Zippered Wristlets Made with the Embroidery Machine

Over the summer my daughter lived in the dorms during a ballet intensive out of town and I was prompted to make a few things to make life a bit more convenient. I wanted something specifically helpful for trudging down to the laundry room in her building.  I found that the Embroidery Garden In The Hoop Wristlet Set, made in the 5x7 size, is the perfect size for quarters for the machines.  I made a couple because they were so quick and super handy to have.

"In the hoop" refers to 3D finished items made entirely (or mostly) in the embroidery machine.  This is a fully lined pouch and even the zipper is installed in the embroidery machine. (A nylon zipper must be used (never metal) for in the hoop (ITH) projects because the embroidery machine will be sewing over the zipper.)  I took a class with Reen, the owner of Embroidery Garden a few years ago when she came to town.  Her great tip for ITH projects, that differ from her own printed instructions, is to hoop no show poly mesh (cutaway stabilizer) instead of the prescribed tear away.  The no show poly mesh is so soft that it can stay in the project with a window cut out behind the zipper.  (Cutting out behind the zipper is a must in order to turn the bag when completed!)

For this project, the strap was made on a regular sewing machine, however, using modified instructions that are included with the file instructions.

I preferred these without the flower embellishment or the decorative quilting on the file, but I did still use a cotton batting to give it a little structure.

The second one I made was embellished with a file my daughter picked out from Frublomgren on Etsy.  Her fantastic hipster bunnies get the rare distinction of being the ONLY design in my collection of thousands that my 15-year-old liked!

We decided to remove the bubble with PEACE from the original design.  When I edited it out, I also lost part of the circle applique with blanket stitching behind the bunnies.  I wanted that background so my little bunnies wouldn't get lost in the printed base fabric of the zipper bag, so I went on and edited out the circle background too with my Embrilliance software (Essentials module's tools) and then used the Embrilliance Stitch Artist module's tools to digitize a new circle applique with a blanket stitch edging.  Using the shapes library made it a cinch to do!

I used a swivel lanyard claw hook on the strap to finish, a slight modification to the Embroidery Garden instructions.  The strap can be unclipped to be used as a wrist fob for keys.

Quick Links to Blog Mentions:

• Embroidery Garden Wristlet Set (this is a digital embroidery file)
• No show poly mesh cutaway stabilizer
• Hipster Bunny Design by FruBlomgren on Etsy
• Embrilliance Embroidery Software

To see my other embroidery projects and links to tutorials and resources, check out my Machine Embroidery Gallery.  Paper projects can be found in my Paper Gallery.  Soaping recipes can be found in my Soapmakers Gallery.  

Monogrammed Straw Hat

We went to Sarasota, Florida for a spring break trip for work and I was struck by all the ladies who wore their pretty straw hats while shopping at St. Armand's Circle.  I knew I wanted my own before we went back to Sarasota.  I have done ball caps before so that was my previous hat experience, and I do have a tutorial on that on this blog that you can visit by clicking here, but following are my notes on embroidering on a straw hat.

As luck would have it, I found this sweet and simple straw hat at Walmart for just under $9.  I used my Embrilliance Essentials software to type in a font from Eight Paws and a Claw called Infinity at 3". This is a BX font.  In my Embrilliance software, I have the ability to adjust density, which I accessed by selecting the object, clicking on the stitch tab in the Properties Box, and sliding the satin density lever.  I wanted to add to the density since this font was not digitized for foam.  I have not done much in the way of experimenting here so if you have insights, I would love to see your notes!  I stayed a bit conservative on my adjustment just to keep it from getting crazy.  I moved the slider to 11%.  I knew my foam would match my thread exactly since I was using black, so I had a lot of margin for error! If I had been using a different color, I might have been more inclined to test this before stitching on my hat.

I printed off my monogram to see if the size looked right.

I hooped tearaway in my 5x7 hoop, extended the cross-hairs on my printout, and aligned the cross-hairs on my design with those on my stabilizer.  I taped it in place.

