Dazzling Diamonds Sew-A-Long: Part 2 (Embroider Transfer)

Today we will continue our Dazzling Diamonds Sew-A-Long adventure! 

Hopefully, you have pieced most of the blocks this past week. Now, we are ready to embroider the seam lines. The specific embroidery stitches used are described in the book (pages 22-27). There will be some Silk Ribbon Embroidery (SRE) elements on many of these seams, but that instruction will be in our post on November 3rd. Today, we will concentrate only on the fiber embroidery elements. 

Each seam begins with a BASE embroidery section. This is then enhanced with additional elements of fiber embroidery and/or silk ribbon embroidery as well as beads/sequins. To begin, we need a pieced block and the base embroidery design.

Then, we need to transfer the base embroidery design directly to our pieced fabric block. There are multiple ways to accomplish this: 

a. Free hand draw it directly to the fabric.

b. Trace the design to thin paper (like tissue paper), overlay that to the fabric block for stitching through.

c. Print the overlay directly to sheets of thin paper (like tracing paper) for stitching through.

d. Print the overlay directly to water-soluble paper (which is the method in the book).

I’m including a modified file that contains only the artwork for the base seams included in each block.

Link to Dazzling Diamonds Embroidery Guide Overlay

All of the above methods of transfer have pros/cons. Other than (a) you will be removing paper or water soluble paper after completing the basic embroidery. If you choose the water-soluble method, steps are included in the book on page 19. Removing water soluble requires the application of water to dissolve the soluble material. This is best done under a running tap of water, with the embroidered block facing down. As the water-soluble material softens it can be gently scrubbed with your fingers (underneath the block, directly on the embroidery, as water continues to run through the fabric block). 

Wet blocks will then need to be pressed dry. If you did not pre-wash your fabrics, then the cotton fabric block will shrink slightly. That is fine, as each design included an extra seam allowance measurement for this purpose.

I’ll post photos of the water-soluble steps discussed above on my blog (shawkl.com) as I work on Block #11. So, if you need more information on on the how-to portion, jump over there tomorrow.

Connect with us!

Follow C&T's Instagram for weekly reminders! You are invited to share your progress by tagging @ctpublishing and using #DazzlingDiamondsSewALong. If you have any questions, reach out to Kathy via her blog here.

Return to the C&T Blog for Part 3 (the final part), which will be posted on Friday, November 3rd.

For more information on the Dazzling Diamonds Sew-A-Long, including the supply list and schedule, visit the first Dazzling Diamonds Sew-A-Long blog post here.

...

Kathy Seaman Shaw has always shared her knowledge of the needle arts by teaching basic skills in sewing, crocheting, cross-stitch, ribbon embroidery, beading, jewelry making, and traditional quilting at local guilds. Crazy quilting allows the use of skills from other hobbies as possible embellishment ideas, keeping creativity flourishing and expanding Kathy’s knowledge in various techniques. She just can’t imagine a more enjoyable creative experience and is happy to share that love of needle arts with anyone who will listen.

She offers a full range of free downloadable classes in crazy quilting embellishing techniques on her blog. These were offered as free online classes; but now can be finished as a self-pace volume of instruction in Basic, Intermediate & Advanced techniques.

Kathy is happy to answer questions via her blog at shawk. Just leave a comment on any of the Dazzling Diamonds Sew-A-Long posts during this event.