LET IT
Glow
by Stacy Schlyer
Greet your guests this Halloween with a stylish holiday banner. Then switch off the lights or place it outside for a spooky, luminous message.
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materials
1 yard of black cotton fabric 11/4 yards of white cotton fabric 2 packages of extra-wide, double-fold black or white bias tape Thread: black & white allpurpose & white glow-in-thedark embroidery
Needles: 80/12 universal & 90/14 embroidery Tear-away stabilizer Temporary spray adhesive Embroidery designs: alphabet collection (no larger than 31/5”x5”)
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EMBROIDER • Download the Let it Glow pattern at cmemag.com/freebies. From the white fabric, cut 28 bunting squares; set aside. From the black fabric, cut fourteen 6" squares; press each square flat. • Use temporary spray adhesive to adhere a square of tear-away stabilizer to each black square wrong side.
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• Load the letters to spell “Happy Halloween” into the embroidery machine. Select the first letter of your choice. • Wind a bobbin with glow-in-thedark thread for each color featured in the design, choosing a color that closely matches the design specs or the color of your choice. Thread the embroidery needle and bobbin with the first thread color.
• Hoop one black fabric square. Install the hoop onto the machine and check the needle position to ensure it’s roughly in the fabricsquare center. Embroider the design, changing thread colors as needed and clipping jump threads after each thread change. • Remove the hoop from the machine and the fabric from the hoop. Gently tear away the remain-
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YOU GLOW, GIRL ing stabilizer. Do not press the fabric square. • Repeat to embroider each black fabric square with the remaining letters to spell “Happy Halloween.” CONSTRUCT • Using the circle template, cut each black rectangle into a circle, centering each letter.
There’s no special needle or technique necessary for working with glow-in-thedark thread. However, it’s important to keep hot irons away from the thread itself, as it will melt (1). After embroidery, avoid pressing near the embroidery—even on the fabric wrong side. If embroidering an appliqué design, use temporary spray adhesive instead of fusible web to secure fabric pieces before stitching.
• Center one circle right side up over one white fabric rectangle right side, using temporary spray adhesive to secure and referring to the pattern for placement reference. Repeat to adhere each circle to a white rectangle. • Switch the machine to sewing and install a universal needle. Thread the needle and bobbin with black
A
thread. Select a 1.5mm-long, 1.5mmwide zigzag, blanket or satin stitch. Stitch each circle perimeter. • Thread the needle and bobbin with white thread. Select a straight stitch. With right sides together, position a blank white square over an embellished white square. Stitch the sides and lower edge using a B/e" seam allowance. Clip the corners, and then turn the square right side out; press the edges, keeping the iron away from the embroidery. Repeat to stitch one embellished white square to each remaining blank white square. • Measure 25" from one bias tape end; pin-mark. Position the first H-square upper-left corner at the pin, sandwiching the square upper
28"
B 25"
1 B/c"
1 B/c"
1 B/c"
1 B/c"
25"
1
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edge within the bias-tape fold; pin the square upper edge through all layers (A). • Measure 1 B/c" from the first H-square upper-right corner, and then pin-mark. Place the second A-square upper-left corner at the pin, sandwiching the square upper edge within the bias-tape fold; pin the upper edge through all layers. Repeat to add each letter to spell “Happy,” leaving 25" of bias tape extending beyond the fifth square (B). • Repeat to pin the squares spelling “Halloween” to the
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second bias-tape length, placing each square equidistantly. • Unfold the ends of each banner, and then fold the short ends B/c" toward the wrong side; press. Re-press the long edges along the original foldlines; pin. Using black thread in the needle and bobbin, stitch the bias tape long folded ends together from end to end, securing each square with the stitches. • For maximum glow, “charge” the thread by placing each embroidered square near a light source before hanging in a dark room or
outside to display for trick-or- treating at night. § DesignS Boo Lettering: Boo Bones Alphabet Collection, shopsewitall.com Happy Halloween Lettering: Cirque Alphabet collection (3 B/c"x5"), Urban Threads; urbanthreads.com sOURCES Husqvarna Viking provided the Designer Diamond Royale sewing and embroidery machine and Inspira needles used to make the Boo Banner. (800) 446-2333, husqvarnaviking.com. Robison-Anton provided the Moonglow embroidery thread featured at left: (800) 847-3235, robison-anton.com.
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BOO
Banner
Create glowing door or wall décor by vertically hanging a smaller banner spelling the message of your choice. Choose the featured word, “boo,” or spell your last name to welcome trick-or-treaters.
materials Supplies listed are enough to make one banner featuring three letters. 1/4
yard of white fabric
Three 6” squares of black fabric Package of black extra-wide double-fold bias tape Lightweight woven cut-away stabilizer Thread: black & white all-purpose & white glowin-the-dark embroidery Needles: 80/12 universal & 90/14 embroidery Temporary spray adhesive
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Download the B and O Boo Bones designs for free at cmemag.com/freebies until Oct. 31, 2014. The designs will be available at shopsewitall. com for purchase after the expiration date, where the entire Boo Bones Alphabet collection is also available for purchase.
PREPARE • Using the Let it Glow pattern, cut 6 white bunting squares. Thread the universal needle and bobbin with white thread. With right sides together, stitch two squares along the perimeter, leaving a 3" opening along one short edge for turning (this is the lower edge). Repeat to stitch the remaining squares to have three squares total. • Clip the corners and turn the squares right side out through the openings; press. Topstitch the square perimeters, closing the openings with the stitching. • From the bias tape, cut one 28" length. Fold one end B/c" toward the wrong side, and then fold the same end 3" toward the wrong side, creating a loop; pin. Double-fold the opposite end B/c" toward the wrong side; pin. • Place the bias tape vertically on a flat work surface with the loop as the top. Center one white square upper edge over the loop lower edge; pin. Center the bias tape along the square lower edge; pin. • Center a second white square lower edge along the bias-tape
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folded end; pin. Center the bias tape along the square upper edge; pin. • Center the remaining white square between the two pinned white squares, making sure the bias tape is centered along the square upper and lower edges; pin. • Stitch each bias tape long edge from the fabric square right sides. Stitch a D/i" -wide, B/c" long rectangle along the upper and lower bias-tape folds. Stitch across each square upper and lower edge where the bias tape adjoins. EMBROIDER • Download the B and O Boo Bones designs from cmemag. com/freebies. Load each design into the machine. • Hoop one black square with cutaway stabilizer, using temporary spray adhesive to secure. Thread the embroidery needle and bobbin with glow-in-the-dark thread. Embroider the B design. Remove the fabric from the hoop and the hoop from the machine. Don’t press the square. Repeat to embroider the O design onto the remaining black fabric squares.
FINISH • Using the circle template, cut each black square into a circle, centering each letter. Leave the stabilizer intact. • Center the B circle onto the upper white fabric square, using temporary spray adhesive to secure. Repeat to center each O circle onto the remaining white fabric squares. • Set the machine for a 1.5mm-wide, 1.5mm-long zigzag stitch. Thread the universal needle and bobbin with black thread. Stitch each circle perimeter to secure.
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