Mon, 18 Jan 2021

Awhile back, I posted an entry about using the embroidery machine to do fiddly pieces on minky plush. It came up in a BeeZeeArts group, and I’ve fine-tuned my files a bit since then, so here they are. The original entry talks a bit more generally about how to make these kinds of files yourself, but here I’ll just cut to the chase.

[BeeZeeArt Bats – Ears and Feet (4×4)] [BeeZeeArt Bats – 6 Feet (4×4)] [BeeZeeArt Bats – 6 Ears (5×7)]

The files require the purchase of BeeZeeArts’ bat pattern, or the beginner bat pattern (which uses what I assume are the same ears, and no feet). And yes, I asked permission before posting even these pieces (actually I said I wasn’t going to post them because they were part of a paid pattern, and BZ kindly volunteered permission).

The combo file is mostly designed for ears that require fussy-cutting (positioning a fabric design in a specific place on the cut piece). There are five color changes, none of which have to actually change colors of thread.

• It starts with a little divider stitch, sewn on stabilizer only; minky for the feet goes below it, ear lining fabric goes above it.

• Next comes an ear outline that you can either use as a tackdown stitch on the ear lining, or as a placement stitch for particularly fussy cutting.

• Then, after you place the top minky (RST), comes an optional tackdown stitch that will hold everything in place.

• Finally, real stitching: it will double-stitch the feet.

• And then the ears.

The other two files are for sewing three bats at a time, and include only two color changes: a tackdown rectangle (which I usually skip) and the actual sewing. The ears file requires a 5×7 hoop.