In less than 5 months our Dear Son will be marrying the Love Of His Life. I will be throwing a Bridal Shower for G at the end of July. Because of the amount of people, I will be having it catered at an outside venue. The owner of the banquet hall asked me if I would be providing centerpieces for the tables. That got me to thinking. What could I do that would make the centerpieces truly special and show this wonderful young woman just what she means to me? The answer had arrived months earlier in the form of an email from Embroidery Library. As the bridesmaids are wearing wine colored gowns, I would embroider a single wine colored flower as the central focus of each floral arrangement.
Oh boy, I had no idea how much work I was facing! Each flower consists of 6 separate lace sections that need to be sewn together by hand to form the finished product. I anticipated lots of BandAids in my future, but I had failed to anticipate just how LONG each embroidery would take...and the amount of supplies I would need! Each embroidered flower uses a almost one 850 yard spool of thread and I was going through Sulky Fabri-Solvy stabilizer like there was no tomorrow! I had been taught to cut my stabilizer slightly larger than my hoop for each embroidery. What a waste of stabilizer!
Instead, I cut a LONG strip of stabilizer and hooped it at the top with the remainder adequately supported by my chair. I embroidered the second largest set of petals.
When that was finished, I simply moved my needle down to the lower portion of the hoop. I made sure to check the embroidery field for size to make sure it wouldn't stitch over the previous embroidery.
I moved to the far left corner for the smallest embroidery.
By keeping the large piece of stabilizer uncut, I am able to "rehoop" each section closer to the one before...saving stabilizer and money!!!
I have 5 flowers embroidered with a minimum of 3 more to go...although I would prefer 5 more to give me 3 flowers to use in the arrangement in the foyer of the venue. How many hours until July???
Signed,
Sleepless (BUT EXCITED) in PA
Toodles......
What a great tip - especially as I'm a newbie to machine embroidery! I feel your pain as the time it takes to embroider. Especially as I've heard it's best to "baby sit" our machines as they work. I work on my yo-yo quilt as she hums along!
ReplyDeleteThose centerpieces will be lovely!
Thank you so much! I learned the hard way that you need to "babysit". I was working on a gift for my mom. My sewing room was on the second floor. The doorbell rang and it was my parents "dropping in" for a visit. Thirty minutes later I got back upstairs and the embroidery was ruined. Something had happened with the thread and had I been there I could have stopped and rethreaded immediately. Instead I had a rats nest of thread all over! Lesson learned.
DeleteLove this tip. I always feel that I am totally wasting good stabilizer. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Any time, Jackie!
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