CrazyQuilt Embellishment FAQ
Written by the members of CrazyQuilt and compiled by Dawn Smith.
The FAQ now consists of five pages.
CrazyQuilt FAQ
CrazyQuilt Wearables FAQ
CrazyQuilt Vest FAQ
CrazyQuilt Book FAQ
CrazyQuilt Embellishment FAQ
Index of Questions
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I do a lot of embroidery and almost always use a picture I like from a book. I trace the
design onto lightweight, almost transparent
If my fabric is light and I just need a basic shape, I will use a disappearing purple pen and
a sunny window to trace this shape onto the front, embroider it before the pen fades, and
then continue. I have found that if I put my fabric with the purple ink on it in a zip lock
bag, it won't fade so fast. (Lynne Redderson)
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I just purchased what's called a transfer pen.(made by EZ International Crafts. Cost around $5 Can.)It can be used for fabric as well as wood, metal, plastic, ceramic, etc. Anyhow, it's a special marker, with
which you trace a design onto special transfer paper. which comes with the
pen. You then put the paper, design down, onto your fabric and rub the
design onto
the material using the back of a spoon, your fingernail or some such
thing.The pen has a little thicker tip than I would like but other
than
that, with my limited experimentation so far, it seems to have
worked
pretty well. Apparently the ink washes out easily though I haven't
tried
that yet. I bought it particularly with the anniversary quilt in
mind. (Phyllis)
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I like to use a fine chain stitch to write on sayings, or to do spirals that have a crystal or
fancy bead in the centre. (Phyllis)
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My favorite stitch is to make a spoke of 5 stitches...sort of like a
star out of 2 strands of embroidery floss. Next take silk ribbon..begin
in the center and alternate the SR under and over the spokes until they
are all filled up. Finally make a french knot in the center. This
works well with textured yarns also or whatever you want, but whatever
you use should be fairly thick. Makes a pretty rose. (Kathi in Tempe, Az.)
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One of my faves..
Do a zig-zag chain stitch. In between each 'up and down' part, put 3 straight
stitches, and a little french knot at the end of them.
I also like to do a chain stitch, and put lazy daisies on each side in
different colors. (Lib)
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One of my favourite
stitches is groups of detached chain (lazy daisy) stitches, made five to
a group, sometimes seven, which all radiate out from the same point to
form a fan or half-circle, with the stitch in the centre being slightly
longer. I add seed beads or french knots or a contrasting smaller chain
stitch inside the loops, or seed beads at the points of the stitches that
form the clusters, along the outer edge of the 'fan'. I like them in
rows to hold a seam down, with about 1/4" space between 'fans', and
sometimes alternate the direction of the clusters, so that one faces
right, the next to the left, or add french knots or beads between the
'fan' clusters right on the seam line. (Carolyn)
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I like to do feather stitch in a green silk buttonhole twist, then add
bullion stitch rosebuds at the ends of the feather stitch in an overdyed
floss. Sometimes, I will alternate the rosebuds with a pearl. Very
elegant! (Betty P.)
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This could be done with your favorite vine/flowers. I like to meander a
vine across a seam like a little creek, winding back a forth with an
occasional loop. Then I add leaves just where the hump of the wind is
starting up so the leaf is always on the outside of the vine. Just on the
other side of the vine at the base of the leaf I add a flower, or three,
normally an odd number of flowers and buds. Next on some of the vines but
not all I add a bug. Dragonflies on roses are great! I'm not sure of the
book I think by West had some great bugs. several lady bugs marching up a
pumpkin vine, with ripe and unripe pumpkins and flowers looks yummie...These
aren't stitch combos but I'm not very good at describing the stitches used
for this affect. Luckily there are great books out!! (Mary-Ruth L. Flores)
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I have several favorite stitches. One is a feather stitch, usually in green
of some kind, with flowers done in rosette stitch and a bead in the center
of each. Another is a small chain stitch waving back and forth over the
seam line, then a pistol stitch fan in each depression. I like to do a
cretan stitch and add a detached chain fan at the end of each point.
I like to try all kinds of different threads, just to see the effects. I
love various couching type threads, kind of meandering them over the fabric,
then adding beads. And I like to try something I have never done before on
every block I do, especially the trading blocks. (Priscilla)
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Stitch combo: Work a chevron stitch over a seam. In a different thread work
3 laizy daisy stitches (fan like) over the flat part of the chevron stitch,
top and bottom.
\|/
(Leslie in NY)
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O.K. this isn't actually my favorite stitch, it is just one I made up recently and thought I'd share it.
I had just finished a tree on a patch and still had to do the seam near the base of the tree so I thought of making a fence. this is how I did it. I made a row of buttonhole stitches by putting 2 close together and then skipping a space and 2 together etc... across the seam, using a brown thread. That made the posts. Then I used a black thread and made a long straight stitch in the long space between the sets of stitches for the wire, and went back putting a small cross stitch to anchor down the wire, and make the barbs. A few little green straight stitches at the base of the posts for grass and its done.
Thats really all there is to it, except for the suggestion of a little bird sitting on the wire (french knot head and a few straight stitches) --- and a couple of fly stitches for the birds in flight.(tree)
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Work cretan stitch down the middle of a patch or on a
seam. On the end of each "leg" work a leaf done in cretan stitch. At the end
of each "leg" on the leaf, sew a single seed bead. (Leslie)
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One of my latest favorites starts with a row of creten stitching. Over the top of that I put a row of chevron stitches. Every other stitch of the chevron goes under the creten stitches so that they are woven together. Then I put two or three lazy daisy stitches at the end of each "leg" of the creten stitches. Finally on the bar of each chevron stitch I put a seed bead or seed pearl.
I use three different colors of thread for the combination. The last one I made uses #5 perle cotton in peach for the creten, YLI silk buttonhole twist in mint green for the chevron, a pastel varigated hand-dyed perle cotton from Aus for the lazy daisy stitches and seed pearls.
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I like making 'fans' with the lazy daisy stitch too. I also like them with straight
stitches. When you alternate clusters, have you also alternated the colors, picking up
the color on the opposite side in each 'fan'? Do you know what I mean? So if you have red
on one side and black on the other, you stitch black fans on the red side and red fans on
the black. I saw this in the book by Penny McMorris on an old crazy quilt and really
liked it. I also sometimes make the end stitch of the lazy daisy longer than usual (
can't remember which book pointed this out) like long fingernails on a hand (not that I
have them!) (Janet in MI)
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I'm just a beginner, but one stitch-combo I came up with that worked nicely
is this.
