Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Tea towel chair back covers

Embroidery Arts Candlewick Font
This is a super easy way to spruce up your chairs for an upcoming event. I suggest you plan to carry this out a few days ahead of time, not the night before. I think there is a direct correlation between your stress level and your embroidery machine. The machine is all knowing!!!

Supplies:
Embroidery software
Embroidery machine
60 wt. cotton thread (or thread of your choice)
Melt-Away stabilizer
Fonts design package or true-type fonts from your word processing program
~~~~~designs used on towels are listed beneath each towel picture with links
Martha Pullen Co. tea towels
Silk satin ribbon to tie to chairs


*I prefer to use the heavy weight Melt-Away stabilizer for this type of embroidery. It supports the stitches well and with the use of an iron, there is no residual residue left in the project. The melt-away stabilizer also remains under the stitches because it's not in direct contact with the iron therefore leaving necessary stabilization in the project for the satin stitched letters.

Instructions:
  1. Open your embroidery software, bring in the design or font you want to use and resize to your heart's desire or your machine's limitation. *Pick an overall size that you want your combination of designs to be so that each embroidery has size in common. You wouldn't want a 2" monogram on one tea towel and a 4" monogram on the next.
  2. Send the design/designs to your machine for embroidery.
  3. Hoop both the Melt-Away stabilizer and the tea towel.
  4. Embroider with 60 wt. cotton thread in needle and bobbin. *I prefer to use the cotton thread because it mimics the hand done work of years past so well. Do not use regular sewing thread because it won't cover as well as the cotton thread.
  5. When the embroidery is complete, cut away the excess stabilizer from the back of the towel. Turn your iron to the recommended setting for your Melt-away stabilizer. Iron until the stabilizer remains are all gone.
  6. Stitch 2 buttonholes on each side of each towel (4 per towel) aligning them so that when the towel is folded in half (as in over a chair), the buttonholes on each side align so that you can run a ribbon through to tie them on the chair.



French Script - Bernina Tassels and Trims 2 (tips - click here)

Harrington Font - OESD corner design

Edwardian Script - Zundt rose embroidery design
French Script - Amazing Designs lace motif


Click here for an additional project using the Tassels and Trims embroidery design collection from Bernina.

4 comments:

Christy Burcham said...

So pretty! Now I just need a patio to decorate.

The Tablescaper said...

These are unbelieveable! They are gorgeous. I can't believe you have machine that can do that.

- The Tablescaper

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

These are absolutely gorgeous Marlis!

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Beautiful Marlis! Pretty name too. Now, if I could just fiqure out how to do this, I could make thee too. Thanks for the inspiration! Cheers, Linda