VIOLET TABLE RUNNER

Click On Photo for Close-Up View

SUPPLIES:

1/2 Yard of Weaver's cloth

Since this is an all over design, I like the whole piece of fabric to be stiffened and then I don't worry so much about stabilizer. I use full strength "Sta Flo" liquid starch purchased at Wall Mart or K Mart. I pour some of the starch in a large pan and soak the fabric in it. Then, I squeeze the fabric to remove the excess starch (do not wring). I pour the excess liquid back in the bottle to use again. I lay it out on top of freezer paper with the shiny side up. This lets the excess starch soak back up into the fabric as it dries. After it is dry, iron it. You may stiffen the fabric with spray Solvy or Perfect Sew or whatever you want. This is just what I do.

Embroidery Designs

I have used Viking Designs from the E Card 1, included with all Viking embroidery machines. I have used Customizing/Customizing Plus to create a custom design using Des01-17. The instructions are below. The Des1 uses "Violet Rect" and VioletDiamond." The Viking 1+ and the Rose use "Violet Rect" and "P1VioDia" and "P3VioDia." The instructions for creating these custom designs are below. You will have to print out these designs

40W. Embroidery Thread
Lavender
Purple
Green
Brown/Orange
White/Yellow.
You decide if you want the center to be yellow or white.

Bobbin Thread

Wing Needle

Size 75 or 80 Embroidery Needle

Fray Stop

Strips of Tear Away Stabilizer

Clear Presser Foot B

Embroidery Hoop & Templates

The Des1 uses the regular hoop and the large hoop and templates. The Viking 1+ and the Rose use the regular hoop and the Plus Hoop and templates.

Pattern: You have one half of the pattern. You may want to lay it on a folded piece of pattern tracing paper and trace it on both sides to form one pattern piece but make sure you draw in a center lengthwise line.

Click HERE for pattern
(Note: If you have a problem when printing the JPG file from the above link, download the TIF version HERE. This file has been ZIP'd, so you will have to download it and then use an unzipping utility -- such as Winzip -- to unzip the file.)

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and press a light crease to form the center lengthwise of the runner. Fold the fabric in half crosswise and press lightly to form a horizontal crease. I made my runner 32" long. You decide how long you want to make yours. If you want it 32" long, use a ruler and draw a straight horizontal line about 16" from the horizontal center crease on each end. Then place the pattern under the fabric with the lower edges of the design on that drawn line on the fabric and make sure the center line of the pattern is under the center lengthwise crease of the fabric. Trace the design with a water soluble pen. Do not use the air erasable one because it doesn't stay well on starched fabric.

Now, go to the other end of the runner and trace the design again. Then use a ruler to connect the side border lines.

Inside lines of the design. Entredeux stitch. Wing needle (Make sure you loosen the screw enough and push the thicker shank clear up and tighten the screw).
Des1 D7
#1+ D7
Rose #20
Watch the arrows that I drew on the pattern and make sure you never go to an outside line. This stitch goes forward and into the hole and backward and into the hole and sideways and into the hole, etc. SO, when you get close to an end of a line and need to pivot, use your "stop" button to let the stitch complete itself. If you aren't close enough to the end, take your foot off the pedal and then press again to make another stitch. Make sure you tap on the foot pedal to make the needle penetrate the cloth so you can pivot once the stitch is completed. Then remove the stop after you pivot. When you get close to the next corner or touch that "stop" button again.

Outside Border. Wavy border stitch. Insert the embroidery needle and clear B foot.
Des1 H16 SL 0.2 elong 4
#1+ D26 SL 0.2 elong 4
Rose #35 SL 0.2
By changing the stitch length, we will get a much denser scallop stitch for an outside edge.

Place your foot so the center red line of this foot is on the drawn line. Start on one of the short ends on one corner of the rectangle shapes. When you come to an OUTSIDE CORNER, watch for the red line on the side of the foot to reach the corner, and make sure the needle is on the right side of the foot. Then tap the foot pedal to let the needle penetrate the fabric and pivot and start sewing again. When you come to an INSIDE corner, the needle must be on the left side of the foot before you pivot.

Using Customizing To Combine Your Designs

For the rectangles shapes: Open Customizing and bring up the regular 100 X 100 hoop. Bring up Des01-17 from E Card 1. Type 315 in the angle box and click on "apply." Change the bud colors to light lavender and change the flower to dark purple and change the flower center to medium yellow. Place your cursor between the lower center leaves and place thE design so that the cursor is placed on the lower central vertical line and about 1/3 from the bottom of the of the last square in the design area.

Copy and Paste that design and mirror it vertically. Place your cursor between those same center tiny leaves and drag the design to the center vertical line at the top of the design area and 1/3 down from the top of the square. Make sure the petals of the flowers look like they are facing each other balanced. Click on Combine and save as "Violet Rect." If you have Customizing Plus, click on "Color Sort" and sort the colors. If you have the Pro software, use Color Sort and resave the design.

For the diamond shapes:
Plus Hoop: Bring up the E Card 1 Design 01_17 on the screen. Type 315 in the angle box and click on "apply". Change the buds to light lavender and the flower to purple and the center of the flower to medium yellow. Place your cursor between those bottom tiny leaves and drag the design to the center vertical line and place it so that the bottom leaves are 20mm (2 squares) above the center horizontal line. Copy and Paste the design and place your cursor between the two top petals of the FLOWER and drag it to the center vertical line and place so that the points of the flower petals land 20mm (2 squares) from the center horizontal line. Click on Combine. Save as VioDia. Because it is a Plus Hoop design, the software will split the design into two files named P1VioDia and P3VioDia.

Mid Size Hoop and Designer 1 Hoop: Bring up the hoop you want to use on the screen and then bring up the flowers exactly like the explanation for the Plus Hoop. After you have them placed properly, Combine. If you have Customizing Plus, click on "Color Sort" and sort the colors. Save the design as VioletDiamond. If you have the Pro software, use Color Sort and resave the design.

Stitching the Designs

Rectangle Flowers: The 4 rectangle shapes will use the design called "Violet Rect" you created above, and you will use the regular size hoop. Trace this design onto your plastic template for placement purposes. Place your template over the rectangle design and carefully try to center the designs both horizontally and vertically in the rectangle. Draw in your placement lines. Since you have the fabric stiff, you may not need any stabilizer, but if you think it isn't stiff enough, then use tear away.

Diamond Shapes Flowers:
Des1: Place your printout under the large template and trace your design onto it. Place the template over the two diamond shapes so that each design looks centered in those diamond shapes. Draw in your placement lines and then do the embroidery.
1+ and Rose: Trace your design onto your Plus Hoop template and then place the template over the diamond shapes and try to center the designs in those diamonds. Draw in your placement lines. Stitch out the designs. Make sure that you choose P1VioDia and move the hoop into position 1. Then choose P3VioDia and move the hoop to position 3.

J.H.