Monday, September 17, 2012

Carrickmacross lace

A friend is studying the art of Carrickmacross lace.  I had read that this was the technique that was used for the appliqued lace of Kate Middleton's wedding dress. This reminded me that I had made a sample of the technique on the sewing machine many years ago.
The ground is two layers of fine poly netting turned cross grain to each other.  This was a happy accident.  Back in the days when I had a monogram shop, I was working away and was distracted by a piece of netting that I had haphazardly thrown in a chair.  I glanced across the room and saw this sweet floral netting.  I didn't remember buying it.  Well, I didn't buy floral netting - but discovered that by laying two pieces of plain netting cross grain (in 90 degree angles to itself) it was no longer a boring square ground but a tiny floral pattern.
Set up for this method:  The design is drawn on WSS with water erasable pen.  This is placed on top of the netting ground.  Another layer of WSS is underneath  and all are hooped together.  The design is straight stitched free motion.  The cutwork is satin stitched.  While the design is still in the hoop, place it on the item to be appliqued with the motif.  Straight stitch around the edge to secure the motif.  Trim away the excess netting from the top and the background fabric from underneath the motif.  The applique edge is stitched over gimp cord, forming picots of the cording.  A final satin stitch will smooth the edge.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Thumb Drive Fob

We all collect thumb drives. How do you keep track of their content?

I have a friend who puts different colors of ribbon on hers and keeps a notebook with their contents.

I'm fond of little "do dads". Something quick and easy to jar my memory of their content. Some are decorative paper clips - I have found a heart (lesson plans), a foot (delivery scheme maps), and even a guitar (music).  I have a tiny
FSL angel on my thumb drive that fits my embroidery machine.
Can you guess what is on this latest thumb drive with a tatted heart?

**Addendum** I was asked to teach this little heart at Camp Wanna Tat this spring.  I have searched for months for the source of the original heart.  I wasn't even sure if I had personally tatted it  - but it was in my stash of tatted doo-dads.  Well... I wasn't asking the right people. When I showed my lesson sheet to my genius tatting friend, Irene Morgan, and asked if she recognized the pattern - she took a minute - and recalled that Pam Freck was tatting this little heart and called it the "hasty heart".  Now! that I had a pattern name I could do a google search and came up with the original owner!  drumroll.... Barbara Hevener!  and here is a link for her original pattern.
http://www.palmettotatters.org/events/tatdays2008/hearts/patterns/HASTYHEARTBarbaraHevener.pdf

Monday, April 2, 2012

Beginning Silk Ribbon à la Sewing Machine

The basic stitch for Silk Ribbon on the sewing machine is the padded straight stitch. You will use it to make leaves and many of the flowers and butterflies.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Silk Ribbon à la Sewing Machine - How To slide show

This is a slide show of examples and step by step how-to of Silk Ribbon embroidery on the sewing machine. This is a great lesson for those who are new to freemotion embroidery. Notice in the bottom right corner of the video block that you can make the images large enough to fill your computer screen. You can pause the slide show or fast forward or reverse using the slider at the bottom of the video.