Monday 3 September 2007

How I Did The Word Embroidery.

I have been asked how I did the embroidered wording. I printed out the words and then placed them on the fabric. I then pin pricked them (a bit like tracing). I could just about make out the pricked lines in order to trace them with a fine pen before machine embroidering. It's a bit like painting. I start by 'drawing' a little balloon at the start of each line. I then do four sweeps of each line and finish with another little balloon. It gives it a cheeky chirpy look I think. :0)

7 comments:

weechuff said...

That all sounds very time consuming and clever:0)

Babs (Beetle) said...

What you need to do is make the holes on short stitch, and with a very fine needle, then get some dark powder, make yourself a little pad and rub the powder over the holes. It may be better back to front so the holes are raised. Then you spray with meths to fix it before sewing :O) I used to use a special black powder but maybe any dark powder would work. Use white powder on dark materials. Try it out first.

Croom said...

ooh Babs, you are a wealth of information. What is 'short stitch.
It all looks great, you are both clever girls.

Love Tina

Gary said...

So I was halfway there Babs? I assume that the meths just vapopises off and doesn't leave a residue? I have a big bag of embroideries that you did in the 70's and they're all on satiny fabric, so I guess that if you used that method with them, that answers my question as there is no staining!

Short stitch is just a close running stitch on the machine Tina. Babs means to stitch with no thread so that it just leaves tiny holes. Like when you made 'stamps' as a child. Did you ever do that? If you used the sewing machine to make serrations, you can tear them like a stamp. :0)

Babs (Beetle) said...

Ooooh I never made stamps :O)
No there is no staining at all with meths. The powder I used was sooooo fine like talcum powder but black. I have no idea what it was though.

Babs (Beetle) said...

Want another tip? If that method doesn't work. I used to draw the picture on flimsy paper and lay it on the fabric. Sew all round the design and then just peel the paper away. You then have your design in plain short stitch to follow :O)

Gary said...

Aaah, now that's a good idea Babs! I could use dressmakers pattern tracing paper as that's very fine. :0)