Tag: machineembroiderydesigns

Sweet Pea’s favourite beach trips in Summer

Beach trips

 Summer is approaching fast and it’s already getting hot in Queensland. This is the perfect time to start planning some beach trips and why not read about some of Sweet Pea’s favourite summer holidays.  We hope this will inspire you to take your own relaxing holiday vacation soon!

 beach-blog-mulambin-beach-yeppoon

Sunshine Coast  – Mooloolaba

 Mooloolaba is just over an hours drive from Brisbane and is the perfect place for a day trip in summer. Along the beach there are delightful little restaurants and cafes. We love to grab a spot in the park and have a picnic at sunset after a long day spent at the beach in the waves.

 

Stradbroke

 Stradbroke is an island about an hour’s boat ride from Brisbane and is the perfect family getaway destination. You can either rent out a house or stay in a hotel. Even better grab your caravan or tent and stay right on the beach. Stradbroke is the perfect place for people who are more adventurous and love to get away from the city.  The Sweet Pea family love to camp right on the beach far away from the city lights. There are so many stars in the sky and it’s a great time to spend the day and night right on the picturesque beach. But watch out in the water because there are SHARKS! Typical Australia.

boat-beach-blog

dtd_flipflops3

camping-beach-blog

Gold Coast – Coolangatta

 Many people have heard about the Gold Coast when they think of Australian beach destinations. However all the Sweet Pea family love to escape the crowds at Surfers Paradise and enjoy a relaxing weekend at Coolangatta instead.  The beach at Coolangatta has soft white sand and beautiful blue waves that the kids and even adults can enjoy spending the day in.

peter-and-poppyannette-robbie-gold-coast2Moreton Island – Tangalooma Dolphin Resort

Lastly our family favourite beach destination in summer is Tangalooma Resort which is located on Moreton Island just a 75-minute boat ride from Brisbane and is the perfect place to spend the day but we stay for a whole week instead. One day is just never enough for us as there are so many activities for the grandchildren, children, adults and grandparents. Our whole family stays there together and we love seeking adventure, relaxation and nature. But the must see attraction is the dolphin feeding every night where you will never miss a sighting of the dolphins.

beach-blog-tangalooma

Sweet Pea loves the beach

 

The perfect essential for your beach trips are our beautiful, fun and easy to make beach bags. Other beach visitors will be jealous of you and your very own uniquely designed bag.

 

machine embroidery design in the hoop beach bag

https://swpea.com/products/beach-bag-6×10-7×12-in-the-hoop-machine-embroidery-design

Hawaiian reflections bag –

 

 

http://swpea.com/products/hawaiian-reflections-bag-6×10-7×12-9-5×14-in-the-hoop-machine-embroidery-design

I Don’t Date Fish Beach Bag

 

http://swpea.com/products/i-dont-date-fish-beach-bag-5×7-6×10-7×12-9×12-in-the-hoop-machine-embroidery-design

Hawaiian Leaf beach bag

 

http://swpea.com/products/hawaiian-leaf-beach-bag-5×7-6×10-7×12-9×12-in-the-hoop-machine-embroidery-design

e52-by-ellanoir

 

Machine embroidery, using heat to tidy stray fibres.

Now we don’t usually recommend playing with fire or heat but it is a sure fire (pardon the pun) way to get rid of those pesky stray fibres that seem to hang about on a completely made in the hoop machine embroidery item.  These are items that are made completely in the hoop and are finished off completely in the hoop with satin stitching around the edges.

The Machine Embroidery designs that Sweet Pea has that this technique would apply are

machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, Christmas, Bunting
Cottage and Christmas tree bunting
machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, baby, bunting, alphabet
Alphabet Bunting

machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, baby, bunting

machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, baby, bunting
‘add ons’ for the Alphabet and Number Bunting

machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, baby, bunting

and of course our extremely popular “Mylar Christmas Bauble” design

machine embroidery design, machine embroidery, in the hoop, Christmas, Mylar
Mylar Christmas baubles

Totally finished off ‘in the hoop’

As you can see from the images above these projects are made entirely in the hoop and are all finished off with a satin stitch.

It is clear in the image above that there is still a remnant of batting remaining even after the soluble stabilizer is soaked away with a water bath.

In order to have a much neater finish we need to remove those wisps of batting away and the easiest way is to melt it with heat.

