Check out this collection of applique and puff embroidery at Mushroom Monday Screen Printing & Embroidery. This is done using digitized embroidery done specific to your custom requirements which specifically caters to groups of people or staff with a common logo or symbol. Made to order – this is ideal for a complete set of jacket or headgear for your employees or particular group of friends who identify with a common cause. Mushroom Monday have 22 years experience with an impressive clientele. Their mission statement reads : “To provide quality products to our customers with unsurpassed customer service.”

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Check out this Dakota collectibles resource at GoNuts. A really cute set of dakota embroidery designs. All the patterns are perfect for kids wear. The picture you see next to this post is the Turtle applique. This has been stitched using 5 colors – tackdown, white, dark charcoal, lime and green. The size is 4.64 inches wide by 5.13 inches height. The total stitch count is 16721.

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Football and Tennis are the two common sports themes that have been used by embroiderers the world over. Tennis appliques make cute attractive designs on a T-shirt. Both the racquet and the ball – together or separate – can be embroidered in bright colours.

Check out this collection at Starbird. It gives a wide range of tennis embroidery designs. Some of them are beautiful like the yellow tennis ball you see next to this post. These are all applique embroidery designs and they can be done in zig zag fashion or the satin style.

Here are some basic tips on buying applique embroidery designs.

These tennis embroidery designs are done in a special style of applique called tackle-twill digitizing service. This is done by using pressure sensitive adhesive (unlike the spray cans of adhesive normally used). One needs to only peel off the back and press the applique piece at the exact place of the master cloth. The tennis embroidery stuck in this manner stands out in the T-shirt or master cloth and gives a good finish.

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Check out this amazing collection of flip flop embroidery designs at Golden Stitch. Aren’t they a beauty. These are great appliques with a variety of categories varying from polka dots, hearts, swirls, checks and floral to name a few. Most of them are the small size appliques with width and height below 4 inches each.

These are available in most machine formats like Brother/Baby Lock (PES/PCS), Bernina (ART Version 1 Through 4), Viking Husqvarna (SHV/HUS), Janome (JEF/Sew), Compucon/Singer (XXX), Tajima (DST), Melco (EXP), Pfaff (PCS/VIP).

These applique embroidery designs can be used for kids wear, T-shirts, beach wear, beach bags.

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This is an oft repeated question and I have been getting a few requests to get some cute looking borders for the embroidery hoops. We have quite a few resources on the actual embroideries or appliques but very few which really give you choices for the variety of borders that you can treat your design to. Just like in artwork, the border can make or break the look and feel of an embroidery. Hence it is important to choose the right border for the right design.

How does one do this? The rules are quite simple. Invertendo is the key. If the design is really complex and eyecatching, simple or sometimes no borders would do. If the design is simple or small and you would really want to attract the viewer, a smart border which showcases the design would be apt. The embroidery border should always focus to highlight the design – in some manner or the other.

Check out this page at Madmumbler. This focuses on some of the borders that you can choose from – as starters. But innovation is the key. Elegant borders can be used for stunning designs like the appliscapes. They generally come with single color or multi color formats from which you can choose suitably. Borders like the Holly Corner (you see besides this post) is good for simple colorful designs which need to suitably accentuated. This comes in 3 sizes, 2 of them fit the 4X4 hoop, the third fits the 5X7 hoop. These designs are available in the .hus, .pes, and .dst formats and the information on machine embroidery would come in handy here. Some of the moon corner border embroideries you see in the site are really cute and can be used as a contrast to the parent design.

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We have some embroidered angels arriving for you here! Aren’t they stunning? Check out this resource at Sew Dragon Designs. Divinely inspired hoop embroideries in the 4 X 4 size. These designs are available in pes, art, hus, xxx, sew and dst formats and the information on machine embroidery would come in handy here! The designs can be used as cute appliques on girls frocks, napkins, handkerchiefs.

All designs have been done with an eye for detail. Check the hoop besides this post. The expression of the angel child as she sits on the cloud represents one of serenity and happiness. All the angelic  embroidery designs reflect innocence and purity.

These are available as instant downloads.

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Check out this great resource I came across on hand embroidery designs – “Knitting-and” The critters have come out really cute, haven’t they! This is one place where we could find some rarely embroidered creatures like dragonfly and redback spider. The Indian motifs especially the peacock design is worth a peek. You could find more information on cultural embroidery at Indian embroidery. Most of these embroideries can be knitted using Brother embroidery machines. But the one which takes the cake is the moth you see besides this post. A moth at the onset of its transformation to a butterfly is a beautiful sight and this embroidery manages to capture that moment. This knitting embroidery was done using 6 six strands for filling and 3 for the outline.

