Category: Sewing Tip of the Week

“The Envelope, Please”

I started sewing when I was a small child and began by sewing garments.  My parents both sewed and they taught me.  I remember being shown how to find the information I needed on the pattern envelope and what it all meant.  If you are starting your journey into garment sewing or if you are planning to use a commercial pattern for a home décor project, I thought it would be helpful to know a few things before purchasing your pattern so you too would know what the pattern envelope says!

Commercial pattern envelopes, either from a large company or from a independent designer give a wealth of information if you know where to look.
It’s good to know that pattern envelopes are rather standardized, so once you know where to look, you will always find the information you need in the expected place. The upper right corner of the envelope displays the size of the included pattern.
In the upper left hand corner of the envelope you will find the pattern’s catalog number and the name of the design company from whence it came. In this case, the B6099 stands for Butterick pattern number 6099.
The front of the envelope shows the artist’s rendering of the garment in several “views” or variations. Each of these views is designated by a letter: A, B, C, etc. Choosing the view you would like from the front of the envelope helps you decipher information on the back of the envelope.
On the back of the pattern envelope there will be a written description of the envelope’s contents. It will tell you what the pattern makes (in this case a tunic) and will give other important information. It will also get specific as to the differences between the different views: A, B, C, D.

The Butterick pattern company, in particular, gives a lot of clues as to what you are getting by sewing this pattern. The envelope tells you the pattern is easy, which speaks to the level of sewing experience you will need to make it (it has no linings, zippers, pockets or anything considered more advanced) and that it is loose-fitting. A loose-fitting garment generally has 9″ – 12″ more ease in it’s fit than a regular fitting pattern.

The next section suggests what fabrics could be used to make this pattern. It’s very important to pay attention to this information! Not only will the garment look best in these fabrics, but it will also drape properly using these fabrics or equivalents.
In this same area you will find information concerning what is not suitable to use when sewing this pattern. If it says the pattern is unsuitable for obvious diagonal prints, that means the prints will not be able to be matched when the garment is sewn. Talk about a garment that will look homemade!! Yikes!
This area also tells you how to buy your fabric: with nap or without nap. Nap affects yardage needed. With Nap always needs more fabric since the pattern pieces all need to be cut facing the same direction.
Remember I said you needed to choose your view from the envelope’s front to get the correct information from the envelope’s back? The yardage is given by the view chosen, either with 45″ or 60″ wide fabric and by size.
Once you decide on the view and the width of your fabric, go over to the size you need and find the yardage needed.
It’s important to know the width of the fabric you are buying since this significantly affects the amount you need. The top number in every group is for fabric that is 45″ wide and the bottom number is the amount needed if purchasing 60″ wide fabric. Depending on the cost of your fabric, this can be a significant piece of information!
As an example of more information, this area of the pattern envelope is telling me how much fabric I will need to make view C in the main fabric as well as how much fabric I will need for the contrasting area of the garment. It also tells me how much interfacing I will need (this is for the collar and collar stand), depending on its width. Did you notice that I can use a fabric with or without nap for the main fabric and for the contrast fabric for view C? It has */** in the yardage area.
Going down the envelope, we now find the Notions area. This tells you what views need what notions. For example, views A, B, and D need 7 half inch buttons, but view C needs just 3. Read this area before leaving the store or you’ll be making another trip!
Depending on the pattern and on the pattern company, you will generally find some garment measurements on the envelope. This tells you the measurement of the finished tunic from the base of your neck to the hem of the tunic by view and by size. On the pattern pieces themselves will be found other measurements such as waist, hip, etc.
On the envelope back will also be found a line drawing of the garment with both a front and back view. Always look at this and not just at the views on the envelope’s front. The colored art on the envelope front is meant to draw you in. This line drawing on the envelope back will let you know what the lines of the garment truly are, letting you know what might be most flattering to your body type.

Happy Sewing!

