It is back to school time and what better opportunity to give our current wardrobe a little update!
This project is for anyone looking to freshen up a favorite jacket, t-shirt and/or home décor; it’s
also one of the best ways to cover up blemishes, garments have collected along the way. The best
part? It can be a family project. As always, making projects a collaborative initiative is my
passion. My teenager assisted me on the coloring portion of this project, making it the perfect
“no screen,” creative outlet while giving this thrifted jacket a great makeover! Bring out the
fabric markers and let’s get started.
Janome Supplies Required
Supplies:
Sticky+ Self Adhesive tear away stabilizer
Permanent fabric markers (tulip)
Photo Fabric sheets with paper backing, cotton (please follow printing directions on the packet)
Coordinating embroidery thread
Coordinating 50wt thread
organ needle 14
Ruler
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat
Iron/ironing board
Pins
Printer
9”x12” coordinating fabric
Machine
Janome Skyline 9, Embroidery foot, A foot, zig zag plate, RE20 Embroidery hoop
Instructions
Helpful Hint: Make sure that your printer has a good ink supply and follow the directions on the back of the printable fabric packet for best results.
- Select an image that you would like to print. Hint: Etsy is a good place to find and purchase lovely images for personal use. The best images are those that are black and white so that your printer does not use up a lot of ink and you can color with fabric markers afterwards. Hint: Tulip markers are affordable and long lasting.
2. Color the image with fabric markers before removing the paper backing.
3. Prepare photo panel: Cut 4-1.5”x9” strips. Sew strips to all sides using ¼” seam.
4. Pin colorful panel to the jacket sparingly (remove pins before embroidering each section). Hint: Avoid embroidering through bulky seams. Load sticky+ stabilizer on your hoop. Position jacket in the center and load hoop.
5. Switching to embroidery mode, make your selection from the built-in Sashiko stitches (flower icon). You will copy the same design 3-4 times depending on your selection and design size. In the edit window (grid selected below), you have the option to resize, copy, rotate, reduce pattern, and change hoop size.
6. After selecting the pattern, choose the largest hoop, RE20. Copy and paste the design. Please note: the icon to the right of the hoop icon, allows you to make additional copies of the pattern. I copied the pattern 2 additional times.
7. The icon to the right of the “trash can” icon, allows you to reduce or enlarge pattern sizes. I selected each design (below) until two fit vertically and the third horizontally. Use the up/down, side to side arrows to line up the patterns.
8. The horizontal pattern will be rotated using this icon (see below).
9. Ready to embroider! Hint: Be prepared to stop often to remove pins out of the way as the embroidery progresses.
10. Yellow embroidery thread complements the yellow markers on the photo fabric.
11. Once the embroidery is complete, switch to ordinary sewing and stitch in the ditch around the borders, to attach to the jacket for a polished finish.
12. Fold edges under ¼” all around and topstitch by machine or hand-stitch. Press well.
13. Viola! The jacket is ready to wear.
Who knew that printing on fabric, coloring with permanent fabric markers and machine embroidering with built-in Sashiko stitches, could create such beautiful, wearable art! The flowers jump off the page, don’t they?
I hope you enjoy, try out these techniques and/or share with your friends and family. Machine embroidery can make any project come to life.
Happy Autumn, Everyone!
Maday