Knitting is a beautiful art and if you ever want to learn knitting, I would recommend the tutorial on Knitting Tips.  It has a basic 5 day free e-tutorial for you.

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Here is a great resource on some pretty embroidery fonts – The Embroidery Font Shop. All of them would make great appliques. Each font category has unique characteristics and should be used appropriately for the right person and dress. For example, the Aristocrat font denotes classiness while the Funky font is more casual. The Flirty font is best for teens, whilst the Monster font is the kids favourite. There are some good wedding fonts like Silverbell, Charming or Edwardian which you could use for special invites.
All fonts come in small, medium and large sizes with 26 letters. If the font style is such that the size varies depending on whether it is at the center or right/left position, then you would have both the size options. The embroidery fonts come in Jef, art, pcs, pcd, xxx, exp, csd, pec, pes, sew, hus, dst, vip formats (the information on machine embroidery would come in handy here).

Some of them are quite unique like Tinkertoy, Antique, Skittles. A good auto digitizing software for embroidery fonts is Singer Hyper Font – Font Auto Digitizing Software. The hyper font software easily converts any Windows True Type (R) font into embroidery embellishments.

Happy Embroidery Fonting!

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Hi! I thought of going out of the beaten track for some scintillating embroidery designs for you from Uzbekistan – traditional Uzbek silk embroidery folk art. This exquisite silk embroidery panel you see next to this post was hand-stitched by women using age-old traditions.

The story goes back to the 19th century when Uzbek women produced beautiful bed covers, embroidered hangings, wrapping cloths, table covers, and prayer mats for their households. As the Soviet Era ended and Westerners became more familiar with the finest old Uzbek pieces, prices for antique examples escalated. Now gorgeous contemporary embroideries decorate not only Uzbekistan homes, but also grace European and American households, while talented and industrious Uzbek women have a welcome new source of family income. Fortunately, we now have access to beautiful contemporary textiles that are a natural outgrowth of the old traditions–at very reasonable prices. Most of this embroidery art work are focused in the Tashkent, Nurata, Samarkand, Bukhara and Shahrisabz areas. The new pieces are captivating, with inspired designing, excellent materials, and fine craftsmanship.

How is Uzbek embroidery done? – The embroidery foundation cloth are hand-woven fabrics. These fabrics are woven in narrow strips. Most current-day pieces are a silk/cotton blend: a silk warp is most usual, with cotton wefts. In satin-weave pieces the weft is also silk. Occasional ground fabrics are all cotton, especially for pieces expected to get hard use, such as horse covers. The fabrics are often lightly dyed to produce a soft beige tint. Occasionally other colors are used for the ground fabrics. Team work – generally part of the same family – gets together for large suzanis where several of the fabric strips are first sewn loosely together and the pattern is drawn on them. Later when the panels are rejoined, the pattern parts may not match perfectly, and extra stitches may be added in the areas along the seams.   You could hang these as tapestry or use as an applique,  bedspread, coverlet, curtain, or tablecloth.

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To start with, what exactly is beadweaving : “To form embroidered designs by combining various elements into a connected whole adding beads at regular intervals is known as beadweaving”. Check the diagram at your side to get some understanding of the same.
If you want to go through a simple project book with lots of pictures, I recommend the book by Ann Benson : Beadweaving: New Needle Techniques & Original Designs.

Benson focuses on converting craft into wearable art. She uses black-and-white diagrams to clarify procedures and introduces two types of beadwork–needle weaving, in which beads are threaded together, and card stitching, in which beads are sewn directly on to a backing of construction paper or lightweight cardboard. More than 40 amazing projects–mostly jewelry and decorative accessories–are included, with graphed or gridded patterns, step-by-step instructions, and a complete list of materials right down to bead size and color.

Another book worth noting in this art is The Complete Guide to Traditional Native American Beadwork: A Definitive Study of Authentic Tools, Materials, Techniques, and Styles by Joel Monture. This book offers stunning photos and a good section on traditional color use which together could give one a good starting point for one’s own creations. Joel is a professor of traditional arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. His book documents not only native American beadwork techniques, but the tedious methods of leather preparation that are necessary prior to beading.

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