P.S. For those of you interested, here are two videos you might enjoy.  The first is Soni Grint, SVP educator, in a January Facebook Live session demonstrating the new subscription embroidery software.  The second video is on how to fix an embroidery hoop that has come apart.  This is valuable to watch since, if you embroider, this will probably one day happen to you!

“Complimentary Software?”

When purchasing a new machine, even the most stoic among us have a bit of “I can’t wait to get home and try this out!” going on in our mind.  When purchasing a new embroidery machine, while still in the store you will be imagining all the items you will embroider when you get home.  Basically, if it doesn’t move, it’s getting embroidery on it somewhere!  It’s the nature of the purchase and that excitement is such a joy.  But, as I have written here before, I am all for getting and using all the features that come with my machine’s purchase, so after bringing my Designer Diamond Royale and my Pfaff Creative Icon home, I went directly online and downloaded the free software that came with those machine purchases.  I wanted my embroideries to be placed perfectly so I wanted to make sure I could make templates of all the designs I wanted to use, just as I had seen used in the many online tutorials I had been viewing pre-purchase.  In case you have an embroidery machine and have not downloaded the free software, I wanted to give you some quick guidance on where to find it and download it.  The complimentary software, though limited in its features, is also a fun way to preview the more feature-rich software before making an additional purchase.  Most of the pictures in my explanation below will have a link to the page shown.  Please look through all the pictures first before clicking on a link so you end up going directly to the page you wish to be on without winding your way through the entire given path.  I hope this helps. 

First, you’ll want to head on over to your machine manufacturer’s home page. This is the one for Husqvarna Viking.
Once you are on the Husqvarna Viking homepage, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on Machine Updates. I know there is a Software option in the menu at the top of the homepage, but it does not allow you to download the complimentary software from there.
Once you have clicked on Machine Updates you are given a list of machines. Choose your machine to continue. For this example, I chose the Epic 2. The following links may be different for you depending upon the machine you chose.
The Epic 2 link brought me to this page. To move on, click on Learn more.
By clicking on Learn More, I was taken to the download page. This tells me the software’s features and lets me decide if I want to download to a PC or to a MAC.
You’re almost there! Once you decide if you will be downloading for PC or MAC…….
…you will get a login page. This is where you fill in your email address and password you created for the account you used to register your machine for its warranty. If you did not create an account, please do so in order to register your machine and take advantage of its warranty provisions.
The process for downloading the complimentary software for a Pfaff is similar to the Husqvarna Viking process. First, go to the Pfaff homepage.
This time, stay at the top of the homepage and go to Support and Updates. Do not click yet. Once you hover on Support and Updates a drop down menu will come into view.
Slide your mouse over the Complimentary Software and click.
By clicking on Complimentary Software you will be taken to the page that explains the features of the software. You will not be asked to choose a machine, but you will be asked to choose whether you are downloading for a PC or a MAC.
Once you decide if you are downloading to PC or MAC, you will get the login page. Again, this information is from the account you created when you registered your machine. If you have not registered, please do so in order to take full advantage of your warranty, should you need it.

Happy Sewing!

“Storing Feet”

There are so many really useful storage options for your machine’s presser feet, some that come with your machine and others that are optional.  The whole point of these storage items is to keep your presser feet organized and handy, all in one place, so you don’t spend your creative time searching for the different tools you might need.  If you are new to sewing, I would suggest you invest in one of these after-market storage options so you can keep, not only the feet together, but all of the user information items with them as well (the instruction sheets that come with each new optional foot) so you can refer to them as needed.  I have boxes and accessory trays that came with my machines, handled totes and specialty cases that I have purchased from Bonny’s as well as plastic storage items I have purchased from other retailers that I have made use of through the years.  I have made my storage decisions based upon where I will be keeping my machine and ease of use.  Suitcase style storage for accessories is even offered frequently as part of a gift bundle when buying a new machine, as with the Pfaff Creative 4.5 throughout the month of February 2021.

