A Favorite Reading Pillow

One of my friends asked me to make a reading pillow for her grandson.  She wanted a super-hero.  I have had the wording for some time from Designs by Juju (Reading Word Art #1) and the boy design was found at Sew Fun Fonts.  Together they make a perfect design. I think I will have to make another one.

John Deer Ditigitizing Webinar

I have had the opportunity to be part of John Deer's Digitizing Made Easy Webinar.  John Deer is known as the guru of digitizing and I have always wanted to take a class from him.  I read about his initial effort to develop an on-line class and signed up a couple of months ago.  The class has three active webinars through facebook or Zoom.  Then there are online step-by-step lessons that teach  running stitches, satin stitches, and fill stitches.  Each lesson builds on the previous one.  I would watch the lesson to get the overall view and then complete the lesson in the software while repeating the lesson again and stop it step-by-step. It has taken hours to complete each lesson to my personal satisfaction and then to complete it again without referring to the lesson. Hatch has graciously made their software available for 30 days to complete the lessons.  My lessons have been a bit easier because I have a large monitor that my grandson suggested a couple of years ago.  It is much easier for my old eyes. My photos are two of the projects that I completed for the class. John gives many tips, digitizing theory, encouragement, and responses to questions. If you have the desire to learn more about digitizing, this is the class for you.

A Bernina Garden Flag

Mea Bernina issued a challenge using their red canvas. The store provided you with 1/2 yard of the fabric and asked you to use it to create whatever you wanted.  I had been stitching Christmas garden flags for friends and family for gifts.  So I immediately knew what I would make for the challenge. Using the red canvas was a bit of a challenge because it is so flimsy and does not hold it shape well.  So several applications of Terial Magic made the material more stable and stiff but the color does bleed. It was a good thing to have it laying on an old towel. Burlap is easy to stitch and easy to embroider if it is very stable.  I am very pleased with the results!

A Large Composition Cover

My newest Juju Design is the Large Composition Cover.  It is for the composition book that is 9 3/4" x 7 1/2". It is made in three hoopings and has excellent instructions. The front is a hooping, the back is a hooping, and then the spine connects them in the third hooping. The fabric is Artisan Spirit by Northcott.  It really is a beautiful fabric! The design includes a piece of flat elastic that holds the book closed.  I found that at my local sewing machine dealer and it is a fun addition. Dec. 26: The cover was a Christmas present for my Greatgrandson. Landon loved his gift!

Merry Christmas Garden Flag

This is one of the Christmas gifts I am giving to friends and family.  I found the flag blank and the Merry Christmas embroidery design at Oh My Crafty Supplies. They have a new delivery system and it does not take very long to get the order. I had a second order in time to give them on Christmas Day. The bottom design is Split Flourish Monogram by Designs by Juju and it comes in many sizes. Merry Christmas to all my sewing and embroidery friends!

A Glorious Reading Pillow

This pillow makes me smile.  It is a Designs by Juju design and is titled Be a Unicorn 2. I did have to combine two designs and then add the name.  I found the fabric through an online search for unicorns and rainbows. It will be a Christmas gift for a friend's granddaughter.  I think she will love it.

Tiny Notebooks

I found these tiny notebooks yesterday on Designs by Juju. I thought they would be a nice gift for kids as well as adults. The green one now belongs to my hairdresser. They are made in-the-hoop with one hooping.  One of the notebooks is cotton and the other is a hologram foil spandex knit that I found at Joanne's.  I have since found additional colors at fabric.com which has many luscious colors. The notebooks are 4.5" x 3.25" composition books that can be found at Dollar stores, Amazon, and other office supply stores. There are six different designs and I was fortunate to find them at half price ($4) for two designs.  Now I am headed to my embroidery machine to make more tiny notebooks.