I worked two rows of herringbone stitch, one on top of the other so they
made diamonds. Where the long stitches crossed in the center, I worked a
long straight stitch across them and a shorter straight stitch across that,
then short straight stitches across the x's on the outside part of the
herringbone stitches. Then I stitched a cluster of three little pearls in
the middle of the diamonds. Four pearls would also look nice and more
symmetrical. (Pat)
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I'm enjoying the thread on favourite combinations. I've got lots to add if
the disccussion continues over time. But meanwhile I'll just mention one
stitch (not a combination) that I recently became aware of . It's the
Maidenhair stitch, which basically is a featherstitch where you work three
featherstitches on one side graduating the length of the stitches, but
aligning them vertically. You then do the same on the opposite side. The
stitch has a very graphic , fern-like quality to it, and looks quite
dramatic in #5 pearl cotton.
I noticed it first recently in JBM's Elegant Stitches. (pg. 55.) Because
it's not a fancy combination like many of us use with abandon, it's sort
of unassuming. But I assure you it really adds to a piece. And of course
one can then jazz it up to with lazy daisies, French knots, beads, or
whatever hits your fancy. (Phyllis)
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My newest favorite stitch is to do a bullion in #12 overdyed pearl, in the
manner of a stem stitch. In other words, the individual bullion stitches
overlap the way that a stem stitch does. It creates a beautiful texture.
(Note to beginners: the bullion stitch requires patience, trial and error.
don't pull the coils so tightly that the needle won't pass through. keep an
even tension. hold the coils while you pull the needle through and make sure
they lay in order before finishing the stitch) (Leslie)
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I like a thread that is easy to thread, does not have to be separated and preferably comes
on a spool instead of card. All kinds of threads, I am always looking for new threads.
The most choice find recently is the new Anchor metallic that is in a skein. I found it in
of all places, Guernsey, England. Kreinick makes some spooled silk embroidery threads
as well as skeined. DMC metallic embroidery thread is very handy and I have used many
spools and easy to find. Guitterman makes a great silk twist. So does Zwicky, but both
are hard to find. These are thicker than sewing machine thread.
Sulky is difficult to use by hand, because it was made for sewing machines. To use it you
will need to use short lengths because it will start ravelling off the polyester core and
makes little knots. Sulky size 30 is better, since it is a little thicker. Madeira sewing
machine thread is superior for hand sewing. Sewing machine threads are also light
weight and don't show up very well. All that work for stitches that hardly show.
Guitterman has a wonderful sparkling thread out for sewing machines that works well for
hand stitching once you get it threaded. I use all kinds of threads. Mostly, I like silk ones
that have some weight to them so that the stitches show. YLI, Kreinik, Guitterman,
Zwicky are some brand names. There is a company Nordic Needle that has an
especially good selection of threads for hand sewing. They have an 800 number. I'm
sure they would help you choose some proper threads.
A standby is DMC metallic embroidery thread. It is 3-ply and comes in 2 or 3 shades of
metallic gold and 2 or 3 of silver. Also red and green. There is a wonderful opalescent
which is wonderful on pastels. Also there is variegated color that is good on any thing.
Wal Mart sells it as well as Ben Franklin. It is easy to find in the needlework section.
Each company seems to have their own version of button hole twist. I've already talked
a little about YLI. Personally, I don't like the cards that YLI comes on. There are
corners left in your threads and it makes the thread hard to manage. so I go for the
spooled threads although they are not as tight as YLI, and the colors are much more
limited. YLI has about 180 colors, while the other companies have almost as
many as 30 or 40 colors. YLI offers their cards at $3.74 to $4.00 each. Building a pallet
is kind of expensive. Kreinik has spools at $1.50 or less, but not as many colors.
(Orinda Spence)
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Pearl cotton #5 is a nice weight. You might look at Flower Thread also, the colors are
very muted and one strand is equal to 6 strands of regular embroidery floss - it does
tangle easily though. I haven't tried any yet, but I hear good things about the rayon
embroidery thread used for 3-dimensional Brazilian embroidery. Nordic Needle is a
good source for this stuff (1-800-433-4321). (Beth)
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I have a whole (growing) collection of the DMC metallics. There is a wonderful variety,
and can be used alone or as a blending filament. I just thought I'd comment on a feature
of DMC's newest standed metallics in gold and silver. They are much more pliable than
their others...it almost feels like regular fiber. I have been using a single strand and
getting wonderful results doing buttonhole stitching and other stitches that usually don't
look good with their other metallics. I found that the only problem I had was that the
metallic part would seperate and shred from the nylon fiber it is wound around at the
eye of the needle. Cutting shorter lengths and running the part of the fiber that will be at
the eye thru beeswax solved that problem. I've had no trouble with knotting or other
kinds of fraying. I'm very happy with this new product and hope that they will come out
with other colors soon! Oh, as a post script.....I've found that I prefer to use one of the
braids to get a thicker effect, rather than multiple strands of the new fiber. It's simply
easier to work with than trying to keep multiple fibers together. (dee)
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For embroidery over seams, I enjoy using Caron Fibers, especially Wildflowers weight,
which is a single strand cotton, similar to flower thread or #8-#12 pearl cotton. It comes
in a number of variegated colors, and the effect of the changing colors over the length of
the stitching is lovely. Sometimes for a heavier look, I'll use Caron's Watercolours, which
is similar in wirght to #5 pearl cotton. It also comes in hand-dyed variegated colors.
Caron also makes "Impressions" which is a silk wool blend fiber, equivalent to #8 pearl
cotton. It comes in the same variegated colors. Cross stitch shops or needlepoint shops
carry these threads, or they can be mail ordered from Evening Star (1-800-666-3562) or
Nordic Needle (1-800-433-4321) Nordic Needle also carries a Caron color card for $5.75
(Julie Hocking)
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I prefer to use Silk buttonhole twist or # 5 or #8 perle cotton. I also
will use just about anything else that I can thread into a needle, yarns,
threads, whatever. another favorite is ribbon floss, goes thru the fabrics
easily (much easier than you would think for the thickness), stands out on
most fabrics. I also like to use the Kreinick metallics & braids. I collect any thread that catches my eye - cottons, wools, silks, rayons,
metallics...(Lori Melberg )
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I rarely use just regular embroidery floss. I really like buttonhole twist. I have a lot of
those small wooden spools of Belding Corticelli. I don't think you can get them anymore.
But the nearest equivalent is the Kanagawa buttonhole twist (silk) on cards. I'm pretty
sure this is available through Very Victorian Notions (previously owned by J. Montano).
It is in the Evening Star Catalog.
I second the recommendation for DMC metallic embroidery thread. It comes on a
traditional plastic spool in plastic on cardboard. There are several shades of gold - one
bright, some more subdued, one mixed with black for an antique look and my favorite:
pink, blue and gold strands twisted together.
