Embroidery Catch-Up!

It’s always fun to start off a new year with an exciting new project, so I usually spend the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve getting caught up on some of my UFOs so I can start the new year off with a clean slate – and a clean sewing room. Can any of you relate? lol!

I started this beautiful Peacock embroidery design pictured below ages ago. In fact, I showed it in progress over a year ago as part of my Janome HQ Instagram Live series, Janome’s Magical Machine Mystery Tour when I demoed the fabulous Janome MC 550E embroidery machine.

Was it really sitting around unfinished in my sewing room for over a year!? I probably moved it around 50 times and told myself I’d finish it “when I get the time.” Well, the time is finally here! Perhaps some of you can relate, lol!?

Transform an old dress shirt by adding a fresh new embroidery design – the Peacock is just one of the many free embroidery designs under the Inspire tab on Janome.CA

I started embroidering this shirt as a sample I’ll use as an example of how you can transform a plain old dress shirt into something unique by adding some embroidery.

You can find many free embroidery designs and project instructions under the INSPIRE tab on Janome.CA. Under the Canadian Projects tab is this beautiful Peacock embroidery design and project instructions to make a quilt, but I decided to use the Peacock design on it’s own. You can always adapt any project to your own needs and desires, but you can use the projects in the Inspire tab as a springboard for creative inspiration.

Fortunately, I left the shirt in the embroidery hoop; in this case, the big RE36B 7.9″x14.2″ hoop, one of 4 hoops which come included with the Janome MC550E, so the design picked up right where I had left off – over a year ago!

Janome MC550E with 7.9×14.2 RE36B Embroidery Hoop.

The fabulous Janome Mini Duckling Applique Scissors are the perfect tool to use when trimming in-the- hoop applique, as in the photo below. The handles are offset, so you can trim right down close to the fabric without the embroidery hoop getting in the way. The lower duckbill part of the scissors prevents the lower layer of fabric from accidently being cut while trimming away the excess fabric of the applique.

If you’re a regular viewer of our Janome HQ You Tube videos and Instagram Lives, you’ll see that I use these Janome Mini Duckling Applique Scissors ALL THE TIME, just for trimming threads at my sewing machines. I love them!

I adapted this Peacock design to include an applique body in denim from an old pair of jeans. Details are in the Peacock Quilt project instructions on Janome.CA.

I purposely did not trim the denim super-close to the tack down stitches of the applique as I wanted that raw edge to be visible after the satin stitches stitched around the edge of the applique. Typically with in-the- hoop applique, a Satin Stitch will stitch over the raw edge of the applique fabric, producing a neat, clean edge. I wanted my Peacock to have a little attitude; a little edge to him to make him more unique, so I wanted the raw edge of the denim to show, instead. Isn’t it wonderful we have so much control and creativity when we sew?

Since this embroidery is rather dense and is on the back of an unlined garment, I like to trim away the excess stabilizer and trim any stray threads, then cover the back with fusible interfacing.

The Interfacing has little glue dots on the wrong side which fuses down to the fabric, while the right side has a soft, brushed texture, which will feel good against the skin.

Follow the manufacturer’s instruction for pressing the interfacing, and be sure to lay your embroidery right side down on a towel or wool pressing mat so the stitches won’t be flattened and distorted when pressed from the wrong side.

What projects were you catching up on over the Holidays? How many UFOs did you cross off your list?

Happy Sewing!