Just a reminder I do have drawstring and resealable bags for sale in my etsy shop if you need any!
Hope everyone is having a good holiday season! I am just trying to finish up some of my gifts and staring at a giant pile that needs to be wrapped! If anyone wants to help, I can pay in glasses of champagne and cranberry juice. :)
Mac and Cheese
Because I don't eat meat or seafood I am always on the lookout on how to make some killer baked Mac and Cheese. My old recipe included an egg wash which my family loved but I wasn't crazy about. I saw a recipe on another blog and have now made it twice but made some changes to what worked best for me.
Ingredients:
8 oz shredded Sharp Cheddar
8 oz shredded Fiesta Blend (Monterey Jack, Cheddar and other cheeses)
7 oz Parmesean cheese (or 8 oz- I can only find 7 oz bags)
2 cups Heavy Cream (I used heavy whipping cream because that's all I could find)
16 oz pasta (I use penne)
Cook pasta per the box directions. Make sure you don't cook too long because pasta will cook when baking too.
Reserve about 1/4-1/3 of the cheese to sprinkle on the top before baking. (I reserve the Cheddar and Fiesta cheese for the topping.)
On the stove, I add about half the cream and slowly add the cheeses to melt. I continually add the cream and cheeses until all is melted.
After pasta is finished cooking, drain and add pasta back in pot. Then add the melted cheese/cream mixture to the pot and mix thoroughly.
Pour mixed pasta and cheese into greased casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.
Ingredients:
8 oz shredded Sharp Cheddar
8 oz shredded Fiesta Blend (Monterey Jack, Cheddar and other cheeses)
7 oz Parmesean cheese (or 8 oz- I can only find 7 oz bags)
2 cups Heavy Cream (I used heavy whipping cream because that's all I could find)
16 oz pasta (I use penne)
Cook pasta per the box directions. Make sure you don't cook too long because pasta will cook when baking too.
Reserve about 1/4-1/3 of the cheese to sprinkle on the top before baking. (I reserve the Cheddar and Fiesta cheese for the topping.)
On the stove, I add about half the cream and slowly add the cheeses to melt. I continually add the cream and cheeses until all is melted.
After pasta is finished cooking, drain and add pasta back in pot. Then add the melted cheese/cream mixture to the pot and mix thoroughly.
Pour mixed pasta and cheese into greased casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.
Brother PE780-D: How to resize an image
You can adjust the size of your design in your machine approximately 20% bigger or smaller. Here are some screen shots to show you how to do this properly....
This is the home screen on the machine. The top 4 icons are all the built in designs that came with the machine. On the second rown, the icons stand for the following: access designs saved on a card, access designs saved to your machine, access designs saved to your USB stick, move your hoop.
Next, I choose a design from my USB stick. I chose a football truck purchased from Applique Market. This is the screen that you get after you choose a design. Up top it shows how many steps there are (18) and the different colors that were saved for each step of the design. Sometimes I show the color up at the top, sometimes I change that setting to show the stitch count. There were be a tutorial later on how to change that. Now choose the adjust button that I pointed to below.
The next screen shows your options in the Adjust screen. Choose "Layout" in order to resize your image.
Now choose the "Size" option that is bolded in the top right hand of the screen. The button under "Layout" that is all the way to the right of the screen will enlarge the image. The one under it will shrink the image. If I am working on a toddler shirt, I will usually enlarge the image enough to fill up my entire 5"x7" hoop.
This is the home screen on the machine. The top 4 icons are all the built in designs that came with the machine. On the second rown, the icons stand for the following: access designs saved on a card, access designs saved to your machine, access designs saved to your USB stick, move your hoop.
Next, I choose a design from my USB stick. I chose a football truck purchased from Applique Market. This is the screen that you get after you choose a design. Up top it shows how many steps there are (18) and the different colors that were saved for each step of the design. Sometimes I show the color up at the top, sometimes I change that setting to show the stitch count. There were be a tutorial later on how to change that. Now choose the adjust button that I pointed to below.
The next screen shows your options in the Adjust screen. Choose "Layout" in order to resize your image.
