Who doesn’t love new accessories to start a new school year? Even in 2020, the “year of COVID-19,” with school being all weird, you can make it a celebration with the accessories included in this set.
The Back-to-School Accessories set has 6 projects:
- 2 projects for 100x100mm sewing fields
- 3 projects for 130x180mm sewing fields
- 1 project for 200 x 300mm sewing fields
Two of these are the zipped pencil case designed for stitching with woven fabric. The 4 other projects are intended for vinyl, cork, leather, or felt.
This PDF covers the vinyl projects, which includes:
- lgp03201 - Pencil charm (4x4 hoop)
- lgp03202 - Pencil snap tab (4x4 hoop)
- lgp03203 - Pencil name tag/lip balm holder (5x7 hoop)
- lgp03204 - Pencil hand sanitizer holder (5x7 hoop
Although all these items are shown with additional personalization, the included design files are blank and can be customized as you desire either in your software or at the machine.
The zip bags are covered separately
Skill Level
These projects are all very simple and once you know how to do one, you know how to do the others.
The larger two projects have pockets on the back side. While pockets were not used on the smaller ones, you can add one the same way we’ll do it on the larger projects.
Another difference is that the charm uses an eyelet instead of snap. Since snaps, rivets, and other hardware are not part of the embroidery process, you can finish your project any way you choose.
You may want to watch this YouTube video first: ITH Monogrammed Lip Balm Holde
Please read through all instructions before starting your project! This project, while complex, is not really difficult because the embroidery takes care of all the construction. Cut and place carefully and you’ll have a successful result!
What You’ll Need
- Tearaway stabilizer
- Fabric: Vinyl is recommended but felt and leather are other options. Here’s a link to the yellow vinyl I used
- Note 1: The front and back can be different colors and different weights.
- Note 2: Consider using 12-gauge clear vinyl for the pocket to reduce thickness if your machine has trouble with 3 layers of marine vinyl
- Matching bobbin thread colors are recommended. I used these.
- Tape
- Heavy scissors for final trim
- Optional bag hardware of your choice
- Suitable embroidery threads
Getting Started
Print out the corresponding worksheet for the project you’ll be stitching. Here you’ll find dimensions for cutting your pieces along with brief sewing instructions. Once you understand how these are made, you can just use those notes instead of this PDF
About Embroidery on Vinyl
You’ll notice that the fills on these designs is more open than standard designs and you will see fabric peek through.
Wovens and knits have “breathing room” between the fabric’s fibers. Vinyl and leather have no such space. Packing in too much thread into such a product can cause warping and possibly enough needle damage to create “cutwork” instead of embroidery.
Personalizing the Vinyl Projects
All four of the vinyl projects can be personalized with either a name or monogram. While this can be done at the machine, it’s much easier in software. Since all software is different, here’s a quick overview.
The process is relatively simple in most any embroidery program that can add lettering:
- Open the design in your software
- Add your lettering,
- Move it into place and rotate if necessary (Some designs were rotated to allow them to fit a smaller hoop.)
- If your software allows you move the lettering, more it to sew right before the last color.
If you can’t sequence it properly in your software, you can still sew it by skipping and colors at your machine:
- Sew up to the final outline.
- Advance to your additional elements and stitch them.
- At this point, you’ll be at the end of your design so you may need to advance through all the colors one more time to get to the original last color.
Process Overview
Here’s what you’ll do:
- Cut your vinyl to the sizes mentioned on the worksheet.
- Hoop one layer of tearaway.
- Sew color one directly onto the stabilizer for a placement line.
- Position the front fabric over the placement line.
- Color 2 attaches the front fabric.
- Sew the remaining colors up to the last color
- Remove the hoop, position the back fabrics on the bottom of the hoop, and secure.
- The back fabric is laid first, face up
- The pocket is placed second with the top edge at the placement marks.
- NOTE: Because of how the last color attaches everything, you can add/omit/move pockets on any vinyl design in this set
- Sew the last color to secure everything.
- Remove the hoop, tear off stabilizer close to the stitching.
- Trim around the project a few millimeters outside of the stitching line.
- Add a closure such as a snap or Velcro to secure each project
Summary
These projects work up very quickly and require minimal amounts of fabric. Personalize them and make them as easy gifts