Embroidery Designs at Urban Threads - Free Design

Free Design - Sugar Skull Pincushion!

	7/06/2009

	We have a very special tutorial for you this week... Some folks do Christmas in July. With all the skulls and spookiness around these parts, we decided it was only fitting to declare a new pseudo-holiday: Halloween in July! Since you're so crazy about the pretty Dia de los Muertos sugar skull designs, we've whipped up a FREE treat for your pumpkin bucket:

	This design is FREE through July 26 and is available in two sizes as a stitch-and-turn stuffie for machine embroidery, and in hand embroidery and digital stock art versions. Enjoy! So, since these guys are a little different than our usual stuffies, we're going to do a quick rundown of the instructions... To make your little skull pincushion, you're going to need some white felt, tearaway stabilizer, spray adhesive, stuffing, and a needle and thread. Got it? Follow along with me...

	First we have to make the templates. If you have embroidery software like me, print out two copies of your skull dieline, back them with some felt, and cut them out. If you dont have software to print them out, load up the dieline file, and stitch it onto a piece of white felt, then cut the felt out along the stitching line.

	Next, hoop up some tearaway stabilizer, and load up your design. The first thing that stitches is your dieline. Spray some fixative on the back of one felt skully, and place it carefully inside the line. Set your machine to stitching again, and it'll sew a tackdown stitch.

	Next, all the fun colorful skully stuff stitches. After that's done, grab your last felt skully, and spray just around the edges, so it doesn't stick to itself when we need to turn it right side out. Place your skull on top of the embroidered one, and sew the last dieline. You'll notice the last dieline only stitches around the sides and top, leaving the bottom open so we can turn it right side out

	Once your skull is done stitching, tear it free of the stabilizer, and turn it right side out. Grab your stuffing and go to town!

	Finally, take your needle and thread, and fold in the raw edge and sew it neatly shut. Grab your pins, and put your skully to use! Stitch the little one onto a wrist strap and make the spookiest portable pincushion ever! Or just use your skullies as fun Halloween-y decor. Enjoy your free Day of the Dead skully, and know that it's never a bad time to celebrate everyone's favorite spooky holiday!