Now choose the "Size" option that is bolded in the top right hand of the screen. The button under "Layout" that is all the way to the right of the screen will enlarge the image. The one under it will shrink the image. If I am working on a toddler shirt, I will usually enlarge the image enough to fill up my entire 5"x7" hoop.
Hope this helps you on how to resize a design in your Brother PE780-D!
Brother PE780-D
Whether you already have a machine or are looking to get one, the first question I usually get asked is what machine do I own?
Currently, I own the PE780D. In my opinion, this is an awesome starter machine. I have never sewed or appliqued before owning this machine so I did some research before going to my local dealer to purchase. First piece of advice I read was- Purchase a machine that has at least a 5"x7" hoop size. I couldn't agree more. I RARELY use my 4"x4" hoop to applique. Mainly I use that smaller hoop to embroider names, applique burp cloths or applique tiny newborn onesies.
If you happened to purchase your machine online, you probably need a little help to figure out how to use it. The user manual does have most of this information in it. Incase you need even more visuals, hopefully the series of blog posts I am working on will help! Stay tuned for some tutorials to be posted later this week on this machine! :)
Currently, I own the PE780D. In my opinion, this is an awesome starter machine. I have never sewed or appliqued before owning this machine so I did some research before going to my local dealer to purchase. First piece of advice I read was- Purchase a machine that has at least a 5"x7" hoop size. I couldn't agree more. I RARELY use my 4"x4" hoop to applique. Mainly I use that smaller hoop to embroider names, applique burp cloths or applique tiny newborn onesies.
If you happened to purchase your machine online, you probably need a little help to figure out how to use it. The user manual does have most of this information in it. Incase you need even more visuals, hopefully the series of blog posts I am working on will help! Stay tuned for some tutorials to be posted later this week on this machine! :)
Packaging Products Professionally
I have so many size and style bags to package my products with! I thought I would let you know what I use and for what.
-Bitty Bags from Studio MCA Designs . I absolutely LOVE these bags! They are so cute to display your finished products in when giving or sending to your customer. I use these primarily for my wedding hankies that I embroider. I have also used them for bloomers or boxers- anything small like that will do!
-Resealable 6" x 9" bags. (I sell these HERE). I use these for small baby items such as bloomers, boxers, bibs, newborn onesies. Basically anything that will fit because these are the cheapest bags for me to carry so I tend to gravitate towards these if I can.
-Drawstring Bags 9" x 12". (I sell these HERE). These are the most popular size and style bags I see many ladies use. They can fit multiple shirts. I use these for items that will not fit in the resealable bags and I do place more than one shirt in here. I think 3 or 4 shirts would fit in here nicely.
-Drawstring Bags 12" x 15". (I sell these HERE). These are a larger version of the last bag. I have some big bulky baby items, such as hooded bath towels and baby bath sacks, that I will be using this bigger bag for.
I do tie my business card to all of the bags using this twine from Studio MCA Designs. I LOVE it. It is so cute and adds another POP of color to my presentation. (I have the teal.)
Hope this helps!
-Bitty Bags from Studio MCA Designs . I absolutely LOVE these bags! They are so cute to display your finished products in when giving or sending to your customer. I use these primarily for my wedding hankies that I embroider. I have also used them for bloomers or boxers- anything small like that will do!
-Resealable 6" x 9" bags. (I sell these HERE). I use these for small baby items such as bloomers, boxers, bibs, newborn onesies. Basically anything that will fit because these are the cheapest bags for me to carry so I tend to gravitate towards these if I can.
-Drawstring Bags 9" x 12". (I sell these HERE). These are the most popular size and style bags I see many ladies use. They can fit multiple shirts. I use these for items that will not fit in the resealable bags and I do place more than one shirt in here. I think 3 or 4 shirts would fit in here nicely.
-Drawstring Bags 12" x 15". (I sell these HERE). These are a larger version of the last bag. I have some big bulky baby items, such as hooded bath towels and baby bath sacks, that I will be using this bigger bag for.
I do tie my business card to all of the bags using this twine from Studio MCA Designs. I LOVE it. It is so cute and adds another POP of color to my presentation. (I have the teal.)
Hope this helps!
My "Hooping" Technique
I have posted this on Applique Forum but thought I would share it here! When I first got my machine, I could not figure out for the life of me how not to sew the back of tiny shirts and onesies! With the help of a wonderful lady at AllBrands where I bought my machine, I discovered what worked for me.
