![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Janice1.jpg\" "\\"Janice\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nMy early day started at with Janice Stewart’s class:\u00c2\u00a0 Drawn Thread by Machine -Love the look of drawn work? <\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u201c Let Janice show you how fast and easy you can accomplish this technique all by machine. Copy this high end look for your home, wardrobe and even babies. Lecture includes tips, tricks and a trunk show of ideas to get you inspired.<\/em><\/p>\n I am not a morning person.\u00c2\u00a0 Margaret Boyles was known to say that her heart did not begin beating officially until 10 a.m.\u00c2\u00a0 Some days, mine starts even later. I like to say I work the night shift (in my sewing room).<\/p>\n Any earlier start of the day requires HUGE motivation, like homeschooling my grandchildren or sewing workshops.\u00c2\u00a0 But I reeeeeeally wanted this 8:00 class from Janice Stewart.\u00c2\u00a0 Thankfully, it was most definitely worth firing up my slow starting old heart.<\/p>\n Janice’s projects were just spectacular.\u00c2\u00a0 Sadly, by the time I picked up my things and finished a quick chat with a few other students, Janice had already packed up her samples.\u00c2\u00a0 She did not have them on display in her booth so I missed a one-time opportunity to share these incredible pieces with you.<\/p>\n One sample was a blue wool wrap around skirt.\u00c2\u00a0 Drawn thread ran down the front, next to the fringed edge.\u00c2\u00a0 It was so attractive, but especially interesting because of the fringe.<\/p>\n Janice felt it was not full enough.\u00c2\u00a0 So she cut a narrow strip down the selvage edge, fringed it up to the selvage and then stitched it on the underside of the skirt flap next to the fringe.\u00c2\u00a0 It was very striking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is her second book on drawn thread. I want this one as well as her first which she showed in class, but I cannot find it on the internet.<\/p><\/div>\n Her technique is very simple and very intriguing.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, you must begin with natural fibers, linen (her favorite), cotton, rayon and wool. Several students were surprised to learn that rayon is a natural fiber.\u00c2\u00a0 Janice makes use of rayon when it is combined with linen or another natural fiber.\u00c2\u00a0 She pointed out that rayon is rather fragile in comparison to the other fibers.<\/p>\n She has a wonderful book with lots of color pictures and more detail. I meant to buy it but just forgot.\u00c2\u00a0 That will be another mail order.\u00c2\u00a0 So here is the technique she described.\u00c2\u00a0 These are just the basics.<\/p>\n Another sample showed wide drawn thread channels with ribbon woven through.\u00c2\u00a0 So pretty!<\/p>\n Looking on-line for photos of her projects and books, I found only the one above.\u00c2\u00a0 This new interest caused me to pull out a Mani di Fata book that\u00c2\u00a0 has been on my shelf for at least 25 years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This sort of handwork always seemed to tedious for me, but with Janice’s technique in which the only handwork is drawing out the threads,\u00c2\u00a0 it has new found appeal.<\/p>\n There is a nice .pdf tutorial by Janice with Sue Hausmann on making a drawn thread baby bonnet<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 You might enjoy trying a small project like this.<\/p>\n On Janice’s drawn thread christening gown sample, there was a sweet detail that caught my attention.\u00c2\u00a0 The gown was white and ecru, with piping between the yoke and skirt.\u00c2\u00a0 She had pin stitched over the white piping with ecru thread before it was inserted.\u00c2\u00a0 These delicate bars of ecru on the white piping gave such a pretty effect.\u00c2\u00a0 It was just a very light touch.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n My 10:00 class with with Angela Jones: Monogram Wizard Plus \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Everything You Need to Know and Now You Can Ask!<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201cAngela promises to pack a wealth of information into these few minutes, so come ready to take notes. After a very brief overview of the features in this software, she will take any and all questions so that you leave having learned what you really need to know. Angela is a wizard with this program and you will enjoy listening to her spin embroidery magic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have had and used this program for several years and I really like it.\u00c2\u00a0 But I knew I there was more to it, as I only use about 3 of the many features.<\/p>\n After doing monogram or text, the design is saved.