I use the thumbtack method to place my project so that the exact center of what will be my embroidery design is in the exact center of the hoop, instead of moving my needle to the center. I place three thumbtacks from the back, through the stabilizer and the paper print out.  I pick places that will be covered in stitches so that no holes would remain!

 I used a pen to circle the pin holes, just to make them easier to see.

I remove my paper print out, leaving behind the thumbtacks.

I pin my paper print out to my hat, making sure to align the vertical crosshair with the center back of the brim.

Then I place the hat and print out on the hooped stabilizer, carefully making sure that the thumbtacks go back in the EXACT holes that were made previously in the paper.  This is the key to the whole thing.

I pin the hat in place and remove the paper print out AND THE THUMBTACKS.  I squish the crown of the hat to get it (and the bow) out of the way of the embroidery machine.  I want my pins out of the way too so the needle won't chance a meeting with them!

I cut two pieces of 2mm embroidery foam a little bigger than my template.  SPECIAL NOTE:  I have thought this was just craft foam ever since I received it from World Weidner.  I said that in the cap tutorial as well.  It looked like craft foam just like the kind I have gotten at Walmart in the craft department.  There is a part of me that still wonders if it is simply craft foam because it is so much less expensive than the Sulky brand foam, but the company promotes it as "embroidery foam".  Kyla McCrary, so knowledgable and from one of the embroidery Facebook groups, has clued me in that regular craft foam is not good for embroidery machines.  For this reason, I have to alter my notes here to suggest that, washing or not, I will be using embroidery foam in the future and investigating from World Weidner if their product is as stated or simply just craft foam.

I let the machine stitch out the design.

I trim any jump stitches and then peel off the foam.

The tweezers help for little pieces. I tear off the tear away, making sure to get all the little bits.  This is the reason I didn't use spray textile adhesive.  Although the wrong side of the stitching is hidden by my neck, I want the back as clean as possible just for neatness.

Now...this is where I have to tell you something.  You may have noticed in my baseball cap tutorial that I used the tip of my iron to melt away an little raggedy bits of foam.  Well...and this is the confession part of this post, I got a clever idea to use my Plaid 2-in-1 Wood Burner so I could easily pinpoint just the edges and bits.  Apparently this tool heats roughly to the temperature of molten lava.  It melted my polyester thread a bit.  You can't see it by looking but there *might* have been a little smoking and I can feel it!  It didn't seem to ruin my hat at all, but DON'T DO THIS (said in my firmest parental voice).  I won't be doing it again. Next time, I will go back to using the iron (or more likely, I will keep my eyes peeled for something similar with a heat control).

Despite that, I love how this finished up!

List of links and resources from this post:

• My baseball cap tutorial on this blog:  click here.
• Floppy hat with bow from Walmart (I got mine at the store):  click here.
• Embrilliance Essentials embroidery software:  click here.
• Embroidery foam from World Weidner (this is what I used but until I find out if it is true embroidery foam, I will be using Sulky brand foam from here on out):  click here for the World Weidner.  Sulky makes verified embroidery foam.  
• Infinity font by 8 Claws and a Paw (website is no longer available but they are on Etsy)
• I used polyester thread by Metro and tear away from World Weidner.  I used an Organ titanium embroidery needle (size 75/11 sharp).  
• I got the idea for what I call "The Thumbtack Method" from a class I took on Craftsy by Lisa Shaw called Big Embroidery with a Small Hoop.  I highly recommend this class.  She uses this method for aligning designs but it took it past that and now I use this method most of the time for centering my projects on my hoop. She recently blogged about this if you are not quite ready for a class but are hungry for a little more: click here.

Thank you for checking my post today.  To see all my embroidery projects with my notes, my resources, links to videos, and other handy embroidery info, check out my Embroidery page on my blog or click here.

