Kelly's Creative Sewing
804 Main St B2W 3V1 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s post, where I explored different ways of stitching out an embroidery design using the Mega Quilters Hoop and the Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 2. Today, I’m looking at a different embroidery technique, exploring the Ribbon Embroidery Attachment. This attachment works on the Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC and the EPIC 2 embroidery machines. Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 2 with the embroidery unit attached...Continue reading

Yesterday, we learned about the anatomy of a machine embroidery hoop. Correctly hooping your project or fabric is extremely important to a professional-looking project. With your new knowledge, hooping will be a breeze. Today, I’ll be using the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 and the Mega Quilters Hoop to play with several of the free designs available for download on the Mega Quilters Hoop page. I’m not just looking at machine embroidery in the traditional sense; I’ll be us...Continue reading

I’m very excited to be back this week! As a sewist, I’m always excited to try new things and take advantage of the many learning opportunities available. The more I learn, the more I want to know, and I love asking, What if?. Today, I thought I’d take a look at some of the different types of machine embroidery hoops. There are several different styles, and each one works a little bit differently. I often get asked why you would need those other hoops and what do all those m...Continue reading

Yesterday I talked about how very useful the Projector and End Point Stitch Marker features on the Brother Luminaire XP2 are for quilting with decorative stitches. This saves a lot of the guesswork. For this post, I’m incorporating all the Luminaire XP2 features from this week’s tutorial to add borders to the wall hanging. But first, because we are stitching through multiple layers let’s use the XP2 Dual Feed foot to stitch the borders onto the wall hanging. The Dual-Feed foo...d has its own belt-driven motor built-in to ensure the foot will easily stitch through multiple layers of fabric and batting or other difficult to stitch materials without skipping a beatwhoops I mean without skipping a stitch! Of course, you can still use the projector to view stitches and placement prior to stitching. The Luminaire XP2 Brother MuVit Foot Align the right side of binding together with the right side of the wall hanging and stitch with a seam. Fold the binding to the back and stitch in the ditch to stitch the binding in place Attach binding Brother Walking foot MuVit Foot I clipped ring hooks onto the top of the wall hanging before attaching to a rod to display. On my husband’s suggestion, I hung the wall hanging outside making a perfect addition to my balcony garden vignette. My garden vignette wall hanging And now I have a question, well 2 questions When was the last time you changed the needle in your machine? It’s recommended that you change your needle after every 3 full bobbins used or every 2 pre-wound bobbins used. It’s also recommended that you change the needle after each project or if using a fabric that naturally dulls the needle such as leathers or heavy fleece. When was the last time you cleaned the machine’s bobbin area? Dust, thread clippings, and fuzz may build up in your machine over time, slowing it down and possibly causing damage. You want to be able to use your machine to its full ability. We recommend cleaning your machine after each project, or more often if you are sewing extremely fuzzy fabrics. Cleaning bobbin Here are some tips for cleaning the bobbin area of your sewing machine. Join me next month when I introduce you to the very exciting Quiltbroidery feature on the Brother Luminaire XP2. This is part 5 of 5 in this series Go back to part 4: Audition decorative stitches before stitching on the Brother Luminaire XP2

It’s time to assemble the wall hanging and quilt it selecting from over 1,300 decorative stitches on the Brother Luminaire XP2. The Luminaire XP2 1. Make a quilt sandwich by layering a piece of backing fabric 3 wider and longer than your pieced wall hanging (face down) batting and your pieced, assembled wall blocks. Pin or spray baste to hold together. Let’s take advantage of the many decorative stitches on the Luminaire XP2 and add some stitching interest to the pieced bloc...ks. As I did yesterday, once I select the stitch (and this time I’m selecting from the Character/Decorative stitch category), I’m able to display the stitch on the fabric to audition it before stitching. I can also change the size and the location of my stitch very easily. Watch Brother Ambassador Angela Wolf show you how And there is more with the Luminaire XP 2 we can indicate exactly where we want the stitches to end using an End Point stitch marker. 2. Select a decorative stich. I chose stitch 9-33. Place the End Point Stitch Marker on the fabric where you want the XP2 to stop stitching. The XP will complete the stitch pattern and adjust it to end exactly where you want the stitching to end. End Point Marker Be sure to use your ‘N’ foot when stitching decorative stitches. The grove on the bottom allows the foot to glide over the stitches smoothly. 3. I’m going to add more decorative stitches to the wall hanging. And I just can’t resist Character/Decorative stitch 8-24 to add more birds to my wall hanging. Character decorative stitch 8-24 4. Be sure to use the projector and the guideline markers to ensure your stitching position. Projecting stitches on fabric It is so easy to position stitches exactly where you want them to stitch with the built-in features of the Brother Luminaire XP2. Tomorrow we will add borders and complete the Wall Hanging. This is part 4 of 5 in this series Go back to part 3: XP2 and its optional wide table for piecing and quilting