Take care with fire

There are few different methods of removing the wisps of batting left behind.

  1. A pair of applique scissors- not the most effective and probably the most frustrating!
  2. A razor – once again a time consuming and ultimately frustrating pastime
  3. A heat cutting tool – made for this purpose and definitely the safest melting method
  4. A flame- now we don’t recommend this method if you are accident prone or do not possess the steadiest hands but it is very effective, quick and cheap to do. You just need a cigarette lighter.

Please watch this very short video on how to CAREFULLY use a lighter ( click image below)

( we used this method on Tree Bunting for our Christmas Cottage and Tree bunting design)

machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, christmas, bunting

made by Jenni Pokora
made by Jenni Pokora
made by Jenni Pokora
made by Jenni Pokora

swpea.com

Quick and Easy Christmas Machine Embroidery Designs made ‘in the hoop’

In a blink of an eye Christmas 2016 will be upon us. If you haven’t already started thinking about decorations for your home or even some lovely personalised Christmas gifts ,Sweet Pea’s range of Machine Embroidery Designs will make your life so much easier.

Who wants to be bothered with the long queues of Christmas shoppers all there sorting through the same ole same Christmas ornaments? How many times do we have that ‘oh well this will do’ sigh when we select Christmas gifts for our near and dearest?

I know myself that every year I will make the vow full of determination and conviction that I will ‘start early’ next year and never put myself into this situation of resignation and despair again. Of course I never do, life has that annoying habit of throwing the unplanned in our way and the wonderful vows that I made standing in those Christmas store queues are long forgotten and once more I am on the path to a frantic last minute Christmas shop somewhere in mid December.

If you are like me and you can see a frantic mad rush ahead for you sometime in December why not take a few minutes to watch our Christmas design video and see just a small handful of our quick and easy Machine Embroidery Designs all made ‘in the hoop’.

Quick and easy

Not only are our Machine Embroidery Designs quick and easy to do they also are  a fantastic way to use a lot of of your Christmas fabric scraps which I am sure you have been accruing over the years.

Personalised Christmas Gifts

Ever had a feeling of gift overload ? After all that mad rushing around making difficult decisions on what to buy everyone, by the time that Christmas actually arrives I am pretty much over gifts .

Before you all go thinking what a Scrooge I am let me explain, I love gift giving and particularly at Christmas. I think it is just the lack of meaningful options that I find in the stores . It becomes a case of Groundhog Day with me frantically trying to find something that reflects the personality of the person I am giving the gift to. I find myself  more often than not end up selecting something only halfway suitable and not feeling very happy about it all.

One solution is making your own Christmas gifts with our Machine Embroidery Designs . They don’t have to be an elaborate design . I think when a gift is personalised size definitely does not matter.

The old saying ‘it is the thought that counts’ is a mantra that I think we should all adopt at Christmas.  It is the thought that goes into considering what the gift recipient likes, what their interests are, how they reflect themselves in their own home decor , their favourite colour ,the list is endless . It is the love that you stitch into the gift, the time you spend thinking about that person whilst you make the gift.

 

Family Heirlooms

Christmas ornaments and Christmas home decor items are often something that we keep for years . These Christmas ornaments and decor items often hold special meaning to us as they were part of our Family celebrations .

Just bringing these Christmas ornaments and decor items out every year can evoke wonderful memories of happy times spend together with our nearest and dearest.

How special would it be if these Christmas ornaments and decor items that we hold so dear could be made by ourselves . These items would be made with love and even hold more significance.

 

Click on image below to watch video

 

Click on images below to be taken directly to the design on swpea.com

 

 

 

machine embroidery, machine embroidery designs, in the hoop, Christmas, Bunting
Cottage and Christmas tree bunting
machine embroidery design, machine embroidery, in the hoop, Christmas, Mylar
Mylar Christmas baubles
img_0008
Santa Christmas stocking
img_0013
Christmas tree table runner

 

machine embroidery design, in the hoop, Christmas, applique, quilt
Snowflake coaster/mugrug
img_0014
Christmas cuties table runner

 

machine embroidery design, in the hoop, Christmas, applique, quilt
Holly cutlery holder

 

machine embroidery design, in the hoop, Christmas, applique, quilt
Holly cutlery holder

 

machine embroidery design, in the hoop, Christmas, applique, quilt
Holly table runner

 

 

img_0007
Merry Christmas mugrug

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Drunkard’s Path” quilt – machine embroidery ‘in the hoop’

image
Sweet Pea’s “Drunkard’s Path” quilt design

 

Such an odd name to give to a very beautiful quilt design.  Our “Drunkard’s Path ” quilt design may have an ugly name but it has a very interesting origin.

