Can you relate? You get a new toy- sewing machine, software package, whatever- and you’re so busy in the day to day that you just use the same features you always have. So this summer I’m challenging myself to get more from my embroidery software.
I’m so grateful to @husqvarnavikinguk for sponsoring me with MySewnet software. The software has moved such a lot since the days I began digitising embroideries using MS-DOS! I’ve also invested in a new PC, which has made designing so much quicker and more fun.
Before I go back to basics and try to learn everything in the software, decided to finish a lace design created using the MySewnet Digitising software. Inspired by a Leavers lace sample from the @NTUart Lace Archive, I’ve created some beautiful lace drops.
As you can see, I like to draw my design by hand before digitising. This is black pen on tracing paper then the satin areas were filled in with white pigment. It helps me see where the solid areas of stitching will be.
I love the picots made using a loop of running stitch. (see image above) It’s taken me a good while to work out what’s on each tab, and I haven’t yet found an easy way to add corners rather than curves. Holding the CTRL key not longer gives you angles it would seem!
These samples show the importance of packing stitches, or underlay. The lace on the right doesn’t hold it’s shape at all well. It has very little stitching underneath the satin areas, just the automatic underlay stitching. This is fine when you’re stitching onto fabric, but when you remove the backing as with my lace, it sags and becomes mis-shapen. The threads in the satin outline especially. So I went back in to the design, and using ‘point create’ tools added more running stitches under the satin areas.
I discovered that the satin line can be created with a tapered or angled end, which I think I’ll use a lot. I’m still importing a satin ring from my old 5D software as I haven’t yet discovered this feature in MySewnet.
I can now save my design to MySewnet cloud and my EPIC machine will connect wirelessly, what a game changer. I have two Husqvarna Viking embroidery machines which I bought from Coles Sewing Centre, an Epic and a Diamond. My workhorses!
I’m much happier with the design now, in fact I’ve decided to make a few more tweaks and maybe make it bigger, then it will become a pendant neck lace. Watch this space, it will be in the JCM shop soon!