Yesterday I talked about how the accurate piecing feature and the automatic height adjustment features on the new Brother Luminaire XP2, are a helping hand when piecing quilt blocks. It’s time to assemble the blocks into a wall hanging, but before I do, I’ll change out the accessory unit that comes with the Luminaire XP2 for the optional wide table. I love having the extra work surface the wide table provides, for piecing and when I’m quilting my quilts. The wide table enh...ances the use of the wide 5 x 13 arm to needle space of the XP2. The Luminaire XP2 1. With right sides together stitch a separating border strip to the top and bottom of the applique block. 2. With right sides together stitch a pieced block to the top and the bottom of your applique block. 3. Use the guideline marker we talked about yesterday to assist you with achieving an accurate seam allowance. Assembled wall hanging Join me tomorrow when I add decorative stitches to this adorable wall hanging and then quilt it! This is part 3 of 5 in this series Go back to part 2: Precision piecing made easy on the Brother Luminaire XP2

Remember, in my post about scanncut-a-quilters-best-friend-for-making-quilt-blocks/ last month I used the ScanNCut SDX225 to draw stitching lines on our pieced block before cutting? Well achieving an accurate stitching line just gets better and easier when using the Luminaire XP2. The Luminaire XP2 In addition to the built-in projector we used yesterday to display our stitches, the Luminaire XP2 has a guideline marker feature that lets you project your stitching line an...d a secondary guideline onto your fabric, to show you your stitching line and enable you to line up with the edge of the fabric. With these two features, achieving an accurate seam has never been easier. Let’s assemble the block we cut last month. The block was a built-in ScanNCut SDX225 design PA-A007, with a completed size of 9 x 9. 1. Attach the foot to the Luminaire XP2. 2. Select Sewing, Utility Stitch, Category 1, Stitch 1-03. Notice how an image of the selected stitch appears on the screen. See more

Hi everyone remember my posts about how the Brother-scanncut-a-quilters-best-friend-for-making-quilt-blocks/ last month when I used the Brother ScanNCut SDX 225 for cutting and creating quilt blocks? Well, this month I’m creating a wall hanging with two of the blocks I cut on the ScanNCut in August. I’ll start with the applique block and promise to show you how I’ll use all the great features that quilters love on the Luminaire XP2. The Luminaire XP2 The scanning mat with P...Continue reading

Friday is here at last! Yesterday I showed you how to make quilt labels using Sulky Transfer Pens, today I want to share with you a few tips on how to make a simple machine embroidered label. I’ll share how to use Sulky Soft ’n Sheer Cut-Away Permanent Stabilizer along with Gütermann Dekor Rayon Thread and SCHMETZ Embroidery Needles to make this very brightly colored label. All week I’ve been sharing tips and techniques using affordable notions, but today you’ll need an embro...idery machine. Embroidery machines are expensive, so not all quilters have one. If you don’t, I hope you’ll bear with me and at minimum be inspired by the workmanship, the colors, and my quilt, Frequency. My label today Machine embroidered quilt labe Quilt Inspiration: Frequency, the quilt inspiration for the machine embroidered label. materials Sewing Machine with embroidery module and straight stitch White cotton fabric I used Fabric Creations 100% Cotton Gütermann Dekor Rayon Thread I used turquoise, pink and purple Machine embroidery needles I recommend Schmetz Machine Embroidery Needles #7 Pinking Sheers I used LDH 9 Pinking Sheers Spray n’ Bond Temporary Basting Adhesive (optional) The label written out on paper Thread to match label Backing fabric to match quilt Sulky Soft’n Sheer Cut-Away Permanent Stabilizer

