Tutorial

Craft personalized Embroidered Easter baskets with our DIY guide. Step-by-step walkthrough & ideas for homemade charm this holiday. Start crafting now!

Learn how to add a monogram to any cloth item with this guide from Designs by JuJu.

Learn how to make patches with an embroidery machine with this guide from Designs by JuJu.

Learn how to embroider a store-bought tote bag with this beginners guide from Designs by JuJu.

Each character in  has three color stops. The first two steps are sketch -- a light and airy fill pattern. The space between each line of stitching varies such that the two colors combine to create an ombre effect. The characters have a bean stitch outline in a third color.  These close up images allow you to see the detail:  It's like mixing paint but with thread! The ombre effect works best if the first and second colors are different, but side by side on the color wheel. The ombre effect will be subtle if the two colors are similar in tint or shade (as shown in the "e" and "y" above). The ombre effect will be more significant if one color is darker than the other. There are so many ways you can use this font!!  You can use multiple thread colors across a name, each letter blending a different pair of colors. For example in Skylar below, six different thread colors are used for the sketch to create the rainbow effect and each letter is outlined in black. The "S" is blue/purple, the "k" is green/blue, the "y" is yellow/green, the "l" is orange/yellow, the "a" is red/orange, and the "r" is purple/red. Similarly fun bright colors were used for a striking look on black! The "R" is orange/pink, the "a" is yellow/orange, the "c" is lime/yellow, the "h" is aqua/lime, the "e" is purple/aqua, the "l" is pink/purple, and they are all outlined in white.  You can extend the ombre look across multiple lines of text. In the sample below "Big" uses blue and purple for the sketch steps, "Sis" uses purple and pink, all letters outlined in black:  This sample uses the same lime and blue threads for each letter but swaps their stitch order on alternating letters:  Since each character has three different color stops, there are actually EIGHT different ways you can use this font by skipping steps or using fewer threads:  1 - skip first step, use same thread for second and third (this will achieve the traditional look of our other sketch fonts) 2 - skip first step, use different threads for second and third 3 - skip second step, use same thread for first and third 4 - skip second step, use different thread for first and third 5 - two colors for sketch, outlining in the first color 6 - two colors for sketch, outlining in the second color 7 - two colors for sketch, outlining in a third color 8 - outline only! You will need to use software to create your text designs. We include BX installation files for use with Embrilliance software, but you can also merge individual designs in the editing program of your choice. Here are some tips:  -- Letter alignment with this font is not simply lining up the bottom of each letter --to achieve the intended look of the original font artist, some letters are designed to descend below the baseline and some sit above. We offer this image with the baseline drawn in as a guide, but you can place the letters however you want for a fun look! (Embrilliance users: we have done this work for you when creating the BX files!) -- We do NOT recommend resizing sketch fonts in software. Most programs do not handle recalculating stitch density appropriately. Consequently, we offer THIRTEEN sizes from 1" to 7" to meet your needs.  -- If your program has the ability to do a color sort, you may want to take advantage of that feature to save time doing multiple thread changes. However make sure you stabilize your project very well, otherwise, design elements (like the final outlines) may not line up perfectly due to shifting in the process of stitching multiple letters across your hoop.  -- Your software may or may not give an accurate digital preview of the final product. For example, this is the 4" letter A as displayed in three different programs. The best way to see what a thread combination will look like is to do a test stitch of a letter before stitching your full design on a valuable blank.  To further assist you, we have produced this video to offer tips on recoloring the font to achieve the various looks shown above. The video was done in Embrilliance, however, we recommend everyone watch it ~ the coloring principles can be applied in any editing program, just adapt it to the way your software functions.  If you're loving the look of the ombre, be sure to check out our too. We cannot wait to see your projects using these fonts! 

Learn the basics of machine embroidery with this beginner project, where you learn how to embroider a kitchen towel.

Learn how to embroider a design onto a Christmas stocking with this guide from Designs by JuJu.

Learn how to create a Christmas ornament with an embroidery machine with this how-to guide from Designs by JuJu.

