Category Archives: Sewing

Month 07 – Digitizing & Design

Corel Draw, Digitizing, Embroidery, Hatch, Sarah Vedeler

July felt like a month where we really were demonstrating our cumulative learning. I gave myself grace for July. I started the month – July 1 with an emergency room trip. By Sunday, July 3, I went into surgery for an unexpected/anticipated ‘pacemaker’! I just finished myt 6 week mark.

I decided to focus on ‘Christmas’ for this project because I believe in eternal, love, joy, hope, and peace. My goal is to make this design a medallion center surrounded by 12 blocks reflecting the twelve days of Christmas. Most of my hooping for this project uses my 272mm x 408mm hoop. The only exception is my center design that uses my 200mm x 200mm hoop. I created 3 versions before I got the design placed successfully, including breaking my outer ribbon for July’s design. I ended up with 7 hoopings to stitch out, excluding the quilting.

Below are pictures of my first version, including cutting the applique. For the second version of the design, I tested the stitching without using my applique. For this test I used the ‘knife’ tool to ‘split’ the outer ribbon. It was much closer than my first stitch out but you can still see the ribbon has not fully lined up correctly. As I stitched this one, I revised the design a third time for my final version.

For the third design, to break the ribbon, I created a circle 22.5” in diameter. Next, I used the ‘12’ and ‘3’ clock positions and digitized an open shape, tracing along the curve from “12” to “3”. Next, I zoomed in and ‘reshaped’ the curve to match the 22.5” circle. Then, using the ‘circle layout’ tool, I replicated 3 times. Finally, I zoomed in to make sure the 4 arcs were laying on top of the solid ring. Finally, I was able to delete the initial 22.5” circle and changed the ‘4 arcs’ stitch type from single stitch to ‘single motif’. Below are images of my final design files, the applique cut using my ScanNCut SDX330D, stitchout test1, amd stitchout test2.

Class 6 – Digitizing & Design

Corel Draw, Digitizing, Embroidery, Hatch, Sarah Vedeler

June was challenging for many reasons beyond class. I am happy to have been able to create the assignments. I will need to continue cleaning up and moving my connectors for a more continuous design. I am a longarm quilter and want to be able to create continuous motifs. I have one I created that includes freehand connector lines/swirls. I am hoping to adjust so I end up with one continuous design.

Busy week filled with lots of projects!

Corel Draw, Embroidery, Hatch, Home Updates, Hubby's Quilts, Longarm, Sarah Vedeler

This week was a very productive week! There was a ton of learning, quilt piecing, quilting on the longarm, embroidering, and even a new paint job on the house.

I finished up month 4 of my digitizing master class. Our project required using our Corel Design skills, Hatch embroidery digitizing skills, to creation of our cut files and embroidery design files. We then stitched out what we created. This month we are learning all about color.

My sweetie has been busy piecing his own quilts. When he finishes his quilt tops, he passes them on to me for the longarm. This week I quilted another ’fish’ themed quilt, a ”Christmas Doxie, and also a ’Touchdown Football’ quilt. (I will post pictures later today)

I was able to longarm my ”Little Red Wagon” quilt and finish up with binding. This was also a learning opportunity. For the first time ever, my machine threw the thread off the upper tension spring (of course when I wasn’t here watching) When I discovered it happened, it had completed two rows and sewn a pleat in the back. Yes, I really did pick out all the stitching. Since there was essentially no top tension, the bobbin thread was just laying on the back. This made for quick picking. Fortunately, I was able to place my zones again and am quite happy with the result. Thank goodness it was on my own quilt, I would have been panicked if it was someone else’s project.

My other project is my “Simply Dreaming Quilt” designed by Sarah Vedeler. I started this quilt right after my Mom passed away last year. I was able to work on Month 07, one of the outer borders. It was the perfect month because it is filled with lots of beautiful flowers. Mom and I used to spend a day in May visiting our favorite nursery together. With the one year anniversary of Mom’s passing, along with Mother’s Day, these beautiful bouquets remind me of our time together.

We also had our house painted this week – by a company and not us! This was a definite first – paying someone to paint our house. The last time we rented scaffolding, replaced siding, added cedar shingles, and painted. The crew that did the house pressure washed one day and spent two really long days painting. Love our new colors – navy, cream, and light gray!

Month 04 Stitch out…..

Corel Draw, Embroidery, Hatch

Taking a design from a graphic application, to embroidery digitizing software, and finally to stitch out is a lot of learning! Each time you move from one process to the next, you find areas for improvement. As I stitched my file, I discovered areas to improve my design. Places where there was duplicate stitching, not right type of satin underlay stitches, and missing candle-wicking stamps. As I stitched, I identified the opportunity for improvements to my design. I was able to revise my digitizing then send it back to my machine. I didn’t need to rehoop. I just loaded the new design on the machine, loaded my hoop with the stitching, then moved the revised design to where I was in the stitch out. My design isn’t perfect – all learning is like peeling an onion – you improve one layer, then are able to see what can be fixed next. Before I stitch this design agains, I would like to adjust my placement for the fills on the petals with stars.

Simply Dreaming Quilt…

Sarah Vedeler, Sewing

For the last 2 years, life has been overwhelming. I am a two-time Cancer survivor, with out a spleen. This means I am extremely immuno-suppressed. In a non-pandemic, pneumonia and the flu are risky – with Covid, my world completely shut-down. This lead to the difficult decision to take leave from work as an elementary teacher and give up my contracted position.

My Mom’s dementia had just begun to take hold at the beginning of 2020. For the whole year she was cut-off from the world with no idea what was happening. In a long-term care situation, her campus has been closed to all visitors. She couldn’t have meals in the cafeteria any longer nor socialize. She couldn’t remember how to use a phone, computer, television and was left on her own. In March this year, she took a serious turn for the worse. Feeling abandoned and alone, she escaped into her own reality and became combative. Within a few weeks, she would refuse food and care, leading to her death.

When Sarah Vedeler introduced her 2019 block of the month, “Simply Dreaming”, she commented she had been coming off a very bad year. At the time I had made her “Peace, Love, and Joy” as a gift for my sister. Next, I made the “Sedona Star” which I finished at the end of 2019 and planned to send out for custom longarming in early 2020. I had no idea how the world would so drastically change.

After so much loss, putting my heart into something beautiful is what I need. I started my “Simply Dreaming” quilt last weekend. I finished month 1, month 2, and half of month 3. When my quilt is finished, my hope is it will bring me comfort, help recall beautiful memories of those I have loved and lost, and that beauty can be found even in the darkest of times.