FAQ's:
I do not hoop anything- EVER.
I do not prewash anything- EVER.
I use Sulky's medium cutaway most of the time. Every once in a while I will use medium tearaway but rarely.
I use my 4"x4" hoop for burp cloths and newborn onesies. Anything bigger gets my 5"x7"
1. Iron and startch (if needed) the shirt to get the wrinkles out.
2. Turn the shirt inside out.
3. Line up the side seams of the shirt and iron a crease down the center of the shirt.
4. Hoop your stabilizer and spray it with adhesive. I use 505 spray that I buy at my local All Brands. I purchase my stabilizer at Hancock Fabrics when they are 50% off.
5. Place shirt or onesie that is inside out on flat surface. I use my ironing board.
6. Line up center of hoop with center crease in shirt and place face down on shirt. Measure middle of shirt if needed.
7. Press down to secure shirt to sticky stabilizer.
8. Flip the hoop and shirt over. I put my hand on the top of the shirt when I flip it so it doesn't move off of the stabilizer.
9. Your shirt/onesie should look like this! I then rub out any wrinkles that may exist in the shirt that is on the stabilizer. 
10. Don't forget to hold the shirt out of the way when embroidering! You need to "babysit" it, especially on tiny onesies! I usually have to constantly move extra material out of the way with the tiny clothing items.
Hope this helps!
FAQ's:
I do not hoop anything- EVER.
I do not prewash anything- EVER.
I use Sulky's medium cutaway most of the time. Every once in a while I will use medium tearaway but rarely.
I use my 4"x4" hoop for burp cloths and newborn onesies. Anything bigger gets my 5"x7"
1. Iron and startch (if needed) the shirt to get the wrinkles out.
2. Turn the shirt inside out.
3. Line up the side seams of the shirt and iron a crease down the center of the shirt.
4. Hoop your stabilizer and spray it with adhesive. I use 505 spray that I buy at my local All Brands. I purchase my stabilizer at Hancock Fabrics when they are 50% off.
6. Line up center of hoop with center crease in shirt and place face down on shirt. Measure middle of shirt if needed.
Tutorials and Supplies
In the next month, I have the following tutorials of what I do when I work in the works. Make sure you suscribe to the blog to get all the latest news!
1. How I embroider/applique a shirt from start to finish. This includes my "hooping" technique and how I assemble the shirt for a cute finished product to send to the client.
2. How to navigate easily using the same machine as me- Brother 780-D (same as Brother 770).
3. Where I purchase most of supplies from
These are the main questions I see pop up a lot in the Applique Forum and I would love to help you in any way I can! Be on the lookout for these in the next month!
Have a good week!
1. How I embroider/applique a shirt from start to finish. This includes my "hooping" technique and how I assemble the shirt for a cute finished product to send to the client.
2. How to navigate easily using the same machine as me- Brother 780-D (same as Brother 770).
3. Where I purchase most of supplies from
These are the main questions I see pop up a lot in the Applique Forum and I would love to help you in any way I can! Be on the lookout for these in the next month!
Have a good week!
Packaging Supplies
I am selling drawstring bags in 2 sizes- 9"x12" and 12"x15". I am also selling resealable 6"x9" bags. If you are interested in purchasing these, please visit: My Etsy Shop
This weekend has been busy finishing some orders and getting back into study mode! I will take pictures and post soon!
This weekend has been busy finishing some orders and getting back into study mode! I will take pictures and post soon!
Whimsical Fabric: It's Giveaway Time!
Do you sew or embroider or know anyone that does? Check out Whimsical Fabric's blog post below to learn how to win an AWESOME prize valued at over $112!
Whimsical Fabric: It's Giveaway Time!: It's time for a giveaway. We have the ultimate Whimsical Fabric giveaway package for one lucky fan. You will definitely want to win this...
Whimsical Fabric: It's Giveaway Time!: It's time for a giveaway. We have the ultimate Whimsical Fabric giveaway package for one lucky fan. You will definitely want to win this...
Editing Software- My Memories Suite
I don't know about you, but I cannot afford Photoshop or any fancy editing software close to that.....
