Embroidery Library Free machine Embroidery Designs through July 4, 2016

Hey machines embroiderers, Embroidery Library has some really cute ice cream and popsicle designs for free in several sizes each, thrugh July 4, 2016. Each design comes in three sizes and there are four designs which makes 12 designs to download. Remember my mantra? When it is free download it anyhow even if you don't have the ability to sew out that size yet. Maybe someday you will.

Today is also the last day for their June designs and the new July designs are up -- two designs in 5 sizes each. So July designs you can get a total of 22 designs and if you don't have the June ones yet and can download them tonight, you will get 32 designs. How awesome is that??

Want to be able to sew out those bigger size designs? Check out Janome's 500e or 400e at your local dealer or you can buy on line through Amazon. I espeically like the looks of the 400e after studying the manual and that is a someday, maybe machine for me. Currently I use my 300e and it works for me although to be able to embroider out the really big designs would be fun! I found a Clothsetter 10000 at a yard sale the other for a really good price. I haven't had one all this time, but since I am anticipating a large embroidery project, I think it will pay for itself pretty quickly in helping me line designs up. I'm just about done cleaning up my sewing room so I can start getting some new projects going in a bit.

Me and My Sewing Room

For awhile other than to continue sorting out and cleaning up, I haven't gotten much done in my sewing room, then I had the chance to review some items from Amazon that were good 'blanks' for embroidering on. So I have been doing more sewing, but running out of time for posting. I'm not sure how others find time to post so much.

One of the first things that I got to embroider on were these lime green towels that if you are a regular customer you get your pick of colors, but if you are a Vine reviewer you get what you get. Of course I found that the lime green went great with the Project Linus frog quilts that I haven't gotten finished, but I embroidered the frogs from Embrodiery Library and used the lettering in my Janome 300e to write on the other end, Burp Baby Burp. I did this one in blue to go along with the quilt, and the next burp rag will be in pink lettering since the quilt will be more pink. I think I have enough of the frog fabric and coordinates to make at leat two more quilt tops and happy to say I have two more lime green towels too so I can make burp rags to include with those quilts as well! I know when my boys were little they were champion spit-up kings so spare burp rags are always welcome.

In the midst of the sewing I got another addition to my sewing room courtesy the Vine prgram. It is a bedside stand, but as far as I am concerned it is making a great stand to hold my Janome 300e at the proper level. No more stretching my arms up to thread it. Beautiful isn't it?

Then I got this great set of placemats and napkins. I didn't attempt trying to embroider the placemats as they were woven and seemed pretty thick, but I did embroider the napkins. With a niece getting married, it seemed appropriate to embroider their monograms on the napkins using a design that has been built into all Janome embroidery sewing machines since the first 8000. It isn't like I don't have more lettering and wreath styles to enclose them, but as the years have gone by, the software for manipulating designs on the 300e it has become harder and more time consuming to transfer designs to the machine. So I always end up with the default designs. If I had my druthers, I would upgrade, but don't have the finances to do so at this point in my life.

I also got a set of two black butcher aprons. I wasn't real impressed with the weight of the fabric or the construction, but sufficient if you need some colored aprons for a one or two time event. So for the newlyweds I embroidered their name on each apron, the letting again from the 300e and I appliqued the free-hand cut heart on each apron. Not even sure if either cooks but trying out their aprons might inspire them.

I also got in two different sets, one was a set of six purple tea towels and several weeks later a set of purple and white zig zag pot holder and oven mitt. This was great as I got some items that coordinated. This afternoon I embroidered the curvy lines on the towels using my Janome 7700 stitch #149 on the default settings. I used the cloth guide to keep me sewing straight as I didn't want these lines going all over. Some people complain about not being able to draw a straight line, I can't sew a straight line without a little help! I do wish that there was a stitch like this one only more pointy like the zig zags on the pot holder and oven mitt. Maybe some machine have them. Mine don't.