I have also made use of storage options from crafts other than sewing.  For example, I wanted to take just a few presser feet and my machine with me to a friend’s house to work on a project.  I was going to take my extension table and would not be taking my machine’s accessory tray, so I looked in the jewelry making department in a local craft store and found a very compact tray that had a locking feature so I would not lose the few feet I took with me.  Perfect!  Bottom line, find something that works for you and that keeps you the most organized.  There is nothing more frustrating than finding yourself in the middle of a project in need of a specialty foot you know you have but are unable to find. 

The storage for my many presser feet that go with my Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond Royale. This sits on the table next to the machine and is very handy. The drawers are filled with feet by category and by their use.
Manufacturer box storage works great. The box on the left is from 1994 and the one on the right is from 2019. No doubt there are more accessories available these days!
Brother’s storage is tiered so, literally, everything fits into their storage box except the embroidery hoops!
This is my little jewelry making department find. It’s about the size of a day-of-the-week pill container but with a push lever that activates a locking mechanism.
Since you can choose which compartments to open and which to lock, there are no feet spilling out unexpectedly.

Happy Sewing!

P.S. In honor of National Embroidery month, I thought you might like to watch some recorded Facebook Live presentations that aired this past week.  The Husqvarna Viking presentation is on embroidery hoops and the Pfaff presentation is focused on machine felting.  Since the hoops and felting attachment are the same for both machine brands, you will find useful information in both presentations!

“Thread Delivery”

Machine sewing is all about thread delivery and thread tension.  The top and bottom threads must be kept at just the right tension to allow them to intertwine with one another to create a stitch.  The bottom thread (the bobbin) depends upon a spring through which the thread goes to keep tension on it while sewing.  This spring is either found on the metal bobbin case or in the thread path of the bobbin thread, depending on your machine’s make, model and age.  The top thread must pass through a metal tension disk which is found in the top thread path of the machine.  All machines, no matter the manufacturer or age, have tension disks.  Almost every machine has a right and left disk so you can use twin needles while sewing.  When threading the top thread, it really doesn’t matter whether you use the left or right tension disk, but usually the left disk is a natural for the thread to find.  The tension disk is the reason the presser foot must be in the “up” position while threading.  This opens the tension disks, allowing the thread to seat itself inside, creating the tension while sewing.  If you have a more advanced machine, you may have something called “deLuxe Stitch System” (Husqvarna Viking) or “ActivStitch Technology” (Pfaff).  This is a system of three rollers that portion the thread in the exact amount the machine needs for every stitch.  Because the thread is going through a series of rollers and not a tension disk, the thread is not being pulled through a “clamp” by the machine.  This is important for tricky specialty threads, such as metallic threads.  If you try to sew with a metallic thread running through a traditional tension disk, you have to do some fancy adjustments and sew very slowly to keep the friction from breaking the thread.  (The experience will probably be one which you will not want to repeat anytime soon!)  The roller system allows the metallic thread to run through the machine with enough tension on it to engage correctly with the bobbin thread to create a stitch, but with less friction so the thread has less chance of breaking.   Although I always slow my machine’s speed when sewing with specialty threads and I use a needle meant for sewing with metallic thread, the breaking issue virtually disappears when the roller system is engaged.  If your machine does not have this feature and you are considering buying a new machine, you may want to keep this feature in mind as something that would be valuable to have.

If your machine has this capability, it will be stated on the front of the machine. This is my Husqvarna Viking machine.
This is my Pfaff machine. The two tension systems are exactly the same, just with different names. This logo is located on the lid of my machine.
This is the right tension disk….
…and this is the left tension disk. The thread is held between the disk and the metal plate that is located between the two disks.
The thread portioning system is located just below the tension disks. It is a system using three rollers that portion the thread for each stitch. Two rollers are on top of one another and the third roller is to the right of the roller stack.
The top thread always goes through the tension disks and the portioning rollers. The machine decides which system should be engaged for the best stitch quality.
The system can be engaged and disengaged in the Settings Menu. If the system is selected, the machine can decide when to use it. If it is disengaged, the tension disks are the machine’s only option.
If you own a newer machine, the system is able to be activated as either a default setting or as a temporary setting.

