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Posts Tagged ‘Different Colors’

is it easy to start sewing a quilt?

December 11th, 2012 2 comments

I am new at sewing…how should i start? i want ot make one of those square patch work ones – should i sew it by hand or with a machine? how do i start etc?

when I started making quilts I did a nine patch lap quilt. It measured 54 in/54 in. You cut a strip(now they call them jelly rolls) 2 1/2 in by 2 1/2 in.You will need at least three (can be different colors or two strips the same and one a different color.You can use solid material ,small prints, crazy prints, bold colors,etc. I always buy the fat quarters for this and I buy one main color for the backing and the borders,4 colors that I can use to make the squares, I have use 6 different colors.I sew the strips together. Then go back with my rotary cutter and ruler cut the strips to 2 1/2 inches. Line them up to make a square that has nine total 2 in squares in it (when you have sewn them together the little square will measure 2 inches). I did 6 of those squares across and down (total of 36 finished squares) in three rows. then I took a contrasting color for the sashing(if you want to separate them).You can just sew them all together. Then use a color from the square to make a 2 or 3 inch border. The strips for the border to frame in the squares is measured for the length of the quilt sides,then top and bottom. Sew the strips on the sides first then come back to the top and then the bottom. then measure your quilt top, if you want to make it still bigger go and take the contrasting color and make a 6 inch border to sew on the smaller border. It should now measure at least 54 x 54 or larger. Your material for the backing should be the same length maybe even 6 ot 8 inches more all around. Now you are ready to make the quilt. I use a color from the quilt top for the backing, batting for a twin size to cut the right size. I would recommend warm and natural or warm and white.Here’s the part that is up to you- it is very easy to quilt on a machine if you have the attachment and some decorative stitches or you can hand quilt . I would recommend that you sew all of the squares on the machine and then hand quilt your first quilt. If you do not work it should take you a week to do the top and then quilting about 4 hours a day by hand about two to three weeks to finish. When sewing on the machine I would also recommend that you get an embroidery needle or an in-between. These needles will not poke holes in your material. I also use cotton material. Then look for quilting thread-machine or hand quilting thread. Be bold and use color thread if you are making decorative stitches or just use a thread that will match the main color in the quilt top. You can buy stencils to draw on the top to follow if you like or you can free hand the design.When you have finished the quilting you can either take binding tape and sew around the quilt to finish the edge or turn the rough edges under and sew them together. If you want to see some simple blocks go to quilterscache.com you can see the blocks and get instructions on how to make it down to how much material you will need plus the pattern for free. Good luck

Buy Downloads for Embroidery Images?[I don’t know anything..]?

February 4th, 2012 2 comments

I want to buy an embroidery machine for myself in a couple years[when I have more money and experience] but I don’t really know how the USB adaption works
Is it one of those things like when you legally go download a song, you have to buy it? Or can you get a free pre-made image? Is there sites for that sort of thing? Are you able to use any image?
And when you use multiple colors on the image, can your machine automatically change threads[like, you put the threads in a certain order or what?]
Honestly, I’m a real newbie in this field. As you can probably tell.
I would also appreciate your bran preference for these machines.

You can download free designs as well as purchased designs from the Internet.

If you purchase an embroidery machine with a Port A USB connection, you will be using a flash drive/memory stitch to load from the PC.

If you purchase an embroidery machine with a Port B USB connection, there will be a cable with the machine that you use to connect to the PC for loading the designs to the embroidery machine.

Only a multi-head embroidery machine can load different colors of thread.

You may want to start with the Brother model sold at Walmart that has the USB Port B cable to see it this is the craft for you. It is around $400. With this type (home embroidery machine), the machine will stop when the color change is needed and you re-thread the machine with the next color.

The multi-head machines cost several thousand dollars.

Visit sewing machine dealers for a demo of how the machine works. If you are a minor, take a parent or guardian with you as the store will not want to take the time for someone who is underage.

My preferences are Brother and Babylock brands.

How do you get started digitizing free standing lace for machine embroidery?

January 9th, 2012 1 comment

I have a janome machine and want to create my own lace design. I really want to do my own. Does anyone use Embird or some other program? How hard is it to do?

I use the Digitizer10000 software that Janome sells. I know you can do some digitizing with Embird, but I don’t know how.
The steps I take in D10K are:
1. Scan the design (I draw out my designs first)
2. First layer is straight line embroidery, no satin stitch. This keeps the design in place. This is done in color 1.
3. Satin stitch the design over the straight lines. Do this in color 2.
4. Satin stitch again, with a stitch slight wider than before, starting and stopping in different places. Do this in color 3.
5. Finally, satin stitch one more time right over #4 (color3). Do this in color 4.
6. Stitch it out and fine tune as needed.
I use the different colors so I can tell which layer needs adjusting. I have made some where the stitches in the satin lines get closer (tighter) with each layer. For testing purposes, I keep the different colors and stitch out using netting between Solvy. I have found that if my design is weak and needs a lot of help that the netting keeps it all together – very important the first test stitch!
From there, I tweak the design as needed. Once I like how it stitches out, I change all the colors to one so the machine doesn’t stop between layers anymore. I save multiple copies as I work.
Laces can be time consuming to digitize. I have created two small lace pieces but I prefer to purchase the designs.
Good luck!

