Machine Embroidery Projects with Motif-Type Embroidery Designs !

Designs from "Valentine Greetings" set can be used for making valentine greetings, embroidered on certain types of paper, like mulberry paper. Often the size of postcard or type of decorative paper you select for card base don't let to hoop paper the regular way. Yet, if the paper is strong enough to support embroidery without stabilizer, there is another way around. This "other way" is to hoop strong cutaway backing, cut as small as possible hole in it's middle for the design that should be embroidered, then apply temporary adhesive spray over the backing, attach decorative card stock paper and embroider the design. Also, sometimes there's a need to have one design to be embroidered on both sides of single card stock sheet.

Here's a Valentine postcard we've made using these two techniques. As you may see, the cherub looks like embroidered twice - on the front side and from inside of the card. Actually, it was stitched only once, using similar color thread on top & bottom. The large color areas (heart & hair) are appliqué card stock. These appliqués have been glued to card body from both sides, before embroidery.

Below you will find a step-by-step instruction, explaining and demonstrating how this postcard was made.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES & TOOLS

Mulberry paper.
Lightweight card stock in red & yellow colors (for hair and heart)
Design from "Valentine Greetings" set. We've used "Its Valentines Day" for this project.
Cutaway embroidery backing
Temporary adhesive spray
Metallic embroidery thread. We've used red color metallic on this card.
Polyester embroidery thread
Matching color bobbin thread.. If you don't have prewound one, just wind regular embroidery thread on bobbin.
Scissors
Pencil

* Make sure that your printer is functioning properly. You'll need it for printing design template.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Open "Valentine Greetings" designs set on your PC, locate " Its Valentines Day " design, open its corresponding PDF format template using Acrobat Reader, and print it out.

In case you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your PC - you may download it for free from Adobe site, here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

1. After printing the template, cut out the one with images of color appliqués (hair & heart). Then carefully cut out the colored objects. The result should be a paper stencil. Cut out template with image of the design, too. Use the paper stencil to draw 2 pieces of hair & heart on color card stock, and cut them out.

2. Take a piece of heavy mulberry paper in suitable size for greeting card. Divide it into 2 equal parts. Draw heart & hair using pencil and paper stencil, from front side of one card half and stick the color appliqué pieces over the outlines, using temporary adhesive spray.





3. Repeat the same procedure on the wrong side of same card stock, so that the appliqué pieces would meet each other precisely.



4. Hoop a piece of cutaway embroidery backing, and mark it from middle to middle of each hoop size, to find hoop center.

5. Create template for future hole in embroidery backing, by cutting as much as possible from paper template around the design. Just be sure to cut a geometric shape that wouldn't create "falling edges" of hooped backing.





6. Apply temporary adhesive spray over the backing, and stick the card over it, precisely centered.

7. Embroider the design. Be sure to use same thread color for top & bobbin thread.

8. Remove embroidered card from the hoop, draw lovely figure contours around the heart.

9. Cut the edge away, and the card is ready!