Welcome to Grand Format Embroidery!
A Review Of Grand Format Embroidery
by Rick and Ruth Grihalva
by Rick and Ruth Grihalva
GRAND FORMAT EMBROIDERY WITH JULIE LILLO
What A Show!
The weekend of April 5-7 was the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Cleveland. I was there with my friends from Accomplish Quilting. We were demonstrating Innova's Innovative Quilting Systems™. The machine on the right had automation with Grand Format Embroidery™ while the one on the left was free-motion.
Our Booth At The Expo!
That date also corresponded to our first longarming for a customer using Innova's Grand Format Embroidery™.
Our Booth At The Expo!
That date also corresponded to our first longarming for a customer using Innova's Grand Format Embroidery™.
What is "Grand Format Embroidery™?"
Our 1 inch monogram
Imagine an embroidery hoop for your embroidery machine that is 144" x 23"! That expands your horizons significantly.
I personally have stitched designs from a border that is 21" square to monograms that are 1" round. I have also used it in conjunction with Innova's Draw function to write "Ruth" in script and then apply hearts to the lettering.
Two friends from Accomplish Quilting have used the embroidery to make and reverse-applique large letters and designs to a large four foot sign [you can see that sign in the photo of the booth].
Quite a variety!
Imagine an embroidery hoop for your embroidery machine that is 144" x 23"! That expands your horizons significantly.
I personally have stitched designs from a border that is 21" square to monograms that are 1" round. I have also used it in conjunction with Innova's Draw function to write "Ruth" in script and then apply hearts to the lettering.
Two friends from Accomplish Quilting have used the embroidery to make and reverse-applique large letters and designs to a large four foot sign [you can see that sign in the photo of the booth].
Quite a variety!
The name of the quilt creator
Why would you use Grand Format Embroidery™ as opposed to an embroidery machine?
The name of the quilt creator
There are several reason. The first reason is size. If you have something really big to embroider, this fits the bill, because the quality is second to none.
Why would you use Grand Format Embroidery™ as opposed to an embroidery machine?
The name of the quilt creator
There are several reason. The first reason is size. If you have something really big to embroider, this fits the bill, because the quality is second to none.
The second is the look when longarmed. Many people have not wanted longarm stitching over their embroidery. This embroidery is beautiful. This fits the bill, too, as it can be stitched after the longarming has been done. This is one of the ways we have to solve the problem of longarm-stitching over embroidery.
The third is the look on the back. The customer mentioned above wanted the name of their grandmother, the creator of the quilt, to be prominently displayed on the front and to show on the back, even though on the back it would be reversed on the back.
The reverse side of the W
That's cool! But most embroidery that I've seen looks terrible on the back - Innova's looks as good on the back as on the front. This can be seen on in the picture of the reverse side of the "W".
The fourth reason is border treatments that are embroidered. This means that some of the scroll- and applique-work that has been done on the borders can now be embroidered.
The fifth reason is that it is another tool in the arsenal of the avid quilter. Innova has many such tools, such as: PantoVision™, which allows scale-able electronic pantographs; Sequin Stitcher™ to apply sequins to your stitches; and, E Cording Multitech™ Automatic Couching attachment to apply decorative couching.
Additionally, Accomplish Quilting reports that the majority of their machines are now sold to individual purchasers. These purchasers are not professional longarmers or quilt shops. These are quilters who want to get the most out of their art. Whether it's to win shows, express and experience the joy of their own capabilities, warm hearts, or to win the hearts of their grandchildren with sequins in the stitching, Innova has the solution.
The fourth reason is border treatments that are embroidered. This means that some of the scroll- and applique-work that has been done on the borders can now be embroidered.
The fifth reason is that it is another tool in the arsenal of the avid quilter. Innova has many such tools, such as: PantoVision™, which allows scale-able electronic pantographs; Sequin Stitcher™ to apply sequins to your stitches; and, E Cording Multitech™ Automatic Couching attachment to apply decorative couching.
Additionally, Accomplish Quilting reports that the majority of their machines are now sold to individual purchasers. These purchasers are not professional longarmers or quilt shops. These are quilters who want to get the most out of their art. Whether it's to win shows, express and experience the joy of their own capabilities, warm hearts, or to win the hearts of their grandchildren with sequins in the stitching, Innova has the solution.
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Off The Shelf Designs!
I’ve written quite a bit about Innova’s Grand Format Embroidery™ [GFE] capabilities. I’ve created a few designs that I think will be helpful to you. In fact, there are 66 individual designs in our Alphabet Script Embroidery Set.
We will be offering them soon on our website.
They include:
26 upper case [capital] script letters; 26 lower case letters; Numbers 0-9; and, The remainder are examples. They are created for Innova’s GFE.
This means that:
All characters are 2 inches tall [and can be modified within GFE to reasonable limits]; The stitches are 0.2 mm apart, which allows them to be made larger; There are tails, where appropriate, to allow letters to overlap and word curvature; There are lock stitches at the beginning and ending of every letter to allow for easier trimming; and, They are monochromatic so that thread changes are minimized. It is my feeling that lettering will be one of the most used capabilities of the Innova™ GFE. It is in our shop.