\u00c2\u00a0 But it did not allow you to import a design, such as a frame, which would allow you to size it specifically for that frame.\u00c2\u00a0 So the design would be saved, then taken into PE-Design or BuzzEdit2 to see if it fit.\u00c2\u00a0 If not, it required going back into Monogram Wizard Plus and resizing, as many times as necessary.<\/p>\n But now the Extended Features add-on offers that feature as well as several others that will make a great program even greater.\u00c2\u00a0 I may not embroider 270 knit layettes like Angela, but I will be using it a lot more now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Angela is a heavy user of this program with her monogramming business.\u00c2\u00a0 She has embroidered more than 270 knit layettes and here is how she does it.<\/p>\n There was not a single pucker or bubble on her samples.\u00c2\u00a0 BTW, the knit Martha carries is soft as butter.\u00c2\u00a0 I was all set to carry home a few yards in each color, but for whatever reason, the bolts of knit did not make the trip to Orlando.\u00c2\u00a0 So that is\u00c2\u00a0 yet another mail order.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gina Reddin class was as good as the others: \u00c2\u00a0 Redwork Designs are not Red<\/em><\/strong> Anymore<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Love redwork designs but want a little more?? Dress up your redwork designs using paints, colored pencils, crystals, zippers, and other techniques and embellishments. See different layouts for your designs and look at how different threads really change your design. It’s okay to break the rules and have fun!<\/em><\/p>\n Gina talked about the history of redwork and how it branched out to become single color work.\u00c2\u00a0 So you can find vintage redwork embroideries in blue, green and other colors.<\/p>\n She suggested doing single color designs in variegated threads and showed samples with two different kinds of thread.\u00c2\u00a0 Many variegated threads have as much are as long as 8″ between color changes.\u00c2\u00a0 Gina likes Superior thread with its 1″ variegations.<\/p>\n She showed a sample of a single color Victorian lady design stitched in Superior and another in a different thread.\u00c2\u00a0 The second sample showed colors in clumps, like countries on a map.\u00c2\u00a0 But the Superior sample had thread colors that flowed throughout the design without the distraction of single color sections.<\/p>\n As the mother of 5 children, she had a lot of kid friendly ideas.\u00c2\u00a0 One I especially liked was single color embroidery on a piece of puffy foam.\u00c2\u00a0 For Christmas cards, her children stitched an outline “JOY” with a sprig of holly.\u00c2\u00a0 Then they painted in the letters with everyday craft paint.\u00c2\u00a0 I know my grandchildren would love that.<\/p>\n Other samples on fabric had been colored with crayons and then ironed to set the dye into the fabric.\u00c2\u00a0 She recommends PRANG brand for more intense colors.<\/p>\n Her tip for embroidering on balsa wood was to use simple designs with little or no fill, like redwork.\u00c2\u00a0 Longer stitches make it less likely that the design would cut through the wood and break it.\u00c2\u00a0 It might be a good idea to enlarge a design to lengthen the stitches.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n quilted table runner with her Floral Linework designs<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Her most spectacular sample, in my opinion, was the quilted table runner.\u00c2\u00a0 It looks like metallic thread, but, in fact, is just gold poly or rayon embroidery thread.\u00c2\u00a0 The sparkle comes from the hot fix gems and the gold satin fabric sashing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was so much more, but this post is way too long already.\u00c2\u00a0 Just let me say it was a great class. NOTE:\u00c2\u00a0 Gina is the owner of the popular SewItsForSale yahoo group.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n Throughout the day I visited with several friends whom I had not seen for some time.\u00c2\u00a0 Dinner with a dear friend was quality catch-up time.<\/p>\n More on Day #3 in my next post.\u00c2\u00a0 I am still fondling my goodies and putting away some of them.\u00c2\u00a0 So it’s back to the sewing room for me.\u00c2\u00a0 I hope you are all busy sewing and will share your ideas and projects with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The second day of Martha Pullen’s Sewing Market was even better than the first, probably because it was a longer day, from 8 a.m. until 9:00 p.m..\u00c2\u00a0 So many new sewing techniques learned, so much creative inspiration, so much technical … Continue reading <\/a>\n
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