Ugly name…. important past

This quilt like many others has a history behind it.

The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was founded in November 1874 in Cleveland, Ohio

It was a movement that was started to rid the country of beer and liquor and an end to the abuse and suffering that families had to endure as a result of men who spent too much time and money in saloons.

One of their most successful ways of fundraising was to raffle and sell quilts.

Although the Pattern originated in England the W.C.T.U. renamed it the Drunkard’s Path as a testament to their work and cause.

It is also known as Drunkard’s Walk, Wanderer in the Wilderness, Rob Peter to Pay Paul, or Mill Wheel. The Amish later called it Solomon’s Puzzle or Old Maid’s Puzzle.

Modern Day “Drunkard’s Path” quilt made in the hoop , machine embroidery

Ugly name but beautiful quilting .. these days with the aid of our clever embroidery machines we can reproduce these stunning quilts quickly and easily . All the appliqué, quilting and embroidery are all done in the hoops of our machines.

Traditional appearance with modern methods

How lucky are we today to be able to make these quilts so easily . Modern machine embroidery does not seek to wipe out the traditional methods of making these wonderful heirlooms but more to give us ‘time poor’ quilters an easier way to produce something equally as beautiful.

Easy instructions and detailed photos

Our “Drunkard’s Path” design comes with all the instructions you need to make your own beautiful quilt with the ugly name .

Drunkard's path block and quilt 4×4 5×5 6×6 7×7 in the hoop machine embroidery design

image

 

 

 

Getting your home ready for Fall… tips for choosing Fall Colors

Choosing Colors….

there is no better a Season to decorate than Fall. Choosing colors is so easy as Nature provides all the clues.

Fall is the beginning of cooler weather and we start thinking about making our homes cozier. One again Nature helps with the Autumn tones of the leaves on the trees. These bronze and red hues are warming in themselves and are perfect colors for making our homes appear warm and welcoming.

Colors and furniture …..

These beautiful Fall colors are perfectly matched to timber furniture. They bring out the warmth and solidness of the timber making the furniture itself come alive.

Nothing looks more welcoming than coming in the front door on a cool day and seeing a beautifully placed table runner on a hall table or similar piece of furniture.

2505 Debra Hoover Ward freeform table runner
Sweet Pea ” Freeform ” table runner design in beautiful Fall Colors

Home ‘Fall ” Decor made easy with ‘in the hoop’ designs….

When thinking about home decor for the Fall Season there are many items that can be made easily and quickly. Table Runners, Table centerpieces, Place mats, Pot Holders, Pillows , Cushions and quilts. The list is only as long as your imagination.

Imagine a cozy Living Room stacked with pillows in warm, inviting Autumn colors. A warming meal being served at a table set with a matching table runner and place mats. Curling up on the couch after a satisfying meal with a soft ,warm quilt.

Sweet Pea Fall Table Runners
in beautiful Fall Colors

 

Quick and easy home decor….

One of the wonderful things about ‘in the hoop’ machine embroidery is that it is relatively quick and easy to make items perfect for your home decor needs.

The blocks are all appliqued and embroidered and quilted in the hoop and then we give you instructions on how to sew them them together.

Beautiful Autumn Colors…. (as sewn by some of our clever customers )

in beautiful Fall Colors

These beautiful examples of Fall Colors are all made with Sweet Pea “Fall Leaves Quilt Block and Table Runner ” design http://swpea.com/products/fall-leaves-quilt-block-and-table-runner-4×4-5×5-6×6-or-7×7-hoop

 

Fall leaves table runner and quilt blocks 4x4 5x5 6x6 in the hoop machine embroidery designs.jpg

Check out our Fall / Autumn design collection……

Fall / Autumn Season Collection http://swpea.com/collections/fall-autumn-season-2

11219091_1026599424039008_6831678625979234858_n

 

Free Learn how to “in the hoop” machine embroidery design

The Flower Zipper Purse made completely ” in the hoop” on an embroidery machine.

http://swpea.com/products/learn-how-to-do-in-the-hoop-free-flower-purse-4×4