Patterns for Embroidery

7/29/2019 Patterns for Embroidery

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Patterns for EmbroideryBy Ellen Anne Eddy


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2013 Patterns for Embroidery

by Ellen Anne Eddy

Thread Magic Studio Press125 Franklin Street, Porter, IN 46304

219-921-0885

www.ellenanneeddy.com

As always, following the kiss principle: Keep it simple, sweetie.

For Mary, with love.

Permissions: These patterns are offered for your non-commercial useage. You may

use them in class, for your personal work or for any charity you would like. Please

dont use them for sale or contest.


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Confessions of a hard, hard teacher.

I used to make my students draw. Having said that, I dont have three heads, really! Or keep

small children chained under the stairs. I know drawing is hard. But it's worthy.

Theres a magical thing that happens when people draw. Mostly, they learn that they can. We

live with instant expectations and hard requirements for ourselves. Everything is worth doing

badly. Drawing is no exception. If you want to do it well, you need to gently sit down to a space

in time where youre going to fardle around doing it not so well. If you can give yourself that

time, you can do it. Someday, as you are drawing something you think is pretty bad, youll find

its actually quite good. Please give yourself that present of time, courtesy and space, some day.But today may not be that day. Classroom with all its excitement and angst tends not to be that

day. I started bringing in a few patterns for students to jump start them. Id show them how to

draw, but the patterns were there. It wasnt long before I realized that they werent there in a

one day class to learn to draw. They wanted to jump straight in to their embroidery. And who

wouldnt? They grabbed those patterns!

With that in mind, Ive dropped the drawing tutorial from everything but my most advanced

classes. And I offer patterns to students so that they can get on with the magic of stitching.

How can you use these patterns? Trace or print them onto the stabilizer of your choice. They

work as well for bobbin work as for full thread painting and fully shaded thread sketching. They

can be reversed, sized, or distorted. You can even add dragonfly and butterfly wings. Since they

are taken from quilts of mine, I ask you not to use them commerically. You are completely wel-

come to use them for your home, for classroom, for your personal work. Please dont use them

on a piece you intend to sell or put into a moneyed contest.

The Pattern Principle


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Frogs


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Dragonflies


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Moon Moth


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Ladybugs


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Beetles


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Butterflies


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Owl


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Wings


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Leaves and Flowers


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Moons


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Clouds and Water


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Just by way of definition, a stabilizer holds the fabric in place whilewere stitching and then is removed. This is different from an inter-

facing which stays in for the life of the piece. A stabilizer has two func-

tions. One is to help hold the fabric stable while youre stitching the

other is to be a surface for the pattern. The other is to give you a sur-

face for your transfer or pattern. Most stabilizers can accomplish

both tasks. Different choices will give you different results. But this

chart will give you a way to figure out what you need from a stabilizer.

These are some of the questions you need to ask:

How much stabilization do I need?

How much is my fabric going to pucker?

How stable is my fabric already?

How much stitching do I intend to do?

Do I need surface I can draw or transfer a pattern on to?

Do I care if my work is stiff when Im done?

Is it ok to wet my work when its done?

Is it ok to iron my work with a hot iron?

Here is a chart that will give you some information about what different

stabilizers can do for you. These are the stabilizers I tend to use most

often. Talk to your sewing machine experts. Ask them what they like andwhy. Then figure out what stabilizer comes closest to giving you all you

need Almost all non-fusible stabilizers except the corn starch films can be

fused using the glue sprays. I prefer 505 Adhesive Spray.

Stabilizing Factors


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Fusible Type Removal method stability Art abilities Finished Feel

Fuse a Shade Yes Non-woven

polyester

Stays in forever Good stabilization

Needs hoop for

heavy zig-zag

Traceable

Drawable

Very Stiff

Totally stable Yes Non-woven

polyester

Tears away

cleanly

Needs a hoop Mild

stabilizerTraceable

Drawable

Somewhat

stiff

Freezer

paper

Yes Coated Tears away

somewhat

May be used with

or without hoop

Strong stabilizer

Drawable

Traceable

Very stiff

Tear easy No Non-

woven

polyester

Tears away

cleanly

Falls apart in

process

May be used with

or without hoop

Moderate stabilizer

Drawable

Traceable

Stiff

Clear corn

starch

stabilizers

No Corn

starch film

Must be soaked

in water

Needs a hoop

not enough

stabilization

Drawable

Traceable

soft

Wash awayApplique

Sheets

yes Non-woven

polyester

DissolvesPartially

Can be used withand without a hoop

Stiff stabilizer

DrawableTraceable

Printable

Stiffer

Dissolve No Non-

woven

polyester

Dissolves

PartiallyTears away

cleanly

Can be used with

and without a hoop

Stiff stabilizer

Drawable

Traceable

Stiffer

Ive rated these stabilizers according to my own experiences with them.

This works easily and wellThis works but has its limitsThis has serious limits/problems

Stabizer Chart


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Patterns for EmbroideryBy Ellen Anne Eddy

A Collection of Patterns

for Classroom and Student Work

Frogs, Butterflies, Bugs, Leaves and Moons

Patterns for Embroidery

Documents

Transcript of Patterns for Embroidery