Category Archives: Tutorials

Back at Last!

Posted on February 8, 2019 by | 10 comments

First, let me wish you a happy Valentine’s Day! My latest post at Brother’s blog Stitching Sewcial is all about embroidered cards, specifically Valentines. I wish you all joy and happiness on this special day of love.

The tutorial gives all the ins and outs of embroidering cards, from choice of cardstock size and attaching embroidery. Check it out and please leave a comment at Stitching Sewcial if you find it helpful or inspiring. Here are a few of the other samples. Details of each are included at Stitching Sewcial:

The front embroidery is covered and inside text is Minnie’s quote. It reads:

This one is for our 6 yo granddaughter. The inside text reads, “Vivian Rose, you are our favorite princess.”

More are posted. I had a hard time stopping, since these are so much fun to make.

But much more has been going on since I last posted here at Janice Ferguson Sews. Of course, Christmas was pure joy, with both of our children joining us with all four of our precious grandchildren. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Many gifts were stitched. Mug rugs caught my attention and I made several for my daughter-in-law, but didn’t manage to get a photo. These are so much fun and make great gifts. She is our nature girl and really liked the apron I embroidered for her with this fabulous bear from Urban Threads. Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in accessories, baby accessories, girls, greeting cards, hairbows, Holiday Projects, infant clothing, kitchen, machine embroidery, Tutorials

FREE Peekaboo Pumpkin Treat Bag

Posted on October 16, 2018 by | 5 comments

 

Now here is a quick, easy and fun fall project for you.  Since orange gourd designs are appropriate through Thanksgiving, you can stitch up a whole pumpkin patch of these to share. Even without an embroidery machine, you could trace a pumpkin and stitch the entire project on your sewing machine.

A detailed photo tutorial and the free design in 4×4 a d 5×7 are available at Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial. You can be very creative with this little pumpkin, using various colors of felt, burlap or even a sturdy fabric.

I especially liked using my Brother P-touch Embellish ribbon and tape printer  to print BOO! for the black pumpkin tie.

black love the imprinted ribbon

 

There are so many great projects posted at Stitching Sewcial, like Angela Wolf’s lovely burlap jar covers embellished with Scan ‘n Cut letters FALL.

 

 

Having recently purchased a Scan ‘n Cut I was especially interested in this project.  Check out Angela’s post and her tutorial here.  I just love the long fringe at the top and bottom of the jars.

And here is another fall project from Joanne Banko, Fall Wreath–a great post, great project, great tutorial with a great free sunflower swag design.

 

Happy Fall to you all!  Enjoy stitching for this colorful season.

 

 

 

5 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, free patterns and designs, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, party accessories and ideas, Tutorials

Lacey Heirloom Bonnet

Posted on September 28, 2018 by | 6 comments

When I did my stitch rehearsal for the flowers, I couldn’t decide if I preferred the lighter or darker pink. So I alternated them and was pleased with the result.

Who can resist gazing at a baby in a bonnet? The site warms the heart of every mother, grandmother, auntie or friend.

The pattern for this linen confection was included in Simplicity 8024, though it was modified greatly. The addition of lace, embroidery, hemstitching, and sculpted antique pearl buttons on the ties removes this from the realm of boy caps. Embroidery floss was woven through the hemstitching holes to add a little more color.

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in baby accessories, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, machine embroidery, Tutorials

Quilted Bed Foot Warmer and Free Design

Posted on March 14, 2018 by | 6 comments

 

No one likes cold feet–not at a wedding nor in bed.

There are many ways to keep your toes warm, like this.  Who wouldn’t love that?  But you need a lot of puppies.

 

 

Or you could do this:

 

There are risks with this method. Mildred “Mimi” Turner almost burned down our hotel (and her feet) when we were teaching in Australia’s cold Blue Mountains.

 

This quilted foot warmer is risk free, readily available, pretty, and fun to make.  It is also my latest project for Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial, for which I am a paid sewing specialist (this is a required disclosure).  The blog post includes a FREE download link for the quilting design used for the spaghetti bias Celtic knot in the center of each square.  But more about the special use of that later.

 

The design measures 7.76 x 7.87″.

Continue reading →

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Posted in free patterns and designs, home dec, machine embroidery, quilts, Tutorials

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Kiss the Cook Dishtowel for Basic Machines

Posted on January 17, 2018 by | 10 comments

 

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and many readers have already mentioned that they are working of projects for the day that honors love.

Many, of course, are stitching special outfits for their children or grands.  One dear grandmother is making 35 gifts for her grandchildren’s classmates, some pencil toppers and the others toothbrush wraps.  I’ve never heard of toothbrush wraps and think it’s something I need to find out about.  Do you know anything about them?

Others are creating gifts for family and friends.  Since not everyone has an embroidery machine, I’m going to be adding blog projects, like this dishtowel, which require only a basic machine. Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, home dec, turn tube hem, Tutorials

Beauty and the Beast Spa Wrap

Posted on March 17, 2017 by | 2 comments

 

This cute spa wrap isn’t green, but there is a bit of the color in the trim.

 

 

What a fun little project this is!  My older granddaughter loved her monogrammed wrap and  those I made for her Spatacular 8th birthday party guests.  There was also one for each girl’s American Girl doll (see that tutorial here).

Laurel would love one with the Beauty and the Beast design, available from iBroidery.com for Brother Disney embroidery machines.