Happy Thursday! As you know, if you have been following along, this week is all about the tools and techniques used to easily make quilt labels. Today I’ll demonstrate how to use Sulky Transfer Pens to make quilt labels. Sulky Transfer Pens come in a 4-pack (black, blue, red and brown) or an 8-pack with the addition of yellow, green, orange, and purple. They are displayed at retailers (or in your sewing room) in a unique, re-closable clear tube storage container that can hang...Continue reading

So far this week I shared two methods for making quilt labels: the hand-embroidered and the permanent marker type, the latter a little faster but no less effective, the former is a wonderful, creative and meditative process. Today I’m enthusiastically sharing with you how Fabric Fun Fabric Markers have literally ramped up my creativity with quilting. I’ve used these markers for both quilting and label making, and have had so much fun. The markers have a duo tip so you can wor...k in small areas with the fine tip and larger areas with the broad tip. I used the fine tip for the lettering on my quilt label. Fabric Fun Fabric Markers are awesome for many fabric applications. The quilt label shown below was made with Fabric Fun Fabric Markers. Quilt label made with Fabric Fun Fabric Markers and lots of color! My quilted inspiration A note about this quilt: My Zen Doodle Quilt was exclusively colored in with Fabric Fun Fabric Markers 2Tips Primary Colors and Fabric Fun Fabric Markers 2-Tips Bright Colors, and quilted with black cotton thread. Making this quilt opened up a world of creative thinking and possibilities for future quilted works of art. The markers have a duo tip feature, and I used both the fine and broad tip ends to make the quilt. My colorful Zen Doodle quilt. Gather up some supplies and get ready to play with these fantastic markers. materials 5 x 6 piece of white cotton for label, I used Fabric Creations 100% cotton Fabric Fun Fabric Markers or other permanent colored markers for fabric Scrap of backing fabric approximately 12 x 14 Thread to match your label Freezer paper (optional but useful) Blue wash-out marker (optional but useful) Small ruler How to make the label If you have been following along this week, the method I used to make the background piece is the same as the post on Monday, 5 ways to creatively label your quilting projects. 1. Cut your backing fabric in half. 2. Place fabric, right sides together, and sew in from the edge, leaving a 2 opening. Clip corners and turn right side out. Sew the background fabrics together, leaving a 2 opening. Turn the backing fabric right side out. 3. Press and topstitch from edge. Label backing getting a good press.

Happy Tuesday! Have you had a chance to look at yesterday’s tutorial on making a quilt label using hand embroidery? Today I’ll share with you how I make quilt labels using UNIQUE Sewing Permanent Fabric Pens and UNIQUE Sewing Laundry Marking Pens. These labels are very easy to make, affordable, quick to complete, and with a little creativity, you can make your labels look extra special. Labels are a perfect way to document the hard work done on your quilts: Quilt labels are e...Continue reading

Hi to all our quilters and sewists out there and Happy Monday to you! This week I’m sharing my methods for labeling a quilt. I’m hoping to inspire you with a daily peekaboo into a small grouping of my trunk show of quilts and my inspiration for these quilt labels. Creative quilt labels using 5 great methods and some fantastic notions....Continue reading

Welcome back to the last installment of this week’s overview of how the Brother ScanNCut SDX225 is a quilter’s best friend. Yesterday I went over how this scan and cut machine can cut out images out of any paper patterns or drawings! One more thing I’d like to show you to close the week fussy cutting not typically a favorite, but sometimes, you just want to do it. Do you have some cute printed fabric from which you want to cut out a specific design? Let me show you how th...Continue reading

All week, the amazing Brother ScanNCut SDX225 has been most useful in creating quilt blocks, applique quilt blocks, and cutting paper piecing templates in a flash! But there’s more this indispensable tool can do! Like many quilters, you probably have lots of paper patterns with multiple pieces to be cut out. The Brother ScanNCut SDX225 is a quilter’s best friend for scanning and cutting fabric from a paper pattern. Instead of tracing over the pattern and cutting the applique...Continue reading

