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Painted Blackwork Hummingbirds Embroidery Project

By Pat Williams on May 28, 2020

PROJECT DETAILS

SKILL LEVEL

Beginner

TIME REQUIRED

03:45

FINISHED SIZE

6 x 18 inches

Description

Stitching one color designs and painting them with Inktense® Ink Pencils is a lot of fun. Follow these steps to let the stitching become the quilting in the individual blocks.

Project Preview Video

Materials

6” x 10” or 6” x 6” embroidery hoop or larger

6” Ackfeld Wire Manufacturing Hanger

½ yard Kona® PFD White quilting cotton

3 8” squares of Battilizer® or low loft batting

¼ yard of coordinating quilting cotton for sashing and binding

No-show stabilizer to fit your hoop for three hoopings

Inktense Ink Pencils

Spray adhesive

Optional – YLI invisible thread

Designs used in this project

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/pat-williams/designs/1/blkc09

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/pat-williams/designs/1/blkc02

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/pat-williams/designs/1/blkc07

Final Product: What You Will Create

Preface:

Embroiderers tend to download designs and stitch them just as they are. This project is to show you how to turn a blackwork or redwork design into an ITH design with just a few extra steps that are a part or your embroidery machine’s software. Though the screens on your machine may not look exactly like mine, they should be close enough to enable you to add placement and tack down lines to your sew out.

Step 1:

For each block cut 2 8” squares of white Kona® PFD (prepared for dying) and 1 8” square of batting. Tautly hoop no-show stabilizer in your hoop.

Step 2:

On your embroidery machine screen look for an icon like this one that will show you where Frames and Border built-in designs are located. Select that icon.

Step 3:

The different shapes of borders designs will be presented – choose a square “A”. Select one of the squares “B”.

Step 4:

There should be a size option on your machine screen. Adjust the size of your square to as close as 5 ½” that you can get. Mine would adjust to 139mm which is 5.48” that is close enough.

Step 5:

Stitch that square as a placement line on the stabilizer. Note: The only square running stitch frame my machine has runs around the square three times. I did not let that deter me, I simply let it complete one run around the border and then stopped the machine. Consult your manual to save the adjusted size frame to your designs in the machine.

Step 6:

Spray adhesive on the 8” square of batting and position it over the placement line so that the batting exceeds the placement line by at least 1” on all sides. Spray adhesive on a 6” square of the Kona® cloth and align over the batting. Run a single run of the square frame again to tack the fabric and batting to the stabilizer.

Step 7:

Load the desired design into the embroidery machine and stitch the design. Suggestion: I recommend that you use black polyester thread for these designs that you will paint with the ink pencils as it will not react and change color with the application of the ink. Remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop.

Step 8:

See our article Tips for Painting Embroidery with Inktense Ink Pencils® and set up your painting area.

Step 9:

Leave the project in your embroidery hoop and paint the blackwork as desired.

Step 10:

Turn the hoop face down on a flat surface. Spray adhesive on the remaining white fabric square and align with the fabric and batting that is showing through the stabilizer.

Step 11:

Return the hoop to the machine and run the running stitch frame again to tack down the back fabric.

Step 12:

Lay a see-through ruler’s ¼” mark along the tack down stitches and trim all around the block to a ¼” seam allowance.

Step 13:

Cut 1 18” strip of binding fabric 1 ½” wide and 1 18” strip 1 ¼” wide for sashing. Cut 2 2 ¼” strips across the width of the fabric for binding.

Step 14:

Fold the long sides of the two 18” strips to the center and press.

Step 15:

Using invisible thread in the top and bobbin of your sewing machine butt the blocks of the wall hanging together and join with a wide zigzag stitch. I use a zigzag stitch 4.5 to 5 millimeters wide with a spacing of 4 mm.

Step 16:

Sorry, due to technical difficulties the last photos I took for this project disappeared. So, I have taken pictures with the binding already on the project. You will do this and the next step before the binding is put on the quilt. Lay the narrow sashing strips across the zigzag joining seams of the wall hanging with about a half inch of sashing extending beyond the sides of the wall hanging. Stitch down both sides of the sashing with a straight stitch.

Step 17:

Turn the wall hanging right side up. Stitch the wider sashing strips to the front of the blocks in the same manner. Trim the sashing strips even with the wall hanging.

Step 18:

Bind the quilt using your preferred method. If you do not have a preferred method see our article Binding Small Embroidery Projects.

Step 19:

Attach a hanging sleeve. If need instructions for doing so please see our article Attaching a Hanging Sleeve to a Mini Quilt.

Step 20:

Congratulations your Painted Blackwork Hummingbirds wall hanging is complete!

For the love of embroidery…
Pat Williams

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Meet the Author: Pat Williams

Award winning Digitizer, Embroidery Educator, Author and a Consultant to the Industry, Pat Williams has 30 years of experience in the embroidery industry. Pat has won multiple awards for her digitizing expertise including the 2007 Impressions Awards Grand Championship, Best of Show as well as the 1st and 2nd Place Awards. Pat’s love of digitizing has afforded her the opportunity to write numerous articles for Impressions magazine in the United States and Images Magazine in Europe. In 2001 Pat was named “Embroidery Educator of the Year.” For many years Pat taught digitizing seminars at the ISS Shows in Long Beach, CA and for Compucon software. She now resides in Tucson, AZ.

Painted Blackwork Hummingbirds Embroidery Project

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