Jo Masters, our Embroidery Specialist at Quilt Direct, shares how she created this charming greenhouse-themed tissue box cover using OESD stabilisers, silvery tulle and the BERNINA 700 embroidery machine. A personal project full of warmth, practical tips, and one very honest cautionary tale.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
OK, a tissue box cover isn't very modern, but this design caught my eye as I was searching for a new project.
It brought back so many memories of being at the bottom of our garden in the greenhouse with my dad while he was pricking out seedlings. I'm sure I was more of a hindrance than a help, but I used to enjoy it and miss those times, so really I had to embroider it just for the memories.
Materials
I found some silvery tulle type fabric in my stash which I thought would be perfect as it looked like the glass panels in a greenhouse. Then I gathered the rest of the materials needed: OESD Badgemaster, OESD Aquamesh, OESD Stabilstick and (obviously!) thread.
Set Up
Using one layer of Aquamesh and one of Badgemaster, I hooped up the BERNINA 700E PRO Maxi Hoop. It's my favourite as I can add multiple designs - less hooping means less waste.
I also prepared the front and the back fabric with one layer of Stabilstick, which gives the finished item more structure.
I set up the BERNINA 700 with the embroidery files, and loaded two sides as that is what I could fit in the Maxi hoop. (As you might know, I'm not into hooping every time unless I have to - and it saves on stabiliser.) Then I pressed start, and stitched out the placement line for the fabric.
The next step was placing the prepared fabric over the placement line and stitching out the tack down line.
Then I cut around the fabric as close to the tack down line as possible, and popped it back on the machine to embroider the flowers, pots, doors, greenery etc.
When the front had finished embroidering I attached the fabric to the back, held it secure with tape, and embroidered the tack down. Then I cut around it and popped it back onto the machine to finish off the outside - that being the frame of the greenhouse.
When all four sides and the roof were done, it was time to take them out of the hoop and cut away the majority of the stabiliser. Then I popped them under warm running water to dissolve the Badgemaster and Aquamesh, and allowed to dry before the next part.
I needed to dig out the old glue gun for this...
... and the finished product!
I should have overhung the roof slightly - but as someone once said to me, it's organic!
I love it and the memories it brings.
(There are a few threads to snip - I was keen to get it up to take photos!)
What NOT to Do!
As it was a weekend when I started this project, I realised I had run out of Aquamesh and I really wanted to start it, so I decided I would try Badgemaster and a product similar to Stitch H20.
NOT AGAIN! Yes, it did work - but I cut into one layer.
So this was giving me kittens all the way through sewing! It started to pull away as there was no stability holding it together, so the more stitches the more perforated it became...
I was lucky and managed to finish them, but I was watching all the time.
The lesson? Always make sure you have the right stabilisers to hand before you start. Don't be tempted to improvise, because the right product really does make all the difference, and it's never worth the stress of watching your project unravel stitch by stitch!