If you’d like to learn more about how this thread portioning system works, check out this video. Happy Sewing!

“Finishing Touch”

In last week’s blog, I talked about the Ruffler and said I would be making some pillows this week that would have ruffles as an accent.  Ruffles are a great accent, but do you know how to finish them so they disappear into your project?  Do you know how to make basically, an infinity ruffle?  Here’s a quick picture tutorial.

My task is to make a pillow from this embroidery and add a ruffle around it.
Remember to round the corners so the finished pillow appears to have points in the corners. I know, it’s counter intuitive, but it works.
I didn’t erase the mid-point mark from my embroidery. I wanted to join my ruffle in the middle of the bottom edge of the pillow.
This is the type of project that needs accuracy to look good, so I pinned the ruffle onto the pillow top…
…and ended my pinning 1.5″ on either side of the center mark. This is where the ruffle will be joined together later.
Time to sew the ruffle to the pillow top, so I changed my needle position to the right….
…to sew using a 3/8″ seam. My final sewing of the pillow front and back will use a deeper seam, thus hiding this stitching line.
After I finished my sewing, I cut off the excess ruffle, leaving about 1″ to finish and create my “infinity” ruffle. I always start with more ruffle than I actually need. It’s always best to cut off excess rather than come up short!
Start the finishing touch by sewing a 1/2″ seam, back of the ruffle together.
I move my needle position to give me a 1/2″ seam allowance. I then trim this to 1/4″.
I now turn the ruffle, right sides together (the side that shows on the front of the pillow) and encase the raw edges in my new seam.
I create that seam allowance by keeping the needle position unchanged and moving the material over. The distance between these two marks on the foot is 1/4″.
This is how the encased seam looks from the back of the pillow…
…and this is how it looks from the pillow front. The seam becomes hidden in the ruffle giving the appearance of a ruffle with no beginning or end!
All that’s left to do now is to sew the pillow back to the pillow front. I change my needle position a little to the left…
…to increase my seam allowance from the 3/8″ I used to attach the ruffle to the pillow front to a 1/2″, putting the whole thing together.
Since I’m sewing two pieces of material together with a two layer ruffle in between, I lower my presser foot pressure from 6.5 to 5.0. This keeps the presser foot from “snowplowing” the top fabric. Stitching all the layers together should be done with a walking foot or dual feed. I am using my Pfaff’s IDT system and pinning generously to keep the uneven layers from shifting.
The finished product, ready for it’s pillow form!

I hope this gives you some inspiration to try a ruffle in one of your projects. Happy Sewing!

By the way, this is completely off my blog topic tonight, but I saw it this week and thought you might enjoy this art project! Karen Charles

“The Ruffler”

I enjoy using all my specialty presser feet.  Since I’m a “just in case” buyer, I have many specialty feet for a wide range of applications, but I am proud to say I do not own a foot I haven’t used!    One foot that people seem to find confusing is the Ruffler.  I am making some throw pillows next week and will be using the Ruffler to make some ruffles out of coordinating fabric to go around the perimeter of the pillows, so I thought I would take a moment to share with you some information to make this foot a little less confusing if you were thinking of adding it to your toolbox.