I also tried out Embroidery Library's Wild Rose Spray on one of the towels. These towels really embroidered easily, just be sure to use the right stabilizer behind it. I still have three more of these towels to embroider, but not quite sure what exactly to do with them.

I was just happy to be in my sewing room more than I had been in a very long time. I'm feeling much better than usual. I don't know if it is the Remicade IV I get every six weeks, the warmer summer weather or the fact that I have been cutting out a lot of chocolate out of my diet. Could be all of them or none of them, just happy for each day I feel fairly well. I'm even trying to push myself to take extra steps as much as possible each day. They say with RA it is important to exercise but it is so easy to go too far and end up not being able to move for the next couple of days, so I'm trying to 'sneak' the exercise in! Hey thanks for reading.

My latest on my wish list of machines I would like to have. They also have a new Janome 9400 out but doesn't look like it is currently for sale at Amazon. What can I say, I love sewing machines and the fancier the better. With our current family economics, these are just dreams. I'm fortunate to have a great dealer in my town where I would buy my machines from, Super Stitch in North East, PA, but for those that aren't that fortunate isn't it great to be able to buy something like this on line?

Machine Embroidery Ring Bearer Pillow

I was very excited to have my project featured today on Embroidery Library. It is the ring bearer pillow I made for my son and daughter-in-law back a few years ago. I submitted it to them but because of how many projects they get, it can take awhile to be featured if they pick your item. You can see it at http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/showcase.aspx?page=sh_042916_d . The lace heart that I used to make the pillow is on sale for 50% off today only. Any design that is featured on any day is on sale for that day.

Free Machine Embroidery Designs

Yet again we are happy to tell you about some Free Machine Embroidery Designs that Embroidery Library is giving away this week-end through March 28, 2016. They are three lovely wreath designs and in 5 sizes each, for a total of 5 designs. They also have some new, beautiful spring designs with lots of flowers. Even though we have had a fairly mild winter as winters go, I'm ready to see my daffodils blossom. I've already seen some crocuses in bloom as well as three robins, so as far as I'm concerned spring is definitely here. It was even 73 degrees in town yesterday! We won't talk about the fact that it is currently 32 degrees.

So go to Embroidery Library and get your free designs now and if you haven't picked up your free monthly ones, be sure to do it now.

In other news our local library, McCord Memorial Library had their semi-annual book sale. I hit the jackpot as far as I was concerned and was very glad that my younger son was their to help tote my purchases out. I found stacks of quilting, sewing, and knitting magazines plus quilting books. I paid $29 for what was at least $500+ retail value. On Saturday, which was bag day ($1 per bag of books) I found even more. Yesterday I had to stop into the library to find something and found 12 more magazines for 25 cents a piece. Some might wonder why I needed to buy these as I have plenty of books and quilting magazines already, but I love keeping my brain active and on days when I'm in really bad pain, I can't focus in on reading a regular book, but looking through magazines actually helps get my mind off the pain.

Since I'm slowly changing my focus of what I do in my sewing room to smaller projects that are more easily accomplished, I put a Post-it(R) note on articles that have quilts that would be perfect for Project Linus quilts or making something special for charity fund raisers as I'm able. And I still note any quilt in my colors in a design I like as they speak to me. I know most of the things I will never do, but it is nice to make them in my head. Here is a peek at SOME of what I got. To make things even better I got my latest issue of Stitch magazines, all the way from the UK, with some great but easy looking hand embroidery designs.

Hand Embroidery

If you love hand embroidery, do I have the website for you! Mary Corbet's Needle n' Thread is the ultimate site for hand embroiderers. I just spent an hour looking at her postings on variations of the chain stitch. Not only does she post really clear photos, but post of the variations had videos that were also clear and easy to understand. See the photo for just a sampling you will learn to do and the chain stitch is just a sampling of what is available on her site.

I just posted a new review on my Moonwishes Reads and Reviews blog that should be of interest to those trying to organize a sewing room or are looking for ways to store your 'homemade' pre-cuts. Just click on the link to read the review that I did for Amazon.com.