I like the shine and twist of pearl cotton. I have some narrow plastic spools of Kreinik's
Trebizond pearl silk - it is thick to show up well on seams and has a visible twist like
pearl cotton. This ia available through Hedgehog Handworks (P.O. Box 45384
Westchester CA 90045). I was introduced to this fiber at a Crazy Quilting class through
the Embroidery Guild of America (EGA).
Madiera has some new metallics called Jewel - they are thin, though, so I double or triple
the strands. These come in lots of beautiful metallic colors - I just wish they came in a
thicker version. (These are available from Liz Turner Diehl, Inc. P. O. Box 50355,
Eugene OR 97405)
YLI has a thread intended for the serger - it comes on 100 yard spools and is called Pearl
Crown Rayon. It is a shiny, twisted thread, the perfect thickness for embellishing. I
think it's about $3.25 per spool. It's in the Evening Star Catalog.
Oops, I forgot to include ribbon floss. Rainbow Gallery makes a fiber called Neon Rays
that is very similar to ribbon floss, and they have a million colors. I have used this a lot
and like the look and shine of it.
I noticed that Deborah Brunner used Fleur de Paris velour thread for the stems of her
ribbon embroidered tulips in Crazy Rags. If you're not familiar with this, it is a cord-like
velour (round, not flat) that comes in 2 sizes, fine and fat. It's fuzzy and doesn't stretch
and looks great the way she used it. I think it's used a lot for needlepoint.
Also, there's the fabulous chenille (100% rayon by Quilter's Resource). It comes in the
most beautiful variegated colors. It's only about $1.50 for a 10 yard pack. I have a lot of
this, but haven't used this yet in my CQ, but I noticed that Evening Star carries it in their
catalog. (Lynne)
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I just discovered some exciting new fibers by Quilters' Resource Inc. This
is the same company that makes those luscious variegated chenille
threads
that are in the Evening Star catalog. I wonder if Evening Star
will carry
them in their next catalog. (Does anyone know if Quilters'
Resource is a
wholesale company?)
One of the fibers is called Marabout. I'm not sure I can do it
justice
with a description, but I will try. It looks like a flat chenille,
with a
center thread of black and little black shiny threads interspersed
with the
dyed fibers that make up the chenille. There's Mustard Seed, made
up of
variegated autumn colors of rust, olive green, and a muted orange.
Purple
Splash is wonderful - turquoise, dark grey, purple and red-violet.
10
yards are $2 where I bought it.
Another fiber is called Eyelash - it is a skinny central thread
with a
quarter inch of dyed threads sticking out of it sideways every
half inch
or so. On the sample I am looking at, the first pink bunch of
threads
sticks out to the left, the next pink bunch sticks out to the
right. It
only sticks out a quarter of an inch.
Then there's my favorite - Plumetes. It is a central thread with
bunches
of fibers sticking out from it every inch or so. The fibers stick
out in
both directions from the center. They have wonderful colors.
(Lynne)
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These are in the Web of Thread catalog too...in a supplement that came with it. They are $2.00 for 10 yards, and look really interesting.
Another thing that caught my eye in this catalog are the Gift Boxes of Madeira fibers. *Very* reasonable prices, and it looks like a wonderful way to get an assortment of colors to try.(dee)
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Threads are just one of my passions. There is a story about
buying
thread. We go to the store shopping, when we get home DH asks us
what we
bought. We say "just some thread". Never mind that the thread
cost
$13.00 a spool or something like that.
I consider two threads basic to survival. DMC metallics, which
comes on
a spool and YLI silk buttonhole twist. Kreinik also makes some
wonderful
silk threads, but the colors are limited. I like the looks of
unstranded
threads for crazy quilting. That is why I like silk buttonhole
twist.
Always buy colors that you like. Sooner or later everything will
go with
everything else. At least that works for me. (Orinda)
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Ohh, threads, my favorite topic!! I do surface embroidery as well
as
needlepoint and other goodies, so I have a good stash of threads.
Some
of my favorites are: Soie Gobelin and Soie Perlee (these are
thicker
silk threads), #4 very fine metallic braid from Kreinik - this is
very
stichable and is a new weight that they carry. Fyreworks is a
thick,
flat, transparent (sometimes) metallic that works wonders for tied
herringbone. Marlitt adds a nice sheen. Empress silk is a flat
silk
that is so lovely, but can catch and snag easily. Rayon Brazilian
threads can be used for embroidery stitches other than brazilian.
Flower threads (DMC or Danish Flower thread) gives a matte finish
and is
thicker than floss. I also love overdyed floss from Needle
Necessities
and their overdyed #8 perle cotton. I also use Madeira #40 metallic
machine sewing thread. It won't snap and break like blending
filament. (Betty Pilsbury)
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Oooh the magic question! Threads,
threads, threads! Magic on a spool or in a skein. I've
been using a lot of perle cotton lately. If you like overdyed
threads (and who doesn't?) look for the Caron Collection
http://www.caron-net.com/) or Weeks Dye Works. I just
love those! Sometimes I buy them just because...
Chenille knitting yarn is fun! And then there is silk ribbon.
Which is a whole 'nother obsession...(Beth Barter)
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I find myself returning again and again to Pearl Cottons (and they
come in such lovely colors!). If I want a matte effect I like the
DMC Flower Threads, although they can be difficult at times (they
love to tangle).
If the piece is very small and can benefit from small stitches and
fibers, I have been thoroughly addicted to silks....Caron's
Waterlilies, especially with all the wonderful colors. (dee)
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About YLI silk buttonhole twist. I like that thread and use
it often, but since I have found J.L. Walsh's silk buttonhole twist,
ohh, heaven. It doesn't kink near as much as the other.
YLI also has a silk floss. I believe it retails for around .99 a
package. Really nice to work with. (Betty P.)
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Ask for a catalog, they are very pleasant over the phone and are more than
willing to deal with the small home consumer, even though their main
business seems to be supplying thread, etc. to commercial embroiderers
Orders can be placed over the phone on a credit card or shipped C.O.D. and
can be paid by personal check when the order arrives.
There are 220 Isacord colors available. A 1,000 meter They also carry a
full line of stabilizers and Schmetz needles. (Barbara Lawn)
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You get Kanagowa from YLI. YLI has the tightest twist. They have an 800 number and
also have retail as well as wholesale. I got Zwicky in Lethbridge, Alberta. Viking
Sewing machines is the USA supplier. The Guitterman silk twist, I got in England.
(Orinda)
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Evening Star (1-800-666-3562)
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Nordic Needle (1-800-433-4321)
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Solo (1-800-343-9670)
They carry a wide assortment of thread, are extremely helpful, and ship immediately. no
affiliation, just a happy customer. (pat in maryland)
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Web of Thread (1-800-955-8185)
1410 Broadway Paducah, KY 42001
Fax (502) 575-0904
A great catalogue, not just for buttonhole twist, but for every other thread (hand and
machine), silk ribbons, yarns, etc. Gorgeous colour photos. (Hilary Metcalf)
**************
Thank you to whoever recommended the catalog, it was a good investment for $3. (dee)
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YLI
They sent two flyers, but said I would have to call back to get prices on what I was interested in.
