A Little Applique Test with ScanNCut and Dream Machine

I’ve been meaning to do this little test for awhile. It’s simple: take a drawing of an applique shape and scan it on the ScanNCut for fabric cutting and scan it on the Dream Machine to create an applique embroidery file. Will the fabric piece and the embroidery design be the same size? If this experiment works, then I don’t need to use any additional software to create cut files and embroidery files for my applique. Continue reading “A Little Applique Test with ScanNCut and Dream Machine”

lynnenewFebruary 23, 2015February 21, 201510 Comments

Reviews

A Look at Embrilliance Stitch Artist Level 2

I purchased Embrilliance Essentials not long ago for the sole purpose of creating cut files for my Brother ScanNCut (for appliques). It works beautifully for such purposes and I talked about it here. Lucky for me, Embrilliance recently released a reasonably priced digitizing package as well called Stitch Artist. It works on both the Mac and the PC and comes, for the moment, in Level 1 and Level 2. I have been hoping to find an embroidery design package that is relatively easy and convenient to use so my husband can make all of the patches he’s ever dreamed of making. To this end, I purchased Level 2 and gave it a run-through. (For this review, I am using version 1.137 on a Mac running OS X 10.9.5, but as of today, there is a new version 1.138.) Continue reading “A Look at Embrilliance Stitch Artist Level 2”

lynnenewDecember 22, 2014December 15, 20148 Comments

Tips & Tricks

Patchwork Puzzle Balls with ScanNCut

As a follow-up to the ScanNCut class I just took, I thought I’d try to make something that is otherwise difficult to make by hand – a Patchwork Puzzle Ball. In Patchwork Puzzle Balls by Jinny Beyer (published 2005), there are numerous patterns for making stuffed balls using basic shapes such as triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, and diamonds. I made these before I had a ScanNCut and so I used plastic templates and hand-cut each piece. With the ScanNCut, I thought I would try and make one of the more complicated puzzle balls. Continue reading “Patchwork Puzzle Balls with ScanNCut”

lynnenewOctober 6, 2014October 8, 20146 Comments

Challenges, Finished Projects, Tips & Tricks

Shared Fabric Sewing Challenge #2

Quite some time ago Lynne and I (Kitty) split two different fabrics between us. The fabric Lynne shared with me became a top for each of us. The results of that fabric challenge can be found here. Now it’s time for the second shared fabric swap results to be revealed! The fabric I split with Lynne was a more difficult one to work with than her lovely floral knit. Mine was a bold print … Continue reading Shared Fabric Sewing Challenge #2

katboulderSeptember 29, 2014November 23, 20143 Comments

Tips & Tricks

ScanNCut Class #2

I’m so happy to have found an Advanced ScanNCut class being offered at Rocky Mountain Sew and Vac in Arvada, Colorado. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get that darn machine to do what you want in the vacuum of your own limited experience. Even though there is a multitude of YouTube videos and online blog posts about how to use the ScanNCut, nothing substitutes for some hands-on use with a knowledgeable instructor and a classroom full of eager students sitting in front of their own machines. Continue reading “ScanNCut Class #2”