The Ruffler foot looks confusing but is really quite simple once you know what you’re looking at.
When attaching the foot to the machine, this curved piece goes onto the needle bar. This allows the up and down motion of the needle to control the foot.
The material you are ruffling goes under this metal plate that has little teeth on the end. This is the part of the foot that pushes the fabric you want to ruffle under the needle to be secured by the stitch.
Adjusting this screw adjusts the depth of each ruffle. It does this by determining….
…how far forward this metal finger is allowed to move. The further out the screw, the softer the ruffle. With the screw all the way in, as pictured, the depth of the ruffle will be significant.
The slots on the top of the foot control how many stitches are sewn before the metal fingers (see the third picture) push the fabric through to create each ruffle. Pictured here, a ruffle will be created every stitch.
This slot creates a ruffle every 6th stitch.
This slot creates a ruffle every 12th stitch.
I think this may be one of the best things about this foot. By placing the adjuster in the zero slot, the ruffler is “turned off” and you can produce a straight stitch with no ruffles at all. This allows you to switch back and forth between ruffling and regular sewing without removing the foot, which is really a time saver.

I hope this helps demystify this specialty foot for you. Here is the link for the Husqvarna Viking Ruffler foot and for the Pfaff Ruffler foot. I am also including a link to a video that was produced by Heirloom Creations. This video is several years old, but I think it is one of the most detailed and clearest I have seen. Happy Sewing!

“Following the Marks”

When I first started sewing, I recognized there were marks on my machine’s presser feet, but I really didn’t understand their significance or how to use them.  I knew the marks had something to do with fabric alignment, but I never took the time to really learn about the tools I was using.  Once I really studied how to use the presser feet I had and how to follow the marks that were on them, I was able to purchase and use specialty feet with renewed purpose.  If you, like me, have never taken the time to really look at the markings on your presser feet and learn how to use them, I encourage you to do so.  Once you really understand how useful these markings are, your sewing projects can be sewn faster and with more accuracy than ever before.  Let me share with you a couple examples.

These are a few of the specialty presser feet I have for my Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff machines. I have chosen two feet as examples that are available for both machines.
Both Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking have a 1/4″ piecing foot that allows you to move the needle slightly to achieve a scant 1/4″ seam. When you purchase a new foot, there will probably be a paper insert in the packaging explaining the foot’s markings. You should keep this for future reference.
This foot is made to deliver an exact 1/4″ seam when the edge of the fabric runs along the metal guide and the needle is in the center position. The scant 1/4″ seam can be achieved by moving the needle position slightly to the right.
You can tell the needle is in the exact center position when it lines up with the center slit and the needle position on your machine is at 0.0. Moving the needle to the left gives a “minus” reading and moving the needle to the right gives a “plus” reading on your machine’s display.
If you decide you need an 1/8″ seam, simply line up your fabric on the inside of the narrow prong of the foot. This is one of those things that has no marking, but knowing your tools gives knowledge that may not be written down!
See how the fabric runs along the inside of the narrow prong? With the needle in the center position, this is the 1/8″ seam allowance I mentioned in the previous picture. Now let’s look at what the markings on this foot tell you…
This front marking is exactly 1/4″ away from the needle. This is great when I am applying binding for quilts or table runners. I need to stop exactly 1/4″ away from each corner so I can make the turn and create the 45 degree miter. I never have to mark my fabric to create this perfect ending.
This marking lets me know where my needle is. Sometimes my needle is hard to see, depending on the fabric I’m sewing and the time of day or night. This marking makes my needle very easy to keep track of regardless of material color or light in the room.
By keeping an eye on the needle marking and on the front marking, I can be sure I’ve stopped 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric.
The rear line is exactly 1/4″ behind the needle. If I need to stop sewing 1/4″ from where I’ve been, this is the mark I’m looking to follow. This works really well when I want to start sewing 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric.
Remember, you will be keeping your eye on both lines. Did you notice these lines are continued on the right side of the foot as well? You can use either side of the foot to watch your lines and know you will be accurate.
Both Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff have a 5/8″ seam guide foot. This is the most common size seam allowance for garment construction. With the needle in the center position and the fabric against the metal guide, you will produce a precise 5/8″ seam. Notice the horizontal line? That’s to make sure you always know exactly where your needle is located in relation to the foot and the fabric.
There are two center lines on this foot, marking needle position.
The information that comes with the foot tells you what the different markings mean, but it doesn’t mention the two needle position lines, so what is the second one for?
A 5/8″ seam allowance is common in garment sewing, but a 1/2″ allowance is common in home decor. By moving your needle into position behind the second red marking and running your fabric against the metal guide, you will create an exact 1/2″ seam.
Remember, moving the needle to the right is in the “plus” direction and moving the needle to the left is in the “minus” direction.

