Decorative stitching adds dimension to one-of-a-kind bookmarks

Yesterday, I showed you how to create new fabric by using fabric scraps and fabric paint sticks from the Mont Marte Signature Fabric Art Set and rubbing plates made from some common household items. Now it’s time to use this fabric, along with some decorative stitches on my Brother Innov-ís BQ3050 sewing and quilting machine, to make fabric bookmarks.

I’ve been wanting to try out some different decorative stitches on my Brother Innov-ís BQ3050 machine and was especially interested in the Step Stitch patterns. This is a group of stitches in the 7mm satin stitch group, and they can be combined in so many ways!

Here’s how to create these patterns:

• Open the Satin Stitch screen and choose your favorite design. There are 20 different satin stitch patterns, and you can combine them in any way you like.
• Set up the machine to sew a single stitch by selecting the Single Stitch key.
• If you want to see a larger view of the stitch, just press the Image key.
• You can also change the width and length of the stitches by pressing the + or – keys.

When you come to the end of the stitch, the machine will stop. Press either one of the arrows you see about halfway down the screen. This moves the design to the left or right. Stitch another single stitch. Press one of the arrows to move the stitch again.

It’s a good idea to stitch some samples so you can see how the pattern will look using your choice of thread and fabric. When sewing these stitches, make sure to use a stabilizer on the back. When you’ve finished stitching, clip the joining threads.

Here’s the sample I made:

When you create a stitch pattern you like, it’s easy to save it in the Brother BQ3050’s memory so you can retrieve it at any time.

To make my bookmarks, I used several different decorative stitches. Because I was making bookmarks, I used scraps of heavyweight stabilizer, which doesn’t need to be removed. My fabric samples made using fabric paint sticks from the  Mont Marte Signature Fabric Art Set and homemade rubbing plates were perfect for this project!

I tried a few different methods for assembling the bookmarks, but this was the easiest to do:

• Cut the stitched fabric to the finished size for your bookmark. Mine are about 2″ x 6″.
• Cut a piece of fabric for the back of the bookmark slightly larger than the front.

• Press iron-on interfacing to the wrong side of the backing fabric.
• Cut a piece of fusible web (such as HeatnBond Ultra Hold Iron-on Adhesive Sheets) the same size as the backing fabric and fuse in place.
• Remove the backing paper from the fusible web and press the front and back fabrics together.
• Trim the edges so they are all even.
• Stitch around the outside edges using a straight or decorative stitch. You’ve got lots to choose from on the Brother Innov-ís BQ3050 machine!

If you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop at making just one bookmark!

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to use up some of those scraps you’ve been saving and create new fabrics using fabric markers and paint from the Mont Marte Signature Fabric Art Set. Sewing with the Brother Innov-ís BQ3050 is always a pleasure and I’m still learning new things all the time. I hope you’ll join me on QUILTsocial again next month when I’ll be sharing more tips and techniques for using the Brother Innov-ís BQ3050 machine to create more stash–busting projects!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Creating one-of-a-kind fabric with paint sticks and decorative stitches