Mary Olson's award winning quilt "Perserverace"
As an example, at the Fall Paducah show I met Mary Olson from Oregon who won a ribbon for her quilt "Perseverance". She related to me that she had spent an entire year free-motion longarming her quilt on an Innova. That's art as well as dedication in addition to perseverance!
The last reason that easily comes to mind is obvious to me: I don't have an embroidery machine. I've wanted one since we first opened Forever In Stitches. I envisioned embroidering blocks to sew into quilts. However, I never had the time to justify the investment in an embroidery machine. Now I have an Innova that does embroidery as part of our longarming studio and I have learned how to create designs to boot! Cool!
Examples shown:
The last reason that easily comes to mind is obvious to me: I don't have an embroidery machine. I've wanted one since we first opened Forever In Stitches. I envisioned embroidering blocks to sew into quilts. However, I never had the time to justify the investment in an embroidery machine. Now I have an Innova that does embroidery as part of our longarming studio and I have learned how to create designs to boot! Cool!
Examples shown:
a small portion of Mary's
free-motion quilt
free-motion quilt
True-type script font with embroidered hearts - "just for giggles"
The pictures show a couple of the tests I performed to test various capabilities of Innova's Grand Format Embroidery™.using "Path Apply" This is not the Grand Format Embroidy but it is Path Apply which is part of GFE. With Path Apply you can use the regular quilting patterns in your machine and this is a new file that Ruth created and Rick designed for the Innova.
[We never experiment on customers' quilts!].
In case you are wondering, we can stitch any true-type font that we have with our Innovas [with or without the hearts]. This example of the true-type script "R" was "just for giggles." But, you never know, someone may look at that and say "That's just what I want!"
The pictures show a couple of the tests I performed to test various capabilities of Innova's Grand Format Embroidery™.using "Path Apply" This is not the Grand Format Embroidy but it is Path Apply which is part of GFE. With Path Apply you can use the regular quilting patterns in your machine and this is a new file that Ruth created and Rick designed for the Innova.
[We never experiment on customers' quilts!].
In case you are wondering, we can stitch any true-type font that we have with our Innovas [with or without the hearts]. This example of the true-type script "R" was "just for giggles." But, you never know, someone may look at that and say "That's just what I want!"
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TWO HALF
& TO HOLD |
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Raggedy Ruth has designed a new wedding quilt in two colors that will be announced before mid-May. I designed the stitching for it in several varieties so that she could have her choice of the patterns to be used in the custom quilting of it.
It is called "Heart ~ Two Half & To Hold Set" [RGS045]. It is a set of 17 designs for $15 on our web-store. It includes corners, squares, hearts, overall, meanders, borders, and triangles. This will allow you to do everything from edge-to-edges projects as well as highly customized with prairie-points.
It is called "Heart ~ Two Half & To Hold Set" [RGS045]. It is a set of 17 designs for $15 on our web-store. It includes corners, squares, hearts, overall, meanders, borders, and triangles. This will allow you to do everything from edge-to-edges projects as well as highly customized with prairie-points.
Kicking Off The New Year!
Yes, I realize that the New Year started five months ago. But, Arlene, the quilter in the center, is back! She is our main Quilts of Valor “soldier quilter” and has just gotten back from recovering from shoulder surgery. She usually does about 40 quilts per year for the Quilts of Valor of the Bluffton Scrap Artists Quilt Club. In her absence Raggedy Ruth, on the left, has stepped in and quilted over 20 this year. Not shown is Sylvia, our second “soldier quilter”.
The event for the day was to train Arlene and Ruth, on the right, on the operation of the Innova. The last time Arlene was here quilting, she was using our Statler Stitchers.
The Ruth “on the right” quilted up a soldier quilt during her learning exercise. She normally rents our machines for her personal use. She, too, has a vast experience longarming because she was a longarmer for us for 13 years.
They both were amazed at the improvements that the Innova provided. And, even though it was different than what they were used to, they found it easy to learn. When I asked Arlene how she liked it, she replied “I love it!” [I think she enjoyed the “power assist” on her newly-repaired shoulder, too!]
Yes, I realize that the New Year started five months ago. But, Arlene, the quilter in the center, is back! She is our main Quilts of Valor “soldier quilter” and has just gotten back from recovering from shoulder surgery. She usually does about 40 quilts per year for the Quilts of Valor of the Bluffton Scrap Artists Quilt Club. In her absence Raggedy Ruth, on the left, has stepped in and quilted over 20 this year. Not shown is Sylvia, our second “soldier quilter”.
The event for the day was to train Arlene and Ruth, on the right, on the operation of the Innova. The last time Arlene was here quilting, she was using our Statler Stitchers.
The Ruth “on the right” quilted up a soldier quilt during her learning exercise. She normally rents our machines for her personal use. She, too, has a vast experience longarming because she was a longarmer for us for 13 years.
They both were amazed at the improvements that the Innova provided. And, even though it was different than what they were used to, they found it easy to learn. When I asked Arlene how she liked it, she replied “I love it!” [I think she enjoyed the “power assist” on her newly-repaired shoulder, too!]