The flyer lists 1000 Denier on 20 meter cards, 380 Denier on 80 meter cards, Silk Stitch on 50 meter spools, Silk Sewing Thread, 6 strand silk floss, and various widths of silk ribbon. The threads
are all silk. There is a color chart as well. (Dawn)
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Take a string of beads, restring them on nymo, and tack the string on going across
patches and seam lines. (Orinda Spence)
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1).For people who don't like to glue down to the fabric, cabochons can be
glued to a metal finding and the finding can then be stitched down.
2). For flatter objects, such as flattish cabochons, shiny coins,
pailletes, etc., shi-sha stitch techniques can be used to hold them down.
You can also remove the shanks from shank buttons and attach this way.
3) Don't overlook other things than buttons for a raised look. You can
stitch down bead caps like sequins. Rounded rubber washers, curtain
rings, and corn pads (!) can all be wrapped with beads, embroidered, etc.
semi-rounded wooden shapes with flat bottoms can be covered like buttons,
with embroidered fabric and stitched on.
4). Matte and shiny beads can be painted or spray-painted before or after
stitching.
5). Paper beads can be covered with envirotex for a permanent, waterproof
finish
6). Plastic AB (aurora borealis) beads, or plastic crystal beads can be
melted in the oven @ 350 for a minute or two, flattened with a spatula
while still hot, and used like shi-sha. Be sure you have good ventilation
and only do it for a little while. I have not had a problem with fumes.
7) Lames made of acetate can be ironed quickly, with a too-hot iron and
they will pucker up attractively.
8) Paillettes can also be painted with transparent paints.
Do not be afraid to experiment with unconventional fabrics and
embellishments. Use what appeals to you. The foregoing methods are
especially useful when you run out of a supply or a color that you need.
Postscript: Do not try ironing the tricot lame with a hot iron. The
tissue lame with the scrim backing is the kind I"m talking about. Don't
forget you can paint your brass charms, too, with transparent paint.
Acrylic glass stain works well.(Jeannine)
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Depends on the project - some are the same colors as the fabrics, ie - cream and gold
stocking embelished with gold and cream threads, or contrasting colors, black fabrics
with "jewel tone" threads and trims. My choices vary depending on my mood, what the
project is, how obvious I want the embelishemts to be... (Lori Melberg )
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Regarding the Photo Transfer method I just saw on Simply Quilts: She took a bunch of
photos, some B & W and some color; she bought from a quilt store a "Photo Transfer
sheet" she said it cost about 3 bucks, but you can get about 8 small pictures on one sheet.
You then go to a color copy place... and have them copy the pictures onto the transfer
sheet. Nothing happens to the photographs and you place them right up against each
other to get as many on as possible.
Then you go home and cut the photocopy apart, i.e. separating the pictures. You take a
piece of plain white 100% cotton and put it on ironing board, put the color copy face
down ...oh she suggested that you use only pictures that are the size of the width of the
bottom of your iron. If you have big pictures it is better to let a professional do it.
anyway, put the color copy face down and using a hot iron on cotton setting, no steam,
simply press with only a little movement but a lot of pressure, for 30 seconds.
Then peel off the transfer paper (photo copy) and it leaves a perfect picture on the cloth.
You then cut around it leaving 1/4 inch seam allowance. This makes it easy to sew
sashings between the pictures.
The Lady's name is Ami Simms and she has a book telling about this method and shows
quilts she has done. the name is "Creating Scrap Book Quilts" I think it might also say
"with photo transfer" It is really easy, as I saw it, and you don't even pre wash the fabric!
no mess no fuss. I am going to try it when I find the photo transfer sheet.
(Rose Petersen)
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The Keepsake Quilting catalog that I received yesterday has the Photo Transfer Paper.
There are six 8 1/2"x11" sheets for $14.99. Says all you need is a color copier and hot
iron. (Debbie Bacallao)
**************
You can color copy a photo onto transfer paper with good results -- the only drawback is
that the transfer can be a little stiff or plastic-feeling. You can also (if you have the
equipment, or have access to it) scan in a photo and print it onto transfer paper using
a color printer. I'm told that the transfer paper most copy places use is better than the
paper Canon makes for color printers, and color copiers also have better resolution (the
copy of the picture looks more like a photo) so getting it done at a copy place is probably
better. I haven't used a transfer made on a color copier myself, but I have used transfers I
made on my color inkjet printer.
I've also experimented some with transferring black and white photocopies to fabric,
using what I learned from Marjorie Croner's book called _Fabric Photos_. I think the
transfers that worked the best were the ones I did of some old photos onto ecru satin --
the hint of color gave the photo more warmth. I plan to use transfers like this in a crazy
quilt, although I'm also going to try using a brown copier (my local Kinko's has one that
will copy using brown toner) to give the photo a sepia-tone look, and I also want to try
some other pale colors of satin, to see if ecru looks best. I thought blush or a very pale
gold might also work well.
The color transfer paper is something copy stores stock, or you can buy it in small
packages (10 sheets, I think) -- Canon packages it for use with their color printers, but
you can use it with any inkjet printer. (I'ts pretty expensive -- when I bought it, the best
price I could find was $16-17 for the package of 10 8-1/2"x 11" sheets!) The Canon
paper has pretty good directions inside the package for using it.
But the Marjorie Croner book was written before that option was available. I tried several
of the methods from her book, and the one that worked the best for me was using
mending fabric -- which is like iron-on patches to mend jeans, except that it's made of
lighter-weight fabric in bigger pieces.
What you do is make a photocopy of the picture you want to transfer -- while you can do
this with color photos, sometimes there's not enough contrast in the picture to get a good
transfer when it's copied in black and white, so I usually start with a black and white
photo. (Sepia-tone works well, too -- there's one particularly good one of my
grandmother when she's in her early twenties that transferred really well.) Actually, you
should make several copies, so you have some extras to work with, and make them really
dark -- you could "bracket" like photographers do, if the copier has several darkness
settings. Start with the darkest possible copy, and work your way down to the just-
darker-than-normal setting. (You'll probably find that the darkest or almost darkest works
best -- even though it's dark enough that you don't think you can see detail, all that ink
will transfer onto the fabric in the right quantity to work really well.)