Yesterday, I showed you how useful it is to make applique blocks using the Brother ScanNCut SDX225. But if you’re a hand piecing quilter? In this case too, the Brother ScanNCut SDX225 is stellar in cutting paper pieces, saving you money (as no other templates are required) and time when creating hexies, Dresden plate pieces, tumbler blocks or other shapes for paper piecing you’re wishing for! Let me show you how easy the process is and how to do it as the ScanNCut cuts paper ...and fabric. supplies and materials For paper pieces you’ll need: ScanNCut SDX225 ScanNCut standard tack adhesive mat auto blade holder and blade spatula 12 x 12 paper; my preference is newsprint as it’s easy to remove after stitching I have to interject here, that the ScanNCut is quite an amazing machine as it does a multitude of things. For the purpose of this tutorial, I used colored paper so it would show up. Having said that, the Brother ScanNCut will cut through lightweight plastic and material up to 3mm thickness! I have cut stencils, leather, cork and balsa wood. You can play with these as well aside from your creative quilting designs! Supplies and materials for making paper templates for paper piecing using Brother ScanNCut SDX225 At the ScanNCut SDX225 Select Pattern, then Shapes from the main screen. Scroll through the patterns and select the hexagon. BA-A042. Choosing Hexagon Shape BA-A042 on the ScanNCut screen for making paper templates for paper piecing using Brother ScanNCut SDX225 3. I’m decreasing its size to H. 1.75 and W 2.02. 4. Because I plan on making a lot of hexies, I’ll cut as many as will fit on the mat. In this case 30! Changes made to size and number on the ScanNCut screen for making paper templates for paper piecing using Brother ScanNCut SDX225; a tutorial 5. This time you’ll be cutting paper. 6. Position paper on Standard Mat. 7. Select Cut. Cutting hexie paper pieces using Brother ScanNCut SDX225 for quilting purposes Before you know it, you’ll have a handful of paper piecing shapes! You’ll never run out and you’ve just saved a fortune on buying paper piecing templates. I just love to have a pouch full of paper pieces and fabric scraps handy so I can whip up a few paper pieced pieces (that’s a mouthful) while I’m a car passenger or waiting in a line-up. Cut hexies ready to go, cut using Brother ScanNCut SDX225 for quilting purposes Join me tomorrow, I’ll show how using the scanning feature of the Brother ScanNCut SDX225 to scan and cut from a paper pattern. This is part 3 of 5 in this series Go back to part 2: How to make applique blocks using the Brother ScanNCut SDX225

When looking at the selection of ScanNCut quilt blocks yesterday you may have noticed the applique blocks. The Brother ScanNCut SDX225 is a quilter’s best friend also when creating applique quilt blocks, and that’s what we’ll look at now! To prepare fabric for cutting applique pieces, adhere iron-on fabric support material to the wrong side of the applique fabric. I use Brother’s iron-on fabric applique support sheet as this makes applique so easy to cut and adhere to the bac...Continue reading

Did you realize some of the Brother ScanNCut SDX225 features are a quilter’s best friend? I can’t wait to show you how the ScanNCut SDX225 is an indispensable tool for making your quilt blocks! Let’s start with the ScanNCut SDX225’s built-in quilt block patterns. That’s right the SDX225 has over 100 quilt blocks in the machine. You can easily select a quilt block, determine the size you’d like, draw the stitching line on your fabric (to help you achieve a perfect seam!), a...Continue reading

Friday already! All week I’ve been expressing elements found in nature to make a quilt top. It has been most inspiring to create it using dreamy Hoffman Fabrics. For the cutting and sewing tasks involved I used indispensable tools like UNIQUE Folding Cutting Mat, the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler 24 x 6, KAI rotary cutter and the Truecut 360 Circle Cutter so handy to make perfect circles! Yesterday I added the applique details to the quilt top using Gütermann Variegated Cotton...Continue reading

Yesterday I prepared improv leaves and circle flower buds using indispensable quilting tools everyone should have in the toolbox. I fret less about how I get quilting tasks done and enjoy the creative process more! I talked about the following tools this week, in case you missed them: the UNIQUE Folding Cutting Mat, the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler 24 x 6 and the KAI rotary cutter pressing it all with my Oliso Iron! Improv cutting leaves with my Sew Easy Ruler and KAI rotary c...Continue reading

Yesterday I gave you the instructions for cutting and preparing the background for the Garden State of Mind quilt top. I used the following indispensable tools that make the task easier: the UNIQUE Folding Cutting Mat, the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler 24 x 6, and the KAI rotary cutter pressing it all with our Oliso Iron! Today I’m moving on to creating improv applique. Think Matisse and cutting applique shapes free form. This project uses both improv leaves and the Truecut 360...Continue reading