Sheer Perfection - Creative Machine Embroidery

Learn how to successfully choose
designs suitable for sheer fabric
to stitch a stunning dress.
Sheer
by Debbi Lashbrook
SIMPLICIT
TY
2308
22
CREAT IV E M A CH INE E M B R O I D E R Y
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materials
Dress pattern
(such as Simplicity 2308)
Fabric & notions (according
to pattern envelope)
1/2 yard of coordinating
sheer fabric (such as organza
or chiffon)
Water-soluble stabilizer
Thread: all-purpose, bobbin
& embroidery
Size 70/10 embroidery needle
Lightweight fusible
interfacing
Chalk marker
Embroidery software with
digitizing capabilities
Floral embroidery designs
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GET STARTED
• Prewash the chosen fabrics to accommodate any shrinkage.
• Cut the necessary pattern pieces from the fabric except for the
sleeves and cuffs, according to the pattern guidesheet. Fuse a piece
of lightweight interfacing to the yoke wrong side, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
EMBROIDER
• Choose a design that isn’t overly large or dense to prevent creating
puckers and affecting the fabric drape or hand. Open, airy designs
with low stitch counts and outline designs work best. Small, dense
designs may be used, but test-stitch on a fabric scrap first to ensure
compatibility. Make sure that the needle doesn’t create holes in the
fabric when stitching satin stitch columns. Crisp sheer fabrics, such
as organza, are more stable and easier to hoop than slippery sheer
fabrics, such as chiffon.
• Measure the sleeve pattern length, and then subtract 2"; record. Open
a new page in the software program. Draw a straight line the length
of the recorded measurement to denote the sleeve center.
• Open the floral designs onto the page. Center the first floral design
along the line, aligning the design upper edge and the line upper edge.
C REATIV E M AC H INE EM BRO I D ERY
23
Center another design just below
the first design, rotating the design as desired and connecting
the lower-design upper edge with
the first-design lower edge in an
inconspicuous area. Repeat to position the remaining floral designs
along the line, connecting the
designs and rotating, enlarging or
reducing the designs as desired.
Make sure the last design lower
edge aligns with the line end.
• Change the thread colors, if
desired. Zoom into small design
elements to make it easier to
select and change the color (A).
Group the design, and then save
as “Original Sleeve Design” in
the appropriate machine format.
Print a template of the design.
Mirror-image the design horizontally, and then print another
design template.
• Open the largest hoop onto the
page, and then place the design
in the hoop. If the design is longer
than the hoop, split the design
in two in an inconspicuous area.
(Two designs were used for the
featured sleeves and they were
split into two separate hoopings.)
Open each split design onto a new
page in the program, and save
as “Sleeve Design 1” and “Sleeve
Design 2,” respectively, in the
appropriate machine format.
• Flip the original sleeve design horizontally, and then split into two
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CREATIV E M A CH INE E M B R O I D E R Y
hoopings. Save the designs
as “Sleeve Design 3” and “Sleeve
Design 4,” respectively, in the
appropriate machine format.
• Mark the F/i" stitching line on the
cuff pattern. Scan the pattern on
grain at 100% into the computer.
To make sure that the pattern
is scanned on grain, orient the
grainline so it’s parallel with the
scanner lower edge (B).
• Open the cuff image into a new
page in the software program.
Outline the cuff pattern onto the
page. Open the chosen design
onto the cuff. Rotate, enlarge or
reduce the design as desired,
keeping in mind seam allowances.
(For the featured cuff, the design
is rotated 90º.) Ungroup the design and change the thread colors
as desired.
• To secure the cuff to the cuff facing
during embroidery, choose a thread
color that hasn’t been used for
the cuff design. Draw a line across
upper cutting line, down the rightedge F/i" stitching line and across
the lower stitching line (C).
tip
Use a 70/10 needle
when embroidering
sheers, as it has a slender point that produces
smaller holes in the fabric
than larger-sized needles.
The cuff left edge won’t be
stitched in order to attach it to the
sleeve. Change the stitching order
as desired. Save the design as
“Cuff Design 1” in the appropriate
machine format. Mirror-image the
design and save as “Cuff Design 2.”
