by Janet Bolin
Susannah broke into my daydreams. “What are we doing today, Willow?”
“Stumpwork.”
My students cheered.
I grinned. I loved my embroidery boutique, and I loved Threadville.
Willow’s Embroidered Cell Phone Case
Whether you own an embroidery machine or not, you can use basic thread art techniques to embroider and embellish your sewing crafts. Naturally, I would like you to come to my sewing and embroidery machine boutique, In Stitches, in Threadville, where you can browse and join our classes. Meanwhile, here are instructions for a simple project you can do with any sewing machine that sews a satin stitch (zigzag stitches sewn tightly together), followed by instructions for those of you who already own embroidery machines.
Materials everyone will need, whether you own an embroidery machine or not
Embroidery hoop to fit your embroidery machine, or if you don’t have an embroidery machine, any embroidery hoop about ten inches in diameter
2 squares of felt in color(s) of your choice and large enough for a couple of inches to stick out all around the hoop
1 square of heavy stabilizer or 2 squares of midweight stabilizer, the same approximate size as the felt Embroidery thread Nylon lingerie thread (Optional) button, snap, ribbon, or hook-and-loop closing
Instructions for those of you still deciding which embroidery machine to buy
1. Lower or remove the teeth (“feed dogs”) that move your fabric for everyday stitching.1
2. Fill the bobbin with nylon lingerie thread and place it in your machine.
3. Install a special spring-loaded embroidery presser foot.1
4. On 1 square of felt, draw around the sides and lower edge of your cell phone, making a U shape that’s about a quarter inch larger on all three sides than your phone. Inside the U, draw the design that you will stitch over (also known as freehand thread art). Simple sketches are best at first.
5. Place this square of felt on top of the stabilizer in the hoop. Tighten the hoop, being careful not to tear the felt or stabilizer.
6. Slide the hooped felt under your presser foot and lower your presser foot. Holding the hoop with both hands, start your machine stitching. Guide the stitches along the design you’ve drawn, changing the top thread color whenever it suits you. Go wild!
7. Fill a bobbin with embroidery thread that goes nicely with your felt and with the design you’ve stitched. Place the new bobbin in your machine.
8. Keep the felt that you just decorated in the hoop. You don’t have to insert the second piece of felt into the hoop. Instead, pin it to the back of the first piece. The stabilizer will be sandwiched between the two pieces of felt. Without stitching inside your U shape, baste the layers together. Remove the pins.
9. Carefully stitch a line of straight stitching to follow the U shape you drew. Leave the top unsewn. Your two pieces of felt are now sewn together, with your design on the front.
10. Carefully satin stitch over your straight stitching.
11. Remove the felt from the hoop. Carefully cut around the outside of the satin stitching without snipping stitches. The top can be cut straight across, or you can leave envelope-like flaps and add a fastener of your choice.
12. Last but not least—send me Willow@Threadville Mysteries.com a photo of your project that I can display along with your name on my website gallery. Extra points if you incorporate stumpwork using the method I described in the preceding pages of this book!
Instructions for those of you who already own an embroidery machine
Follow steps 1–5 above.
6. Fasten the hoop to the embroidery machine. Stitch a design in the center of the felt. You can purchase a commercial embroidery design, create your own, or download one of my free original designs from www.ThreadvilleMysteries.com.
7. Fill a bobbin with embroidery thread that goes nicely with your felt and with the design you’ve stitched. Place the new bobbin in your machine.
8. If you don’t have embroidery software, remove the hoop from the embroidery machine, but keep the project in the hoop. Using your sewing machine, follow steps 8–12 above.
If you do have embroidery software, keep the project in the hoop and keep the hoop in your embroidery machine. Slide the second square of felt underneath your hoop. You don’t need to insert it in the hoop. Instead, stitching around the inner edges of the hoop and away from the design you stitched, machine-baste (a simple procedure for those who already own embroidery software) the second piece of felt to the first piece. The stabilizer will be sandwiched between the two pieces of felt.
9. Use your embroidery software to create a new design of a simple straight-stitched U that is about a quarter inch larger than the lower 3 sides of your phone and will surround the design you already stitched with the design centered.
10. Create a satin-stitched outline over the first line of stitches. Send the design (straight stitches covered by satin stitches) to the embroidery machine. Stitch.
To finish, follow steps 11–12 above.
Thread Art Tips
Thread Art Tips for everyone, whether you own an embroidery machine or not. (Be sure to read the instructions that came with your machines.)
Needles
Use the correct needle: Embroidery needles will keep embroidery thread from tangling or breaking. Metallic threads require needles designed specifically for them. If sewing on leather or leather-like fabrics, use needles created for leather.
Never use a dull needle. The rule of thumb is to replace it after four hours of sewing, but if it becomes dull, nicked, or bent, replace it immediately.
Thread
Can you ever have too many colors? Thread tends to dry and become brittle with age, so to prevent breakage, use it freely and buy new spools often (like whenever you see another color you just have to have . . .).
Stabilizer
Never stint on stabilizer. If you don’t use enough, your design may pucker.
Hooping
When tightening your hoop, don’t distort your fabric.
Happy hooping it up and embroidering!
WILLOW
1
If you can’t remove or lower your feed dogs and/or don’t have a choice of presser feet, straight and zigzag stitches in a variety of colors can make interesting plaid or striped effects.
