www.LaurasSewingStudio.com

September 12, 2006

What's New

More Free Designs!

I'm expanding my Yahoo Group service, with more FREE DESIGNS. Check out the FREEBIES page for details.

New Products

Mehndi Body Art Machine Embroidery Designs

The Big Easy Purse Pattern

The Hex Flex Frame

Daphine’s Hardangish Squared Tablerunner

New Projects to be Featured

I am going to start posting this newsletter weekly featuring a project or technique.

For the next few weeks I will be featuring NEW projects made using the techniques and designs from my TOUCH OF NATURE book.

TOUCH OF NATURE: Textured Applique Machine Embroidery Techniques & Designs has been well received by you folks and I want to thank all of you who bought the book.  Of course, I could only touch on the potential of this art and still be able to get the book into print. Therefore, for the next several issues of this newsletter, I would like to show you the versatility of the “Touch of Nature” concept.

This week I’m featuring “PATCHES”

All of the projects in TOUCH OF NATURE are embroidered as patches. In fact, all of the applique designs included on the CD in the back of the book can be made as patches. What does this mean?

It means when you hoop your fabric to sew the designs you don't worry about design placement.  Just sew the design. Once the patch is made, you audition them onto your project, playing with the arrangement until you are happy with the placement. Pin them on the project. Sew them on. It doesn't get any easier than that!

Use the applique designs included on the CD or use ones you already own.

In your book, look under “Applique Patches”. These instructions tell you how to make patches with appliques and what type of applique designs are appropriate for the “patch” technique.

Featured Project

Click photo for a close up

Periwinkle Top with a Touch of Nature ‘Spray’

I found this cotton knit top at my local Kohl's store.

I thought it would be nice with lightweight 3D floral applique's.

Rummaging through my fabric stash, I found blue and white organza and a shiny sparkle blue fabric. Next, I matched up some threads.  I picked a blue and white to compliment the organza fabrics and a nice yellow for a little contrast - but not too much.
 

In your copy of Touch of Nature, look in Appendix A at the pictures of the embroidery designs included on the CD. Notice the instructions for each design include what each color stop sews. Keep your book open to these pages, so you will know what sews next.  We’re going to do some mixing and matching of the designs and their parts.

For this project I sew several applique patches in various fabric/thread combinations.

I made 2 butterflies, 2 large flowers, and 6 small flowers (4 are shown here) before I started auditioning them onto the top. Fringe covered buttons were added last.

This week’s featured patch

This patch is a large white organza flower with blue sparkle fabric center.

Follow the directions in Appendix A for sewing this design in the colors of your choice or use my variations.

Hoop 2 layers of white organza.
Instead of adding another fabric for the background applique use the organza already in the hoop. (Sew colors 1-4)
I use blue sparkle fabric for center applique.

Once the patch is made audition it onto your project or wait until you have several appliques ready to apply.

With this patch, I attach it to the garment not by sewing it on around the outside edge of the patch, but by sewing it on following the satin stitches along the inside applique. In this way the outside fabric (the organza) is left free for a 3D effect.

The fringe button center is added last. In the book under "Fringe Button Covers" follow the directions for making these button covers in fabrics and thread colors of your choice.

Next week, I’ll feature another “Patch” from this project

What Happened??

My Yahoo Group Invasion

For those of you not already aware, my Yahoo group was hacked last month.  I took the necessary precautions immediately. I also notified both Yahoo and the company that owns the ISP from which the attack occurred. Both Kirk Morrison of Yahoo! Customer Care and a representative of the ISP Reliance, advised me that they have addressed the issue from their respective positions. I am looking at what, if any, additional actions are appropriate.

My apologies to all of you for the inconvenience and offensive nature of the material that this perpetrator posted.. Thank you all for your patience and understanding while we resolved this matter. I will endeavor to prevent such an event from recurring.

Please read Albert’s Password Commandments to learn how to make it harder for hackers to hack you.

Albert’s Cubicle

I’ve asked Albert to contribute Computer Hints each week.  The Studio gets a lot of calls and e-mails that are more related to computer issues than to sewing.  As a result, Albert has become my go to guy on these topics.  He is a computer programmer and electrical engineer with twenty years of experience in computers. I don't know what the Studio would do without him.

The Password Commandments

1. Thou shalt use longer passwords rather than shorter passwords

2. Thou shalt not spell real words or proper names in a password

3. Thou shalt not use birth dates, anniversaries, social security number, street address, or other sets of numbers of a personal nature as passwords

4. Thou shalt include at least one number in a password

5. Thou shalt include at least one character other than a letter or number in a password, such as * ! + # $ % { ] :)

6. Thou shalt not use the letter “e” in either upper or lower case in a password

7. Thou shalt use both upper and lower case letters in a password

8. Thou shalt always type your passwords so that thou shalt always remember them

9. Thou shalt write down your passwords, keeping them under lock and key and sharing them with no one, except thy lover

10. Thou shalt always run current security software on thy computer to protect thy passwords