You iron the front of the photocopy onto the side of the mending fabric with the glue on
it, and then peel it off. Depending on the photocopy ink, it might work best to peel it off
when it's hot from the iron, or when it's cooled off a little or a lot. You really don't know
ahead of time -- so experiment with a piece of photocopy that you don't need -- iron it
onto a strip of mending fabric. Peel 1/3 off when it's hot, peel the next 1/3 off when it's
still warm, and peel the rest of it off when it's completely cool. You'll be able to see what
stage provided the best ink transfer.
Then you just iron the photo that was transferred onto the mending fabric onto your
target" fabric -- again, you can experiment to be sure you remove the mending fabric at
the right temperature so you get the best ink transfer. Basically, what you're doing is
using the mending fabric as a printing plate -- it just transfers the copier ink from the
paper to the fabric. The result, by the way, isn't plastic at all -- I was really surprised.
Like I said, I really like how it transferred to ecru satin -- it was really pretty. In fact, the
smoother the "target" fabric is, the better -- you get more detail in the transfer.
By the way, you can find mending fabric at fabric stores in the notions section -- I even
found it at WalMart. And pick white or a light color -- makes it easier to see the
photocopier ink transfer. I also didn't need to use a really hot iron -- when I transferred
onto satin, I used a setting for permanent press (the satin was polyester) and that was hot
enough.
If you don't get a good enough transfer using this process, either you haven't found the
optimum temperature to pull the ink away, or you don't have a dark enough photocopy to
work with. But one thing that might help is always putting the iron on the side you want
the ink to go *to*. In other words, iron the mending fabric instead of the original
photocopy in the first step, and iron your target fabric instead of the medning fabric in the
second step. The photocopy ink will migrate toward the heat.
I've heard of ironing a photocopied image directly onto the fabric, but I didn't have much
luck with that. I think the glue on the mending fabric makes the transfer process a lot
more even. And besides, you don't have to worry about flipping the image when you
copy it when you use the mending fabric. It may not matter most of the time, but there
will be times you don't want that picture transferred backwards. I hope this explains it a
little bit -- Croner does a much better job in her book. (Terri Carl)
**************
Re: using a lazer printer to transfer photos to material. I have heard somewhere, ?, that
the material does get jammed and it doesn't work as well as using some sort of chemical
kit that is designed to transfer photographs to material. I have a friend who used this
stuff (I'm sorry I don't know its name or anything about it) and it worked beautifully. She
did several pictures of her daughter as a child in a crazy quilt that she made for daughter
and sent it to her. It was super. This lady is not wonderfully handy and if she can do it...
(Rose Petersen)
**************
There is a product called "Picture This" available at most craft stores that does a pretty
good job. Personally, I prefer to take my photos to a place that makes tee shirt transfers
and have them do mine on the fabric that I take in. They always turn out perfectly.
(Sharyn Pellegrin)
**************
I have another method for transferring photos to fabric. I learned it at a sewing workshop.
You make a photocopy of the picture- color or b&w- and then using a transfer media-
which is really a special kind of glue- you transfer it to the fabric. The media is spread
onto the photocopy and then placed on the fabric and the two are pressed together using a
rolling tool. after it dries thoroughly you wash away the paper from the photocopy and
the picture is transferred. Then end result is thicker and stiffer than the original fabric,
can be washed gently if necessary, sewed on or through- but cannot be directly ironed- it
will alter the colors. (Kirsten)
When I transferred photos to fabric, I used watercolors to gently wash over
the transfers and change the tone.
I used my kid's cheap-o water colors set. I put a little bit of water on the
fabric first, before applying the color. I did use lots of water to keep the
colors somewhat washed out in appearance. I used a couple of colors (purple
and brown or purpIe and red or blue and green). I had transferred my photos
to a fine silk fabric that I had cut from a blouse that I found at the thrift
store. (Which by the way is a good source of plain off white silk).
This method worked well for me to change the appearance of the photos.
(Julie Hocking, In San Diego, CA)
**************
Hi. I've done this (running fabric through your printer). I haven't done it a LOT, but I made some
lables for
some garments I had for sale, and just ironed muslin to a piece of
freezer paper then trimmed it down to 8.5 x 11, put it in the top manual
feed tray of my laser printer (I've got a HP LaserJet 4 Plus--just
prints black and white) and it went through and printed just fine.
Nothing jammed, no problems with the printer after either. (Cathi)
**************
I have been running my fabric through the printer. I first iron on freezer
paper (the kind with wax on the back) to give the fabric stability. I use a
good quality of white or off white cotton fabric. I then cut it down to an
8 1/2 by
11 sheet to fit into the printer. Sharp and clean edges will keep it from
causing any problems in the printer.Black and white photos come out the
best. I don't care for the way my printer handles the color photos. We
don't have a laser printer but rather an inkjet printer.It seems to work
fine. I have
noticed a very slight distortion of the photo. The photo of my parents
that I transfered made them look ever so slightly heavier in the face. Not
so much that it would make a difference in the quality of the picture. But
I noticed it. I think I will be continuing to transfer my photos this way,(
We have
already put alot of money into this project and DH would not be too happy
about changing directions at this point. :) (Joyce)
**************
Someone asked me about the photo transfers with an inkjet printer and if
the ink runs. Yes it does. I am now in the process of figuring out how to
overcome this problem. In an article from Patchwork Quilts, Penny McMorris
gives directions on how to heat set the printed fabric image.
Here are her directions:
1. Put a piece of plain white copy paper on your ironing board. Layer
your fabric printout wiht
plain copy paper underneath and on top.
2. Spray the top with water; iron with medium heat.
3.Keep changing the top sheet of paper to a clean sheet as long as you
see the printed image
transferring through to the top of the paper.
4. When the top sheet remains clean, your fabric should be heat-set. Let
it cool before using. (Joyce) (Bojo20@erols.com)
**************
Some years ago (before transfer paper) I saw a segment on the old
Home
Show where they took a Xerox copy, covered it with Alene's Fabric
Glue,
put it on the (in this case) t-shirt and rolled it with a rolling
pin to
get all the bubbles out and make sure the glue was consistent over
the
entire paper. After the glue had dried thoroughly, they soaked the
whole thing in water until the paper began to disolve. Some paper
had
to be scraped off -- using a fingernail or the edge of a plastic
card.
It worked -- I tried it.
Recently a man on another list told me about a method of making
transfers from a laser printer. Never, never put fabric or transfer
paper in a laser printer -- the heat is too high and you can ruin
the
laser. He said to save the backing sheets from labels (like Avery
mailing labels), remove all paper and use the waxy paper in the
printer.
After you have made your picture (or poster, or whatever), put it
face
down on the fabric and iron. The plastic pellets release from the
waxy
finish and cling to the fabric, the heat sets them on (melts them a
little). (Joanne in Reno)
**************
After much experimenting I have found the following:
Acetone works better as a solvent than the mineral turrpentine (sorry
I can't quite remember what you guys call that - its the stuff you clean
paintbrushes with).