Everyone, meet Melissa with Studio MCA Designs . If you do not follow her blog, I highly recommend it. She also does adorable baby gifts and has many embroidery supplies in her shop if you already own your own machine. I met Mel through Applique Forum. Needless to say, I bug her a million times throughout the day via twitter, blog comments, email, AF, etc. I adore her. On her website, she has a coupon code for a scrapbooking software. She recommended I buy it and use that to merge various pictures and such for my facebook page and website. I LOVE this software. It is so easy to use and VERY affordable- especially with coupon code STMMMS69365 - you will save $10. Their facebook page is always giving away free software, virtual scrapbook kits, etc. Be sure to like them! When they reach 10k fans, they will be giving away an IPAD2!!
Everyone, meet Melissa with Studio MCA Designs . If you do not follow her blog, I highly recommend it. She also does adorable baby gifts and has many embroidery supplies in her shop if you already own your own machine. I met Mel through Applique Forum. Needless to say, I bug her a million times throughout the day via twitter, blog comments, email, AF, etc. I adore her. On her website, she has a coupon code for a scrapbooking software. She recommended I buy it and use that to merge various pictures and such for my facebook page and website. I LOVE this software. It is so easy to use and VERY affordable- especially with coupon code STMMMS69365 - you will save $10. Their facebook page is always giving away free software, virtual scrapbook kits, etc. Be sure to like them! When they reach 10k fans, they will be giving away an IPAD2!!
Update on Website
I am so excited! The website and designing process has been coming along since I last posted. :) I have been working with Katie . I HIGHLY recommend her. I found her through Applique Forum when I noticed she had designed another member's website who I was infactuated with and kept stalking. :) I had tried to contact another designer and for whatever reason she would take forever to get back to me and then flat out ignored me. It was a stroke of GOOD luck that I did not end up with that designer because I absolutely cannot say enough good things about Katie and I so lucky the first designer did not work out.
Katie is re-designing this blog as I type. She also designed my etsy banner, signature on Applique Forum, and will be designing my Facebook welcome page next month. If you are looking for a designer for any sort of social site, please contact Katie at My Little Monsters and tell her Megan from Penguin Personalization sends you!
I have another test on Monday! I NEED a miracle! Keep me in your thoughts!
Between studies, whenever I need a break, I have been adding items to the website. I CANNOT wait to launch it next month. I will start carrying MINT- Sweet Little Things products. These are my FAVORITE products. I am in love with seersucker and these products are just as nice of quality as they are cute. If you ever see something on their website and do not see it on my website, please feel free to contact me and I will look into carrying it. I love to hear what my customers want!
Have a good weekend!
Katie is re-designing this blog as I type. She also designed my etsy banner, signature on Applique Forum, and will be designing my Facebook welcome page next month. If you are looking for a designer for any sort of social site, please contact Katie at My Little Monsters and tell her Megan from Penguin Personalization sends you!
I have another test on Monday! I NEED a miracle! Keep me in your thoughts!
Between studies, whenever I need a break, I have been adding items to the website. I CANNOT wait to launch it next month. I will start carrying MINT- Sweet Little Things products. These are my FAVORITE products. I am in love with seersucker and these products are just as nice of quality as they are cute. If you ever see something on their website and do not see it on my website, please feel free to contact me and I will look into carrying it. I love to hear what my customers want!
Have a good weekend!
Web Sites
I have been busy trying to find a website designer. This is a HUGE step in going bigger with my business. I am scared and a little overwhelmed. I don't want to jump right into it and have too many orders to keep up with my studies. What to do.... what to do....
I am also working on trying to get better pictures of my work. I do not have any photography skills so I am hoping tomorrow is a pretty day outside and I can practice some shots out there. I will report back with pictures!
I am also working on trying to get better pictures of my work. I do not have any photography skills so I am hoping tomorrow is a pretty day outside and I can practice some shots out there. I will report back with pictures!
I'm Still Alive
I am still here- barely- but here! I promise to be back with new products and such AFTER Monday. Monday is D-Day for the 3rd part of my exam. I have lots of orders to crank out and then want to get started on some decorative reusable grocery bags and trick or treat bags! I am still trying to find someone to design the blog, etsy shop and webpage. First lady flaked out- have NO idea what I ever did to her. Oh, well. Her loss. I will gladly take my business elsewhere.
