Motif Satin Stitching Tutorial

Satin stitching a motif without an embroidery machine can be a challenge. I personally cannot justify the purchase of a fancy embroidery machine and the software to digitize more than what I already have with my Janome 350E and Embird. To embroider motifs like these, which exceed my hoop size, I use a technique that makes it fairly simple.
The base fabrics are rough cut to size about 3/4" larger than needed all around. Depending on the fabric, they are either fused with a cotton interfacing or spray glued to satin which has been fused. In these examples a cotton velvet was glued to an interfaced satin underlining.
The motif is drawn to size on the pattern in marker then traced onto the rough side of a sticky backed tearaway stabiliser. Instead of using the tearaway as a backing, it creates a topper and design guide for the stitching.
Here you can see the layers of fabrics with interfacing and the motif stuck on the velvet. Velvet has a napped surface and therefore a tendency for any applique to shift, so I have quickly basted the motif down.

The motif is then satin stitched all around, filling in the design and covering up the tearaway topping. I have used two layers of a tearaway beneath as well, spray glued to the fabric. The glue helps since here is no hoop to hold things in place and the fabric gets a lot of turning. You need to be careful not to push or pull too much or the fabric will distort and pucker.

Here you can see that the right side has been stitched twice, while the left has received a third run down the centre, which blends the stitches in. I use an Omnisew machine, which is an industrial zig zag head that has been adjusted to do a compact satin stitch. The width can go up to 13mm. I have used about a 7 or 8mm width, so achievable on many domestic machines. I used about a 4 on the gold stitching below. The stitches will sink into a napped fabric to some degree, so you need a slightly wider stitch than you might think.
The white stitching has all been done.

I added some gold as an accent. A second color can give a more definite edge and correct any whiskering or shaky edges.
Here the top cuff is done, while the bottom cuff has yet to receive the gold.

This is the first time I have used the sticky stabiliser by itself. I usually use a satin applique and fill over it completely. I haven't done much of this for a while, but when I am in practise, the motifs really turn out well and makes it hard to rationalise the time and expense of buying and learning digitising.
Doesn't stop me from turning green with envy when I see the embroidery work done on those machines though.

I did it!

They weren't that hard to do, either! Everything had been fused, so no ravelling. I had to ease the pocket bag back into shape on one of them. Once done the one corner showed one one side, which would not have been so apparent had I used black or grey pocketing. However, I used brown Kasha as an homage to the brown in the tweed which has gone unnoticed otherwise. I scooched the welt over about 1/8" and steamed the slight bubble out.
Now to get my work sewing out of the way so I can get back to it!

Setback

I just realized my pockets welts were put in reversed. I put the left in the right and vice versa.
I din't even notice until the second one was in. They looked kind of "unhappy" to me and then I realized the welts pointed down instead of up.
I just have to keep telling myself it won't be hard to change, despite being in thich ravelly tweed with 1/4 seam allowances.
I wasn't supposed to work on them again until Monday and I should have just left it there.
(it won't be hard to change, it won't be hard to change...)

Tweed coat pattern-jumping off point

Single breasted view.

Tweed coat

So, while I am swamped with work and extra family commitments due to my husband's illness, inspiration has struck. Isn't that always the way?
I have some tweed from Emma One Sock that I had planned to make my CSACoat from. It is a mix of black, brown and grey, but many blacks are too black with it and browns are too brown, so I guess it reads kind of a charcoal grey.
I didn't use it in the end because of concerns about the wear of the fabric. The edges of tweed can get pretty ratty quickly. To prevent this I decided to bind the edges with leather and add a few simple appliques in a charcoal melton that works beautifully with the tweed.

The tweed and the initial design sketch.
I am using OOP Vogue 2449 again, with modifications to the fit. I have flared out the back princess seam and made it about 10" longer. Initially I had planned scallops somehow, but went with diamonds for the design. I also extended the rounded collar out to a point.

The plan was made last night. Already it hasn't worked out.
#1-I want to do a fly closure at the front so the buttons don't compete. I have only done this once before and I would prefer to use something I can unpick, so I reversed the fabrics.
#2-But a binding won't work with the fly closure. So applique it is!
I am determined to just DO this before I chicken out.
The collar before turning.
The tweed collar was fused, then another collar in melton was laid over with the stitching lines marked. It was stitched and the inner portion was cut away. I didn't interface the melton, but it needed it, so crossgrain strips were added afterwards. The edging was done in a straight stitch that I will hand embroider over. The threads were pulled through and tied off on the diamonds.
Collar and pocket welts.
This shows the melton edge with leather diamonds along the join line. I did one larger diamond at the CB of the collar.
I learned my lesson and fused the pocket welt melton before the tweed was added. When enlarged you can see the white interfacing showing where the section was cut away from the melton on the pockets. I used a sharpie to colour it in. Shhh....
Welt pocket sewn in.
The charcoal at the front will be the front band.