If having a mirror image of the original photo bothers you, have the
b&w copy taken on a colour copier - that isn't as silly as it sounds, as
the colour copier has a built in mirror image capability - just ask the
operator.
The smoother the surface of the fabric the better the results. Pure silk
satin is the best, of course, but pretty expensive - unless you have a
sister who lives in Hong Kong and gets you silk scraps from the silk
merchant there - but that is another story and I'll send you that into
another time. Polyester satin works just fine. If using acetone as a
solvent DON'T use acetate, as it will dissolve.
I prefer acetone as it doesn't have that oily residue that the turps has.
However it is incredibly drying on the skin, so wear those thin
disposable gloves you can get at the drug store - essential if you wear
nail polish like I do!
Colour photocopies of colour photos don't look so good in my
opinion, but colour copies of pictures, such as on greeting cards,
seed catalogues, etc work wonderfully. You will have to ask the
operator to increase all the colours to maximum. This will produce a
rather lurid copy (oh and don't forget to ask for mirror image too),
however, not all the toner transfers and you will end up with a transfer
very close to the original. You get a slightly soft focus effect which
works well if you are starting wiith a watercolour picture.
Well, I think thats all I can tell you - I do teach a class in this, called
HEIRLOOM MEMORIES where people transfer their favourite photos and
we crazy patchwork them into a collage and add embroidery. I have
a class on Sunday and one lady is doing a memory quilt for her husband
who is in the army. We transferred all the photos onto a slightly khaki
green satin - sounds awful I know, but it turned out very well, and then
we started adding fabrics in tan, olive. etc. She even had some
camouflage fabric she was going to include. Believe me, it is looking
fantastic and I can't wait to see it all together on Sunday, when we
are going to start adding embellishments. No grub roses obviously!
But it will be fun.
Don't despair if your first photocopies don't transfer well. Providing
you are using the right solvent and fabriic the problem will be with
the photocopier. In general, the newer and more sophisticated the
machine the worse results it gives! The copier at the local Seven
Eleven or the library will probably give better results.
I put this down to the fact that 3M, Canon, etc, probably spend millions
in R & D trying to develop a toner that stays on the paper. Remember
the old days when if you picked up a fresh photocopy the ink
smudged? Well that doesn't happen anymore as it has been
improved. Trouble is if they improve it to the point where nothing will
shift the toner off the paper, that will be the end of the Aussie method
of photo transfer! So stick with the older machines, and when you find
one that works for you, keep using it! (Hilary Metcalf)
**************
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The blue pens are terrible for quilting lines, where you want the
lines to
disappear, but I don't really see any problem using them to mark
embroidery
designs--with almost any transfer method, including the ones in the
Dover
books, you need to be sure to cover the lines with stitches, and
NEVER count
on the marks coming out.
Here's one method that works for me, especially on dark fabrics--
use a light (white, silver, light gray, whatever) colored pencil--a
good
quality one, like Prismacolor, that has lots of wax, to trace your
design
from whatever source your using onto tracing paper or any white
paper. Then
iron the colored pencil lines onto your patch. These lines show
up very
well, and sometimes (but don't rely on this--stitch over all your
lines) they
will disappear when you iron the fabric again when you're done with
your
embroidery. There are also commercial transfer pencils that you
can buy--the
yellow works well on dark fabrics, but I had the colored pencils so
I thought
I'd try it, and it worked.
Good Luck!!
(Mel Waite)
**************
The method I have used with good success is to take netting (like for the little girl's in ballet) 'trace' over the transfer with a wide black permenant marker then pin this netting to the piece I want to
transfer to and mark *that* with a chalk square (like taylors use) and that transfers to the material ... it even works on material with a nap or texture.
If I need a *finer* line I sometimes use a piece of veil netting but for the most part I nearly always use the netting and it works fine.
I've never had a problem with getting it out .. it is
usually
gone by the time I've stitched what I'm doing ... but when I've
made a
placing error and need to 'erase' it I just use a bit of terry or
some
nappy material to brush it away. (Mary)
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When your jar is full, tip it onto some silk, top with organza or tulle and do some free machine embroidery in metallic threads to hold it all together. You can use the resulting piece in your next crazy patchwork project. Waste not, want not! (Hilary Metcalf)
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I nuke my silk ribbon, it gets very hot. Ironing makes it shimmer. I use Static Guard to tame it. (Orinda)
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After experimenting with every known way to store floss I have finally settled on the little plastic bags made for the purpose (Floss Away is one brand).
These bags have several advantages over all the other methods.
There is no tedious winding of threads onto cards
If you use only two or three strands from a six strand skein the
unused
strands can go straight back in the bag for use another time,
instead of
ending up in a tangled pile on the arm of your chair
You can write on the outside of the bag the thread type, colour
number
Threads stay clean and tangle free
You can select just the bags you want for a particular project and
put them
on one ring holder to carry around
This system works very well for silk ribbon too, and little spools
of
blending filament, etc.
A word from the wise here, don't buy the bags with the hole in the
centre,
you can't get the thread in and out without removing it from the
ring - get
the ones with the hole in one corner just below the zip lock seal.
Happy stitching, from Canberra, where it is still sunny and cold (Hilary Metcalf)
**************
I have a great way to store silk ribbon. I use film canisters! I
go to
Fox Photo or some other place that would just throw them out or
recycle
them anyway, so they are free. I wind the ribbon around them, then
tuck
the end into the lid just before I snap it down. Of course, I kind
of wash
them out first, so the chemical smell isn't so strong. Also, if I
need to
know the brand or color number, I just tuck a piece of paper inside
telling
me the info I need. Then I put all my pinks in a ZipLock veggie
bag (the ones with the holes), so the silk can breath. Another bag is for
the
blues, greens, etc. I wound all my 2mm ribbons (which I don't have
as many
of) onto white film canisters (the others are all black), so that I
can
easily find the 2mm baggie.
When I start running real low on a particular color, I just leave a
2" tail of ribbon sticking out of the canister. That way when I'm making a shopping trip to replenish my stash, it's easy for me to see what I am out of.
I use this method for the organdy and other embroidery ribbons also.(Lynne)
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I always use Chenille needles for SRE. Use number 18 for 7mm; 22
for 4mm;
and 24 for 2mm. Becuause of the way the ribbon is 'locked' into
the eye of
the needle, the needle stays threaded until all the ribbon is used,
so you
need several packets if you are working on a project with many
colours.
Parking the loaded needle in a pillow is a good idea. Sometimes I
just
look at what is left in the needles and use it up to add fill in
french
knots, little flowers etc. (Hilary Metcalf)
**************
I use John James chenille needles, many different sizes.
