What’s Red, White and New!

Here’s a sneak peek into the upcoming new collection.  It will be out  next week. This will give you plenty of time to stitch items for the summer and the July 4th holiday.  Show your patriotic spirit.  These 24 designs will be available for the 4 x 4 hoop on a multi-format CD. Have a safe and relaxing Memorial weekend.

Mylar Swirly Sewing Stabilizer Organizer

Just finished a project using my Mylar Swirly Sewing Design collection. Here is a storage solution for your stabilizer rolls that is not only cute, but it gets those rolls off the floor or or table tops.   Here is a photo of the finished project.  Send me photos of your projects that utilize Purely Gates Embroidery designs.  I hope my designs and projects inspire you to create.

Thread color selection

When it comes to choosing thread colors for a design, at times it can seem like a monumental decision.  Why do we spend so much time picking threads? We feel the need to select the exact thread colors that we saw the original stitched in.  This is usually because color choice can be one of the reasons we fall in love with a design in the first place. “We want that design in those colors on that fabric!”

When I choose thread colors for a new collection, it may be colors that match a fabric I chose to display the designs on.  I may choose thread colors just based on what colors a particular design most commonly comes in and then I choose a shade I like.  If it is a fantasy type design, I just try to pick color combinations that go well together.  I have my favorites when it comes to skin tones and shading and I really love bright greens. If I pick thread colors and stitch the designs out, then I select fabrics to make the sample from, the fabric selection becomes much harder for me.

We love embroidery because it is a creative outlet for us. Let picking the thread colors be your part of the designs originality.  Choose colors you like.  Treat the colors on the color chart as a suggestion or even just to show you what portion of the design that particular color is going to stitch. If a design calls for 3 greens: a light, a medium, and a dark, choose 3 in your stash of threads that you like. Experiment with color. Make the design your own.  I really enjoy seeing what you have created with my designs and to see the color you choose.  Send me your project photos to either my email ( patricia@purelygates.com ) or post them yourself on my Facebook page for Purely Gates Embroidery.

New Mylar Embroidery® Arrival!

Welcome the 2 newest members of the Purely Gates CD Collection family: Mylar Swirly Pea Pods and Mylar Swirly Sweet Peas. Click on the image to enlarge. As promised, one collection is for boys and one collection is for girls. I managed to get both quilt samples sewn and quilted. Go to the website, if you haven’t already, to see all the designs included in these adorable collections. I hope you like them.
Even though they are pea pods, they do not have to be green. Use your imagination and experiment with different colors. If I get a chance I will stitch some out using different color combinations. I am also working on another sample for these 2 collections and I will post it when it is finished.
Thanks