Pocket mirrors are always handy to have around. You just never know when you’re going to need to check yourself out before a date or an important appointment, and let's face it, those phone cameras aren’t always the best. I’ve never been one to carry around a compact. I picked up this little 3 inch mirror in a pack of them at a craft store. The thing is, it’s plain and kinda ugly at the back, and when I’m digging around in my purse for it, I find the corners sort of harsh to grip. But it was cheap, and it’s useful... so how to we make it a little nicer?
The designs used in this tutorial include:
Start Embroidering:
The first step is to select your machine embroidery design. Embroidery Library has an embossed machine embroidery design for every project. Look for designs with "embossed" in the product name. These designs have been specifically digitized and tested to work with high-nap fabrics like fleece and terrycloth.
For this example, we chose thread that matches the fabric color closely. You can experiment with contrasting fabric and colors, and even variegated thread for different embossed looks.
A terrycloth towel is used in this example, but the embossed technique works well on fleece and microfiber plush, too.
For this example, we chose thread that matches the fabric color closely. You can experiment with contrasting fabric and colors, and even variegated thread for different embossed looks.
A terrycloth towel is used in this example, but the embossed technique works well on fleece and microfiber plush, too.
Place water-soluble stabilizer on top of the towel. This helps to prevent the stitches from sinking into the nap of the fabric.
Hoop all three layers together.
Embroider the design.
After embroidering, trim the excess cutaway stabilizer away from the back. Leave about 1/2" around the design.
Tear the excess water-soluble stabilizer away from the top of the towel. Use a damp sponge or tweezers to remove any small remaining pieces.
Once dry, your embossed machine embroidery project is ready to display!
