Pamper your pets with playful pet tags that are fabulous and fetching. We'll show you how to stitch these adorable machine embroidery designs right in-the-hoop!
Supplies & Materials:
Project Needs & Notes:
- Small pieces of felt or ultrasuede
- Tear away stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive (such as Gunold KK100)
- 1/4" 2-part eyelets
- Craft knife
- Cutting mat
The designs used in this tutorial include:
- X14226, Meow Heart Cat Tag (In-the-Hoop)
Gather Materials:
This in-the-hoop design has three files. One is the full embroidery file. The other two are dieline files, marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size.
Open the dieline files with embroidery software and print them. If you do not have embroidery software, we also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link. We may earn commission on purchases made with this link.)
Spray the back of the paper dielines with temporary adhesive, and smooth them onto the right side of the fabric.
Next, carefully cut out both shapes, and remove the paper dielines.
Start Embroidering:
Now that the fabric pieces are ready, hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer tightly. Madeira E-Zee Tear 1.5 oz. or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less paper-like, and will tear more cleanly.
Attach the hoop onto the machine and load the embroidery file (not a dieline file).
Use an 11 (or 75/11) sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle, so it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.
Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the dieline or outline of the fabric shape. This marks the area on the stabilizer for the fabric pieces.
Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the back side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive, and place the fabric right inside the sewn outline.
Attach the hoop back onto the machine, and continue to embroider the design. The "front piece tackdown" step will sew first, adhering the fabric to the stabilizer. All of the inner details will sew out next.
Stop the machine before sewing the "back piece tackdown" step. Take the hoop off the machine, but do not unhoop it. Spray the back fabric piece with temporary adhesive, and place it inside the shape over the back side of the embroidery.
Since the final embroidery will be seen on both sides of the design, wind a bobbin to match the thread color that is being used in the needle.
Place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the "back piece tackdown." This will bind all the layers of fabric and stabilizer together.
Once the embroidery is finished, unhoop it, and tear away all the excess stabilizer from around the design. The dieline stitches will also be removed with the stabilizer.
To attach the eyelet, use a craft knife to cut a small "x" shaped hole where the eyelet will be placed on the tag. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for securing an eyelet to your project.
