks

You might want to use your small hoop (or large one if you don't have the small one) and stitch on felt or polar fleece. That way you can cut and not worry about the edges. Also, if you use the same color in both top and bobbin, it's reversible. Sue Hager

What about using your large hoop and make several designs across. Then, use a rotary cutter or scissors and cut the designs apart so you have several strips with designs embroidered on them. Then make several strips of fabric the same size in a coordinating print or contrast fabric for the back. Use your serger and some fun thread to sew the two sides together and finish the seams all at once. Metallic thread comes to mind!! Donna Lee

I've got another use for those jeans, pillows. (I've heard of a " bag lady " but I must be the " pillow lady " . My bluejean pillows go over pretty big and decorate several dorms and bedrooms these days. I've made 12 " (store bought form - on sale) toss pillows from oddly quilted blue jean scraps. I cut off the pocket of discarded Levis, Gap, whatever with the tag on pocket, and top-stitch the pocket to the center top of the quilted cover. (Yeah, I know they're trademarks, but I bought the pockets with the jeans, I'm not re-selling, and this is recycling at its best). I did make a tag of red poplin with young'un's name EU'd on it (very small) on a pocket from cheapies that had no label. The gift is finished with cash, phone card or a beanie baby inserted in the pillow pocket. Mary

Has anyone tried combining embroidery with your own iron-on designs? I'm impressed with the photography of Anne Geddes and am trying to do some embroidery work in the same type of theme(children popping up in flowers, pumpkins, etc). Am working on scanning in pictures of my daughters' faces, printing them out on Cannon T-shirt transfer paper with an inkjet printer, picking an applique embroidery design, cut the transfer to fit the applique size, iron it on to the shirt, then complete the machine embroidery applique design. Right now I'm doing sunflowers with the girls' faces as the face of the sunflower and stitching the flower petals around it. I thought it would be a great way to include baby pictures and make keepsake pillows, grandma brag shirts, etc. It would be a one of a kind gift and very inexpensive. You could scan in the picture and stitch a floral frame around it or frame the picture with a balloon outline. I love the Cannon T-shirt transfer sheets, they can be used in any inkjet printer and can also be colored by hand (crayons or markers) The transfer paper seals in the color so it doesn't fade or bleed. You don't even need a printer, you can draw on it by hand. Just remember that all images will be reversed so plan ahead. I'm going to have my girls draw a picture on it and iron it on a sweatshirt for grandma and embellish it with a stitched sun, tree,etc. Robin

Photo Albums

Thanksgiving weekend past my daughter got married, and I did one of those photo albums. I covered it with a satin brocade, and used a 11 organ needle with gold metallic thread. Nothing as an under stabilizer because I didn't want a shadow from underneath, and 2 solvy on top. It worked great. I put their names, Mr. & Mrs. ....... then under that the date of their wedding. Then I told it and covered the album, and added satin flowers of the same that I made her headpiece, some of the lace from the garter I made, and some teul from the veiling, and pearls from the headpiece. It was a hit. She cried when I gave it to her. Sue Hager

I made one of those pillows and it came out gorgeous. I made a heart one. I cut out a heart of plain material before I used the satin. I placed the date on the left hand side and rotated it diagonally. On the right hand side I placed their initial. I used 40 wt. satin thread and I did not change a thing. (except the size of the letters. I did it in brush. I saved it and when I hooped the satin I opened it up and it came out perfect. I trimmed it with two rows of lace (one narrow, one wide) There is a ribbon in the back for the hand to go through! Good Luck Barby

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