Category Archives: Holiday Projects

FREE Peekaboo Pumpkin Treat Bag

Posted on October 16, 2018 | 5 comments

 

Now here is a quick, easy and fun fall project for you.  Since orange gourd designs are appropriate through Thanksgiving, you can stitch up a whole pumpkin patch of these to share. Even without an embroidery machine, you could trace a pumpkin and stitch the entire project on your sewing machine.

A detailed photo tutorial and the free design in 4×4 a d 5×7 are available at Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial. You can be very creative with this little pumpkin, using various colors of felt, burlap or even a sturdy fabric.

I especially liked using my Brother P-touch Embellish ribbon and tape printer  to print BOO! for the black pumpkin tie.

black love the imprinted ribbon

 

There are so many great projects posted at Stitching Sewcial, like Angela Wolf’s lovely burlap jar covers embellished with Scan ‘n Cut letters FALL.

 

 

Having recently purchased a Scan ‘n Cut I was especially interested in this project.  Check out Angela’s post and her tutorial here.  I just love the long fringe at the top and bottom of the jars.

And here is another fall project from Joanne Banko, Fall Wreath–a great post, great project, great tutorial with a great free sunflower swag design.

 

Happy Fall to you all!  Enjoy stitching for this colorful season.

 

 

 

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Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, free patterns and designs, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, party accessories and ideas, Tutorials

From Sea to Shining Sea

Posted on June 29, 2018 | 4 comments

My latest blog post at Brother’s Stitching Sewcial is up, named From Sea to Shining Sea.

Yes, the embroidery design Born in the USA  is crooked and I just now noticed!!!!!  Oh, dear, I was so focused on the concept of “sea to shining sea” –from the Statue of Liberty in NY to the Golden Gate Bridge to the Lone Star State of Texas,–that I was oblivious to the skewing. Sigh….

Anyway, the design is darling and so appropriate for Independence Day. There is plenty of time to whip this up before the celebratory parades, picnics and pyrotechnics.

With white shorts embroidered with a starburst, a child is a walking, talking poster for patriotism. I just love this.

A detailed tutorial and more photos are posted at Stitching Sewcial.

Have you stitched any July 4th outfits for the little ones in your life?

And now for the requisite disclaimer: I am a paid sewing expert/consultant for Brother. And I love it.

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Posted in boys, Disney, Disney projects, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Happy St. Pat’s Day

Posted on March 17, 2018 | Leave a comment

St. Patrick’s Day outfit for Vivian Rose

I couldn’t let St.Patrick’s Day go by without a fun little outfit for 5 yo granddaughter Vivian Rose. This isn’t the traditional “wearin’ o’ the green,” but it combines her favorite color, purple, with her favorite fabric print “rainbow.” So I thought it would do.

It was given to her at Alastair’s birthday party.

Earlier, she had lamented to her mother that Alastair had a party in a few days and her birthday wouldn’t be for sooooo long (January).  Rebecca replied, “But you will have fun at Alastair’s party.” Vivi boo-hooed, “but I won’t get to open the presents and they won’t be for me!” I thought this little outfit might help assuage her grief.

She doesn’t look very sad now.

I hope you all have a great St.Patricks’s Day. We’re enjoying a quiet day at home. My hard working husband was hard at work early on, then rushed in for a quick shower. Now he is parked in front of the tv, simultaneously watching baseball and March Madness. He deserves to relax. So..

And I am off to the sewing room. YEAH! I’ll be listening to some Irish classics like this.

https://www.facebook.com/PeterHollensMusic/videos/1431323636919962/

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Posted in girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Valentine Towel for Coach

Posted on February 20, 2018 | 9 comments

This is Joy, my bubbly, enthusiastic, encouraging exercise coach at the Herbalife Nutrition Club in downtown DeLand. When asked about her plans for upcoming Valentine’s Day, which fell on a day of our regular exercise class, Joy said that her guy, (a nurse) was working a double shift that day. So the only celebration would be with her children.

This little tea towel certainly is no substitute for wine, roses, chocolate, and the man in her life, but it was a small reminder that others love and appreciate her.

heart balloons from Zundt designs towel from All About Blanks

Continue reading →

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Posted in embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, kitchen, machine embroidery

Valentine Free Fil Tire’ Heart

Posted on February 5, 2018 | 158 comments

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I am again offering this free fil tire’ heart design. There are many new readers who might enjoy this and some older readers who might have missed it. The design is so suitable for this holiday celebrating love. And what says love better than a heart?

I so appreciate the support and encouragement you dear readers have given me through the years. For the some time now I have been extraordinarily busy and posts have been few and far between. And yet you still stop by to read my infrequent chats. I thank you for that.

For this day celebrating love, I am offering this free machine embroidered fil tire’ heart, along with wishes for love each day. Just leave your request for the design as a comment at the bottom of this post.
 Continue reading →

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Posted in free patterns and designs, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

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Christmas Cat Dress

Posted on December 22, 2017 | 10 comments

CC Lucy embroidered with a darling cat Christmas tree from Apex Embroidery

It’s rush, rush, rush around here and, except for you amazingly organized ladies, I expect we are all scurrying around with Christmas preparations.