I will be back next week with lots of posts and pictures! :)
I will be back next week with lots of posts and pictures! :)
Busy, Busy, Busy
I did not work on much embroidery this week, was working more on the business. I got a baby shower invitation for my best friend from college in the mail on Thursday so I immediately went to the drawing board on what to make her for the shower... I will post pictures later. I am working on getting a watermark to put on my work just because you never know where pictures end up. :)
More next week! More pictures to come and maybe more tutorials. My next exam is the 22nd so I am busy cramming right now!
More next week! More pictures to come and maybe more tutorials. My next exam is the 22nd so I am busy cramming right now!
Closet Dividers
Coming soon! I will be designing some custom closet dividers for customers to purchase. These are the circular dividers that can help keep all those adorable little baby clothes in order by size. :) Since my inventory on hand is rapidly growing, I have purchased a box of these awhile back and think I will finally get around to customizing mine and putting the rest up for sale. Stay tuned....
AppliqueForum.com
Can I tell y'all how much I am in LOVE with this website. I have gotten some AMAZING designs from here and gained a TREMENDOUS amount of knowledge. It is crazy how much I have learned so quickly. I am about to upload a new design that I just received onto facebook now! Then it is off to study for a couple of hours! I expect new changes to come soon! I have SOOO many ideas of where I want to go with this business. Stay tuned!!
What is Swagbucks?
Swagbucks is my new favorite tool I learned about through The Northshore Mama the other night at her couponing class she held at the nearby library. If you are interested in signing up, please click HERE to sign up! You earn free points you can redeem for Amazon gift certificates, paypal balances, etc. I just joined yesterday and already have 85 points. I got 30 points for joining, 10 for installing the toolbar, 1 point a day for having the toolbar, just earned 10 points for searching for facebook rather than going to www.facebook.com right away. The best bang for your buck is 450 points = $5 amazon code. You can earn more points by taking the daily poll- SUPER easy- or buy finding swagcodes. Swagcodes are scavenger hunts and are available only for a limited time but sometimes an easy way to earn many points at once.
My Work Environment
I am lucky enough to have an entire room to craft it. I just won't post any pictures of the guest room where I threw all the items I didn't want anymore in this room.... ;)
This started out as a Saints office where we had a desk and two couches. Sadie (my doggy aka spoiled rotten only child) LOVED her couches more than anything. I took one away a couple months ago. I took her other away two weeks ago. She used to sit on the top of it like a cat and bark at every.single.person.and.car.
Here is how it looks when you walk in the room.
Here is an up close view of my table. My dad helped me construct it. We used two cheapo bookshelves from Target and he bought the big piece of wood from Lowes and painted it. I wanted an area to be able to sit or stand.
Here is my bookshelf with my Cricut sitting on top. Usually I bring it onto my huge square kitchen table to cut and assemble projects since the embroidery took over the craft table. I also have all my burp cloths and linen items that I sell on this shelf.
Sadie is not happy about sharing her room!
This started out as a Saints office where we had a desk and two couches. Sadie (my doggy aka spoiled rotten only child) LOVED her couches more than anything. I took one away a couple months ago. I took her other away two weeks ago. She used to sit on the top of it like a cat and bark at every.single.person.and.car.
Here is how it looks when you walk in the room.
Here is an up close view of my table. My dad helped me construct it. We used two cheapo bookshelves from Target and he bought the big piece of wood from Lowes and painted it. I wanted an area to be able to sit or stand.
Here is my bookshelf with my Cricut sitting on top. Usually I bring it onto my huge square kitchen table to cut and assemble projects since the embroidery took over the craft table. I also have all my burp cloths and linen items that I sell on this shelf.
Sadie is not happy about sharing her room!
Hey, Y'all!
I just wanted to write a little about myself. My name is Megan. I am currently an accountant by day and a crafter by night. I am working on the CPA exam so you might read about me moaning about that. I am an accountant as my "regular" job and just started embroidering as my hobby and side business. My shop is called Penguin Personalization after my LOVE for penguins. You can find me at www.facebook.com/penguinpersonalization . Be sure to "like" my fan page and stay current on my specials and new items!
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