Embellished Photomat

 
Embellished Photo Mats

Designed by Ellen Osten
Supplies:
Prepare Fabric
  1. Use picture frame for size and letter placement. Using a Temporary Fabric Marker, trace mat opening onto the right side of the back-ground fabric.

  2. Trace the already reversed letters onto one side of Steam-A-Seam. Cut them out and fuse them onto the wrong side of the contrast fabric.

    Cut the letters out of the fabric. Remove paper backing. Using the mat line as your guide, slightly overlap the letters as you lay them on the right side of the background fabric.

    Follow manufacturer's directions for fusing.

  3. Iron two layers of Totally Stable to the back of the fabric, extending two to three inches from the edges of the fabric.
Embroider and Quilt
  1. If you are doing computerized embroidery, thread your machine with Sulky Decorative Thread on the top and Sulky Polyester Bobbin Thread in the bobbin, follow your machine set-up instructions, and proceed with placement of embroidery. You can also do free-motion embroidery (Thread Painting). Refer to the book Embroidery Concepts in Sulky if you need help with Thread Painting.
     
  2. After embroidering is complete, apply a seam sealant such as Fray Check on all the embroidered edges. Let dry. Remove Tear-Easy from back. To trim away all of the background fabric only from the center, using sharp, pointed scissors, poke the scissor point under the fabric only; clip the fabric enough so that you can slip your finger under it to gently lift it away from the Totally Stable and trim it very close to the embroidery designs and letters. Do not tear or cut Totally Stable.
     


Hint: When Ellen did the embroidery designs, she hooped one layer of Tear-Easy, sprayed the hooped Tear-Easy with KK 2000 and placed the fabric, with the Totally Stable ironed onto it, against the hooped Tear-Easy.

Construct the Mat
  1. Re-press Totally Stable in place if any of it has become unattached to the fabric due to the excessive handling.

  2. Set up machine for Applique: Attach the open-toe foot; raise the feed dogs; set the machine for a 3.0 width zig-zag; set the length for a close satin stitch. Loosen upper tension two or three notches. (TheSulky Secrets to Successful Appliqué book is a good refresher book if you need help.) Satin stitch around the letters (pattern available here). Blend the satin stitch into the embroidery designs. Remove the stabilizer. By stitching with your stitch length very close, the stabilizer should perforate well, allowing it to tear away very cleanly. 

    Extra touch: To add a beautiful sparkle, straight stitchSulky Sliver Metallic, with a 1.5 length, next to the satin stitching in the inside of the letter.
     
  3. Spray the frame mat with KK 2000. Lay the wrong side of the fabric on top of the mat. Turn it over and spray the back of the mat. Lay your favorite picture in place. You should be looking at the back of the photo. Trim excess fabric even with the edge of the mat. Put into the picture frame and replace the backing. 
     
  4. Sign and date. Wonderful for all special events: anniversaries, graduations, holidays, etc.!
Patterns
For the letter patterns we are providing them as downloads from the browser below. You may click each image and then print the full size pattern that appears or you may save the images to your local hard drive. 

If you wish to save to your hard drive proceed as follows: 

PC users - right click on each image and select "save this image as..." in the pop up menu.

Mac users - control click to bring up the popoup menu and then select "save this image as...".