Virtual Retreat Aug thru Dec 2015 Info on first post

[ANNE E.]

Marianne, That is gorgeous Did you design it yourself? I don't have an embroidery machine so don't know much about them
Hope the sun shines in Wales for you ...Have a good weekend.
Anne

[Marianne G.]

Thank you, Anne
Yes I did the drawing in a program called Inkscape before digitizing it.

I hope the weather is better at yours than here in South Wales today - rather damp :S but that's a very good excuse to fire up the sewing machine isn't it? :cheer:
Marianne

[Marianne G.]

Marianne,
Your digitized design is gorgeous!
How long have you been digitizing? My Pro Stitcher came with the software of Art & Stitch. Is that the one you have?
I think my intention list needs to address my lack of forward progress in this area.

When you do it again, what fabric and color choices do you think you'll make?

Luann

[Marianne G.]

Marianne, Your digitized design is gorgeous! How long have you been digitizing? My Pro Stitcher came with the software of Art & Stitch. Is that the one you have? I think my intention list needs to address my lack of forward progress in this area.
When you do it again, what fabric and color choices do you think you'll make?
Luann

Thank you, Luann
I use 3 different digitizing software; Embird Studio, Bernina DesignerPlus V5 and Husqvarna 6D Design Creator (I'm a software magpie :lol: ) I know of Art and Stitch which comes in 2 levels: Art and Stitch Base for quilters like yourself and Art and Stitch Plus which is an add-on module to Base and is geared at embroiderers. I would love to have Art and Stitch Plus but for an amateur like me who has already amassed 3 different software it's not on the cards. My first digitizing software was a DOS based software and that i over 20 years ago. Art and Stitch has very good documentation and additional free videos on their website so once you sit down and get over the initial intimidation we all feel when we attack a new program you'll quickly find your feet and have a design ready to quilt. I think one of the nice things about Art and Stitch is the fact that the interface is like any other Windows program (if you're a Windows user that makes it easier) so it less "strange" than some of the digitizing programs available and it also have a number of default settings so you are much more likely to end with a successful first design. I'm sure there a number of people in the forum who use Art and Stitch for their quilting machines. It's great fun to digitize so jump in and have a go and share your triumphs and those moments where you want to throw your machine/computer out the window - that's what you started the retreat for
Marianne
BTW it is not at all necessary to have more than one program for digitizing - but I like a stash :whistle:


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[Marianne G.]

Sorry Luann, forgot to answer your question about what colourway I will use for the table mats. I have some light yellow/tan fabric really very neutral and I plan on using white through to caramel brown threads which should give me an almost damask weave look - or that is what I'm hoping for . The pinks and greys I used on the final stitch-out does in real life blend nicely with the wine red background (I need a photography course :side: ) so the fabrics I have chosen together with the threads should work too.
Marianne

[Annis C.]

Marianne, your digitized design is wonderful. I would love to learn to do that with my Art and Stitch program. Right now I'm taking baby steps. I just finished embroidering names with borders for my 4 DGD's using a different font and border for each. The first one I had to do twice because the stabilizer I used wasn't sufficient. I ended up using an iron on stabilizer along with a tear away. Not sure if I needed both or not but the names turned out great. That's all the practice time I have for now. Next week I will show them how to do a name and maybe also a design that is on the machine, and possibly if we have time how to move the design away from the center location and how to resize a design. That should be more than enough for a first lesson. First they will have to learn the basics of turning the machine on and off, winding the bobbin and threading the machine, etc. It looks like it will be 2 or more lessons.

[Annis C.]

Thanks for the digitizing info. I know it's a matter of 'just doing it' and enjoying the learning. I wish I wasn't so "results" orientated. I think that's a carry over from when I was younger and funds were very limited in my family. I could make do with what ever I was able to get. So, I have a hard time using supplies, just for the sake of learning about something. I think I was asked this question way too often, "what are you going to do with it?" My parents weren't like that, but along the way, too many other women have said that to me and if I don't have an answer to their liking, I've gotten the old eye rolling look! That's why I like it here on these forum chats. We all just enjoy each other's lives and there's no judgements about being wasteful. Well, except, if you throw out the chocolate, then I'm going to say something,,, LOL
I've been blessed by everyone's acceptance.
Love you guys,
Luann

[Dawn S.]

