Embroidery Club
Check out the “Stitcher’s Garden” project featured in the latest newsletter. This is the basis of our Embroidery Club series this season. We will learn do machine applique in and out of the hoop, and how to make a machine applique from an “out of the hoop” pattern into an “in the hoop” pattern. Using various stitches, feet, and techniques, we will quilt the backgrounds before doing the applique, and assemble the resulting blocks into a quilt top, table runner, wall hanging, etc. Fun to learn and fun to sew!
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In November, we’re making fun gift-able tissue box covers. We’ll experiment with fonts and learn placement strategies.
You will need 2 coordinating fat quarters, or 3/8 yard each of two fabrics to make two covers (one to give and one for you to keep?)
Decorative thread and sewing thread
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In August, we are going to use one of Viking’s Embroidery Clubs. Their Club projects include designs and pattern. This one is “Trashion Fashion”, a hobo style bag. It’s $21.95 and includes the pattern and 6 embroidery designs that really caught our eye. We have more plans for these gorgeous embroidery designs. You’ll have to let us know ahead of time if you’re in, so we can order from Viking. Call to order and for yardage.
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In July, our efforts go to embroidering on sheer and silky fabrics. We’ll make a pretty “neckline filler upper” for blouses that are too low cut. (Do you like that technical name?) We’ll have organza here to work on, or bring 1/3 yard of your own silky/sheer fabric if you have any. Bring white thread or thread to match your fabric, bobbin thread, etc. With most of your machines, there was included a piece of “Hoop Ease” that you never knew what to do with. It’s a frame-shaped piece of sort of stiff and tacky (sticky) batting that you probably never knew what to do with. Bring the Hoop Ease with you, if you can, and we’ll experiment with various stabilizers as well.
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In June, we will learn to embroider cutwork in the hoop. Bring the designs that came with your machine, as all of the original collections contain at least one cutwork design. Bring a pillow case that you have twice sprayed with fabric stabilizer and then ironed. Bring bobbin thread, and embroidery thread to match the pillow case. If you have Fray Block or Fray Check, bring it, as well as whatever stabilizers you have. And very importantly, you will need a pair of small sharp scissors.
In March, we’ll embroider on towels. Bring a bath towel and hand towel, and select/bring the designs you intend to use, to class. We’ll learn about stabilizers, design placement, hooping thick items, and more. And don’t forget to bring your framed project from last month for all of us to see!
Our project for Embroidery Club for this quarter will center around using embroideries as frameable art. We know embroideries are that beautiful! Some examples are shown below.
We’ll do a fairly complex embroidery of your choice. Check with Sandy about you embroidery selection, as not all embroideries are equally well digitized and this project needs to showcase good digitizing. The Embroidery Club price includes a choice of designs from MyEmbroideries .com. The designs in our example are from “Flowers and Frames II”. Take a look and get an idea of what you’d like to do.
We’ll embroider in class and discuss choices of stabilizers and battings, which may be different from what 
you might use for embroidery on a garment or a quilt. Nancy Page from Main Street Gallery in Glenwood will come and talk to us about framing fabric and needlework projects — she’s really good and really experienced!
Framed embroideries are gorgeous! They’re good for gifts (the recipients will think you are so creative!) and beautiful on display in your home. This will be fun!
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In February, we will make a Journal Cover, for a useful blank book where we can record notes on projects, ideas, future plans, observations, or whatever! These journals are handy to have and great for gifts.
In September, we’re making “The Needle-izer”, which is an organizer for your needles. There is a lot of science behind the making and selection of sewing machine needles, and we’ll attempt to clarify the situation. Would you believe there’s a whole book written about machine needles? (That might be information overload!) The cover of this organizer is a great place for embroidery. Before class, do an embroidery if you’d like, or bring an orphan embroidery or even an orphan quilt block for the cover.
In August we’ll make a small heirloom stitch bag, good for your hand sewing tools, cosmetics, etc.
In July, we’ll make a thread catcher with weighted pincushion, to help keep our playground cleaned up.
Supplies:
Supplies: 
In Februruary Viking Club we are continuing
January’s project will be a notebook to contain your class instruction sheets, and the notes you’d like to keep about your own projects. (Like, what stabilizer did I use on a previous project? How wide did I cut the borders of the last quilt, which has now been given away so I can’t check? What supplies did I use up and need to replace?) We will learn to use fusible interfacing and batting, piping and piping feet, invisible zippers and feet, programmed bar tacks, measuring and fitting a notebook, centering and preparing a front pocket and optional inside back pocket, and more general tips.