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Showing posts from July, 2014

Longchamp Monogram Bag

I love my embroidery machine, it is a Brother PE 770  and it is perfect for all of my projects. In the picture below, I am monogramming a Longchamp style bag. With the new Essentials software , it is simple to save my personal monogram as a embroidery file with basting stitch. Once the embroidery machine is loaded with the correct stitch file from Embrillance, Essentials, I line everything up and set it to work.  This bag is made from nylon and it's texture is silky smooth. This is not a real Longchamp bag, I just can't swing a $150-$200 bag on a teacher budget but it is very nice.  For instance, we were caught in the rain at church, I mean torrential downpour , and this bag is waterproof. I wiped the water right off and it was like the rain never happened. I looked like a drowned rat but my bag looked great!  As you can see my machine stitched this up for me in a matter of minutes. I used a polyester thread that had the same silky shine to it. These bags come in all

How to Monogram a Casserole Carrier

These casserole carriers are so cute but how do you embroider the handle, if you only have single needle machine and the handle on the carrier doesn't open up? Most of these carriers have a single handle that is stitched to the zipper seam. I am going to show you how easy it is to embroider the handle even if you have a single needle machine.  You can find carriers like this one at Carolina Pottery, Ross, Tuesday Mornings or Home Goods. To find them online go to Sew For Less , All About Blanks  (These carriers are easier to embroider on b/c the handles detach.) and the Coral Coast  (She sells the blanks too). I found this one on sell because the white was marked up. (Which a mixture of peroxide and dawn took care of.) Originally marked $12.99, it was a red ticket item so we got it for 1/2 off, $6.50. Step 1: Open up the zipper seam that has one side of the handle inclosed in, it is topstitched and there is binding holding all of the layers of fabric together so open it ca

Mac Embroidery Software!!!

Embrillance If you are looking for embroidery software that will resize, adjust and combine designs together. Look no further! Embrillance Essentials does all of that and more. For the first time, I was able to use my Mac to create embroidery designs for my Brother PE-770 embroidery machine. The PC I was using in the past was so old that I was afraid it might not even turn on at all. Embroidery was the only reason I kept the old PC. Now I am confident that my Embrillance Essential software will work on my much faster Mac machine. Maybe I can get rid of the old PC machine for good. If you are a PC user you can download the PC version. Organizing I use Dropbox to organize all of my embroidery files. This is a great and easy way to save all of your embroidery files. Not to mention all the time you will save searching for files. You can also access them anywhere. When you open a design file in Embrillance you can view it first and then open it in the program. I love how

New Job!

Sorry, I didn't post anything all week but my husband and I received new teaching jobs at the same school. We are so excited to start another adventure together. I will still post here about sewing, embroidery and crafts but I just wanted our readers to know we got a little sidetracked this week and for a good reason new jobs! During the day, I am a music teacher. I love teaching children and showing them how to express themselves through music. At night, I am a seamstress. Teaching all ages and skill levels about sewing. As if getting a new music teacher job isn't enough! You can find the Tailgate Teammate Tote available through Simplicity patterns!!! The Simplicity numbers are 1338 and S0634 on display. I love the cover. In the paper pattern you will receive the Tailgate Teammate Tote in 3 different sizes as well as a backpack and coin purse with key fob. Go Tailgate Teammate Tote! It made it on the cover of the accessory section!! Thank you for reading Sew Spoi

What is interfacing?

If your bag was a person, interfacing would be it's bone structure. Interfacing helps your bag stand up so it is not a puddle on the floor if you put it down. There are many different kinds of interfacing and it can be challenging to know what interfacing is best to use for each project. One rule of thumb is if the project is small use a thinner or light weight interfacing, like Pellon 808 or 809. If you bag is larger you will need a thicker interfacing, like Pellon fusible fleece. Another helpful tip is to read the project instructions carefully. Most projects will instruct you with the best interfacing suggestion. However, depending on where you live different interfacings are available in different places. Amy Butler created this wonderful International Interfacing chart to help find the right interfacing no matter where you live. Last but not least. If your interfacing needs heat to fuse together with your main fabric, make sure you iron it on according to the instructions.

Bag Anatomy 101

Simple tote is made up of these pieces... Exterior Exterior Fabric (sometimes called outer shell, focus fabric or main fabric) Interior Interior Fabric (sometimes called lining) Pockets Pockets (slip, gathered or zipper) Handles Handles Closure magnet clasp (is my favorite) , button or ribbon (Later zippers) Skills to know or learn along the way : Straight stitch, topstitching, making handles, slip pockets, bag flipping. This is the easiest bag to make is here,  Sew Spoiled: Market Bag Tutorial with Cloud 9 Fabric . It has no lining, interior pockets or closure to worry about. You will make handles and a simple bag shape. Enjoy!

What fabrics make great bags?

Sew Spoiled Wave Shoulder Bag It is always hard to find the perfect fabric for a project. It can especially be hard for bag makers because we want a fabric that looks great but can be worn with everyday clothes. Lately, more of my wardrobe has been more colorful, with prints and designs that do not work with a flowery fabric bag.  When looking around the web or Pinterest you might notice that most models of online shops are wearing solid color, leather handbags with their latest spring collections. So what should you do?  Tailgate Teammate Tote My suggestion is to find prints that are not as busy or work with fabric like canvas, linen or duck cloth. If you use a neutral color fabric you can add the colorful prints as the bags accents, lining or accessories (like fabric flowers, buttons, etc.). It is possible to also sew leather but if you are new to sewing I would start with cotton fabric first.  Ladybug Shoulder Bag So here are my suggestions... Start with a cot