XMAS TREE OMNIGRAM TABLECLOTH

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SUPPLIES:

1 ½ yd. of Weaver's Cloth
(starched stiff and ironed)
Cut the fabric 36 X 36 or 45X45

Xmas green embroidery thread
Xmas red embroidery thread
Gold metallic thread

Very bright green fabric, 8 - 4X4 squares starched
Very bright red fabric 4 -4X4 squares starched

Metallica needle or embroidery needle
Fray stop
Gridded Template plastic

( You do not have to use the fabric squares under the designs if you don't want to.)

Fold the fabric in half and press a crease. Then fold in half the opposite direction and press a crease. Make a triangle by putting opposite corners together and press another crease and then the opposite corners and press another crease. These will be the lines on which you place your design. From the center, measure down 12" on each crease and make a dot.

MAKING OMNIGRAM DESIGN TEMPLATES: The templates for the hoop do not fit in the hoop, so we are going to make our own. I lay the inner hoop on top of the grids so that the horizontal and vertical markings on the hoop are lined up with one of the heavy lines on the plastic. Remember you have to make two templates, make sure you don't waste and start in the middle of the plastic. Use a template pencil and draw around the inside of the hoop and then place heavy marks where the side hoop marks and the top and bottom marks are lined up with those heavy grid lines. Remove the hoop and cut out the template on the drawn lines and cut slits on the top, bottom and side marks to resemble your real template. Try to make a hole in the center where the horizontal and vertical lines cross. Write "TOP" in upper left corner so you will always have the right side up when you use the template. Make another one the same way.

Hoop stabilizer only. Set the machine up for embroidery. After inserting the embroidery cassette and turning it on, replace it with the L cassette and press the design that is 2 leaves. Press on the stitch length "+" until it beeps and then press on the stitch width "+" until it beeps. Touch the "Stop" button. Sew this design with any dark colored thread. Press the Bow design and change that size in stitch length and width until it beeps. Touch "Stop" and sew it out too. You have now placed the Bow above the Leaves. Remove the hoop from the machine and place the template you made inside the hoop and trace that design. You now know exactly how big the design is so when you want to place it on the fabric you have the actual picture. Do the same procedure to make the "tree" template.

IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! Omnigram stitches are tri-motion straight stitches. OMNIGRAMS DO NOT STOP FOR CLIPPING. You must do it yourself. Touch "STOP" every time you choose an omnigram so it will stop for color changes.

Place the "leaves and bow" template on top of one of the creases on the fabric so that the center hole of the template is on that dot you made and make sure that the top and bottom slots lay on that crease. Make your template markings on the fabric. You will place the LEAVES AND BOW template on every other crease. Hoop up at one of those markings. If the fabric is stiff enough, you won't need stabilizer.

Thread with 2 spools of green and touch the Leaves and change the size and touch "Stop". Place a piece of green fabric under the hooped fabric where the design will stitch out. Sew the leaves. Remove the hoop and carefully trim the excess fabric around the design. Put the hoop back on the machine. Change to 2 spools of red thread lay the red fabric under the stitching area and touch the Bow design and touch "Stop" and stitch. Remove the hoop and once again cut away the excess fabric around the design. Go the next marked positions and repeat this process.

Now you will use the TREE template to mark the other creases the same way. Press the TREE design and change the size and press "STOP". Thread with 2 spools of GOLD and stitch the star. Use 2 spools of green and lay green fabric under the design area and stitch the tree. Remove the hoop and cut the excess fabric away. Repeat 3 more times.

REMOVE THE CASSETTE AND REPLACE IT WITH THE EMBROIDERY CASSETTE. Then turn off the embroidery unit and turn off the machine. Remove the card and the cassette and the embroidery unit. Insert the A cassette. Turn on the machine.

GARLAND ON TREE: A14 change the SL to .2 and the SW to 3.0. WE want to remove those zig zag stitches going across the tree. From the back of the fabric, cut the zig zag bobbin stitches in several places. From the top, cut the thread of the zig zag stitches just inside the tree on each side of the design being careful not to pull the thread beyond the edge of the tree. Try to clip just inside the tree tri-motion stitches. Starting at the top right hand side of the tree, sew this satin stitch over the stitching marks left on the fabric. When you get to the other side, go at least one stitch beyond the tree and pivot slighly and reposition to sew again to the other side. Do this across all previous stitching that was removed, but make sure you touch "Stop" at the end to lock the stitches. Do this on all the trees.

Remove the A cassette and insert the D cassette. Use the gold thread on top. STAR Center: Program 50> D35> D35 mirror end to end> Fix Stop Repeat Place the needle directly inside the very top point of the star and stitch the program in each star.

BOW CENTER: Change to red, insert needle at very top center of the knot in the bow and stitch.

ORNAMENTS ON GARLAND: Bring up the program for the Star and Bow center. We want to make this ball slightly smaller. Move the cursor over to D35 and change the SW to 5, move over to the next stitch and change that to 5 too. Touch "Repeat". Put the needle down at the very bottom edge of the garland and stitch balls randomly. I put one ball on the right side of the top garland and then one on each side of the second and third garland and three on the bottom garland, one at each end and one in the center. Decorate all the trees.

HOLLY BERRIES: Place the needle directly under the center of the bow knot for the first berry and then angle one on each side of that one.

Connecting the designs: I turn a paper plate over and place the lower rounded edge between the designs until it looks like the edge of the plate on each side is aligned nicely with the outer edge of each design. I take mastic tape and place it across the plate at that area. Then I use it as a guide for all the designs. Keep in mind, each one will be a little different, you may have to fudge it. Place the plate each time between the designs and then use a light pencil or water soluble pen to trace around the bottom of that plate between the designs forming a big scallop look.

I make sure I have stabilizer under this area so it won't tunnel when stitching. Use the Clear B foot & taper stitch A17 SL .2 and SW4 and elongate 5. Elongating to 5 will make a sharper point on each end. Center the red center line of the foot on the drawn line. This starts with a point and when you get to about ½" from the next design, then touch "reverse" so the taper will begin.

Decide what border stitch you want or trim the edges with lace. Stabilize the border area to stitch. Fray check, then trim.

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I'd like to share a tip I received from Dorothy Egeberg: She suggests using red or green or deep dark sky blue Xmas colors for the fabric and doing the stitching in white, and then to add "stars" scattered around. Thanks Dorothy! This sounds beautiful.

J.H.