In between all the large projects and precious quilts we are working on, once in a while we want quick and smaller projects. The ones for which we don't necessarily need to buy a ton of materials and which can be ready in an afternoon. Or even when you need to wipe up a quick but nice gift.

Here, the freehand machine embroidery technique using scraps comes in handy. It’s a fun appliqué-like technique where you can use all kinds of scraps from your stash. Never heard of this? Let me explain.

What is freehand machine embroidery?

Freehand machine embroidery is a technique where you fuse some scraps on a background fabric. With your sewing machine you stitch around those scraps which make for cute little pictures, kind of framed in with your sewing thread.

My Moda colleague Janet Clare is showing us how it’s done in this video.

A fun project with coffee cups

IIn my case I have a background from linen fabric and I cut it to a size a kitchen towel usually has. Then I draw myself some nice images of different coffee cups and a teapot. You can also put a little bit of lettering in it.

I have a black kitchen so I picked fabrics from my quotation scraps, a couple of black, white, and grey scraps to show you this freehand machine embroidery technique.

For you, in the free resource library

In the free resource library, you can find a downloadable page with all the coffee cups and the hand lettering you can trace. You can put them in a row but you can also enlarge them and use only one larger cup for a placemat, a mug rug, or for some potholders. Choose whatever you like, the sky's the limit here.

I’m curious to see what design you will give your coffee cups. Will yours be really colorful and bright? Or maybe old-fashioned rosey and with a bunch of little flowers? You can adjust these to the style of your kitchen.

Handmade sewn gifts

What I also love about the freehand machine embroidery technique is that not one picture you create is the same. They are all unique because you make them from all sorts of scraps and different color threads. That’s why these make for unique gifts. Jazz up your friend’s kitchen, I bet she will be thrilled to receive a handmade gift like this.

Happy sewing!!

P.S. our winner of last week’s giveaway!

The winner of the extra copy of Simply Moderne is Kane. Congratulations! We have reached out to you to send you your prizes. Thanks for participating everyone!!