She is our little drama queen, but not in a bad way.  Laurel has been performing in local stage productions since she was 7 and acting as narrator in Beauty was one of her favorite roles. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in accessories, Disney, Disney projects, machine embroidery, party accessories and ideas, Tutorials, uncategorized

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Moana Dress for Disney’s New Princess

Posted on January 11, 2017 by | 8 comments

image-1-close-moana-dressed

 

Have you seen the delightful new Moana movie? Granddaughter Laurel, her mother and I went to see it over Christmas and it reminded me that I haven’t blogged about the Moana items I have made.  A complete tutorial is posted at Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial.

The Simplicity Burda pattern for is dress is so versatile and easy.   I like a pattern that leaves room for personal interpretation as this one certainly does.  The dress would have been so much nicer if the print had been used for the hem.  That’s just one more woulda coulda shoulda for me.

 

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The iBroidery.com designs are just exquisitely digitized.  The intricate details are clear and distinct.

 

moana-pocket-scan

Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in accessories, Disney, Disney projects, girls, machine embroidery, Tutorials

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Christmas Tidbits

Posted on December 2, 2016 by | 4 comments

Truly, this is the most wonderful time of the year.  And it’s just around the corner.

“

Meanwhile, the black velveteen for Vivian Rose’s Christmas dress (because black is this child’s best hope for an all-day appearance of cleanliness) is still in the package from Farmhouse Fabrics.    I’m still returning china, laundering and pressing 140 dinner napkins while recovering from Thanksgiving.  We were deeply involved in a fabulous almost family wedding Thanksgiving weekend.  FYI, the groom is almost family–there was nothing” almost” about the wedding!  That’s what the 140 dinner napkins were all about.

For 5 days of Thanksgiving and 5 days with so much for which to be thankful,   our house was filled with the families of both of our children, including all 4 of our precious grands.  It was a glorious time, but exhausting with the wedding thrown in there.

But back to Christmas……

Tidbit #1:  Do you all know about Jacquie Lawson‘s electronic greeting cards?  They are just spectacular.  For a small fee you have unlimited access to cards all year long. I share this with you now because of the advent calendar she offers each year.  Members, for a very small fee (as little as $2 each for 10 or more) can give a daily magical electronic Christmas experience to children or anyone.

This year there are two versions, a Victorian Christmas

 

This year's Jacquie Lawson electronic Victorian Advent Calendar

This year’s Jacquie Lawson electronic Victorian Advent Calendar

 

and a Seaside Advent calendar. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in antique textiles, antique/vintage textiles, free patterns and designs, Holiday Projects, home dec, machine embroidery, Tutorials

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I’m Baaaack

Posted on October 16, 2016 by | 17 comments

It has been a wild ride in the time I’ve been out of the loop. After 5 days of Hurricane Matthew preparation, hunkering down with no internet, tv, cell or landline service and then clean up, we headed to Mayo Clinic.  My husband underwent a minor cardiac procedure, as if ANY cardiac procedure can be minor.  He’s just fine, we’re back home and now I’m back to blogging and sewing.

 

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First, I want to share this cute, quick and easy Halloween faux-pieced wallhanging that I really enjoyed making just before Matthew made his unwelcome visit.  A complete photo tutorial is posted here at Brother’s new blog, Stitching Sewcial.  The designs are from the new Disney Halloween Collection at ibroidery.com

There is still time to whip up this kid-pleaser for the increasingly popular Halloween season. Unlike corn stalks or hay bales, this decoration can be packed away for next year and more years to come.

Children love this, especially when they see Goofy’s skeleton glow in the dark.

goofy-day-hi-res-quiltcr

Goofy by day

 

Goofy by night

Goofy by night

 

I especially like the yo-yo pumpkins that dangle from each side. Continue reading →

17 Comments

Posted in Disney, Disney projects, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, quilts, techniques, Tutorials

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Alice Tea Linens Tutorial

Posted on August 5, 2016 by | 9 comments
image 1 panned set all shadowed

This child sized tea linen set features Alice in Wonderland characters.  With the heavenly scented Confederate Jasmine in full bloom on my front porch, a sweet tea party could be held, if only I had a few grandchildren in house.

 

Making this linen tea set was such a pleasure.  The project and accompanying tutorial were just posted on Brother’s Stitching Sewcial  blog.    This is especially timely with the recent release of Disney’s new movie, Alice through the Looking Glass. A whole new generation of children will meet the characters through this movie.

The tutorial includes .pdf downloads for the corner templates (a smaller one for the napkins and a larger one for the tablecloth).  It also includes a link to download the zig zag feather stitch which I created in My Custom Stitch,  available on many Brother machines.  I find this stitch useful for many projects–baby bonnets,   baby shawls,   blankets and more.

If your machine has this feature, you might want to download the zig zag feather even if you are not planning to whip up an Alice tea linen set.  Instructions for getting this stitch from the download to a memory stick to your machine are included in the tutorial.

When I began this project, my biggest challenge was to select the designs from  the 13 designs available at iBroidery.com.   Somehow, they would be have to be color coordinated with sweet Alice’s dress because the Madeira tablecloth corners just had to be blue.

 

 

Alice napkin close

 

Finally, I decided that the napkin corners would have to coordinate with its many colored embroidered characters. Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in accessories, Disney, Disney projects, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, Nana fun, Tutorials