Category — embroidery

The “Song of the Heart” collection of designs from Madsen Originals really captured my imagination! These designs are exquisite, and I would never think of quilting over top of them!

I wanted to have the white background area stay nice and flat, so I couldn’t just leave it empty. I decided to record my stitches as I quilted right next to each design. Then, I echoed my stitches 13 times for each block, at one third of an inch apart. This filled the entire background of the block. I used the Trim function to remove the excess stitches that I didn’t want, which left me with just enough stitches to have everything lay nice and flat. I added a little bit of stippling freehand inside of the hearts.

Priscilla wanted all four borders around the outside to appear as if it were one border, and to be lightly quilted so it would not detarct from the embroidery designs — good choice!

Some of my favorite quilts incorporate both piecing and embroidery or applique. Having that “little bit of extra” in certain blocks can create a real challenge — and I LOVE a challenge!

This quilt features very detailed embroidery designs. Each stitch is perfect! I’m not a fan of quilting over top of embroidery, if it’s possible to avoid it. I would rather do something special in the background, especially when the design that’s quilted serves the purpose of adding to the embroidery, and not detracting from it. The design that I used is from Stitch Happy, and is called Vortex. I think it really gives a feeling of motion to these little boys (as if little boys don’t already create enough motion! LOL!).

This embroidery is from a collection named “Boys at Play”, and is available from Priscilla Madsen of Madsen Originals.

This embroidery collection from Priscilla Madsen of Madsen Originals is one of my favorites. If you look closely, you can see beautiful birds in each of the embroideries. Priscilla wanted quilting that would emphasize the gorgeous fabric she used for this quilt. Here is a screen shot of the layout that we used:

Each embroidered block has a small stipple, combined with a little bit of stitching following the embroidery to hold the layers together. If you click on each of the pictures, you can see close-ups of the designs that are included in this collection called “Calligraphy Art”. You can also see the back of the quilt, which shows the designs that were placed in the blocks that were not embroidered.

Nine elegant designs, combining the best of applique and embroidery. There are so many possibilities with these designs! Table cloths, napkins, placemats, sweatshirts, quilts, sweaters, cookie tins, gift boxes and tags, pillows…….. These designs were featured in the November/December 2006 issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery Magazine. To order these designs as a collection, click here.  Each design is available as a single, and you can order  here.

Below are actual stitch-outs of the designs — you click click on each image to see a larger picture.

Have your own little piece of the heartland! This collection of six Pennsylvania Dutch motifs looks wonderful on table linens, pillows, curtains, and many other places! Each design fits in a four by four hoop. Click on the pictures for close-up detail of the actual stitch-outs. Click here to order these designs for your embroidery machine! Or, click here to order the designs AND the quilt pattern!

Welcome to our own little island get-away‚ Under the Sea! This collection of eight wonderful sea creatures would love to swim into your life. Each applique fits in a five by seven hoop. To purchase this collection, click here.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Sue Jackson of Sue’s Sew EZ Designs created a pattern “Ribbons and Bows” that is just perfect for the cause. It can be used as a remembrance — or — made in different colors for a totally different look!

Marie made this adorable quilt for Taylor with so much love. She started with the Ribbons and Bows pattern, and took it a step further by changing the color scheme to beautiful shades of blue and teal. This quilt will be hanging in Taylor’s bedroom, and it’s a perfect gift for a wonderful young lady! I asked Marie to tell me a little bit about Taylor, and she said “Taylor will be turning 11 on her birthday in early January. She is in 6th grade and her cheerleading squad is going to regional competition. She is a very classy young lady and I think this quilt just suits her.” I agree! The pretty fabrics that Marie used to make this quilt are very classy, and embroidering her name on it is just the perfect finishing touch!

Most of the patterns used in this quilt are from One Song Needle Arts, including the background section around the bow. I added two layers of polyester batting behind the bow, stitching along the edges, and then trimmed away the excess.

This was done on my regular sewing machine, but I could have just as easily done it on the longarm machine. When this stage is complete, the results can be a bit puffy, as shown in the picture below:

The quilting that happens afterward tames everything down in the surrounding area.

After all of the extra batting was trimmed, I mounted the quilt in the usual manner. All of the borders have special treatments to them, including modifying designs to fit in between the “ribbon” sections. Marie wanted to tell Taylor how much she loves her, so we chose to quilt “I love you” all the way around one of the borders.

I think Taylor will be very happy to receive this quilt!

Click twice on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

The Snowybears are here to have some winter fun with you! Machine embroidery, applique, and a gentle fur texture to their coats! Easy enough for a beginner, and fun for the entire winter! To order these designs, click here.

These five adorable designs are for those with an embroidery machine who love a touch of applique. To order these five designs for a very special price, click here. Click on each design t0 see the full picture. All designs were created for the 5 x 7 hoop, but the tiny turkey will fit in the 4×4 hoop.

All five of our adorable Thanksgiving designs, combined into one collection for you at a special introductory price! To purchase these designs, click here.