A bit of Halloween Help

Well you can tell it's the 48 hours count down to Halloween here at the Fresh Thread Manor!.. Treats are being made and the finishing touches are being put on costumes for not one but two parties this year! For both parties we are taking pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese icing.. and although totally delish they needed a bit more seasonal sparkle.. so I created this graphic from a vintage card in my collection and a new file to make a whole batch of cupcake charms and I am sharing them with you!

What!.. you don't know what a Cupcake Charm is?... ~ falls over in a dead faint~ My dears.. it's one of the cutest vintage ways to make your cupcakes the hit of the party. Just print off the PDF File I have created for you!.. and then cut out the image ( keeping both circles together and the bridge..like a big figure 8).. then fold it in half and secure a toothpick inside( between the layers). using a bit of glue or double stick tape. Now poke it into the top of a yummy cupcake or on the appetizer platter of your adult Halloween party! Easy huh? P.s. use card stock and your best print setting!


So now you are ready with you food.. but are you heading off to the party without a hostess gift? ~ for shame~.. Do something quick and easy.. Make a small batch of Halloween Chapflaps.. all you need to have on hand is a bit of felt of spooky fabric.. it's very easy and the pattern will be retired come the strike of midnight on the 31st so get yours now!

The Boo-Lovie bandit will also be gone as of the 31st, so if you want her you had better get her now! :)

*Fresh Ideas* and more Crop-a-dile goodness

A little more information and yet another way to work with your Java Wraps.. As you see .. on the left I have used a loop of elastic that is sewn in into the flap seam the same way I show you in the instructions.. and on the right is an alternative way with an eyelet with a loop of string elastic pulled through. Both easy and quick to do.

The purpose is to use the elastic loop is to wrap up your Java Wrapz so it's easy to throw in your purse or gym bag and have handy any place where you might be stopping for your daily caffeine fix Hope that helps and gives you another *Fresh Idea*

In other news I have found yet another use for my beloved Crop-a-dile Big Bite. Most of you know that I will sing the praises of this great contraption for just about all my crafting needs.. but here I am using it again with embroidery. Like most of us to own embroidery machines mine came with plastic templates that help with in-the-hoop alignment. And while good start..mine was only punched with 4 holes that you could then mark through to make points of reference. So enter the Big Bite C.A.D!.. I used it on the 3/16 setting to make multiple perfect holes so I can easily make more reference marks!

Where they were only 4 before.. now I have multiple points of reference... Truly wonderful!

Lovie Sale

It's a busy time here in the Fresh Thread studio.. new ideas for the store and holiday sewing is in full swing... I nearly fell over when looking at the calendar and seeing how few stitching days there are till the holidays!
For quite a few little girls in my life I will be making holiday Lovies.. there are so many festive holiday fabrics out there it's no trouble finding just the right one for each child. I even found an adorable Hanukkah fabric that is going to steal the heart of one not-so-little girl that I know!

So with holiday sewing in mind the Lovies are going to be on sale for the week. So if you have any sweet little girls in your life feel free to take advantage of this sale and get ahead of the holiday curve!


In other news my new 830 and I are getting acquainted... wow, she is some gal.. I suspect that it's going to take me quite a while to find out all she can do! My jumbo hoop should come in next week and I am set up and ready to play. Due to the size of this machine I had to modify where this machine was going to go. Given the clearance needed by the jumbo hoop I had to clear way more space than I first thought. But I think I am in the groove now.. Still waiting on flooring for my studio.. almost to the point of thinking of the subfloor as the real deal!

woo hoo... doing the Happy dance

Excuse me if I gush a bit... but today I made room for a new " baby" in my studio.. Isn't she a beauty? She is a Bernina 830 and I brought her home today. I suspect she is going to make my 6 needle a bit jealous.. but I swear that I have enough love for both of them!

In other news.. it's the last 24 hours for the Java Wrapz at their introductory price. After the weekend is over the price goes up to $20.

And in a bit more coffee related news .. for those looking to pick up a bit more embroidery business this might help. Today I just spoke to a local independent coffee house that is placing an order for multiple Java Wrapz with their company name on them.. they are going to sell some and give others to some of their more devoted customers during the holiday season. So think about making up a great looking Wrapz.. and take it by your local upscale coffee house and see what sort of business you can dig up for yourself.. you might be surprised!

Packaging for Profit

Anyone who knows me knows that I am rather the nut about packaging, to me an item might has well not be put up for sale when it comes to craft shows and the like unless you have it well merchandised. I believe that presentation can make or break any sale.

The biggest problem is finding effective ways to package that don't break the bank. Here at Fresh Thread Embroidery Design I understand and hope to help you merchandise our products for optimum sale.

