Yep, another year has passed, and I’m sharing my birthday cake!
Buy ANY pattern Sept 1-5, 2022, and get a slice of cake free!
Cake? Really? Yes, it’s a pattern for a delicious layer cake. My sample has chocolate icing and raspberry filling, but you get to pick your own colors and flavors. And I promise, NO CALORIES! How’s that for perfect? To Buy
This is a machine applique, but you can add 1/4″ to the pieces and hand-applique if you have the time and inclination. However, if you satin-stitch, here are a few pointers to remember:
- Fuse first—iron paper-backed fusible web to the fabric; then cut out the pieces. Fuse them in place to eliminate slippage.
- Use a stabilizer—it goes under the fabric and is very necessary! Get an easy-tear for machine embroidery. (If you hoop embroidery, there are often unused sections you pull off. Save them for use under satin-stitch.)
- Use an open-toe foot—It’s really important to be able to see the stitches. Open-toe makes it much easier to see than a clear plastic foot, but both are better than a normal foot.
- Check the length and width of the stitch—do this on scrap fabric to make sure it’ll cover edges well.
- Remember the length and width number—sometimes you may have to go back and restitch.
- Coming to a point?—You can often slowly decrease the width of the stitch AS you sew to the point, then increase it as you leave the point.
- Sew slowly, but evenly, i.e., don’t jerk!—stopping and starting or jerking makes uneven stitches.
- It’s OK to not be perfect—actually it’s quite easy to remove stitches and redo because the wide stitches are easy to cut and remove. You can usually fix it.
- Sometimes you need a do-over!—Really, do OVER in the sense that occasionally you can just do another layer to help fill in. If so, make it just a tad wider to cover the original stitches.
Relax and enjoy the stitching. Sometimes it’s simply fun to use pretty embroidery thread for a break from piecing. Fusing the pieces first makes it so much easier than it used to be.
Quick–order ANY other pattern and get this one as well. Don’t forget that the Gladiola Bundle of 5 patterns is on a special sale for $10! I extended it through Labor Day. You’ll get 6 patterns, though, with the cake added–what a bargain! If you haven’t tried my patterns yet, this is the right time! To Buy
$10 “Glad Bundle” below
