Monthly Archive for March, 2009

Did you know & Retreat photos

Published on March 29, 2009, there are 9 Comments

I’ve been playing with the 4D Embroidery software (so what else is new).  I discovered an item about saving I didn’t consciously realize.   I was working on some designs and creating blocks.  I save my work often to ensure I don’t loose my work and to be able to review different creations to use for classes.

When I click save, the software does an automatic combine.  I had never noticed this feature.  It’s nice that the software does not sent an annoying error or warning message.  But there are consideration. Now its easy enough to click undo and break the design apart again.  But not if you have sent the design to the machine or saved it for later.

Often I’ll have components sitting on my work area to bring in a bit later. If I do a save they will be part of the design.  Perhaps I’ll have a layer of two flowers where I only wanted one. That could be confusing when I stitch it out.  Here’s a sample of a save:

Save sample

From now on I’ll be aware of the pitfalls of a convenient save.

And now for the pictures I promised from Bueter’s Spring Sewing retreat.  These are just a  few of the things that were created, finished and started.

Carol, Melody, Carla

Carol, Melody and Carla

Sally with a gift for Steve

Steve’s Coffee – Sally make this cute cover for Steve.

carolsblock

Carol’s quilt block.  What happened to the pictures of the other things Carol sewed?

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Carla, Your quilt is beautiful. What will you work on next.

melodymachinecover

Melody’s sewing machine cover – what a pretty design!

brendajacket

Brenda’s jacket.  It just needs the buttons!

bunnytowel

An embroidered tea towel.  The design is free from the Viking site.  Here is the link:

http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/us/2894.htm

dresserscarf

Playing with Elegant Elements.  Will it be a dresser scarf or a pillow?

Thanks to Carol and Brenda for sharing their picture.

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4D Embroidery/Stitch Editor – Cross Book Mark

Published on March 22, 2009, there are 14 Comments

crossbookmarki1

This tutorial is on creating a name book mark.  Becky from Luke’s in Blue Ash has been working on creating crosses on the Designer Diamond.  She challenged me to create the design and make it into an appliqué book mark in the software.  We’ll be presenting the lesson at Luke’s VIP Seminar in Loveland on Tuesday, March 24th at 6:30 pm. The design is created in 4D Embroidery Extra and the appliqué book mark is created in 4D Stitch Editor. Click above to view the video.

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Quick Post

Published on March 15, 2009, there are 3 Comments

I just returned from a sewing retreat.  I’m tired. I spent Thursday through Sunday with a great group of women.  We sewed late into the night and started early in the morning.  The show and tell table that began with a few finished items brought from home ended with many completed and a few more started project.  I’ll provide pictures and details in a few days.  Like I said, I’m tired.

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Love Teaching

Published on March 8, 2009, there are 0 Comments

I’ve been spending time preparing for classes this past week.  I taught a 4D Embroidery class on Saturday (March 7th). I will be teaching a class at a sewing retreat Friday (March 13th), and have classes in June that require completed documentation soon.

Class preparation can be quite time consuming.  There are samples to be completed and instructions to create.  Often times it takes two, three or several mock ups before a project is ready for documentation.  This process applies to creative classes as well as software classes.  Even when I’m using a pattern or instruction from some one else it is still necessary to work through the instructions.

I recently created a screen bag for a class.  I have five bags and sample pieces. (The missing one is the final product and was submitted as a sample.) With each bag I learned something new. I found the dimensions were not correct. I had techniques that were too involved and time consuming and there were techniques that didn’t work.  It’s not unusual to spend 20 or more hours preparing for a 3 to 4 hour class.

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As I create and prepare I think about how I will teach the techniques and demonstrate the tools.  I also think about what my student will ask and what help they might need.  I try to think from the student perspective in anticipation of the questions or difficulties.  I look at it as a puzzle and love the challenge.

My first objective in all my classes is to have fun.  I want the students to leave stress and anxiety at the door.  Yes, they might be having difficulty but that’s why they came to class – to learn.  If they came to class knowing what was being taught there would be no value for the class fee.  I measure my success in a class by how much the students have learned.

I like to reward my students for being expressive when they acquire knowledge.  I give little chotchkies when I hear ‘aha’ or ‘I didn’t know that’.  Students are learning! I like to reinforces the learning with little surprises. What fun!

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My signature line is accurate.

I love to teach - sewing and software!

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Awards

Published on March 1, 2009, there are 4 Comments

This week I’ve focused on a project for work.   We are required to complete assessments quarterly.   The team decided to add some fun and I took responsibility for the awards.  I used 4D Embroidery Extra to create the design.
The award is like a medal with a ribbon loop stitched into the top. I used shapes and lettering to create the  design.  Then I used Design Creator to create a running stitch for placement of the top and bottom fabric.

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The stitch out process is:

Hoop the stabilizer and lay the facing fabric for the medal (patch) on the stabilizer.  Stitch the first running stitch to tack the facing fabric in place.

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Remove the hoop from the machine and trim away the excess fabric.

3fronttrim

Insert the hoop back on the machine and stitch the lettering and star (the design).

Take the hoop off and lay a second ‘facing’ fabric on the back side of the hoop.

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Pin the back fabric in place from the right side or use a little spray adhesive.

6backtackdown

Stitch the running stitch.  Remove the hoop from the machine and trim the excess fabric from the back side.

7backcomplete

Insert the hoop back into the machine and run the ‘applique’ stitches on the outside.

8embroiderycomplete

Take the hoop off the machine and remove the stabilizer.  I like to cut it away to minimize the fuzzies.  I also use a fabric pen to cover any stabilizer that might show.  Black tear away would have been a better choice for this particular project.

Here’s the finished product.

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This same technique can be used for creating patches.  The fabric on the back side would be eliminated as it wouldn’t show.

If you want to know how I created the design in 4D Embroidery take a look at my tutorial from February ’08.  Here’s the link:

http://linsews.com/2008/02/valentine-pin/

Sew Soon.

LIN

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