What was used in this Project:
- 1- 20" wide x x 12" high (to fit hoop) Linen fabric, natural color, to stitch the design
- 1- Lightweight fusible interfacing to back the linen
- 1- 20" wide x 30" high Fabric to make the pillow
- 1- box 64 Crayola Crayons to color the design
- Embroidery thread to stitch the design
- Tearaway stabilizer to fit hoop
- Paper towels for pressing crayon colors into the linen
- 2- 20" Upholstery cording to coordinate with fabric and crayon colors chosen
- Sewing thread to sew the pillow
- Poly fiber-fil to stuff the pillow
Featured Design:
https://www.grandslamdesigns.com/pumpkin-mandala-2-embroidery-design?variant=1
Notes:
- Fabrics from the stash were used to create this project.
- Adjust the measurements of the pillow to fit the fabrics in your stash.
- A large hoop was used to stitch the design.
- The embroidery thread used was coordinated with the fabric used for the pillow.
- Crayon colors were used to enhance the design and coordinate with the fabric.
Preparation:
- Load the design on the machine.
- Following the package instructions, fuse the interfacing on the back of the linen.
- Hoop the linen, centering the fabric in the hoop.
Stitching:
- Place the hoop and thread on the machine and stitch the design in the chosen thread color.
Adding Color:
- Leave the fabric in the hoop; the tension on the hooped fabric helps when applying the color.
- Using the crayons, color the design within the lines.
- Continue coloring in the design, using additional colors to shade in the design.
- This would be a great project to engage older children to begin enjoying creating embroidery projects!
- Remove the fabric from the hoop.
- Using a layer or two of paper towel, place the towels over the colored design.
- Press with a dry iron on low heat.
- You will see some of the pigment from the crayon on the towels. Continue applying clean towels and pressing until no more pigment can be seen on the paper towel.
- Sometimes what looks good in the imagination doesn’t work when the project progresses. The original fabric chosen, though very pretty, just wasn’t working with the design. Upon searching the stash, other fabrics were chosen but those didn’t work well, either.
- Finally, a towel proved to be the perfect accent fabric for the design, along with the trim! Don’t be afraid to change your mind as you progress in projects—it is all personal taste!
- Remove the excess stabilizer from the back of the design.
- Using a ruler and pencil, mark 1” from the top edge of the design and draw a line.
- Next, mark 1” from the bottom most edge of the design and draw a line.
- Be sure to keep the lines perpendicular to the design.
- Fold back the linen fabric about 1/8” down from the lines, and press both the top and bottom edges.
- For this fabric, the folds were 8” apart, and the drawn lines about 8 ¼” apart.
- Meeting the folded edges, place pins at the left and right sides of the center (lower) fold.
- Cut the upholstery cording longer than needed for both the top and bottom edges of the linen.
- Cut off the hemmed edges of the towel.
- Fold the towel in half, meeting the short cut edges, and place pins at the left and right edges of the fold, marking the center.
- Match the left and right pins of the linen to the pins on the towel to center the linen on the towel fabric.
- Tuck the tape end of the upholstery cord under the fold of the linen at both the top and bottom edges.
- Pin the cord in place.
- Using a zipper foot, edge stitch the linen next to the cording, catching the cording tape. Stitch both the top and bottom cording in place.
- The towel is showing through the linen, even though it is interfaced.
Final Steps:
- Very carefully trim away the folded edge of the linen and back portion of the towel, leaving seam allowances for the cording.
- Now it is time to construct the pillow.
- With right sides together, bring the top and bottom edges of the towel together and pin.
- Stitch the seam, leaving and opening for stuffing the pillow.
- Press the seam open.
- Find the center of the linen again at the edge and place a pin. Match the seam line to the pin.
- Pin the pillow along both edges.
- Sew the seams. Be extremely careful when sewing over the cord. It may be helpful to use a larger size needle for this step and to use the hand wheel to form the stitches over this area. This cording was sewn over three times to make sure the edge of the cord would not fray.
- Trim the excess cord away.
- Turn the pillow right side out through the opening at the seam, forming the corners well.
- Use the fiber-fil to stuff the pillow, beginning at the corners, then the sides, and then the center.
- Use a ladder stitch to close the opening in the back seam.
Conclusion:
Congratulations! Whether for yourself or a gift, learning new ways to use designs increases your enjoyment of stitching. There is no doubt your project will be a “Grand Slam!”
By the "1Z Embroidery" Team