However I don't
pay much attention to size unless I am using a great big needle,
like an 18,
on a dainty piece of work. Sometimes I use a Darner #7 on dolls
for SRE.
Sometimes I get a hold of an embroidery needle and just use it.
Tapestry
needles do not work well unless you are working on even weave that
has
holes. Even then, if you are making ribbons stitches and who
isn't, the
tapestry needle won't work. . The wider the ribbon and tighter
the
fabric the bigger needle you need. If you embroider with 13mm and
actually go through the fabric, you need a big needle and a pliers
or needle
grabber and maybe an awl, unless the fabric is loosely woven.
I do not take the ribbon out of a needle until there is only about
4 inches
of ribbon left. Everytime I thread and knot it uses 1.5 inches
of ribbon
and so I don't unthread until I am down to nothing.
So my pin cushion has as many threaded needles as colors I have
not used
up. Sometimes, I imagine there are as many as 50 and usually 30,
then
sometimes only 10. Sometimes I just go through and start using
what is
there. I use dyed ribbon about 99.9% of the time.
Most brands of needles are pretty good, but John James has packs of
25 that
I order and sell. Dritz has the bad needles. They really
should do
something about them. OUt of a pack of 5 or 6 needles, one will
have a
hook in the eye or on the end of something. That is the only bad
brand I
have found. In Canada and England I was able to get Milward,
They are
wonderful. I notice that there is Coats mark on them. (Orinda Spence)
**************
I use Piecemaker Chenille needles, size 18-22.
I use
shoulder pads that I have removed from garments I have taken apart
to use for
CQ. They make handy little needle holders. I use acouple of them,
one for
needles with 2mm and 4mm ribbons another for needles with 7mm and
13mm
ribbon.(Miriam from Vancouver, Wa.)
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The number of needles I have threaded, depends on what I am working
on.
Sometimes I have to even use a third shoulder pad, but most of the
time two
works fine, I am guessing, but I would say I have between 20 and
thirty
needles threaded most of the time. I also have several beading and
embroidery needles threaded and stored in shoulderpads. All of
this fits in
a plastic shoe box and fits nicely on the table next to my chair.
I keep my
beads in bottles or little zip loc bags and in one of those divided
floss
boxes. My floss I transrfer to the cards that come in the floss
box and
write the brand and number on each card. My Sulky threads, I have
in the
plastic shoe box. This works for me.(Miriam from Vancouver, Wa.)
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Threading Milliners Needles
This is a reply to Jan Thompson re: threading #12 Milliner's
needles, but
i'm sure there are a few others who might like my tips. I do not
have good
eyesight at the moment - am waiting for cataract surgery- but I
have found
from other sites info about threading these and other small eyed
needles
that I thought I'd pass on. Some may be old hat to many of you!
1. Always cut quilting thread at an angle - in fact I cut most of
my threads
at an angle with SHARP scissors. ***XXX*** @@@ ***XXX*** @@@ ***XXX*** @@@ ***XXX*** @@@
My version of a spider web and spider.
The
web spokes were a gold thread radiating spokes from the corner, and
couched down for the cross webs. Then, at the bottom of a long
(gold)
stitch down from the web, make a large X of same gold thread. Add
two
more "legs" to bottom of X; put a short straight stitch at end of
each
leg to make a "knee." I sewed a round shiny black bead (3/8") (got
it in
the embellishment swap, and I still have one left!!) smack in the
middle
of all the legs, and it looks like a spider hanging from the web.
I
never was too good at Biology, so this might have the wrong number
of
legs and no head, but it's cute. (Barbara in East Marion, NY)
**************
I've made smaller spiders by using an oval shaped bead as the
body, a
small round bead as the head, and then embroidering legs off of
that. You
can do the same idea using buttons. I've also embroidered them
using a
bullion stitch for the body. Like so much in CQ, whatever works
for you is
fine.(Susan Wells )
**************
Spiders: french knot cluster for the head, padded satin for the
body,
seed beads for eyes, straight stitches- 3 per leg and bend them. Or
try a
black glass dome button for the body. (jmm in beautiful autumnal Maine)
**************
I did one that turned out kinda cute ... very
Halloween'ish
and fun ... made a loop bullion in black satiny thread, tacked down
the
around end for his little butt and then filled it with Turkey
Stitch ...
that fuzzy stuff and then satin stitched a circle head with two
beads
for eyes and then bullioned out with a thinner thread for the legs.
In
stead of doing a loop or curved type bullion I just made it long
and let
it curve above the fabric ... does this make *any* sense ?
(Mary - TheWanderers)
**************
I go to great lengths to get my spiders looking as real as
possible. I
use beads for the bodies. Some of my favorites are, a small faceted
bead
for the body, and matching seed bead for the head, or small striped
beads, brown or black, found mine at JoAnn Fabrics, I use 2 one of
each
color, and lastly if you have a bead shop nearby, get one of the
dark
oblong fresh water pearls. I do the legs with the coral stitch,
using
thin, metallic thread. This stitch gives those little legs knees.
Have fun, thats the important step! (Gerry)
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A bug? Here's one:
make two
bullion stitches side by side for the back end. Then attach to one
end of
this a "pile" of satin stitches perhaps three-eighths inch long for
the
center of the bug, then two or three french knots for the head. Now
make
two pistil stitches for the antenae, and two straight stitches at
the
other end. For wings, make two or three lazy daisy stitches at each
side
of the satin-stitch part. Add straight stitch legs if you want.
Make this
in Soie Perlee, it will come out fairly small. I'll try to remember
to
draw this out for the next swatch club issue. (---jmm)
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As for lettering...I’ve printed stuff on my computer and then gone
over in
black pigma pen or, for hollow fonts, filled in the middle of the
letters with
different colors. Much better than my REAL handwriting.
I’ve got to do a ransom note! I think I’ll print letters in
different fonts
on my computer, on white and off white fabrics. I’ll use the old
fabric on
freezer paper trick and my HP 682C black ink is quite permanent
enough for
this silliness. My Mom would appreciate a pillow with “Give me all
your
buttons and no one will get hurt". She already gave me a her bag of
embroidered and crochetted (how does one spell that?) table linens
she
collected at swap meets 15 years ago, but the there are still all
those
buttons from Grandma's button box......
(Anne near LA)
**************
I''ve been struggling with getting the lettering even also and then
I
remembered all the neat fonts on my computer. I played around in
the word
processor until I got the lettering the size and font that I wanted
and
printed it out. I put a piece of fabric tracing paper under it and
pinned
it to the fabric. After I traced over the computer print out then
I just
stem stitched over the lettering and it looked nice and even. Lots
better
than my scratchy handwriting!
(Sandy Pardo)
**************
I like to use waste canvas. This is a product that you baste down,
(usually) crossstitch over, then remove, leaving only the stitching.
