What's in a Name Tag...

Another weekend come and gone... I would lament my lost weekend days if it didn't bring about new and exciting opportunities ahead.  Yes, for the past couple of weeks I've been preparing myself for a great adventure, and I have to say I cannot wait to get on the road!  It all started Christmas day of 2012.  My mother handed me an envelop and asked me to open it.  I wasn't expecting much since my mother and father were overly generous to me and my family throughout the previous year, and since the birth of my son most presents go to him (and rightly so).  So you can imagine my surprise and genuine heartfelt gratitude that came over me when I saw what was in that envelop... My mother gave me a four day (all expenses paid) quilting retreat vacation with renown quilting artist Sue Spargo!!!!!  I literally started crying when I saw what she had done because I felt completely unworthy of such love and pure generosity.  The gesture overwhelmed me.  It still does really...

So as I sit here contemplating the lists I need to make for packing, instructions for my father and husband concerning my son, and whether or not I'm going to clean the house for the last minute guesting coming (my husband's friend) while I'm gone, I thought I would share with all of you the prep work I've undertaken in preparation for my upcoming retreat!  We were asked to create a name tag for the retreat and I thought it was a great opportunity for me to test out some of my new embroidery designs (to see another example of the designs to come check out our Facebook page).

This was the initial design I came up with.  Actually, it's two designs combined into one.  I traced the lettering first and then the brick wall around the lettering.  I'm realizing that tracing paper is great because I don't need a light table (although I do have one) and the paper is durable enough to withstand a very hot iron.

A couple of years ago I discovered Sulky iron-on transfer pens and they are wicket awesome!!!!  They turn an ordinary pencil drawing into a iron-on pattern in a matter of minutes and the resolution is just as good as manufactured embroidery patterns.  I turned the drawing to the WRONG SIDE (this is very important to remember when working with lettering because otherwise your letters will come out backwards) and retraced the design with the transfer pen.

The iron should be on a very hot setting like cotton or wool.  If you're concerned about the fabric you're transferring your design on, use a damp cloth to cover the design and fabric where the iron will come in contact.  It may take longer for the ink to set and your design will get wet but it will be a buffer for your fabric.  And if it's very precious fabric that's sensitive to heat, you may want to rethink the transfer pen all together...

 Now we get to the fun part!  So, here's what I came up with to fill in my design.  I'm developing embroidery patterns based on graffiti, and this is my second attempt at the lettering.  I wasn't feelin' it at first because I felt the letters were disappearing within the brick wall background.  I think next time I'll use grey for the brick wall and make them look like cinderblocks.  Oooor I'll just use other colors for my letters.  Anyhoo, I thought this was going to be a loss until I added the flower and an interesting thread with copper wire running through it.  Ha ha!  The plot thickens!

Once I added the blue to the flower I think it really made the rest pop, but it was the green wire thread that made me positively giddy!!!  The thread is called Color Infusions Memory Thread and it's by DMC.  It really gave my name tag the spice it needed and I felt it actually started looking like real graffiti.  At least I think so...  I attached the thread by couching it with a similar colored (regular) embroidery floss.  The memory thread was fun to work with and pretty simple to use.  Actually simpler than I thought it would be.

After I finished embroidering everything I cut the design to the size I wanted and backed it with an extra stiff craft interfacing.  I then took pieces of silk remnants I had just laying around and used it as a border for the whole piece.

The silk binding is all one continuous piece I snaked around the edges and tacked down using thin strips of fusible web (typically used for hemming clothing).  My mother and husband tease me and say it looks more like a breast plate than a name tag because of its size, but I still like it and it was fun to do!

I just want to take a moment to thank my wonderful wonderful mother, not only for this opportunity but for all she (and I really need to include my father in this) has done for me.  She is the model I look to when parenting my own child and although we do butt heads from time to time and she may think I don't always listen to her...  I do listen and I try everyday to make her proud.  Thank you for this gift Mommy.  You don't know what it means to me!  I love you...

With that said have a good week and I'll bring back pictures!