In my opinion, Men are notoriously difficult to sew for. It seems the go-to project is anything with a sports team logo, but not all guys are into sports. And what fabric do you use? I recommend giving wool a shot. Try to find some in a masculine color without a pattern and craft something around his hobbies. For instance, I made these wool coasters for my Pop-Pop because he LOVES bird watching. It seems like he knows everything about the wild life around his home, but birds are definitely his favorite.
I didn't want to do an elaborate, patch-like bird embroidery. I wanted it to look like a science notebook sketch with the scientific name. He is a simple, nature guy and too much color would have been a bit overwhelming for his style. I used Wikipedia to look up the birds in Maryland and search embroidery designs from there. I really lucked out on EmbroideryDesigns.com. They have a HUGE selection of embroidery designs and found all the designs I needed from their site. Click the highlighted link to get all the bird designs used in this project.
Supplies
1/4 - 1/2 yard of Wool (Depends how many you plan to make)
1/4 yard of Extra Firm Stabilizer
Grey, Yellow, and White Embroidery Thread
Embroidery Machine with Usb Connection
Step 1
Download all your embroidery designs. I like to keep mine in a separate folder after I've downloaded. For my Brother machine I use Pes files. If you're unsure what files your machine uses, give your manual a quick glance over. The Brother sewing site also has free patterns available for download here.
Step 2
Trace your embroidery area with chalk. I used a square coasters to outline my area and establish some distance between the other designs. You want enough room so that you don't risk patterns over-lapping. The finished coasters will be 4.5 by 4.5 inches.
Step 3
Using spray adhesive (basting spray), attach stabilizer wrong side wool. Because of the nature of wool, you'll need to kind of press the wool into the stabilizer to make sure it truly sticks.
Step 4
Hoop the wool (with the stabilizer) and try to get the chalk template evenly positioned. First embroidery your bird, then add the scientific name. If you aren't sure how to download and select embroidery designs, leave a comment below - I'd love to help!
Step 5
Cut out a 4.5 X 4.5 inch square from computer paper to use as a template. Center it on your designs and cut out.
Step 6
Layer your cut out pieces on the left over wool, wrong sides together. Use a blanket stitch and some dark red thread to sew the backing and top together. I suggest increasing the stitch width and length to its highest setting. If you don't have a blanket stitch, try a straight stitch or zig zag stitch!
Step 7
Trim the excess fabric paying close attention not to nip any threads.
Step 8
Trim all of your jump threads. I like to use tiny, curved scissors.
Viola! This project can be altered to fit anything your guy digs. Maybe he's a Scifi fan - try a Star Trek logo. If he is a science person - try taking bits and pieces from the Periodic Table. Feel free to share what gifts YOU have made for a man in your life. Thanks for reading!