I hope these two examples are helpful for you as you learn to use your presser feet to their fullest. Happy Sewing!

“Intimidating?”

I am a firm believer in making the most of all the features of your sewing and or sewing/embroidery machine.  I feel badly when customers in class say they have been intimidated by any of the features they have paid hard earned money to have available to them.  One of the most consistent features customers seem most intimidated by is the buttonhole feature.  I have had many people tell me they didn’t want to practice the buttonhole during their machine class because they didn’t want to use it:  it just never turned out for them in the past.  There was always such surprise and new found confidence when they decided to give it a go and they were successful!  I am all for not using a feature simply because it’s not needed at the time, but I hope there are no features on your machine which you don’t use because you don’t have confidence that you will be successful using it!  Here are a few tips that might help you if buttonholes are something you have been avoiding due to “buttonhole intimidation”.

For newer machines there are basically two types of buttonhole feet: the type you have to measure your button to use and the type that measures the button for you.
This foot belongs to my Pfaff Creative Icon. I need to measure the button size using the ruler on the lid of my machine. I then need to make sure the red arrow is lined up with the metal notch before I begin to stitch.
This foot belongs to my Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond Royale. I need to measure the button using the gauge on the front of my machine’s base, then I need to make sure the white crown lines up with the notch before I begin to stitch.
This foot belongs to my Brother Luminaire. The foot measures the button for me, so the size of the hole is automatically calculated by the machine. On some machines, there is a sensor bar that must be lowered for this foot to be accurate.
I place my buttonholes 1/2″ to 5/8″ from the edge. I place a mark here.
Then I mark the middle. I can now set my foot exactly where I want the buttonhole to stitch.
Since these buttonholes are for charity walker bags, I need to use cut away stabilizer on the back to make sure the buttonholes don’t pull out over time. I always use some type of stabilizer on all my buttonholes.
With the stabilizer in place, I need to line up the middle mark with the middle nib on the foot. The vertical line lines up with the nib and the horizontal line shows where I need to start sewing.
By lining up the nib with the center vertical line, the buttonhole will stitch out exactly where I want it to.
The finished buttonhole starts at the horizontal line and stitches out on either side of the vertical line. Perfect!
All that’s left to do is to trim the stabilizer, cut open the buttonhole slits and sew the buttons on.
I sewed the buttons on with the machine. 24 buttonholes and 24 buttons sewn in about an hour. Not bad!

I would encourage you to practice on a project that uses many buttonholes, if possible. Maybe a new shower curtain or a throw pillow that closes using buttons! If, by using your manual for help, you are still not comfortable with this feature, go to https://sewingmastery.com/ and check out the process on your machine!

Happy Sewing!

“Update”

I hope your holidays were safe and healthy.  After all my holiday sewing and embroidering was finished, I took time to re-organize my little sewing room and complete some tasks I needed to do to keep my machines in top working condition.  After cleaning each machine and in the case of the serger, oiling, I made sure to update them with the latest software updates.  This is a task I complete every year end so I won’t have trouble with my machines as I start a new year of projects.

How do you know if your machine needs to be updated?  If you go to the website for your machine, available updates will be listed so you’ll know when you need to download.  (These updates can also occur anytime during the year and should be downloaded when they are offered.)  If you have a WiFi enabled machine, you will get an automatic notification, even if you do not have it set for automatic updates.  Whether or not you have a WiFi machine, following the directions on the website for updating through a USB device, in my opinion, is the best way to go.  It’s easy and usually much faster than updating through WiFi.  I recommend the use of an empty 2GB USB stick, which should be enough room for even the largest updates, such as the latest update for the Pfaff Creative Icon. 