The collar, before and after the stand. The basting is still there, so it is a bit puckered in places.

Back of collar, looking a bit dirty. There is a lot of pink fuzz around. Mid way through this project I realized I had to make a birthday present for my daughter's friend, so made a pink Minkee rosette cape. That stuff sheds everywhere!
I love the subtle texture contrast between the leather, tweed and melton. You don't notice the diamonds in colour value, but you can really see them when they catch the light.

I would like to add a dark rivet in the centre of each diamond, but am not sure yet. I have time to think though, I won't get back to it until early March now.

Thanks and a question

Thanks to all those who have expressed concern, either through comments, emails, telephone and personal calls and Stitcher's Guild. DH seems to be better, has seen his GP twice, has had one specialist appointment and is awaiting results from two tests. He has taken an active approach in getting better, which is good. Once we learned he wouldn't die from his "episodes" we were able to relax, whcih made them less frequent and not as severe. Hmmm, apparently stress could be a contributing factor.
I haven't been able to do much personal sewing lately, except whatever I could whip up for the upcoming birthday girl's costume box.
I recently had one dress for a client that nearly did me in though. If it had been personal, it would have become a UFO, but I had a deadline and couldn't back down on it. The dress fought be tooth and nail the entire way along. The result was lovely, but hard to get done and out. It was like a very difficult birth, but the result is always worth it.
There have been two in the last six months like this. Both were for 14 year old girls. Both, according to their mums, are in that difficult teenage angst phase. Am I feeling this? I have never met either girl, but energy does get passed on.
Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Absent minded- in a way

I have been absent lately from the blogs, the message boards and the studio. My husband has suddenly become quite ill. We have had an ambulance here twice in the last week. The stress and busy-ness of this has taken up a fair bit of time.
On a more positive note, his episodes may have resulted in a diagnosis. Any news is better than
"We don't know what it it, so go home and don't drive until you see the heart and stroke clinic in June." No answers about medications, exercise, diet, etc.
It has been a frustrating time. Sorry Liana if I seemed unappreciative. You actually made my day!

Kreativ Blogger

Thanks Liana for giving me the Kreativ Blogger Award.

Rules:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

I will search for some blogs I frequent that haven't received the award and update this post later.

Birthday creations

Maisie's third birthday is coming up in February. When asked what she would like, she always replies, "A purple cake with candles and Smarties." With Christmas just past, I don't think she really expects to get any presents. That leaves it up to us to figure out what she would like and would play with as well as what we actually have room for in the house. We don't need any more junk, clutter or any toys that aren't used.
Something she loves is to dress up. Any kind of a costume will do, including her brother's katate gi and sparring gear and anything that seems like a hat.

So I have decided to make her a costume collection and not only because it appeals to me. Over the last year I have tucked away a little sheer ribbon skirt and a pair of fairy wings. She will need a princess dress (who doesn't) and, of course, a cape. I am waiting to get some more fabric for the dress, so I cut out and sewed the cape. When her brother comes home from school each day, he checks in with me and I show him my progress. He even picked out the trim for it: a sequinned pink stuff that was chosen for it's contrast, sparkle and comfortability. He even tried it on for me so I could check the lining. He really is a good big brother.

I always ask him not to stand behind me and read over my shoulder when I am on the computer. I ask this, not just because it drives me crazy, but also because I might post something like this:

What a good sport!

Teal jacket and Ashy top

The Vogue 2923 jacket is finally finished and has been worn out ot my January book club meeting. I was a bit overdressed compared to everyone else, but dont really care. I gave a soft press to the ruffle to hold it in place, but it does what is wants anyway. That is probably better.
The fabric is a wool knit I purchased last year. I threw 1.5 yards of it into the washer and dryer to felt it a bit. I used the unfelted wool for the ruffle and faced it with a silk from Gorgeous fabrics. The jacket is supposed to have a lining in the front, but I couldn't get the knit and woven to play nicely and gave up on that plan. Because of this the seams had been trimmed and topstitched and could no longer be serged nicely. However the fabric does not fray or lose fibre, so I just won't show anyone the inside! I used bias to bind the sleeve hems and decided I liked it enough to use as the finish. The texture contrast is pretty. There are three buttons and thread loops holding it closed.

