Machine embroidery, using heat to tidy stray fibres.

Now we don't usually recommend playing with fire or heat but it is a sure fire (pardon the pun) way to get rid of those pesky stray fibres that seem to hang about on a completely made in the hoop machine embroidery item. These are items that are made completely in the hoop and are finished off completely in the hoop with satin stitching around the edges. The Machine Embroidery designs that Sweet Pea has that this technique would apply are

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and of course our extremely popular "Mylar Christmas Bauble" design

Totally finished off 'in the hoop'

As you can see from the images above these projects are made entirely in the hoop and are all finished off with a satin stitch. It is clear in the image above that there is still a remnant of batting remaining even after the soluble stabilizer is soaked away with a water bath. In order to have a much neater finish we need to remove those wisps of batting away and the easiest way is to melt it with heat.

Take care with fire

There are few different methods of removing the wisps of batting left behind.

1. A pair of applique scissors- not the most effective and probably the most frustrating!
2. A razor - once again a time consuming and ultimately frustrating pastime
3. A heat cutting tool - made for this purpose and definitely the safest melting method
4. A flame- now we don't recommend this method if you are accident prone or do not possess the steadiest hands but it is very effective, quick and cheap to do. You just need a cigarette lighter.

Please watch this very short video on how to CAREFULLY use a lighter ( click image below)

( we used this method on Tree Bunting for our Christmas Cottage and Tree bunting design) swpea.com