StitchVision on The Luminaire for visible decorative stitch placement

Yesterday I unboxed and introduced you to the new Brother Innov-ís XP1 embroidery and sewing machine – The Luminaire.

Now let’s get started making a table runner using just a few of the over 600 decorative stitches available on the Brother Luminaire.

Here’s what you’ll need

• 2 strips of striped fabric, 7½” x WOF (width of fabric). You’ll want to use fabric with stripes that are ½” – 1″ wide

• 2 strips of light-weight batting, 8″ x WOF

• 2 strips of backing fabric, 8″ x WOF

• 2 strips 3″ x WOF for binding

Get ready to sew

• Layer the striped fabric, batting and backing.

• Pin or baste the layers in place.

Now the fun starts! With the Brother Luminaire you have hundreds of stitches from which to choose. It’s hard to pick just a few favorites! Here’s a great video about decorative stitches on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine that you might like to look at before you actually start sewing.

Now you get to use one the greatest features on this machine. The projector shows each stitch image right on the fabric so you can see exactly how it will look! You can even change the width and length of each stitch and use the left/right shift adjustment icons to place the stitch right where you want it on the fabric.

You can stitch while watching the stitch image on the fabric or you can use a projected guide line to keep your stitching straight. It’s a good idea to test your stitches on some scrap fabric so you check the finished look.

I used the “N” foot as suggested on the LCD screen for each stitch and adjusted the width and length of each stitch as needed to fit the stripes in my fabric. I didn’t even need to use a walking or even-feed foot!

I used the “start/stop” button on the front of the machine instead of the foot pedal and sewed at a slow speed. I found this gave me better control because the machine sews at the same speed all the time.

Here’s my first strip of striped fabric with the stitches I chose. I used a variegated thread to give more interest to the designs.

When both strips are stitched, cut them into 8 – 6½” squares. You may have to “fussy cut” a bit so you’re not cutting through a stitching line. You also need to remember that there will be a ¼” seam allowance on all sides.

Come back tomorrow and I’ll show you how to join the squares to make a small table runner. You’ll love how easy it is to make this reversible runner when using the Brother The Luminaire Innov-ís XP1!