Edges Finishes In Machine Embroidery

A library of possibilities for finishing embroidered pieces, this work provides plenty of inspiration for developing your own ideas.

Almost every piece of embroidery, including quilting or soft furnishings, needs finishing or edging – maybe just a simple hem or binding but more often a truly decorative finishing that enhances the textile. So often these finishing techniques are an afterthought, but they should be designed when the textile is designed, should use the same style of stitching and, often, the same threads or fabrics. This book – from one of the UK's leading machine embroiderers – gives a library of possibilities, which can be used creatively, developed further and made more individual by the reader. It is ideal for the less-experienced machine embroiderer but a great sourcebook for the more advanced. Each edging and finishing method is covered in a double-page spread with instructive text, diagrams and colour photography placed together for clarity. The methods given include designs for wall hangings, panels, book covers, bags, vessels, bowls, cushions, belts, tassels and other accessories. Any modern sewing machine will do all the stitching suggested here.

A guide to using a sewing machine to create different kinds of details and embellishments.

This book shows how anyone with a sewing machine can experiment with stitched patterns to create innovative embroideries. The book presents new ways of adapting stitch patterns on a variety of different fabrics and combining them with a range of techniques – hand-stitching, free machine embroidery, quilting, applique and beads. Swinging stitches, patterns and ribbons, stitching and slashing, quilting with patterns, machine-wrapped cords, stuffed ribbon braids and larger motifs are just some of the ideas included in this colourful book.

Fabric Basics at Your Fingertips Have you ever wished you could call an expert and ask for a five-minute explanation on the particulars of a fabric you are sewing? Claire Shaeffer provides this key information for 88 of today's most popular fabrics. In this handy, easy-to-follow reference, she guides you through all the basics while providing hints, tips, and suggestions base don her 20-plus years as a college instructor, pattern designers, and author. In each concise chapter, Claire shares fabric facts, design ideas, workroom secrets, and her sewing checklist, as well as her sewability classification to advice you on the difficulty of sewing each fabric. Color photographs offer further ideas. The succeeding sections offer sewing techniques and advice on needles, threads, stabilizers, and interfacings. Claire's unique fabric/fiber dictionary cross-reference over 600 additional fabrics. An invaluable reference for any one who sews, Sew Any Fabric provides practical, clear information for novices and inspiration for more experienced sewers who are looking for new ideas and techniques.

State-of-the-art machine embroidery from two of the most accomplished writers on the subject. The variety of materials used – from velvet and silk to bonded fleece, wire, mesh and nappy liners – introduces a mixed media element and will encourage you to find new ways of stitching to create three-dimensional forms. With clear, step-by-step instructions in each chapter, the book covers: – Making backgrounds, including the use of dyes, paints, stencils, appliques and stitched backgrounds – Stitched motifs and slips, covering, stabilisers, patterns and letters, scanned motifs and designing software – Combining backgrounds with motifs and slips to make finished items

Presents an illustrated guide to sewing tops, T-shirts, skirts, and pants with tips on measuring, patterns, materials, construction, customizing, pleats, zippers, hems, and more.