I use 18 count to sign my name (comes out very small and fun). For the
progressive vest, I used 18 count, but used more squares for each letter,
so the names of my groups stitchers were about 1/2 inch high. I use a back
stitch rather than a cross stitch. (Julie Hocking)
**************
Regarding waste canvas removal - because the lettering I use is so
small
and/or sparse over the waste canvas, I just trim close to the
stitching and
gently pull it out dry. Ordinarily, you need to dampen the waste
canvas to
dissolve the glue holding it together. Then the threads pull out
quite
easily.(Julie Hocking)
**************
I also like to incorporate lots of words and letters on my cq. I, too,
have used stem, chain, satin, padded satin. Have you ever used a Pigma
micro pen? These are permanent fine line pens. They come in a wide
range of colors and some even have calligraphy points. They do not
bleed like some other pens. Then, you can write quite fancily, or
plainly, as the mood hits. How about satin stitching an initial with
silk ribbon? You could couch down a thicker thread in the shape of
letters. You could also look for fabric with "alphabet" and applique
letters down. For a truly odd technique, how about appliqueing them
down "ransom note" style? (Betty P.)
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A good way to attach charms or items on a CQ if you don't want to use glue
(I don't) is to use nylon thread, it wraps around without showing on the
top. I just used it to attach a turtle and a old fashioned watch hand
that was part of a pair of earrings that one got lost :(
TIP: when knotting the nylon thread use a small piece of regular sewing
thread (about 3 or 4 inches) to put with the nylon thread so you are
knotting both together. then cut off the reg. thread. works great and
the knot is much more secure. (Rose)
**************
Hello everyone. In the past two months that I have been on this
list, people
have been so helpful with hints and how-to's and I have learned a
lot. I'd
like to mention my favorite mailorder source for brass charms and
embellishments.The address is
Fancifuls
They only sell brass, not silver or pewter, but they have thousands
of charms
and things to choose from. The catalog is $3.50, and when you place
your
first order, they deduct that from your bill. I got my first order
in under a
week, since I live in the same state. No affiliation, just one happy
customer. Their prices are wholesale for eveyone, with no minimum
order. Hope
this helps CQers like me who were frustrated by the limited
selection in the
craft stores. ***XXX*** @@@ ***XXX*** @@@ ***XXX*** @@@ ***XXX*** @@@
Phyliss has one answer to attach as you would a SHI-SHA mirroe. You
could
also 2-part epoxy the coins on as Jan suggested tho' judges in
quilt shows
would not accept this method and dissqualify your quilt. Another
was would
be to use tacky glue to hold the coin in place. Then take a fairly
fine
netting and cover the coin, hiding the edges with embroidery or
couching of
a thick thread. You could also make a YO-YO type bag from the net
(or
another transparent fabric) using the gathered side down. Then
stitch the
coin-enclosed YO-YO onto the quilt.
Still another way would be to glue coins on paper. Take the paper
to the
local copy store and have them do a laser copy. Then do the photo
transfer
method on paper. This way the quilt would weigh less. Actually it
might be
cool to use all methods on your quilt just for a bit of variety. (Roxanne)
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I buy tatting, bobbin lace, etc at yard sales and rummage sales. When
I get complete pieces in really good shape, I wash and press them, and put
them on pillowcases we use at home, but often there are week spots, or the
lace has already been cut. Many of the runs I find are less than 1 foot
long. In those cases, crazy quilting is a truly wonderful way to preserve
beautiful handwork.
Now, how. I try to plan for using lace as I lay down my patches; tucking
the ends of the lace under another patch and sewing over it is undoubtedly
the best way to secure the embellishment (be sure to leave at least 1"
handles on each end), but when I don't know that I'm going to use lace, I
roll the end slightly, cover with Fray-Check, and let dry, then sew them
on. Plenty of opportunities to use buttons or ribbon flowers to cover these
ends! (Susan Arenhold)
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© 1997
You are the
What are some favorite stitches and stitch combinations?
I don't know about others, but the stitches I use most often are: fly stitch, feather stitch,
lazy daisy, french knot, button hole, creten stitch, and chevron stitch. I use various
combinations of these. I also use some chain stitch, couching for spider webs and
I occasionally try out lots of other stitches. (Dawn Smith)
What type threads are available for hand embroidery, and what weights are best?
There are so many threads available for embroidery that I'm sure it will take all of us to
create a full list. Here's a beginning.
Strandable: cotton, silk and rayon floss, Persian wool, Waterlilies(Caron), art silk,
Watercolours(Caron), Marlett, floss overdyed
Perle cottons (3,5, 8), silk buttonhole twist, Wildflowers(Caron), Cotton a Broder,
braided rayon ribbon, silk ribbon (2,4,7mm),decorative threads(Chenille, Charleston,
Rachel), metallics, crewel yarns, tapestry wool.
What are some sources for threads?
Accessory Resource Corp. 1-800-877-4272
1-800-854-1932
888-623-3472 and 800-547-8025
http://www.madeirathreads.com/scs
email: sce@madeirathreads.com
Free catalog
What are some embellishment techniques?
I like to tie bows out of anything leaving large tails which I wind around and through
things then tack it all down with beads and bead tassels. How do you pick embellishment colors?
It's depended on the overall effect I wanted to achieve, but I find myself tending towards
picking out colors in the fabrics, and using those to tie it together visually. (dee)
What methods can you use to transfer photos onto fabric?
I use Judith Montano's gum turpentine technique. It is in Crazy Quilt Odyssey. The
finished product has a lovely old look about it and you can add water color before or
after. (Orinda Spence)
What methods can you use to transfer embroidery motifs?
How do I use up thread and silk ribbon ends?
When there isn't enough left in the needle to stitch with, cut out the remnant and keep in a jar, along with any bits of metallic thread, etc.Should silk ribbon be ironed before use?
How do you store your silk ribbon and floss?
What kind of needles do you use for SRE?
How many needles do you have threaded at once for SRE?
How do you thread small needles?
2. Thread needle to thread.
3. If you like to "wet" then wet the needle not the thread.
4. When needles are made they are stamped out and one side is
concave, so if
you are having trouble turn the eye around. How many times have you
had
troubles threading a needle, dropped it,picked it up and it
threaded easily.
learned this from another list!!!(Jean in Winnipeg)
What are some methods for making spiders and webs?
How do you make other bugs?
How do you do lettering?
How do you attach charms?
P.O. Box 76
Killawog, NY 13794
Phone and fax (607) 849-6870
We're all in this together,
(Genevieve)
How do you attach coins?
How do you use tatting on CQ?
This page designed by Dawn Smith.
Last updated April 9,1998.
visitor to this page since February 16,1998.
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