Digitizing a Custom Snap Tab Key Fob with Stitch Artist

I received Embrilliance Stitch Artist earlier this month and have been learning some of the many features by watching videos. The first project that I have figured out myself and have shared on the embroidery Facebook groups is a custom snap tab design.  After posting it, I was asked by stitchers on two groups how I did certain parts so I am sharing all my notes here.  This photo tutorial explains how I use True Type Fonts with bean stitching to create snap-tab-style key fobs and tags.  Near the end, I also share my notes on doing this with a purchased font.   I highly recommend watching the BriTonLeap (official Embrilliance YouTube) videos on the Stitch Artist playlist before doing this. They are very helpful for explaining so many of the basic controls and features.

I will preface this whole tutorial by saying that I am really, really new to Stitch Artist and these are just my notes on what I have figured out.  There are most probably better ways to achieve this, but as a newbie, this is what I have to share.  I highly suggest being familiar with your embroidery machine and having had the experience of stitching out professionally-designed snap tabs before doing your own because it helps to know what the normal, standard snap tab design is all about.  Free ones are available on Facebook pages for Buggalena and Bean Stitchers.  I have links to my materials and any sites I reference at the bottom of this post.

I start by opening Stitch Artist in Embrilliance.

I originally drew a tab shape with points after measuring my hardware so that I had a shape that was 2" by 5/8", but I soon realized that the easiest way to duplicate this project with a set "tab" top was by saving an image that I could trace each time.  I took a screen shot and saved it.   (If you don't know how to do a screenshot, you can learn how to do that on a PC by clicking here to access a post I did that includes that info.)

With this saved, I can then select the image button to bring the picture to the virtual mat and have my own standard size that fits my hardware every time.    

I find my image that I have saved and click open.  This will just give me something to trace easily.

The captured image appears on the virtual mat.

I size it by grabbing the lower right sizing handle and I drag it diagonally until it is 2" tall. That handle will enlarge both the height and width proportionately.  This will make a tab that is 2" x 5/8".  (After it is stitched and trimmed, it will be 3/4" which is the size of the inside dimension of my 1" swivel clips that I will be snapping these around.  The tab can be sized to anything.  For instance, I will be making them larger for luggage tags in the future!)

Next,  I add text.  I click the Add True Type Art button.  This allows me to choose any font on my computer to make a name.  (There are other ways to add lettering but this is how I did it for this example).  I can always add new system fonts by going to sites like Dafont and installing them.  (If you need info on how to do that, you can click here for instruction from a post I did related to paper crafting.)

The TrueType Art box opens.  I type in a name and select a font.  I hit OK...

And the name appears on the screen as an outline.  I size using the handles and rotate.  (The blue dot allows for rotation).  I move the name to the right location using the picture of the tab as a reference. 

I fill the TrueType artwork using the Satin Column button.  

The letters are filled automatically but I can still adjust the satin column stitching and the outline as I want.  In this case, I did not.

The dotted red lines show me the jump stitches that will happen upon stitch-out.  I click on the first letter to see the red and green bowtie icons.  The green bowtie will be where the machine will start stitching this letter.  The red bowtie is where the stitching will end.  I move the bowties so that the end of one letter's stitch-out is very near where the next letter's stitch-out will begin.  

I have moved the green bowtie to where I want the stitching to start for the name.  The red is where that letter will stop stitching.

I can see that I will want to move the start of the letter 'a' near the end of the letter 'C' to shorten that jump stitch.

I can see that the line (now black) between the 'C' and the 'a' is short.  I can see that the 'r' needs to have its start and stop changed too.

I continue this for each letter all the way to the end of the name.

After I change all the letters' stop and start points the way that I want them, I work on the outline of the name and tab.  I click on the Draw With Points button.

I begin to trace my drawing of the tab.  I start at the botton and use the control key as needed to make straight lines or curved lines.  Whenever I make an error, I use my keyboard's backspace button to remove the last point or points.  Once the tab is drawn with points, I start outlining the letters of the name, leaving a little space.

Once I travel all around the name and am close to the point where I started....

I click the Close-Open Outline button.

And now my name and tab are outlined by a closed shape.

I no longer need that picture of the tab so I look over at the Objects window to the right...

And click on the word 'Design'.  This only selects the picture, not the outline I just drew.

I click the delete button on my keyboard and the design picture is removed.  I am left with just the stitching of the letters and the drawn outline.