This season has been especially busy for me as I am working on an heirloom project for Brother’s Stitching Sewcial blog. Hurrah! But I only had time to make a simple CC Lucy Christmas dress for 4 yo Vivian Rose. And of course, a matching bow tie for big brother Alastair.

I was tickled pink to find the cat Christmas tree in the huge and wonderful Apex Embroidery catalogue.  Of course, cat-lover Vivian was delighted when the package arrived. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Thanksgiving Table Runner

Posted on December 4, 2017 | Leave a comment

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is over but life has been hectic around here. I’m waaaaay behind! But this could easily be made as a Christmas runner. Keep that in mind.

This table runner was made for Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial.  It included two of my favorite sewing techniques, hemstitching and machine embroidery. A detailed photo tutorial is posted here http://blog.brothersews.com/home-decor/thanksgiving-table-runner/

The hem of the pale sage linen was mitred and then hemstitched. I just love hemstitching. It gives such an elegant finish to just about anything. My Brother Dream Machine (and all of my earlier Brother machines) executes this technique flawlessly. This linen was fairly heavy so I used a large wing needle.

The embroidery design from ibroidery.com is so nice for the end of a runner. Only the colors gave it an autumn look and it stitches out perfectly. With other color and different seasonal text it could used again and again.

The opposite end read Thankful.

The companion embroidery was mirrored along the outer edges of the center, leaving room for a center piece.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Holiday Projects, home dec, machine embroidery

Christmas Quilt–Disney Stippled

Posted on November 20, 2017 | 4 comments

Surely you know that Christmas is just around the corner. In anticipation of the holiday and all the joy that goes with it, this quilt was made. Quilting, machine embroidery, and stippling combined to make a quilt with which I was almost entirely pleased. I regretted running out of time before I quilted the green gingham squares along the edges and they waffled.

As a “Brother paid expert consultant”, my assignment was to use the new Disney Mickey and Friends Christmas designs in a Dream Machine project. As you can see, I chose to make a quilt.

Detailed and photo illustrated instructions are posted here at Stitching Sewcial.

Six of the new Disney designs were chosen, each of which would fit in the 4×4 frame. For the other blocks mini designs were chosen so as not to compete with the new Mickey and Friends Christmas embroideries.

This is the center block, stippled and in place.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Disney, Disney projects, Holiday Projects, home dec, machine embroidery, quilts

Two-Holiday Reversible Jumper

Posted on November 3, 2017 | 1 comment

Same garment, two holidays. The Halloween jumper reversed to become a Thanksgiving jumper. Sorry, but the orange gingham hem on the Halloween dress does not show up well.

Have you ever heard anyone say that they have too much time to sew? We all seem to have more projects in the queue than time will allow. Here’s a tip–sew a reversible two holiday garment such as this. It’s like a BOGO–buy one get one free.

Black pique fabric is trimmed with an orange gingham scalloped hemline. It is trimmed with purple spaghetti bias and an orange button at the peak of each scallop.

The reversible jumper is a project I did for Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial. There you will find step-by-step instructions for this slick technique which I first learned from guru Louise Baird’s excellent directions in Applique, Martha’s Favorites. Only 4″ of handsewing is required for the entire garment!

This book includes a pattern for a nearly identical jumper as well as a boy’s Jon-Jon.

The Halloween scalloped hemline border was simply sewn with raw edges to the black pique’ dress. The top edge is covered with purple spaghetti bias and an orange button at each peak. The bottom raw edge is later enclosed in the seam which joins the two garments. Continue reading →

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Posted in free patterns and designs, girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Halloween Dreaming

Posted on October 20, 2017 | 8 comments

My grandchildren love holiday pillowcases. This set was made for 4 yo Vivian Rose, who loves cats. I knew she would appreciate the addition of the witch cat to the Happy Halloween design. Both designs are from the delightful ADP 89 Patrick Lose Happy Halloween collection.

Though her family pet is an 18 yo Ragdoll cat who does little but sleep the day away, this child has an unusual and firm fixation on felines. Last year at Thanksgiving, as always, each family member at the table offered thanks for those things for which they were most grateful. Three year old Vivian said, “Kittens.”When asked was there anything else, she said, “Cats.” pressed further, her 3rd and last reply was, “Big cats. More more turkey please.”

Along with the pillowcases, I included a sweet birthday card with three adorable kittens. The card was modified to read “Happy Birthday Halloween.”

She loved her new pillowcases but I think the cat card pleased her more.

Here she is wearing her signature bedtime fashion, nestled in the pillows and holding her cat card.

The sleepwear is from her future Vivian’s Secret fashion line. And yet I continue to smock and sew heirloom clothes for her, hoping for a change in her personal style choices.

There is so much puckering in the embroidery! Every time I embroider on polycotton, regardless of how much starch and stabilizer I use, it puckers. Do you have any suggestions?

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Posted in Holiday Projects, machine embroidery