A rainbow of love hearts
Embroider a rainbow of appliquéd love hearts for your sweetheart. Hang them from a piece of driftwood to create a romantic table decoration or string them and hang in the window to declare your love.
Our machine embroidery project uses two heart shapes, made with the in-the-hoop method of appliqué to create a freestanding shape.
Materials needed
- Water-soluble stabiliser – the fabric type, not film: enough for seven double layered hoopings
- Fabric in rainbow colours or your choice of colours: two 15 x 15cm pieces for each heart
- Matching embroidery thread
- Medium loft batting: two 15 x 15cm pieces for each heart
- Ribbons or string of your choice for display
Equipment needed
- Brother embroidery machine with hoop
- Fine, sharp embroidery scissors with a curved tip or duckbill scissors
- Painter’s tape
- Cotton bud
Embroidery Data
Small Heart
Size: 98.33 x 94.24mm
Colours: 1
Large Heart
Size: 96.63 x 129.82mm
Colours: 1
Step 1
Download the designs and transfer to your Brother embroidery machine.
Wind a bobbin with the same colour thread you will be using for the top embroidery and load it into the machine.
Hoop a double layer of water-soluble fabric, load the embroidery hoop and call up the design on your embroidery machine. You will see three parts with straight sewing and then the appliqué steps. Sew the first part of the design.
Step 2
Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not remove the fabric.
Tape a piece of batting to the underside of the hooped fabric, covering the stitching. Repeat on the front of the embroidery hoop.
With the hoop lying flat on a hard, even surface, with right side up, press down on the tape to ensure the batting is adhering well.
Step 3
Return the hoop to the embroidery machine and sew the second part of the design – this will be a straight stitch outline of the heart, just like in Step 1.
Remove the hoop, but once again, do not remove the fabric. Carefully trim the batting on the front and back (remember to trim the batting from the hanging hole at the top of the heart too!). Cut right next to the stitching but take care not to cut the stitches or cut into the water-soluble stabiliser.
Tip: embroidery scissors with a curved tip or duckbill scissors make this step easier and more accurate.
Step 4
Place a piece of fabric over the batting and secure with tape. Repeat on the underside of the hoop.
With the hoop lying flat on a hard, even surface, with right side up, press down on the tape to ensure it is adhering well.
Step 5
Return the hoop to the embroidery machine and sew the next step – a straight stitch outline again. Remove the hoop from the machine, do not remove the material, and trim the fabric on both sides.
Step 6
Return the hoop to the embroidery machine and sew the final steps – first a tack down round of straight stitches.
Note: the machine will stop after this step. Check that all the raw edges of the fabric have been sewn down – this step is a safety measure to ensure all is secured before your last round of satin stitch.
If all is good, press the Start button to sew the satin stitch border.
Step 7
Remove the hoop and take the water-soluble fabric out of the hoop. Trim the water-soluble fabric right next to the satin stitches but take care not to cut into the stitches.
Step 8
Remove any remaining stabiliser with a cotton bud dipped in water.
Finishing
Add ribbon or string through the holes and hang the embroidered hearts in your preferred way. We tied them to a branch of driftwood for a homely feel.
Tip: if you have a machine with a large hoop, you can hoop a big piece of stabiliser and place many hearts in your hoop so you can sew them all at the same time! This will save time and stabiliser.
Stellaire owners: use your My Design Snap app for easy placement.
Luminaire XP owners: use your projector for easy placement.
