Machine Embroidery Ideas

Just because you can’t think of a new technique, strategy, or design to machine embroider doesn’t necessarily mean you are done with crafts or creativity. You can tap the more than ample resources available on the Internet, and you can also look to your own family’s needs, desires, or preferences for more machine embroidery project ideas.

Tapping Machine Embroidery Ideas on the Internet

Easy

Reinvent the office supply wheel: buy a translucent paperweight-making kit, and instead of inserting a photo, insert a small machine embroidery design—a company logo, a name, a hobby symbol, etc., any of which can be original free designs offered free on the web.

Moderate

Using a free pattern and/or design from an embroidery machine ideas archive, personalise a house warming gift with colours and images meeting the couple’s (or individual’s) décor theme—Tuscan grapes, French Country toile, English gardens, monogrammed Chintz, a modern (as in abstract design) stuffed headboard or seat cover.

Advanced

Trapunto – Using whole cloth quilting, if you are ready to take on a more complicated process, you can design a raised surface hanging or quilt that will impress even the staunchest minimalist in your group. You can even go completely large-scale and design your own “wallpaper”, hanging the finished Trapunto pieces to cover one wall in a room where the other three walls are in a solid flat paint.

Trawling for Embroidery Machine Ideas at Home

• Think about what mates do for a living, and come up with a useful or decorative patch with that symbol, image, or logo.
• Embroider an emblem of a sports team, kids group, or charitable organisation.
• Going to a baby shower? Sew small bibs and embroider materials onto each one to make up little simulated suits—a tuxedo, a police uniform, a doctor’s scrub.
• And infant toys for a newborn don’t have to be limited to the stuffed animal category: machine embroider panels you can stitch together and stuff to make for the baby’s first ball. Machine embroider a few pieces for a soft mobile. Machine embroider an A-B-C book, making it all out of cloth.
• For special occasions, who says paper greeting cards are the only form? Machine embroider a small greeting, image, or name, and insert into card forms or small paper frames. And no need to limit the creativity to cards: how about gift tags? Cocktail napkins (which you can give to guests as they leave, too)? Place cards at a kid’s party? Wedding invitations?
• Find cardboard or wood boxes at the crafts supply store and machine embroider pieces for the framed sides or the cover. Re-cover a blank book. Embellish any plain old item: a Christmas tree skirt; a kid’s backpack designated for a particular extracurricular activity (chess club, ballet class); teddy bear and doll clothing; lampshades.

If you are still stuck for machine embroidery ideas, look around your rooms at any and every object, item, accessory, and appliance…, anything or the least likely thing. What is plain that could be made more eye-catching? The wall socket frame? The switch plate? The office blotter? The bathroom hand mirror?

Go as extreme as you want. You might just surprise yourself at how many machine embroidery ideas you still have left. After all, that dog house isn’t decorated yet and the cats don’t have placemats….