• Roughly cut the sleeves from the
sheer fabric, leaving plenty of extra
fabric along each pattern perimeter. Repeat to cut the cuffs from
the dress fabric. Draw a line down
the center of each piece using a
chalk marker. Hoop one sleeve with
a piece of water-soluble stabilizer,
centering the sleeve within the
hoop. Make sure the fabric is taut
but not stretched within the hoop.
• Load “Sleeve Design 1” into the
machine and thread the needle
with embroidery thread and bobbin with bobbin thread. Install a
new size 70/10 embroidery needle
into the machine. Place the hoop
onto the machine and embroider
the design, trimming jump threads
with each thread change.
• Once the embroidery is complete, remove the hoop from the
machine and the fabric from the
hoop. Place the original sleeve
template on a flat work surface.
Place the outer hoop ring over
the template, aligning the design
center with the hoop cross marks.
Place the embroidered sleeve right
side up over the outer hoop ring.
Align the embroidered design with
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Design 1
Design 2
Design 3
A
B
C
D
E
F
Remove the pin and embroider
the design, trimming jump threads
with each thread change.
manufacturer’s instructions. Trim
the thread tails close to the embroidery on the design wrong side.
the template upper design, and
then place the inner hoop over the
fabric (D). Pin-mark the upper- and
lower-design intersection (E).
• Load “Sleeve Design 2” into the
machine. Place the hoop onto
the machine. Advance the stitching to ensure the design upper
edge and pin mark align; adjust the
needle placement as necessary (F).
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• Once the embroidery is complete, remove the hoop from the
machine and the fabric from
the hoop. Cut away the stabilizer
beyond the design perimeter,
and then rinse to remove the
remaining stabilizer following the
• Repeat to embroider the remaining sleeve, using “Sleeve Design 3”
and “Sleeve Design 4.”
• Hoop one cuff with a piece of
water-soluble stabilizer. Load
“Cuff Design 1” into the machine
and thread the needle with the
C REATIV E M AC H INE EM BRO ID ERY
25
G
desired embroidery thread.
Embroider the cuff outline, and
then embroider the design (G).
With right sides together, float a
piece of chiffon over the design.
Embroider the cutting and stitching line (H). Once the embroidery
is complete, remove the hoop
from the machine and the fabric
from the hoop. Trim the cuff along
the cutting lines, and then rinse to
remove the stabilizer, following the
manufacturer’s instructions (I).
• Repeat to embroider the remaining
cuff using “Cuff Design 2.”
H
• Allow the sleeves and cuffs to dry
completely. Press each piece from
the wrong side on a low-heat setting. Center the sleeve pattern
over one embroidered sleeve,
aligning the design upper edge
with the pleat end along the sleeve
cap. Cut out the sleeve. Flip over
the sleeve pattern and center it
over the remaining embroidered
sleeve; cut out. Fuse a piece of
lightweight interfacing to each
cuff wrong side.
I
CONSTRUCT
• Construct the dress following the
pattern instructions.
J
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CREAT IV E M A CH INE E M B R OI D E R Y
• For a professional finish, stitch the
sleeve seams using French seams.
Set the machine for a 1.5mm-wide,
1.5mm-long zigzag stitch. With
wrong sides together, stitch each
tip
If puckering occurs
during embroidery,
decrease the upper
machine tension.
sleeve seam B/c" from the edge.
Trim B/i" from the stitching, and
then press the seams toward
one side. Fold the sleeves along
the seamlines with right sides together; press. Set the machine for
a straight stitch. Stitch B/i" from
each seamline (J).
• Set the machine for a 1.5mm-wide,
1.5mm-long zigzag stitch. With right
sides together, position each cuff
along the corresponding sleeve
lower edge, aligning the cuff short
ends with the sleeve seams. Zigzag
stitch B/c" from each edge, and
then trim B/i" from the stitching.
Edgestitch each cuff upper edge
along the seamlines from the
wrong side. §
DESIGNS
Cuffs: OESD, Damask Etchings (collection
#12382), Floral Damask Accent 1 (design
#6); embroideryonline.com
Sleeves: OESD, Damask Etchings (collection #12382), Leafy Damask Accent 3
(design #5) and Tour de France (collection
#80007), Large Swirl (design #5);
embroideryonline.com
SOURCE
Bernina provided the embroidery sofware:
bernina.com.
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