Dish Towel Decorating

Pop on over to Embroidery Library to see their New Look Book showing great ways to decorate your dish towels with machine embroidery designs. Make some matching potholders, placemats and napkins, etc. and you could have Christmas present al 'sewn' up!

Incredibly Cute Baby Quilts

I love seeing cute ideas and Hatched in Africa's latest newsletter has a wealth of them. from baby quilts to child grow charts and tote bags to haul baby stuff around, I'm sure you will find some great to fantastic, girly sweet to all boy quilts as well. Visit them today to see what they have.

Hatched in Africa has always been very good about giving out freebies, using on Fridays, so be sure to sign up for their newsletter.

Free Fruit Cameos Machine Embroidery Designs

As always, Embroidery Library delights us again with their free machine embroidery designs. This year they will be releasing a new fruit cameo for free every month for the whole year. That will be 12 designs. This month's cherry design comes in 5 sizes. Don't forget even if you don't have a machine that can use all the larger sizes yet, download them while they are free just in case some day you get a machine that can handle the size. Don't forget to sign up for the Embroidery Library newsletter so you know what is on sale and when you can get some freebies.

Don't forget to get this free design during January 2016 (available now) also. It comes in two sizes and is perfect for kitchen towels or aprons.

Happy New Year to all of you! Let's hope we all have plenty of time to be creative and sew this year.

Borders & Motifs

Here is another book review of a great book that I purchased for myself.

Borders & Motifs by Michaela Learner ISBN 9781844489091 Published by Search Press 2014 UK, Printed in China. 96 pages of text with color photographs of completed work and diagrams for color use, plus 32 pages of 84 iron on embroidery transfers. Softcover Book. From the Ready to Stitch Series.

This book has many lovely designs that are classic in that they should be as lovely now as in 20+ years if someone wants to use them. One thing I really did like about this book is that many of the samples were stitched in two ways with different colored threads and different stitches so you can get ideas for how you might want to use the designs themselves. I don't recall ever seeing this in an embroidery book before and I do think I would like to see it more often. The only designs which I'm not sure I personally like, are the ones with fairies in them as they look like a cross between cherubs and fairies. Just a bit strange to me. Please note that in this book there are no fonts to embroider.

One of the designs in this book I have seen the UK magazine Stitch, October/November 2015 Issue 97 page 20 being used as a design on a tote bag. Before purchasing this book, I had already flagged this project as a possibility to do. I could flag just about every design in this book as possibilities to make as well. If only my hands could hold up for the job!

If you like to embroider, are looking for project ideas, or just like to read and look at needlework books, this is a very good embroidery book. Seeing the designs embroidered in two sets of colors and stitches makes it even more likely that you will come up with more ideas of how to use the designs.

Just Listed! Star Dust Christmas Panel Fabric

At your wits end and need some quickie Christmas crafting ideas? I just found this great Christmas panel fabric by VIP fabrics. It has plenty of motifs for use on sweatshirts, totes, aprons, Christmas stockings and anything else you can think up. As usual with these panels the instructions are right there with the fabric. While you can't see it in the photo, the panel has glitter in selected areas of the motif for extra sparkle. You can purchase it here and as always quick shipping with delivery confirmation.

Pillow Party Trunk Show Christmas Edition

Embroidery Library has lots more videos and tutorials so you can get some great ideas and learn how to use all your embroidery designs that you have collected. Don't have a machine that does machine embroider? Many times you can substitute applique, hand embroidery, decorative stitches, ribbons, lace, etc to perk up your projects.

Needing Donations of Embroidery Supplies for Congo Women

Since I started our pattern business, Moonwishes Sewing and Crafts, my heart has gone out to third world women that do not have the resources like we do to improve their lives and have respectable ways of earning a living to support their families. We have been donating 10% of our profits towards helping these women. One of the projects that we help support is one in the Congo, by way of Carma Nelson who has served as a Christian and Missionary Alliance missionary there for many years. While she is no longer assigned to Congo, she still helps coordinate this small project. This is a grass roots project that started maybe 6 years ago that I have helped when I can.

