Are you ready to stitch something cozy? How about making a fleece blanket for yourself or someone you care about? In the newest issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery you'll see the one I made recently for my sister. You'll learn how to make a blanket like this in a afternoon sewing and embroidery session. The theme of issue 102 is monograms and lettering. Embroidery designs in this category are certainly plentiful! You’re likely to have many options for a machine embroidered monogram with designs you already own.
I decided to add a monogram initial created with My Design Center in the Brother Dream2 Machine. The big "E" is for Eileen.
I decided to add a monogram initial created with My Design Center in the Brother Dream2 Machine. The big "E" is for Eileen.
It all started with a lettering design built into the machine. Through the magic of the machine I was able to turn it into a simple stamp outline so I could finish it off with an embossed style background in My Design Center.
The steps are really easy if you have this feature. If you haven't learned to use all the toots and whistles in My Design Center then this simple project would be a great way to start! You'll end up with a pretty and practical item, and gain knowledge while you have fun creating your own monogram design.
The idea is to end up with a finished piece you can appliqué on top of your blanket so your beautiful blanket looks nice and neat on both the right and wrong sides. I tend to embroider on a separate piece of fleece for nearly every embroidered blanket I make. Are you wondering why? My answer is simple. Fleece is a knit, which means it has to be stabilized. My preference for stabilizing knits is a lightweight cut away mesh, only available in white, black, and sometimes beige. Not a very pretty sight on the back of rich colored fleece. However, by hiding the stabilizer on the back side of the appliqué piece you have stable embroidery with hidden support. Make sense?
In the article I used a remnant of white fleece to tie in with the contrasting white binding. For another option you could embroider on self same fabric like the sample above. This is actually more in line with the idea of an embossed look and the appliquéd piece virtually melts into the blanket when it's sewn on. Tone on tone doesn't photograph as well so I opted for white in the magazine article.
If you read the article you'll see that the whole embroidery process doesn't take long. Finishing the blanket edges is the final step. To help you out with the final fleece finish I've created two tutorials for you to download from lestgosew.com for free.
CLICK HERE for a tutorial tip sheet with ideas for five ways to finish fleece. CLICK HERE for the tutorial with complete instructions for a wide satin binding with all four corners fully mitered.
CLICK HERE for a tutorial tip sheet with ideas for five ways to finish fleece. CLICK HERE for the tutorial with complete instructions for a wide satin binding with all four corners fully mitered.
Update! I wanted to let you know that the pink fleece in this article is Polartec® Classic 200, purchased from: http://www.millyardage.com
The company name changed recently but it is the same great fleece and my favorite supplier of genuine Polartec® yardage. CLICK HERE for my free fabric tip sheet for working with fleece.
Let me know if you decide to embroider and sew your own beautiful fleece blanket. Enjoy!
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