How to DIY the Perfect Easter Decor

With Easter festivities around the corner, we’ve collected some of our favourite items for the home in various themes to help you out.

Embroidery Month Q&A With the Sweet Pea Team

Part of what makes Sweet Pea special is our community - which includes our internal team! In honour of Sweet Pea's Embroidery Month, each team member answered a few questions.

A Brief History of Machine Embroidery

Modern embroidery machines have come along way since their much bulkier counterparts, but these machines are an essential stepping stone to what we have today. Learn about the history of...

How to Express Yourself with an Embroidery Set

At Sweet Pea, we love a good set! From matching bags and purses, to all the pieces for the perfect picnic, sets are a great way to create a cohesive...

Top 12 Machine Embroidery Designs of 2024

As 2024 comes to an end, we wanted to look back on the year that was, including what designs you liked best! Check out the top 12 in this blog.

How to Make Wrapping Ecofriendly this Christmas

From using fabric scraps lying around and embroidering a reusable gift box to wrapping with fabric that is part of the gift or sealing with recyclable washi tape, there are...

Top 12 ITH Embroidery Designs

2023 Christmas Gift Ideas Using In the Hoop Machine Embroidery Designs

What better way to spread joy than share the gift of handmade gifts using an embroidery machine? If you have a sewing enthusiast to gift for or are searching for...

Everything You Need for Your Halloween House!

Before October creeps up, this is the perfect time to make some Halloween projects so they can be out all through the official spooky month. We’ve collected some of our...

How to Get into Machine Embroidery on a Budget

Machine embroidery is an amazing hobby but it can be expensive to get started! However, there are ways to save money while still getting the most from your equipment and...

How to Understitch Lining in Embroidery and Sewing Projects

Understitching keeps all the seams together, in the same direction, held by stitching on the edge of the lining seam. Having the seams all pointing the same way prevents the...

Customer Showcase: Jacket Embroidery

A great thing about our embroidery is how versatile it can be. One thing we love doing is using embroidery on clothing and perhaps most commonly, on a good denim...

Christmas in July: Embroidered Snow Globe Ornaments

To celebrate a little Christmas in July, we are throwing it back to our Snow Globe Ornaments. Learn how to make them in this blog!

Customer Showcase: Cassie and Jack Hangers

Our Cassie and Jack have spurned lots of creativity from our Sweet Pea family, and we wanted to share a few we love in this showcase.

8 Machine Embroidery Beginner Must Haves [Infographic]

New to machine embroidery? Check out our list of must have supplies to get you started!

How to Use Scrap Thread and Fabric

It’s not uncommon to end up with lots of fabric scraps and bits of thread when machine embroidering. Not sure what to do with the excess? We have some ideas...

How to Use Printable Fabric in Frames

Learn how to incorporate photos into your embroidery with printable fabric in this blog.

File Sorting - How to quickly separate and sort embroidery files

How to Use Windows Search to Find Your Files Faster Separating a specific embroidery file type (.pes, .vp3, jef etc..) can be time-consuming, but Windows has a helpful feature in File...

Windows File Associations

In Windows, file associations determine which applications open specific types of files based on their file extensions. For example, .txt files are usually associated with Notepad, so when you double-click...

Using Stabiliser in the Hoop - Tips to Stop Designs Puckering

When tackling a new machine embroidery project it is always important to have the right equipment and material on hand. This article gives tips on how to avoid puckering when...

How to Insert a Zipper Into a Bag

I have been asked a lot lately on how we insert zippers into our bags. We have found this method to be easy and it gives a nice tidy result. Let's...

Pressing Tips When Using PU Leather in Machine Embroidery

PRESSING UN-PRESSABLE FABRIC Helpful when doing Flip and Fold techniques Some fabrics we use can’t be pressed with an iron. So, we use a “dolly” (a tightly rolled wad of...

Appliqué, Embroider, Embellish it!

Putting a personal touch into your wardrobe is fun and puts a little more personality into what you're wearing. Take a look at some of our applique machine embroidery designs...

Hearts & Swirls Table Runner Design

Our Hearts and Swirls Table runner is an enchanting design released in January 2018, just in time to celebrate Valentine's Day. This Table Runner is a great way to decorate...

Organising Thread for Big Embroidery Projects – Project Hacks

Machine embroidery is making use of a sewing machine or specialty embroidery machine to create freeform stitched designs or personal patterns onto assorted materials. These designs are digitised computer files...

Christmas Star Table Runner design

It’s never too early or too late to get projects made for Christmas. There is also something to special and nostalgic about homemade gifts, decor or decorations for the festive...