There is a lady in the Congo that is knowledgeable in embroidery who teaches the other women, who then can sell what they make to help support themselves. To help her and her students out, I have been sending packages of embroidery supplies; embroidery floss, embroidery fabric, hoops, needles and books and booklets on embroidery over the past few years.

At this point I’m asking for your help as well if this strikes a chord in your heart as well. The teacher needs more 6-strand cotton thread/floss especially in pinks and browns but any color would help. Also I’m sure that embroidery needles for hand embroidery and embroidery fabric would help, even those little embroidery scissors so each woman can have her own pair for when she works at her own home. If you used to do embroidery and gave up on a project and still have the floss, we can use it. Not sure if you should send a tangled bunch of floss. Sure go ahead. David loves untangling when he is resting as do I. So don’t let things like that go to waste, and you can feel good about recycling and helping others directly. Any embroidery supplies you may have but no longer plan to use are welcome. Put them to work in the hands of women that can earn a living by using them. If you live in the North East, PA area and can drop any donations off at my house, I would appreciate it as would Carma and the ladies in the Congo. If you aren’t close by but would like to help, You can mail me the supplies (please email me at gailete@hotmail.com for my address). Or you can make a donation of cash by way of https://paypal.me/GailRodgers to the project and I will buy the supplies with my trusty shopping helper, Steve. I want to send the parcel to Carma by way of her mother on Monday, November 16, 2015. If you don’t have time to get something out by then, no worries. I constantly collect for this project and then send the supplies when Carma lets me know that we should have transport of them to the Congo. Their mail service can’t be used as it isn’t trustworthy.

This is not an official charity, so I can’t send out receipts for tax purposes. I have found that I like donating to a project where I know every penny or thread strand will get to where it can be used and this is the case here. 100% of all donations will be sent as supplies to the Congo.

Thank you so much for your support for this worthwhile project.

 

 

Gingham Aprons of the '40s & '50s by Judy Florence

This is a copy of a review that I also posted to Amazon. I received this book as a birthday present from my incredibly long Amazon wish list and was very happy to get it.

I enjoyed reading the book very much and loved seeing the many close up photo details although I am stumped in why these aprons look so pristine! I am an apron wearer and I make my own aprons and most of them with use would never make it to a collection of 'Aprons of the 1980's to 2020's'. They are pretty mucked up within a five to ten year span, but then that is the whole point of an apron isn't it? I can see that some of the apron would have been set aside for good, or like my Christmas apron only for certain special occasions.

Most of the aprons in the book were homemade using machines, while some were completely sewn by hand. The worse looking aprons were made in factories and it certainly shows the difference between tender loving care when sewing and seeing just how many you can whip up in a day when being paid via piecework.

While it was nice to see some approximate values on the aprons, you have to remember that the book was published in 2003 and with the plethora of on line selling venues available since that point, those values are most likely highly inaccurate at this point. My favorite thing was seeing how the makers worked all sorts of rick rack into the aprons as well as embroidery and 'Chicken Scratch' embroidery. I have all sorts of vintage rick rack that I have acquired at my local thrift store and it was good to see the different and attractive ways I can use it. It is obvious though, that the ladies of long ago who made these aprons had no access to Pinterest and its many ideas and links to websites that showed some magnificent ways of doing Chicken Scratch embroidery! If they had they would have really gone to town with Chicken Scratch! It seems that the more ideas spread on Pinterest the more people are trying to out do each other.

All together a very interesting book to those that love aprons, embroidery, rick rack, vintage sewing and/or vintage garments. It is about research and study and has no instructions for making any of the aprons although it does reference a few vintage apron patterns as well as embroidery transfer patterns. The author does have a legible photo of a vintage apron pattern instructions in the book and you should be able to follow them if you like since there are no tissue patterns involved and it even includes two different charts for doing counted cross stitch to embellish the apron. For more apron patterns, you should be able to find both current and vintage as well as vintage pattern reprints on sewing pattern selling sites including mine at Moonwishes Sewing and Crafts. Since reading this book, I have put the author's other book; Aprons of the Mid-20th Century: To Serve and Protect (A Schiffer Book for Designers and Collectors)on my Wish List.