Underneath is a rayon/cotton/lycra knit top from EOS in a colour Linda called "ashy". It suits the colour, not really brown, not really gray, but a heathery mixture of the two. I did a neckline treatment that I saw on RTW and liked. I cut the top from a pattern I made from RTW, cut 2" off the neckline and sewed a 2" band back on. The band was cut to the size of the opening and had a CB seam. I left a small part of the CB seam open, inserted 1/4" elastic into it and adjusted the length until the neckband was gathered up slightly and laid flat on my neck. You can just see the gathers at the neckline in the pictures.

More Knit Talk

The reason I never did texture was because my knitting was backwards. This is my mother's term.I taught myself to knit in college to show her that cables were not too difficult. My Godmother made me a cardigan when I was a child. It was hard and scratchy and cabled. My mother ooohed and awed about it and I asked her (not in front of my Godmother) what was so special. She replied that cables were very hard to do.Some years later, while I was in college, I stuck my finger through a cable and realized how they were made. I had figured it out. Now all I had to do was learn to knit and I could show my mother how it was done! I got a book, and yarn and borrowed some needles and got to it.The funny thing is that no where in the book did it mention to change hands. By this I mean they never said to, once the row was complete, take the neeedle with the work on the right and put it in the left and start over. Being ambidextrous, I just knit back again from the right to the left. I knit each row and just could not figure out garter stitch. Someone finally clued me in and I started knitting the regular way.I was self taught with no one nearby to tutor me and I only knew the basics, but I was fairly prolific. The only problem was that I always wrapped my yarns wrong. So I went home to visit and my mother tried to show me something, she would have to take each loop off, turn it and put it back on the needle. If I tried to do any texture work, the slants were always in the wrong direction. Yarn overs were hard. I just didn't bother with them. I did a lot of Fair Isle instead.This year I decided to learn how to knit correctly. I got out some books to see what was what and knit a few scarves in basic stockinette and garter to practise. As usual all has gone well as long as I kept to knit and purl. I forgot one thing: I don't know how to count.

Teal jacket and other UFOs

My teal jacket is nearly done. I have to bind one armhole and add closures, which will be either button and loop or hook and loop.
I tried it on for my husband and pointed out that it is not too ruffly. His reply was "Oh, no. That jacket is all straight lines and angles." Now, you have to understand that he dislikes anything ruffly and nothing about me is straight lines and angles, so I am not sure how to take it. I just figure it is a good "girl's night out" kind of jacket. That way he doesn't need to look at it.

I am trying to knit every day and so to create some beautiful sweaters, scarves, dishcloths, whatever. This is not stash busting, but stash using. Some yarns I purchased specifically for dischcloths. Marji discusses her view on stash busting here. I have to say that I agree.

I have pulled out several works in progress. There are three little sweaters started for my daughter. One sweater that might still fit my son if finished soon. I even have one I began for him as a baby. He is now eleven. Most of my friends have finished having babies. I am sure some little guy will need this before I have grandchildren. I used to do a lot of colour work with nothing but basic texture. I think I got sick of weaving in the little ends. This one just needs the ends woven in and the front bands knit, then to be sewn together. The shoulder seams are sewn and the neckband is knit. I even have a little hat knit. This one will get done soon. I swear it. I am getting low in the gift cupboard anyway.

Not sewing, but still fibre

Needle felted teddy bear for my son. It is about 1 1/4" high.

This is my first 3-D needle felted object and I think it turned out kind of cute. I wasn't sure how to do this, but you can learn a lot just by trying. For example- keep your fingers out of the way.

I think I am going to like this hobby, but not as much as my son is!

Needle felted hat

This is my new hat. It is my first attempt at needle felting. I like it, but keep wondering if I will look back on it one day and cringe at my workmanship.

I eyeballed the design, did the needle felting using fleece from Vogue Fabrics and sewed the hat up.
Afterwards I decided to add some embroidery. This was NOT the correct order to do the embellishment, believe me.
I did a blanket stitch around the top seam of the crown and added some fly stitches to the little trefoil design that goes around the crown.
The hat is a teal boiled wool type fabric (wool/rayon blend) with the underside of the brim in a black/brown faux Persian lamb fabric. The lining is a lightweight polartec fleece.

Pattern is McCalls 3400

Coat finally finished

I had hoped to get it done before New Year's, but just finished up the coat today while Maisie napped and the boy brushed the cats.

Here are a front view with the front open, a 3/4 view and a close up my son took which shows the colour and weave better.

I had a set back when I decided to interline the lining with flannel. It is very warm, but snugger than the mockup was. It doesn't help that I have gained about 20 pounds recently. I almost gave up on it, but really wanted it out of the sewing room. In the end it fits fine, even with the flannel.