Again, that program is called Digitizer10000. Sold by Janome dealers. There is a new version, DigitizerPro that has some wonderful features, including the ability to digitize any TrueType font you have on your computer. Cool! And it can digitize photos, too. Still one color, but my local dealer said the programmers are working on color!

Free Embroidery Alphabet

July 19th, 2011 No comments

Whether their dogs are big Black Labrador Retrievers or tiny brown Chihuahuas, dog lovers enjoy using dog-centered graphics. And all dog lovers seem to like free graphics of dog paw prints. You like them, but where can you find free graphics of dog paw prints

Computer Software Programs

Many software programs offer free graphics of dog paw prints. Two examples:

1. Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher both produce several free graphics of dog paw prints simply by selecting “Insert, picture, clipart” from the menu and typing “paw print” into the search box. If you want free graphics of dogs, you can use the same procedure and search on “dog”.

2. Adobe PhotoShop offers free graphics of dog paw prints in any size and color you want. On the tool bar, select the “custom shape tool” and browse for the paw print you want. If you cannot find the dog paw print, click the arrow at the top right of the shape selection box, and append “animals”.

3. Do a search of your whole computer for any graphics type files that contain the word “paw” and you may find hidden free graphics of dog paw prints where you least expect them.

Internet Websites

The Internet will often yield free graphics of dog paw prints.

1. Fuzzy Faces website has a wide array from which to choose. Dont like red, white, and blue. Import their free graphics of dog paw prints into your own graphics program and change the colors. Change the size, too, to meet your needs.

2. Abquisto Graphics has free graphics of dog paw prints in the form of buttons or bars for your web site.

3. Bullwrinkle.com offers a font of free graphics of dog paw prints. Each paw print has a letter on it, so you can type words with paw prints. Simply visit their site, copy the file paw.ttf to your Windows/fonts directory. Then open your text editor and select “Ennobled Pet”.

4. Hiox India offers free graphics of dog paw prints in 48 different colors! They make provision for you to test colors on a different background, too, with a simple mouse click.

5. If you visit My Flint River Dog, you will find free graphics of dog paw prints for use on your personal or commercial web site.

Do-It-Yourself

The best way to get distinctive free graphics of dog paw prints is to do it yourself – assuming you own a dog. Use non-toxic childrens finger paints and white cardstock. Dip your dogs paw into the paint, and place it on clean cardstock, pushing slightly to get a clear print. You can repeat as often as necessary until you get a good clean print.

Take your dog print and scan it into your computer. You can now produce various sized free graphics of dog paw prints.

Make It a Project

Collecting free graphics of dog paw prints can be fun. Get together with other dog owners and help each other make dog prints with finger paints. Appoint one person to collect all the prints (labeled as to whose dog made them and the breed name), and scan them. Then share the results. You will have many sizes.

Free Embroidery Alphabet Fonts

July 19th, 2011 No comments

Whether their dogs are big Black Labrador Retrievers or tiny brown Chihuahuas, dog lovers enjoy using dog-centered graphics. And all dog lovers seem to like free graphics of dog paw prints. You like them, but where can you find free graphics of dog paw prints

Computer Software Programs

Many software programs offer free graphics of dog paw prints. Two examples:

1. Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher both produce several free graphics of dog paw prints simply by selecting “Insert, picture, clipart” from the menu and typing “paw print” into the search box. If you want free graphics of dogs, you can use the same procedure and search on “dog”.

2. Adobe PhotoShop offers free graphics of dog paw prints in any size and color you want. On the tool bar, select the “custom shape tool” and browse for the paw print you want. If you cannot find the dog paw print, click the arrow at the top right of the shape selection box, and append “animals”.

3. Do a search of your whole computer for any graphics type files that contain the word “paw” and you may find hidden free graphics of dog paw prints where you least expect them.

Internet Websites

The Internet will often yield free graphics of dog paw prints.

1. Fuzzy Faces website has a wide array from which to choose. Dont like red, white, and blue. Import their free graphics of dog paw prints into your own graphics program and change the colors. Change the size, too, to meet your needs.

2. Abquisto Graphics has free graphics of dog paw prints in the form of buttons or bars for your web site.

3. Bullwrinkle.com offers a font of free graphics of dog paw prints. Each paw print has a letter on it, so you can type words with paw prints. Simply visit their site, copy the file paw.ttf to your Windows/fonts directory. Then open your text editor and select “Ennobled Pet”.

4. Hiox India offers free graphics of dog paw prints in 48 different colors! They make provision for you to test colors on a different background, too, with a simple mouse click.

5. If you visit My Flint River Dog, you will find free graphics of dog paw prints for use on your personal or commercial web site.

Do-It-Yourself

The best way to get distinctive free graphics of dog paw prints is to do it yourself – assuming you own a dog. Use non-toxic childrens finger paints and white cardstock. Dip your dogs paw into the paint, and place it on clean cardstock, pushing slightly to get a clear print. You can repeat as often as necessary until you get a good clean print.

Take your dog print and scan it into your computer. You can now produce various sized free graphics of dog paw prints.

Make It a Project

Collecting free graphics of dog paw prints can be fun. Get together with other dog owners and help each other make dog prints with finger paints. Appoint one person to collect all the prints (labeled as to whose dog made them and the breed name), and scan them. Then share the results. You will have many sizes.