Seeing Diamonds: Embroidered Monogram

It looks as though I'm going to try to embroider this design on all the things.  Here are three different ways I've used the Diamond Font.

You can get this embroidery font on etsy (order through ebates for cash back).  And you can see where I first used it here.

This bag is from T-Shirts & Jeans.  It's cute on its own, but why not add some personalization to the back?!

Plain tank from Walmart-- personalized!

This didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, no thanks to the thread.  I bought a box of thread with over 30 spools.  I wanted lots of different colors, and it was an economical way to go.  The problem is some of the spools don't embroider as well as others.  It's always a surprise to see how a spool will act.  I hadn't used this color yet, and it kept breaking and fraying.  Drats.  This was a Mother's Day present for my mom.

Finally, here's a banner with peachy pink fabric and a bright green monogram.  These were the perfect initials for the font to shine.

Now, what I can embroider next with this monogram? 😉

Monogrammed Pleather Purse (that crashed and burned)

Have you ever had a project that you had really high hopes for and were really excited about sharing the final results...only for it to crash and burn?

Here's the story of making lemonade out of lemons.  And not throwing the lemons against the wall like you really want to do.

If you machine embroider, you are probably in groups on Facebook where fellow embroiderers (is that a word?) share their projects, ask for help, and offer ideas.  If you happen to be one of those people, then you have seen this Walmart bag all over those groups.  I have read every post and thread about embroidering this bag.  I have watched every YouTube video.  I have asked questions and read what others did wrong.  I bought the proper needle.  I gathered my materials. I was ready to conquer.  And then the fun began.

I was told to use a 75/11 needle.  It broke.  I used a regular one and a ballpoint needle.  Both broke.  I wound up only having success (as in it not breaking) with a 75/11 needle intended for leather.  This is not leather, so I was not supposed to (as I read over and over) use a leather needle.  I adjusted tension.  I paused my machine and tried to give it breaks.  The monogram was supposed to have three letters (like the black bag in this photo).  As you can see, I stopped at one letter.  The thread broke a few times, so I had to continually rethread the machine.  I had to back up the machine a few stitches to restitch when the thread would break.  I have used the font design before, so I know it's not the design's fault.  It was my machine.  Or me.

This bag is reversible, and all along I had planned to make a patch to go on the reverse side to cover the back of the embroidered side (to cover the back side of the threads).  I made the patch and used E6000 glue to attach it to the pleather.  The patch is the only thing that went according to plan.

In the end I don't really know what wrong.  I know people have made these over and over on the same exact embroidery machine that I have.  I followed every single direction and step.  No one could have been more prepared.  I guess it was one of those days and one of those projects that just simply went wrong.  Thankfully these bags are affordable.  I wish I would have had a comparable fabric to practice on first, but I don't have a reversible pleather laying around.  I really wish I could nail down what to fix so I could successfully embroider these bags.  They come in several colors and have so many embroidery options.  You can find them in store or online at Walmart (use ebates for 1% cash back).

If you have success with these bags, I'd love to know your tricks!

I wound up with some tart lemonade, but that's better than moldy lemons, right? 😆

SaveSave

VW Week | Day Five: Handmade Beetle Patch for a Bag

One great thing about Volkswagen is there is such great merchandise out there.  There are few cars that have bags, wallets, posters, you-name-it geared towards people that love a car they may not even own!

I owned VW shirts and keychains before I ever owned a VW! My first VW was a 2003 Beetle.  It was so much fun.  I loved driving that car.  As a child and teenager I was always drawn to VW merchandise and often bought clothes or toys resembling Beetles.

This is the only picture I could find of my red Bug!  This picture was taken my senior year in college, and the other cars were my roommates'.

Now that I own a VW again, I can buy Beetle merchandise without feeling like an imposter (for the record...if you like it, I think you should buy it even if you don't own a VW :) ).

I found a bag I really liked from JBugs.  They have some neat merchandise.  The problem was the bag had a VW Bus on it, not a convertible Beetle.  Here's the bag:

I decided I would just have to make my own patch!  I found a Beetle drawing (below) that I liked.

source

I printed out the picture, then I traced it with a Sharpie.  This helped me simplify the drawing a bit more to decide what lines to sew.  If you are sewing on a piece of fabric that's lightweight like cotton, you can trace the car with the fabric underneath.  The Sharpie should go through the paper and transfer onto the fabric. 

If you use felt like I did, the Sharpie probably won't transfer onto the felt.  I made a couple of cuts through the paper using the edge of my scissors and then traced the cuts with the Sharpie.  It had a stencil-like effect.  For the most part, I had to draw the car by hand.  That's why it's not as proportional (or as good looking) as the original drawing.

 

The next step is to stitch the patch.  You can sew it directly onto the bag you want.  I was having commitment issues with deciding which bag I wanted my patch on.  So I decided to make the patch and then just pin it on so I could move it from bag to bag.

Put an embroidery foot on your sewing machine, making sure to get the right one for your machine.  You'll also need to lower the feeders (the little iron feet that move the fabric along) on your machine.  This will allow you to move your fabric when and how you choose, and the foot will allow you to stitch more freely.

I used white thread to stitch and just worked my way around the design, stitching on top of the Sharpie lines.  Then I trimmed around the design and cut out the headlights.

I used safety pins to attach the patch to the bag.  I pinned it from inside the bag so you wouldn't notice the pins.  This is the bag I use when I'm driving the Beetle.  It fits my purse, diapers and wipes and other baby items, and miscellaneous items.  When you drive a convertible, you can't secure everything you can normally in a car, so I use this bag to hold items that I need to take with me when I'm shopping.

I think I'll try this again with linen and a fun thread color and make it larger.  If only I could commit to a bag for it!  I think it would also be cute on a jean jacket.

Don't have a sewing machine?  After you trace the design, you could use needle and thread to stitch by hand.  Since this doesn't have to be perfect, you could do fun stitch patterns!

Head to Instagram and Twitter for today's challenge!

Twitter: @marlaplainsmall

Facebook: Marla, Plain & Small

Instagram: @marlaplainandsmall

Youtube: Marla, Plain & Small

Tote Tute

I'm over at Community Source today doing a video tutorial.  Learn how to take an old t-shirt and make a bag-- without sewing a stitch!

Here are some screen shots (they won't play; they're just photos--sorry!).  You'll have to head on over to COSO to see the video!

direct vimeo link

Now head on over there!