My Day for the ME Blog Hop

I thought this day would be forever getting here.   Today is finally my day for the Machine Embroidery Blog Hop hosted by IHAN (I Have A Notion) and sponsored by Anita Goodesign.

                   
This has been a lot of fun planning and making a project to showcase a machine embroidery design.  By the way, machine embroidery is commonly abbreviated as ME.  Now that you know that, I can save a lot of typing.

I chose a package called Asian Quilt for my project. There are 42 designs in the package and each one comes in three sizes.  The smallest is 5.8" square so you need a machine with a large embroidery hoop space.  There are designs that are repeating patterns as well as designs that are traditional Asian elements.  Some of the designs are medallions - I used one of those.

If you haven't skipped this already and gone straight for the pictures, I will show them now.

 I chose to make a wall hanging with these designs.  I used two elements in each section and made four sections.

This has fleece as the batting and is quilted with wavy lines all around the design elements.  I did consider adding some stuffing under the designs like trapunto, but decided it was overkill.  I will happily hang this on my cubicle wall at work to add some color to my space.

Let me show you some closes ups of these designs.

These are designed to mimic traditional Sashiko which is a type of hand embroidery.  Sashiko is done with white thread on dark blue fabric.  Obviously I modernized it a bit.
I hope you notice the two color design on the purple section (the flower and pagoda.)  This is designed to stitch out all one color.  As I watched it stitch, I was hoping the flower would complete before the pagoda started. It did and I quickly hit the stop button on the machine and changed thread colors.
TIP #1 Dont' be afraid to stop the machine and change thread colors. I think it really made this element more interesting.

Then in the green section there is a lotus flower (I think that is what it is.)  I originally sewed that out in a yellow thread. It got lost in the green.  I did NOT unhoop. I simply used the placement control on my machine and "nudged" the design over two "clicks."  I restarted that section with a brown thread. You may not be able to see both colors in the picture but in person that adds depth and a pop factor to the element.
TIP # 2 Learn to use the controls on your machine to your advantage. If I had not tried this I would have been ripping out the stitches.  And if you have never removed ME stitches, take my word - save it for a last resort!

Stabilizer is important when stitching out ME designs.  I used a medium weight tearaway/washaway.  For this project just a tearaway would work, but I usually buy one that will wash away too as it is more versatile.

Since I was using the big hoop on my machine and my stabilizer wasn't wide enough to hoop I had to improvise.  I hooped the fabric first.  Then I used an Elmer's washable glue stick to outline and make an X on the stabilizer and glued it to the back of the fabric. It worked perfectly. It held very well during sewing and yet was easy enough to pull off when I tore away the stabilizer.

Tip #3 Stabilize your work, and remember my glue stick trick.

When I first got the design pack I sewed out a couple of the repeating patterns just to see what they looked like.  I hated to waste good fabric and a nice ME stitch-out, so I made this little zipper pouch.

I love the way this design seems to shift before your eyes.  I think I will use this to store charger cables for my electronic gadgets.

Tip #4 Use those test stitch-outs for another little project.

Did I happen to mention a prize?  There is a prize.  All you have to do is leave a comment.  The winner will get to choose one of the Anita Goodesign Special Edition packs.  I happen to love Oriental Daydream (are you surprised?) and also Garden Gate. there are two different Christmas sets also.  I think there will be a winner from every blog on the hop. (hint hint)
I will use the Random Number Generator to choose a winner on the evening of March 26th. So leave a comment if you have an embroidery machine and want a chance to win.

I am at the end of the line, but you can still go back and visit all the other participants.

Mon, March 18th 
Kelly - I Have A Notion
SewCalGal

Tues, March 19th
Cindy - Sew Cindy
Trish - AllThingsCrafty.com
Wed, March 20th
Marjorie's Quilting Bee
Margaret - The Average Quilter
Thurs, March 21st
Rebecca Grace - Cheeky Cognoscenti
Fri, March 22nd
Gene Black - Alabama Artist
SewCalGal