August 2020

Happy August!

Summer is quickly coming to a close and fall will be showing its beautiful colors soon. I hope you have been embroidering, sewing and creating amazing projects. Have you learned a new technique, tried a new pattern, sewed a garment or made a quilt this summer? I hope so, as we need to keep expanding our knowledge and keep our minds busy.

Do you have an embroidery business? Are you using a multi-needle machine? In the Tutorials section https://bluebunnyhollow.com/tutorials. I have just posted a video on How to embroider a knit beanie on a multi-needle machine. You can download a free supply list to have when you watch the video. Knit beanies are super popular and you see people wearing them all year around. Great additional income for your business!

If you read my last blog post you would see that I introduced a new technique of embroidering your own borders, sashings and bindings with the same thread in your designs for a great combination. Well, I have another new border in Chicken Soup. This delightful design set has lots of chickens in the “natural” habitat and is surround by chicken wire sashings and borders that you embroider for your quilts, table runners and hot pads.

The chickens do not need a large piece of fabric. So running to the store for a 3”x3” piece of dotted fabric is silly. So why not design your own! Using plain scraps of fabric you probably already have, follow my fun technique to design and create a piece that is perfect for your chickens.

These designs are also fun to embroider on kitchen towels and tote bags.

I love stilettos and can no longer wear them. But, I can embroider them on everything, t-shirts, jackets, bags, etc. These also have a my new technique of embroidering your borders, sashings and bindings for your quilted projects. Stunningly beautiful done in Kingstar Metallic thread! #MA11 used in samples below.

Fall is just around the corner with Halloween kicking off the holiday season. The Fluffles and I have been very busy getting things ready for this fun time of year. We have just listed two new design sets for Fall. Magic Pumpkins and Halloween Wreaths are both delightful design sets to embroider on your festive projects.

Start your Fall embroidery now and be ready when the leaves start to change their colors and float lazily to the ground. A beautiful time of year!

Who doesn’t love fresh summer fruit? Sweet, sassy and luscious Fruits will dress up any kitchen or dining room table with the fun sayings and rich colors. A summer bounty waiting to be stitched onto your projects.

NOTE: Background images are for display only and not part of the design.

Need to lift up someone’s spirit? Embroider this charming butterfly and saying onto a tote bag or t-shirt to always remind them they have inner strength that they can tap into! Your Wings Already Exist is a single design and if you use the code Wings, you can purchase it for $1.00.

NOTE: Background images are for display only and not part of the design.

Today’s Tip from the Hollow…

When doing applique and especially when I am using an electronic cutter, I want to make sure the fusible web is firmly on the back of the fabric. I do not want it to separate during the cutting or embroidery process. My cutting machine of choice is the Brother ScanNCut. I have several others but have found the Brother ScanNCut the easiest and quickest one to use to get my work done. I also use Steam-a-seam II for most of my appliques because of the “sticky” on both sides of the fusible web. When I am ready to place the fabric (with Steam-a-seam II attached) onto my cutting mat I remove the second piece of protective paper and place the sticky side of the Steam-a-Seam II against the stickiness of the cutting mat. For this process I will use a low tack mat or a well-used high tack mat. I would not put this on a new sticky mat. TIP: Reason to not toss out mats that have loss their stickiness. I have many mats at various stages of use. I use them as needed for projects. The sticky mats are perfect for some projects, but I have found I use the lesser sticky mats more often.

To prevent the fabric and Steam-a-Seam II from separating, I use a Fusamat to firmly attach the fusible web to the fabric.

1.    Remove one of the protective papers.

2.    Place the fusible side of the Steam-a-Seam II to the wrong side of the fabric. Iron to attach as usual.

3.    Remove the 2nd protective paper and place the sticky side (side with the Steam-a-Seam II) directly onto the Fusamat. The pretty side of your fabric is up.

4.    Iron firmly for 8-10 seconds.

5.    Let this cool.

6.    Remove the fabric from the Fusamat. You may need a pair of tweezers to lift up the corner.

7.    Check the adhesive. The Steam-a-Seam II should look somewhat shiny. If you still see the pattern of the Steam-a-Seam II, re-do Steps 3-6.

8.    Place the fabric, sticky side down onto the cutting mat of your electronic cutter.

9.    Use a marble rolling pin (yes, the one from your kitchen) to firmly attach the fabric to the mat. NOTE: I have found that the weight of the rolling pin works extremely well to attach items to my mat.

10.   Cut out your applique. The fabric will not more, you do not have to remember to reverse image your design and you will get a perfect cut! Success!!

Thank you for stopping by!

Lana, Head Fluffle

Jordyn, Fluffle Administrator, and the one that is the brains of the website

Fluffles (wild bunnies), usually causing trouble

.Enjoy your sewing adventures!