So you’ve decided to make a busy book for your little loved one? CONGRATULATIONS! This is a labor of love and an heirloom that will bring your little one hours of enjoyment. My grandson is just over 2 ½ and he LOVES his! What is a “busy book”? A busy book aka quiet book is typically made from felt or fabric pages and feature interactive activities and games for the child to engage in. Popular quiet book page activities include zippers, buttons, snaps, color matching, shape matching, counting, and tying a bow. You may have seen our “Farm Fun Busy Books”. We have one for boys and one for girls and the set includes all of the pages for a complete book. In November 2020, we also released another set for the 5x7 hoop only and includes all of the pages for both boy and girl. This month, November 2020, after MANY months of planning and designing, we are thrilled to bring to you individual “” Now you can create your own one of a kind Busy Book! Not only that, but you can change up the book with a lot of different options! How you ask??? Well, let me tell you how. All of the new  are designed so the pages can be swapped out for other pages. This will allow for an ever-changing book to keep your child’s interest. To accomplish this, we have created blank page backs (one side with a pocket) where a Busy Book Add On Activity can be added to the backs of 2 Page Deluxe Designs. With this layout, you can change the front and back covers, or any Pages in the book without worrying about taking out an activity or page that you want to leave in. To help you get started, and figure out what you’ll need to create your busy book, I’ve written this article. Every busy book page set includes a PDF of supply and resource links. I’ve also listed links at the end of this article to supplies and resources. We’ve just released . Here is what you’ll need for a complete book. 1. CHOOSE A COVER There are FOUR cover options available. Two for boys and two for girls. This set will include your front and back cover. For your convenience, I’ve linked each photo below to the product page where it can be purchased. 2. CHOOSE 2-3 DELUXE SETS If you are using , you’ll want TWO deluxe page sets. If you are using , you can choose up to THREE deluxe page sets. We have TEN different page sets to choose from. You can make many and swap them out to keep your little interested! A “2 Page Deluxe Design” is a set of 2 pages that will go side by side in the Busy Book. They come with all the parts to the set that your child will need to use to complete each page. Each set comes with backs (blank pocket page) that are to be used for the Add On Activities. They will be attached on the underside of the hoop after the front of the page is stitched completely out. All steps and instructions will be included. For your convenience, I’ve linked each photo below to the product page where it can be purchased. A “blank pocket page” is included with every deluxe set. 3. CHOOSE 3 OR 5 “ADD ON ACTIVITIES” depending on what size book you are making. If you are using , you’ll want THREE add on activities. If you are using  you may want FIVE add on activities. A “Busy Book Add on Activity” means there is no page to go with it. These types of design sets are meant to be used on the backs of the “2 Page Deluxe Designs”. The parts can be placed for storage in the pocket on the left page, and then can be assembled on the blank right page next to it kind of like a puzzle. The tutorials include suggestions to make some parts more than once in different colors to give your child more options. There are TEN different “add on activity” sets for you to choose from! For your convenience, I’ve linked each photo below to the product page where it can be purchased. Now that you’ve chosen all of your pages, it’s time to get to work! If you desire, you can customize your own covers using software such as . We highly recommend  for maximum versatility in planning your projects. It’s super intuitive, easy to use, offers great customer support, and the most exciting part is that you can use any of our HUNDREDS of available embroidery fonts in BX format to easily type out names, words and phrases! We have several videos on  on our  as well! BUSY BOOK SUPPLIES AND RESOURCES LIST To further assist you, we’ve compiled a list of links to resources to gather your supplies for your very own busy book! **the following links are for your convenience. They are affiliate links and therefore Designs by JuJu LLC receives a small commission from items purchased with these links. FELT We use “craft felt”. This is widely available. Please check sizes. If you are doing an 8x8…you’ll want sheets that are larger than 8x12. Also check fabric.com, Hobby Lobby, Joann’s, Walmart, Michael’s etc. That said, we have found the following felts with a “1 mm” thickness to be of much higher quality than the cheaper craft felt at the craft stores. We use a lot of fabric from  sheets are 9x12 BINDER RINGS We like 2-inch or 3-inch binder rings. These are for assembling your book. TEARAWAY STABILIZER Heat n Bond Lite NOTIONS Items used in various busy book pages (optional) snaps for back of felt pieces Guage 8 marine vinyl for blank pocket pages, fishbowl etc (optional) hook and loop dots for back of felt pieces Buttons for Shape Match Deluxe Set Glitter vinyl (used for some pieces…optional) Shoelaces for lace and buckle deluxe set Hook and loop tape for back of felt pieces (optional) That’s it!! We hope you have loads of fun creating your special gift for your little ones! Please share photos of your creation with us! Have you joined our ? It is a wonderful community of over 50,000 creatives just like YOU where people gather to show off their wonderful creations. We also give away FREEBIES in the group every month!

One of our favorite series of designs is our Peeker sets.  They are SO cute and SO perfect for customizing hooded towels for the little ones in your life! We have designs available including everything from Princess Peekers, to Animal Peekers, to Monster Peekers & more. ! If you haven't made a hooded towel before, no need to worry!  We have step-by-step resources for you.  Follow along with JuJu as she makes a hooded towel in this video tutorial: Or, if you prefer written instructions, we have those too in the . We hope you find these resources helpful. Please share your projects in the  or anywhere on social media using the hashtag . We’d love to see what you create!