Make Your Own Hanging Mobile In The Hoop

A mobile is a type of moving sculpture constructed to take advantage of gravity and wind. It consists of a number of rods, string, chains or rope, from which objects...

Raw Edge Feather Placemat Design

Similar to traditional appliqué, Raw Edge Appliqué is a technique which involves two or more pieces of shaped fabric, combined with embroidery to create a design. ​The difference is that...

Succulent & Cacti Table Runner Design

Succulents and Cacti have always been a favourite among plants, they are hardy by nature. There is a wide variety of colour, size and shape to these delightful little plants...

Log Cabin Quilting

What is a Log Cabin Quilt? A log cabin quilt, or log cabin quilt block, is one of the most popular traditional quilt patterns and is pieced together using strips...

How to stop breaking thread?

Threadaches are something to be avoided at all costs when trying to enjoy a good stitch out session. Over the years we have had many, many comments in our online...

How to make a Binding?

What is Quilt Binding? Quilt binding is the finishing touch to a quilt. It is the fabric used cover the outer edges of a quilt and keeps the edges intact...

Hoop Sizes and Embroidery (Stitching) Field

Ever wondered why your machine embroidery hoop sizes are different to the actual size they will stitch? Jungle Growth Chart design - Chameleon block When you first begin machine embroidery,...

Mug Rug Inspirations & Sweet Pea Freebies

We just love our mug rug designs! Not only are they fun to make, they're exceptionally functional and make great gifts. See our favourite mug rug designs in this blog.

Machine Embroidery Terms Glossary

Bookmark this blog for all the major embroidery terms you need to know!  When you first get into machine embroidery, wrapping your head around everything can get a little bit...

Framing your Embroidery Projects

Once you have completed your projects, what better way to really appreciate your work than to frame and display them? Sometimes it is a project that you have started, but...

Helpful tips when using leather for machine embroidery projects.

The idea of using leather for a machine embroidery project can be off-putting for many people. It can be a challenging and frustrating material to work with when you aren’t...

How Much Stabiliser Do I Need to Cut for My Hoop?

In this article, Martyn discusses how to figure out your stabiliser needs and conserve stabiliser for future projects.

Fabric Choices for Butterfly Embroidery Designs

Sweet Pea's May sew along in 2020 featured this beautiful Butterfly Table Runner design. Take a look at fabric options we love for this project here.

Why isn't there a thread colour chart with our designs?

One of our commonly asked questions is “Where is the thread colour chart?”, when we digitize our designs the designers have a rough idea of what colours they would like...

From Scrappy to Happy - making the most of your fabric scraps

Handmade from the Heart Tote Bag blocks by Blanca H Sanchez made from old jeans In a room filled with neatly folded fabrics and colour coordinated threads, you don't often...

Using Embroidery Designs on Clothes

Just starting out in the world of In The Hoop Machine Embroidery, and being surrounded by very talented and creative people, I was itching to test my hand at a...

You can help our Australian animals that have been injured by the Australian Bushfires

Australian Animal Table runner machine embroidery 'in the hoop' designindigenous animals from left to right - the quoka, the emu, the bilby, the kookaburra and the wombat. Our beautiful Australian...

No Place Like Gnome - Stuffed Gnome Ornaments. Community Stories.

If you are in the Sweet Pea machine embroidery group you would already be familiar with these cute little gnomes. We asked you to take these little ones out and...

Top 10 DIY Christmas Gifts Made ITH

Want to make something from the heart? Our In The Hoop designs make perfect DIY Christmas gifts. See our top 10 designs in this blog.

Top 5 Reasons to Quilt With Your Embroidery Machine

We may be a bit biased, but we think making your quilt with a machine is a great idea! But you don't have to just take our word for it,...

No Place Like Gnome Competition

Inspired by one of our wonderful Admins Rita Wetzel and also some great pictures by customer Cathy Begin-Nielsen, we are having a fun little interactive competition with our latest Stuffed...

How to Sew Mitered Corners

A mitered corner is quite a simple technique, however, you will need to practice this a couple of times to really master it! Learn more in this blog

Everybody get Thrifty

Keeping a great stash without the guilts Sweet Pea Head Quarters fabric stash 2019 💕 We all know the thrill and joy from walking through the doors of your favourite...

Dia de los Muertos Day of the Dead 'in the hoop' machine embroidery designs

bright colours and movement What is Dia de los Muertos? Australia is long, long way away from South America. Aussies looking for exotic adventures travel there. We hear the rhythmic...