To that end today I bring to you a couple of easy print pillow boxes and a mini tutorial that I designed just for you! These pillow boxes can be printed and assembled with only the most simple of supplies and even the less than crafty can handle putting them together! * I do suggest printing on high-quality card stock and on your best print setting since otherwise you will just be wasting your time*

I have created boxes for the Halloween Chap flaps, the Java Wrapz and a simple to/from box for non-Fresh Thread items. I have also created a tutorial that you can print ( click here for that).

To download:

Boo-chaps pillow box - click here

Java -Wrapz Pillow box - click here

To/From Pillow box - Click here

The finished size of the box is 5x3 and will hold many small and hard to package items. I hope you enjoy this Fresh Project and let me know what you think of it!

In the Hoop Applique

As promised I am going to show you how I do in-the-hoop applique for the Java Wrapz. (above) First I cut out square of fabric that I know will be big enough to cover the circle area .. the applique circles are 2.5 inches in diameter so I usually cut at least a 3 inch square. On the back of that I iron on a square of Heat n' bond lite ( Remember to then pull off the paper back after ironing.. do this right away.. don't ask me how I now ~sigh~)

Run the positioning stage and then lay down your fabric and let it run the first stage of the tack down. Now remove the hoop from the machine and cut away the excess fabric with applique or other suitable scissors.

At this stage you have two choices.. since your fabric is in the hoop it's not possible to use a conventional iron to activate the heat n' bond and you will have to do it after your item is removed from the hoop. But if you happen to have a Clover mini-iron ( see below) ironing in the hoop will be a fast and easy process assuring you perfect applique registration. **Please note.. this iron takes a full 10 minutes to heat up but DO NOT set it to high... high is more than enough to totally melt poly thread ( again... ask me how I know!)

Now run the zig-zag or e-stitch of the file and check for alignment.. if any things seems off give it another trim at this time.

Run the rest of your applique steps and if needed give it an ironing after all is said and done. Easy huh?

Next time we will talking about fixing little boo-boos like you can see on the *J* applique.

Doing the Java Jive

I have a lot of coffee drinkers in my life and with the holidays right around the corner I knew I was going to be buying a lot of Starbucks gift cards..but it seems a bit cold just to give someone a gift card alone ( agree?)..but most did not need another coffee mug in their lives since they drink most of their coffee from take-out cups despite there best efforts to be as "green" as possible. Thus the Java Wrapz was born!

Java Wrapz are an eco-friendly, personal alternative to the cardboard sleeves on take out coffee and tea cups. This item is a sure winner with not only folks who are trying to go green but for those who are coffee crazy or looking for quick easy gifts for a multitude of people in their lives. This is going to be a great craft-show seller... and low stitch count makes it profit friendly!
Included files are for the 300x200 hoop, the 6x10 and the 5x7. In the 300x200 it stitches out double files like below. In the 6x10 size you get a single Wrapz. The 5x7 version is an easy cut-n-sew pattern ( included on a full sized PDF file) that embroiders in the hoop on an easy to use template.

I wish you could feel how good these feel in the hand. That comes from using wool and wool blend felt for the Wrapz. I am a huge fan of wool felt and get it all at http://www.woolfeltcentral.com/.
The above photo is how the Java Wrapz stitch out in the big hoop. In the smaller hoop version you precut the wrap and then lay it into a template that stitches out onto tearaway in the hoop.

I am very excited to be making these for my friends who are sports fans.. I am using team fabrics that I found at my local fabric store in the applique circle.. perfect! For the folks in my life who are not sports fans I am getting different holiday or hobby theme fabrics. I found some great fishing fabric for my bil who always grabs a " cup of joe" on the way out to the lake. A varitey of sweet holiday prints just the right size for the applique circle can be found at your local quilt store in charm packs! This darling tree fabric is from the Moda, Figgy Pudding collection that I purchased at my wonderful local quilt store.. Lavender and Lime

Each collection comes with:

1) Applique-monogram-ready circle
2) A blank template
3)Groovy daisy monogram-ready Wrapz.
4) Coffee-Talk, two phrases sure to tickle the funny bone of any Java drinker.
5) Full color, printable PDF Java Wrapz instructions
6) Full size and printable Java Wrapz pattern for the 5x7 hoops version

As promised, also included in your purchase are two full color printable PDF files with two styles of Java Wrapz hang tags for your gift giving or business needs.

For the first week and the first week only I am pricing the collection at $10 after that it will go up to $20. The collection if for sale at my Big Cartel shop and is delivered by e-mail within 6 hours of ordering if ordered during regular business hours. Click here on Fresh Threads to learn more.

I hope you all enjoy the collection and much as I have.. I think it's just right for small gift for teachers, hairdressers and office mates.. I know that I am going to be making a lot of them this season!