The USB stick is very affordable and easy to use when downloading an update. I have found the 1GB stick to be too small for some updates, but the 2GB has worked very nicely for me.

There were quite a few updates made available during the months of October, November and December 2020, so check your machine’s website to see if your machine was included.  Updates help to fix glitches and bugs in the machine’s software as well as allow the machine to use the latest accessories offered by the machine’s manufacturer.  Among possible machine improvements in an update: tension issues may be fixed, overall stitch quality may be improved and, sometimes, new stitches may be added to the machine, to name a few.   If your machine has a USB port, it probably is a machine that will be updated by the manufacturer.  When going to the homepage of the website, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Machine Updates”, select your machine from the list and then follow the easy directions given. 

On the homepage for Husqvarna Viking, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Machine Updates (4th on the menu).
For the Pfaff homepage, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Machine Updates (4th on the menu).

Happy Sewing!

“In Two Camps”

Every person who sews has their own way of doing things.  I’m no exception, but my approach to most any sewing project is usually eclectic and conditional.  In this case, I am embroidering towels for my two nieces.  Well, not really for them:  for their new dogs.  Each towel set fits the décor of the house in which the dog lives and will make bath time a very special treat.  There are two ways to stabilize towels when using embroidery.  Camp one says you use a tear away stabilizer on the back which is discarded after the embroidery is finished stitching out so nothing shows on the back of the towel.  Camp two says you use cut away stabilizer on the back of the embroidery which is left on for the life of the towel.  I am in both camps since I use both methods, depending on the towel and on the embroidery design.  If I am embroidering a kitchen towel, like a flour sack towel, and the design is light and airy, I use tear away stabilizer and discard it once the towel is stitched.  For this project, I am using very fluffy towels and a dense embroidery design, thus the cut away stabilizer.  This stabilizer will be seen on the back of the towel, but I think the stability the stabilizer will give the stitches over the life of the towel is worth it.  This type of project is fast and fun and, depending on the cost of the towel, very inexpensive.  This is how I did it.

I started by using an 80/12 titanium coated needle…
and Floriani polyester embroidery thread in the needle and in the bobbin. I think this looks best from the back. Polyester thread is great for this application since it stands up to frequent washing and even chlorine!
I used Inspira’s Cut Away Light for the back and Sulky’s Super Solvy for the topper. When embroidering a towel you need this topper so the loops of the terry cloth do not get snagged during stitching.
Remember, you never hoop terry cloth directly, so I hooped up just the cut away stabilizer…
…and sprayed it with KK100 temporary spray adhesive. Please never spray your fabric, just the stabilizer!
I used the hoop template to help me align my design. On the hand towel the bottom of the design is 2″ from the bottom and for the bath towel it is 4″ from the bottom.
Once I had aligned my design and put the hoop on my Brother machine, I turned off the snips. Whenever the back of your work will show, the thread snips should be turned off for a neater finished product.
I next basted the Super Solvy topper and towel to the cut away stabilizer in the hoop and it was time to embroider!
When embroidering something heavy, like this bath towel, it is best to keep the weight off the embroidery arm of the machine. I did this by holding the rest of the towel up while embroidery was in progress.
Before removing the work from the hoop, I like to remove the basting…
…and apply a seam sealant to the threads where the knots are before I cut them to clean up the back of the embroidery.
Once all the threads are cleaned up I cut the stabilizer to about 1/4″ around the entire design.
Here are the finished towels for Queen Zoe and King Max.

This was such a fun and fast project. I hope, if you have an embroidery machine, you give this a try. I picked up these towels at Walmart and Target so my investment was more in time than in dollars!

This is my last blog entry for 2020. Look for the blog to begin again the first week of January 2021. Happy Sewing!