I've just been skimming this forum's postings in my email, because for a few days it was all about dying. (Increadibly beautiful colors, Luann! They remind me of Joys Fabrics!) I am not into dying, probably never will be, but I am DYING to tell you all that my machine embroidered geisha iPad cover won two Best Of Shows at the Northwest Montana county fair!





And, since you are now onto talking about digitizing embroidery, I though it was a good time to share. When I bought my new Brother, my DH also bought me some very expensive digitizing software. It is PE - Design Next. I am very intimidated by it, because I am not a computer techi, by any stretch of the imagination. But, I did buy a Craftsy class where the instructor actually uses a Brother along with my same software. It hasn't even been downloaded into my computer yet, but once I get into it, I now know who to come to if I have a basic question! I want to be able to do embroidery on top of appliqué, like we did with the Sedona Star BOM a few years ago.

TERRIE.....not sure what the bunting actually is, but it is pretty! And, your quilt is great!
DEBBIE....I sure hope you are healing rapidly! I had a trigger finger surgery a while back, and I couldn't sew for a while. It was the pits!
RITZY....I read other people congrats, so am guessing the twins have been born. Double trouble, but double congratulations!!
MARGARITA.....I'm glad to hear that you are back to quilting your Dear Jane! That is such a wonderful quilt, especially in the colors you used!

I missed the Dots and M & Ms, but definitely did not miss GENEVA's wine! Thank you Geneva!

Well, it's back to working on stuff for our upcoming quilt show! Can I do a very small art quilt in three weeks? Hope so! It's already listed in our program! hmy:

Dawn

[Nancy R.]

Love the embroidery design, Marianne! Very cool!

Congratulations, Dawn, on your wins! How exciting! Your ipad case is beautiful and well-deserving!!

[Marianne G.]

Annis, I think the best way to approach ME is to take baby steps - we all had to stand up before we could walk and some of us even had to crawl :lol: The main thing is to enjoy the process and be OK with those NOT perfect stitch-outs. I keep them all and then make shopping bags by cutting them up into squares 3" or 4" and make a new piece of fabric from them mixing them all up so nobody can tell what belonged where. Great fun
Luann; as you can tell from the above I am very much brought up to not wasting anything and have a hard time just playing but I'm getting better as time goes by so there's hope for you too. It's always good to be with like-minded people and I'm sure it's just as beneficial to stroke fabric and thread as it is to stroke a cat or a dog (although I still miss my dog because the fabric doesn't greet you when you come home does it?) but all the same
Congratulations, Dawn - that is awesome! Re your software - I don't know Brother's software at all but the basics in all programs are more or less the same and I'm sure there are lots of people on the forum who digitize so we can all pool our knowledge and share experience while we pass around the chocs. And of course you can do an art quilt in 3 weeks - can't wait to see what you come up with.
Marianne

[Marianne G.]

Love the embroidery design, Marianne! Very cool!

Thanks Nancy

[Lois B.]

I do neither machine embroidery nor dyeing but I certainly do enjoy the eye candy those skills produce. Thanks for sharing. The Dots and M&M's are good but in my book they don't hold a candle to Swedish Fish. So let me offer some. Good to hear that your mother is well enough to go home, Geneva. Been away from my sewing room. Can't wait to get back and get some photos of things I am working on. Have great day everyone.

[wendy w.]

Yippee Dawn congratulations :cheer:

[Jennifer D.]

Though I'd share my progress. After tearing a art the previous blocks I've finally gotten them put back together with fabric from my stash....much happier now. I would have probably give up in disgust on this one if I hadn't taken the time to fix the colors. Here's some before and after pictures

The witch's green hair was HORRIBLE on the purple background, nothing like the original pattern.



Mrs Monster looked like she had an infectious disease with that skin tone! I didn't take pictures of Mr Monster but he was a terrible yellow-green with way too much pattern and didn't read well at all.



Here's where I am now - I feel like the critters all look much friendlier now. Who knows when I'll start the machine embroidery on these guys but at least they are ready.

[Jennifer D.]

Dawn, congratulations on your wins

Lois, what are Swedish fish? :huh: pictures are necessary - as well as a taste description

Jdeluka, I think that I am in agreement with you on the skin tone for your monsters, looking good now.

Got some new sweeties from Scotland to share once I get them unpacked :P