A Great Stash and Scrap Quilt Idea

I've never been big on the idea that I have to 'bust' my stash of fabrics. To me my fabric is like money in the bank. I have enough to keep me happily quilting along for many years with only the need to buy thread and batting. So when I see websites for using up scraps  I'm always happy to file those ideas away in my head, especially ones that will use mis-cut fabric that once cut wrong, all you can do generally is make it into a smaller piece and that wastes your precious scraps. So check out this website for a quilt top that makes use of left over strips and 'crumbs'. Visit Quilting is still my Passion for a very interesting idea. While the writer says you can use any color, think about how this would work using leftover juvenile prints for more Project Linus quilt tops. Or if for some reason you have been doing a lot of quilting using the same colors, this would be a great way to make one more quilt in those same colors. Or using all your leftover plaid pieces or leftover dot or stripe pieces. Anything that is a variation on a theme. So while you may have made a bedroom quilt, you may be able to make so pillows or a lap/nap quilt to go along with the room décor but without the having the same designs.

Life has been, shall we say interesting for the past few weeks. Got up a couple of weeks ago to a dead monitor. This is not good when one has an on-line business and generally has to get orders out every morning. At the same time my back-up laptop is slowing dying. Try to go too fast with it, it will freeze up and it is pokier than I am and that is saying a lot. At the same time I had been sent a computer to review -- Yeah me! It is Windows 10. Our Wi-Fi for some reason was going slow as well. You don't pay for satellite speed to get the equivalent of dial up! So hubby had his work cut out for him as he also had his own computer that needed installed and it wasn't Windows 10 compatible. A week and a half later, I'm using my new computer and flat screen monitor, but our Windows office doesn't seem to want to play nice with our older files. Can you imagine the work to reconstruct a database that has over 12000 patterns listed in it along with all listing information? So he is still working on a few things. And trying to keep up blogs, etc. went by the wayside. I always want to be more regular with all three of my blogs, but with poor health and computers demanding vacation time, I can't always get to it like I would like. For that I apologize.

Crafty Christmas Trunk Show

Check out this video to see some great ideas for Christmas Crafting for gifts and decorations.

Embroidery Library Pillow Party Look Book

 

Embroidery Library Pillow Party Look Book

 

 

Embroidery Library does it yet again with a wealth of design ideas. If you are already crafting presents for the holidays for your home or to give as gifts, you will want to look at this Pillow Party Look Book . It not only has an abundant showing of great pillow ideas, you can also find the instructions on how to make each of these pillows. There is no charge for the Look Book or the instructions and if you have been collecting embroidery designs, you might already have some of the designs that you would like to use. Currently a lot of the pillow embroidery designs are on sale with the sale ending today (9-13-15) but the designs won't disappear. You can always find them to buy on Embroidery Library and if price is a factor, Embroidery Library has frequent sales and monthly freebies.

 

 

And folks for those of you that don't know, Janome is coming out with a new embroidery machine, the Memory Craft 500e. The MC500E has a maximum embroidery size of 7.9”x11”! and it comes with 4 embroidery hoops; RE28b 7.9" x 11", SQ20b 7.9" x 7.9", RE20b 5.5" x 7.9" and SQ14b 5.5" x 5.5". Designs are easily imported through a USB and edited through the machine's advanced on-screen editing functions. Navigation through all of these features has become easier with the MC500E’s new LCD color touchscreen. And Yes, I'm drooling! Can't you just imagine embroidering large designs and quilting in one go a 8" X 8" quilt block which is one of my favorite sizes to work with using my 2 x 4 pre-cuts that I make myself. One of these days I would like to make one of these machines mine and this is why I always encourage downloading free embroidery designs that you find even if you don't have the capacity to do it yet. Some day your prince, er. machine will come!.

