| On The Move By Darlene Geisendorff Guillory |
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Create An Illusion Floating appliqués can give the illusion that an embroidery design is stitched directly into the fabric, or it can appear to be an overlay or three-dimensional. Whatever the desired effect, a few simple guidelines will help you create easy, moveable embellishments. Take a basic business suit from day to evening, or a favorite shirt from one holiday to another. The trick is to first create the hooped embroidery appliqué on a water-soluble stabilizer. Remove the stabilizer, then attach the appliqué to the garment. This method is easier than working directly on a garment and gives you design placement options before attaching the appliqué. Stabilizers There are many types and weights of water-soluble stabilizers available. They appear to be plastic sheets, but dissolve when they come in contact with water or other liquids. If the stabilizer is heavy enough, it's possible to stitch the design on a single layer. If it's lightweight, several stabilizer layers should be sandwiched together before hooping. Test first to the correct number of layers needed for your chosen design. |
| Threads For the best results, select colorfast, machine embroidery threads. When creating a lace appliqué, use the same color thread in the bobbin and the needle. If the back of the embroidery won't show, then white or black bobbin thread can be used throughout the design. Use metallic threads to create an embellishment for eveningwear or holiday apparel. |
| Designs Many preprogrammed machine embroidery designs are suitable for floating appliqués. Before selecting one, determine how the design stitches out. The stitches must support themselves once the stabilizer is removed, therefore the design needs to begin with running stitches (base stitches), and then have satin stitches added to hold the design together. All the stitched areas must connect to retain the design shape. Occasionally, the stitches in a design appear to be totally connected, but when the stabilizer is removed, the embroidery falls apart. If in doubt about the design's stability, sandwich a layer of sheer fabric, such as organdy, organza or tulle, with the water-soluble stabilizer prior to stitching. After the stabilizer is removed, carefully trim away any fabric outside the design area The same procedure can be used if the appliqué has open areas in the design. To ensure the sheer fabric in the appliqué won't show, select a color close to the garment it will be placed on. |
| Stitching To create an embroidered appliqué, place one to several layers of water-soluble stabilizer in your machine embroidery hoop. Tighten the screw on the hoop, making sure the stabilizer has no wrinkles, and attach it to your machine's embroidery arm. Embroider the design as directed by the machine owner's manual. Try creating an original design and stitching it free-motion. Trace the design on the water-soluble stabilizer using a water-soluble marking pen. Place the stabilizer in a wooden embroidery hoop. Stitch the design on the traced lines. (For more detailed free-motion instructions, see "It's A Draw!" Sew News, July '99). |
| Stabilizer Removal When the design is finished, remove the hoop from the machine and the stabilizer sandwich from the hoop. Cut away the excess stabilizer approximately 1/4" outside the stitched design. Immerse the design in lukewarm water. Gently swish it around until the stabilizer has dissolved. Change the water and swish again for a few more seconds. Let the design soak for five to 10 minutes. Hold the design under running water for several minutes to flush out the remaining stabilizer. Place the embroidery on a flat surface, such as a counter top. Smooth the design and let it air dry. If the design curls when it's dry, press the design from the wrong side on a thick terry cloth towel, using a warm iron. This will flatten the appliqué, but not the stitches on the right side. If you'd like the design to have a special shape, such as a butterfly with folded wings, soak it only long enough to dissolve the visible stabilizer. Shape the design with your fingers and let it air dry. The remaining stabilizer will retain the design's given shape. |
| Appliqué Attachment When the appliqué is finished, determine the placement on the garment. If it will remain on the garment, stitch it in place along the outer edges with monofilament or matching thread. Use a short, narrow zigzag stitch or stitch it by hand. If you want to remove the appliqué, or change the placement, use a pressure-sensitive liquid adhesive for a temporary bond. Brush the liquid on the embroidery wrong side. When it's dry, simply position the appliqué on your garment, then hand-press it into place. Peel the appliqué off the garment for cleaning. There also are paper-back fusible products that can be ironed on the appliqué wrong side, then heat-pressed in place on the garment. Depending on the weight of the fusible web, it may be a temporary or permanent bond. For three-dimensional appliqué, simply stitch the design in place at the point the appliqué touches the garment. If the three-dimensional appliqué is to be removable, sew or glue it to a jewelry pin. With so many options, great fun awaits you as you create new looks to update or change your wardrobe. |
| Sources Amazing Designs, (888) 874-6760; www.amazingdesigns.com Cactus Punch, (800) 933-8081 or (520) 622-8460; www.cactuspunch.com. Call or visit the Web site to to order the Sew News Peony Design. Criswell Embroidery & Design, (800) 308-5442 or (501) 315-0030; www.criswell-emb.com Freudenberg Nonwovens/Pellon® Sol-u-web™ can be found at your favorite fabric store. Hirsch International, (800) 394-4426; www.hirschintl.com Pfaff sewing machine dealers carry Romeo water-soluble stabilizer. Call (800) 997-3233 for the nearest dealer. SCS USA,SCS USA, (800) 547-8025; carries Avalon® water-soluble film. Sulky® Solvy™ and Super Solvy™ water-soluble stabilizers are available at fabric stores and sewing machine dealers. YLI Magic water-soluble stabilizer is available at your local fabric store. |
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