It’s the second week and the second project of Machine Embroider Your Life from American Quilter’s Society and EverSewn! We’re so excited to bring you nine great machine embroidery projects to make in the following weeks. There’s lots of fun in store. This week we’re making cork coasters using machine embroidery and cork fabric. It’s a fun project with a unique material. Let’s get started!
VIDEO
Click Here to download the written instructions as a PDF
Supplies
120 x 180 mm Embroidery Hoop and Embroidery Sheet Guide
14/90 Machine Embroidery Needle
Medium Tearaway Stabilizer
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Craft Spray Baste/Fabric Adhesive Spray
Scrap Paper
(2) 5 1/2″ squares of Stitchable cork fabric
Embroidery Thread(s)
5″ circle template
Hooping
Cut a piece of medium weight tearaway stabilizer large enough for the embroidery hoop. Lay the stabilizer over the outer hoop and then press in the inner hoop over the stabilizer. Close the clamp to secure. Pull the stabilizer drum tight.
Registration Marking
Lay the plastic embroidery sheet placement guide that comes with the hoop into the inner hoop. Mark out the center point and lines using a pencil. Use a ruler to mark 2 3/4″ from the center points, making a 5 1/2″ square around the center.
Fabric Preparation
Over a piece of scrap paper, apply adhesive spray to the wrong side of a cork fabric square. Apply spray baste away from your machine and in a well-ventilated area for safety.
Place the sticky side of the cork onto the hooped tearaway stabilizer inside the marked square. Allow the adhesive to dry before installing the embroidery hoop in the machine.
Design
If you’re following along on a machine other than the Sparrow X, select a design and arrange the design following your machine’s editing software. Open, linework motifs between 80-100 mm work really well for this project. We have some ideas below with links to the design.
Quilting Circle , Medallion Circle 6 , Large Wildflower Medallion , Henna Medallion 2 .
Open the EverSewn Pro app on your smart device.
Select the Pattern tab, then the Motives tab.
Select the design you want to make. The app takes you to an information page. Note the size:Â A range of 80-100 mm (3-4″) is a nice size for the design. Click the pencil button in the upper right corner to send it to the editing screen.
The app automatically places the design in the center, but if it needs recentered for any reason, click the Move button in the bottom sliding menu. Click the centering button, it looks like four arrows pointing towards each other. This centers the selected design. Tap the white triangle arrow on the green bar at the bottom to return to the editing screen.
To change the color of the thread displayed, select the Color button in the bottom sliding menu. Select the thread you would like to change displayed in the upper right quadrant of the screen. Scroll through the colors below and click the color you wish to select.
Repeat the previous step for all the thread colors. To return to the editing screen, select the back button at the top left corner of the screen.
Once you are satisfied, the design is ready to send to the machine. Click the button in the upper right corner that looks like a sewing machine with an arrow pointing at it to send the design to the machine for stitching.
Stitchout
Thread the embroidery thread in the machine. Press the start button on the front of the machine to begin stitching the design. Follow any thread change prompts from the machine/app until the design is finished.
Coaster Preparation
Remove the cork square/stabilizer from the hoop. With a pencil and ruler, mark the center of the design both ways on the back. Cut out your 5″ circle template, which you can download by clicking here .
Repeat on the other cork square (unstitched) to make 2 circles of cork fabric: the front and back circles.
Spray the back circle on the wrong side with spray baste. Press the wrong sides of the front and back circles together. It is okay for the circles not to perfectly match at this step.
Coaster Construction
Set up your EverSewn Sparrow X for sewing mode by removing the embroidery module and installing a sewing foot. A quarter inch foot is recommended but not required.
Sew around the circle approximately 1/4″ from the coaster edge. Sew a couple stitches past where you started sewing.
Pull the threads to the back to trim.
Trim around the coaster 1/8″ from the sewn line to complete a coaster.
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