What's NEW at Moonwishes Sewing and Crafts?

Starting today, August 13, 2015 at Moonwishes Sewing and Crafts, any US buyer that buys 2 or more sewing patterns will be automatically upgraded to Priority Mail. For a long time we have offered buyers of 5 or more patterns paid for will receive Priority Mail shipping, even if you buy 20+ patterns there will be no increase in shipping costs than the rate as if for 5 patterns. Now we are happy to give a upgrade in shipping to those customers buying 2-4 patterns. We appreciate your business and want you to come back and shop some more and tell your friends about us! Always fast shipping and a huge selection of over 8000 uncut sewing patterns. While the timing between First Class Mail and Priority Mail may not be huge and in some cases, there may be no time difference, we know that the sooner you get your patterns, the faster you can start your project before you lose your enthusiasm for doing it, thus perhaps less UFO piles!

If you have any questions about this new policy please ask. We wish we could do it for our international customers but with the increased costs of shipping that go up by several dollars per OUNCE, we just can't afford to do so. Currently we are helping subsidize the shipping costs for many international shipments when a pattern is extra heavy.

Embroidery Library YouTube Videos

If you are a visual learner, Embroidery Library now has a YouTube library of videos that you can use to learn how to do different projects with your machine embroidery designs, or how to embroider out special designs like free standing lace. You can see the list here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfWcXk2p7YgIJTdURASrBmg

Crafting Project Planning

One of the things that has gotten the hardest for me as rheumatoid arthritis keeps sucking up my stamina, is how to stay involved in the needle crafts that I enjoy. I do read much more about sewing, quilting, embroider, etc. than I used to but that doesn't give me the hand joy of working on something. As I see more and more Pinterest pins with all sorts of new ideas, I want to do more and more. Then I realize that I can't finish large projects. So a couple of weeks ago I chased down the directions for quilting as you go hexagons when I found this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbK09aT9mJ8 While watching it, a light bulb went off in my head. What about making large hexagons with a different technique on each of them? I could try all the different techniques that I want to try, without committing myself to anything more than one ~4" hexagon. When I have enough made, I will be able to hand sew them together and I will have a sampler Hexagon quilt. This way a lot of the work on them will be taking place on my couch while watching TV of sitting propping up my legs which I can't do in my sewing room.



So for my first hexagon for this project, I did hand embroidery onto a doily which was another project idea I had seen on Pinterest from this blog: Ernest Hope. While these lovely pillows were for sale with no instructions for making them, I figured that they wouldn't be to hard to replicate. So my thrift store came to the rescue and supplied me with an old white bed sheet to use for a foundation backing ($1) for the hexagon and a small doily (10 cents!) that would fit into the hexagon size I had decided on. I already had plenty of embroidery floss, so used DMC Variegated floss 4215 that ranged from a mid-blue color to light purple and back. I used three strands of thread in the needle, but I think with such a heavyweight crochet cotton in the doily, I might have gone up a bit on that. I did find out some of the doily makers' 'oops' moments, but just went with the flow. I didn't even have an embroidery plan when I started out, but when I got to the end I decided it needed a little bit of something else, so I added French knots around the edges of the doily. For my first attempt at this with no instructions, I think it came out pretty well. What do you think?

 I'm calling this hexagon, Hexagon Sampler quilt #1. I'm working on #2 which is smaller hexagons that I'm sewing into three rounds and will applique it onto the backing. Since I discovered that hexagons are actually easy to make, I been making a lot of them with no final use for them in mind, so I was happy that I was able to find pre-made hexagons in the size and prints that I wanted. I'll be posting it when finished, although I don't give myself deadlines any more. The nice thing is I got the desire to make a larger project off embroidering on doilies out of my system and so can move onto other ideas that I have in my head thanks to Pinterest.

My take on all of this is if you want to do something, break it into small pieces and work on it little by little. Since I have started working on this project, I have gotten more ideas and am looking forward to trying them out.