I can click on the outline if I see something that needs an adjustment and move the line by moving the points.

Next, I change my drawn outline to a stiched line by clicking the Run button.

Ta-da!

I click the Run tab on the Properties box to get options for my run.  Next to the top Type, I select:  Bean.  For length, I chose: 3.2mm.  For the second Type field, I choose "3-passes." 

At this point, I have letters that will stitch and an outline, but I want to make a fabric placement line. I do that by adding a basting box.  I click Utility then "Baste Design" (NOT Baste Hoop).  

Embrilliance automatically makes this the first stitched out element.  It is only temporary, meant to use to hold the fabric in place.  

Next, I think about that bean stitch and where I want to start and stop the stitching.  I don't like it when the stitching starts and stops on the tab.  Somehow it tends to "show" to me.  I like it near the bottom.  Since the lettering will also end near the bottom, it makes sense to use it for a starting place.

This is where I have moved the start and stop bowties.

I look at a virtual stitch-out to check my work.

I am happy with this. Note: this design is in two colors even though I will be stitching in only one color because I want the stitching to stop so I can place a piece of vinyl under my hoop before the bean stitch is done.

I save and print it.  (I like a print out to use at the embroidery machine.) I move the file to my machine and stitch out the basting box and lettering.  (I hoop black tear-away and plan to float the vinyl I am using for the top of my snap tabs.  I am using black vinyl for my finished back).  

I only have planned for one basting box in my file.  I know where my fabric will be placed on the hoop based on the print out but I can stitch the basting box to use as a fabric placement on the stabilizer and then stitch it again to hold the fabric in place by manually doing that on my machine if I want to.  I allow the lettering to stitch out.  I remove the hoop from the machine....

I use a textile spray and tape to put a second piece of vinyl on the back of the hoop to cover the back of the stitches.

I place the hoop back in the machine and allow the bean stitch to stitch out.  Once complete, I remove the basting box.  This is the front.

This is the back.

I trim around the bean stitch and add a Kam snap and hardware.

For info on how to apply a Kam snap, click here.

I wanted to try a snap tab with a purchased font too.  I have tons of those and choose Stitchtopia Mayah.  Again, I bring in the image of the tab top.  Then I click the Create Letters and type in the name.  Stitchtopia has .bx files for all of the fonts they sell so it is very easy to make this name.  I adjusted the letters so that they were touching like script.  

The kids in our family call my mom Gaga.  

I follow the steps above to create an outline, remove the image, and add a design basting box.  I made the length of the bean stitch on this as 4mm, just to experiment.

My stitch-out made me think of the options for using this technique for making custom luggage tags. 

To explain this outlining bean stitch, this was also a 3-pass bean stitch, but I stitched it before adding my vinyl backing so I re-stitched it after the backing was placed.  

I hope these notes are helpful to you!

Links to products and information shared on this post:

• Embrilliance Stitch Artist:  click here.
• BriTonLeap (Embrilliance official Youtube channel) Stitch Artist video playlist:  click here.
• Dafont site for free fonts to add to your computer:  click here.
• Marine and glitter vinyl, metal swivel lobster claw clasps, and Kam Snap source (MikriWorld):  click here.
• Kam Snap installation video:  click here.
• Black tear away and black pre-wound bobbins (World Weidner):  click here.
• Stitchtopia Mayah font:  click here.
• Buggalena closed Facebook page for free designs in their files:  click here.  Buggalena also has a website with great designs to purchase:  click here.
• Bean Stitchers closed Facebook page for free designs in their files:  click here.  The Bean Stitch also has a website with great designs to purchase:  click here.

Name snap tab that I created with Stitch Artist and a ballet snap tab from a file I purchased from The Bean Stitch.

Thank you for checking my blog post today.  For all of my notes on machine embroidery and Embrilliance, links to my resources, and photo links to my previous embroidery-related projects, check out my Embrilliance and Embroidery page at the tab at the top of the blog or click here.  For my paper projects, check out my Paper Project Gallery or click here.