Miss Loreen's Schoolhouse

Anita Goodesign Halloween Bag.

Have you been attending any Anita Goodesign workshops in your area?  They are lots of fun and a good way to learn new techniques on your embroidery machine.  The September workshop includes this cute Halloween bag.  This bag is done all in the hoop of your embroidery machine.  It has a drawstring closure.  Can you  believe the drawstring casing was done in the hoop?  The stitching on the front of the bag looks more like an ink drawing than embroidery stitches.  There is absolutely no sewing for you to do.  Everything including side seams is done in the hoop.  Just thread through the ribbons and you're done!  It really is pretty and quite different from the usual embroidery stitching.  I think you'd really like it.

If you don't attend any workshops, most of the projects are in embroidery collections that you can buy but remember, the designs used in the workshops are not available for sale in any collections!

I used a very thin fabric that I could fray easily around the edges.

 

Happy sewing,
loreen

 

Anita Goodesign Let It Snow Tile Scene

I've been working on the Anita Goodesign tile scene "Let It Snow".  Here's the first row off of the embroidery machine.  Now onto the second row!

Second row is done.  The missing block has a 3D holly berry to add to it before I can stitch it on the embroidey  machine.  Did the 3D holly berry using water soluable stabilizer then added to the actual block when the stitching did an outline for the berries.  

If you'd like to know how to do this, be sure to check out Miss Loreen's Youtube Channel.  I've posted some video tutorials for this project.  If you have never done a tile scene and would like to see how it's done, please check out the videos.  You may be surprised how easy it is.

 

I'm getting close to the finish on my Anita Goodesign Let It Snow tile scene.  There were 10 blocks in all and it went together pretty quickly.  Now I have to trim the top of the blocks,  add the backing, do a little stitch in the ditch quilting and add the binding.

Keep sewing,
loreen

New Machine Embroidery from Anita Goodesign

A bit ago, I posted this picture on Miss Loreen's FB page with a promise to show the final results.

Isn't it pretty?  This is a new machine embroidery collection from Anita Goodesign called Blooming Beetles.  Now I'm not that fond of bugs but this collection is darn cute!  I was thinking  about doing a couple of these blocks as pillows for the couch since some of the designs were quite large.  Looking forward to having a project that wasn't a big quilt or wallhanging, I embroidered this design in between projects that I really needed to get done.  This is my lead up to excusing myself from doing something really, really dumb!  

I finished the design and was excited to share the final results with all of you and here it is!  Now don't pay attention to the fact that I haven't pressed it yet as that is when I found my problem so I stopped there............mostly in disbelief!

It's a bit hard to see in the picture so look at the center part of the pumpkin then look to the left or right to see if you notice that you can see the fabric more clearly in the center.  Ok, here's what happened.  I, for some unknown reason, put the stabilizer on top of the fabric instead of on the bottom.  Do you think I would have noticed that when I hooped or while stitching?  Apparently not.  Worse than that is the fact that it is fusible stabilizer so I had to press the stabilizer onto the fabric before I embroidered it!  Here's a couple of close ups to give you a better view.

You can see a piece of the stabilizer I started to pull away.

See all the wrinkling except in the center?  That's the stabilizer.......unfortunately!

Was I drinking?  Did I have my eyes closed?  Did my 5 year old grandson do it?  Nope, Caspian isn't old enough to go near an iron so I can't blame him!  I know I wasn't drinking but, I guess, I could have had my eyes closed.  No matter.  This is to let you know that everyone makes  mistakes, silly mistakes or stupid ones.  It happens.  I have to say that this is a first for me and I'm still chuckling about it.  Can I fix it?  No.  If I wanted to sit and pick out tiny fibers but I doubt I could get it looking as it should.  Lucky for me, it isn't an embroidery with lots of color changes and stitches so it won't take long to do a new one.  I'll save this beauty to show in my classes.  Students always enjoy when the teacher makes a mistake and this is a good one!!

So next time you mess up, let it go.  Fix it if you can.  If you can't, move on and make a new one or if you're really frustrated, set it aside or throw it away and get back to that project when you can laugh at your mistake.  We all make them and usually at a most inopportune time.......like trying to embroider something to give as a gift the same day!

Keep stitching,
loreen

 

 

Anita Goodesign Honeycomb Update

Got a few more blocks done in the Anita Goodesign Honeycomb embroidery collection.  

Here's a picture of all of the blocks together to get an idea of how this is going to look.

I just love these blocks.  Hope some of you give this AGD Honeycomb embroidery a try!  Don't forget to check out the video tutorials on stitching this collection on Miss Loreen's Schoolhouse Youtube Channel link on the right side of this blog!

Keep sewing,
loreen

Anita Goodesign Honeycomb Update

I'm still working away at my project using the Anita Goodesign Honeycomb Embroidery Collection.  The blocks are really quick and easy! What could be easier than my machine doing the piecing, embroidering and quilting??

Still have to give these blocks a light press but I wanted everyone to get the chance to see them as I progress through this project.  

The block above was extra easy since there was no piecing to do.  No piecing means I didn't have to choose the fabrics to go around the design and there was little stopping and starting as each fabric was pieced on the machine.  

I have a YouTube video on the Miss Loreen's Schoolhouse channel showing you how to make one of these blocks with all the piecing, stippling and embroidery stitching.  Be sure to watch it even if you aren't going to be making this embroidery collection.  It's interesting to see how this all gets done in the hoop!

There are several video tutorials.  Here's the link to the first one. 

http://youtu.be/WKYmA_B7wog

Another AGD Block Done!

Another block finished from the Honeycomb Collection by Anita Goodesign.  This was an easy one since it didn't have any piecing to it.  Just stabilizer, batting then fabric - watch it stitch out, change the thread now and again and next thing I know, it's done!

Be sure to check out the photo library for pictures of the rest of the blocks I've finished in this collection.

 I uploaded a video tutorial for this block for those who are following along. Just click on the link here or on the left side of my blog.

http://youtu.be/lXL-nOShc38

Keep stitching!
loreen

Anita Goodesign Honeycomb Blocks

Have been working a bit on the Honeycomb blocks inbetween other projects.

Check out the AGD Photo Album for pictures of some of these blocks.  They're pretty easy to complete.  You can pick pieced blocks with embroidered pictures in the center or words in the center.  You can pick blocks with an embroidery design and no piecing.   All of the blocks have some stippling in the background and since you can stitch these blocks with the batting, it looks like you're a great quilter!

Great project and I can't wait until I have some more blocks finished to share with you. 

I'll be adding additional tutorials for this project as I go along.

Happy sewing,
loreen

 

Anita Goodesign Honeycomb Tutorial

Here's a quick link to the video tutorial for the Anita Goodesign Honeycomb embroidery collection.