National Embroidery Month is a time to celebrate all the wonderful things you can do with an embroidery machine. Plus, it gives us another great excuse for trumpeting the creative freedom these machines can unleash! A home embroidery machine is something of an investment for most households. So the first question people often ask is, 'Will I actually use this thing?' That answer is, 'Yes!' As a matter of fact, we're willing to bet an embroidery machine will even save you money in the long run.

What's Old is New Again

Samples of embroidery survive that date back to the 5th century BC, with huge resurgences in popularity occurring with regularity throughout history. Right now, embroidery is again one of the hottest trends in home décor sewing.

Machine embroidery can mimic the elaborate hand embroidery of the past to add a beautiful historic or retro feel to your home décor sewing. Below, we show a tiny selection of the abundant styles of historic embroidery that have been digitized for contemporary sewing.

Redwork embroidery was red hot in the 1880s. Redwork uses a simple, elegant stitch to create a variety of patterns using images of almost any subject from flowers and architecture to children and animals. At the time, Turkish Red floss was prized for its colorfastness. Initially, redwork was used on household items like tea towels, pillows, table cloths and dresser scarves; plus every kind of tidy and cozy imaginable. Later, redwork embroidery became increasingly popular for quilts. The alphabet sample shown above is a small selection from Janome's Redwork CD-ROM Collection.

Blackwork embroidery was popular in the 15th century and done in black silk thread on linen and used initially for clothing, often as a counted-thread stitch. Later, it was less counted thread and more floral patterns used for all types décor. The blackwork samples shown above are a small selection from Janome's Blackwork CD-ROM Collection.

Heirloom embroidery, so popular in the early 1900s, is incredibly chic and trendy right now. The little ribbons and bluebirds on dresser scarves, aprons and tea towels are so delicate and pretty – who wouldn't welcome them back?! The samples shown above are from PC cards: Heirloom Collection designed by Martha Pullen, and Border Collection.

From redwork and blackwork, to heirloom stitching to samplers and monogramming – it's a fun and creative process to select the perfect fabric and embroidery art for your sewing projects. In 2010, we'll be incorporating a number of these historic embroidery styles in projects from retro to urban chic. In the meantime, keep embroidery in mind as a satisfying way personalize and adorn your home décor sewing.

Embroidery Machines

From personalized gifts to accessorizing your home, a home embroidery machine provides the perfect tool for turning low-cost basics into high-end keepsakes.

As we discussed in a previous article, there are many different versions of home embroidery machines to choose from. One great option, if you're just starting out, is an embroidery-only machine. This type of machine is a less expensive option, and provides a companion machine for your regular sewing machine. Your embroidery-only machine can be embroidering, while you use your sewing machine to keep working on other sewing tasks.

We love the Memory Craft 350E from our friends at Janome. This machine is super easy to learn to operate, and it comes with a great selection of built-in designs. Built-in designs, like the examples shown below, offer many creative options for embellishing your home décor, clothing and accessories.

We also like the Memory Craft 350E USB port. It's simple to transfer designs from your computer to the machine. You can do two- and three-letter monogramming, and it contains three full fonts – terrific for making customized tags or quilt labels for your sewing projects as well as personalizing gifts to mark a special date, like a birth, anniversary or wedding. Check out the machine at a local Janome dealer. The embroidery addiction will kick in as soon as you see one in action.

But the best thing about an embroidery machine is not the features it contains, but what it can DO.

Personalize Your Gifts

For a lot of sewers and crafters, our creative energies are directed outward, and making homemade gifts is a top priority. The unqiue gifts you can create with an embroidery machine are endless. Start from scratch or adorn a ready-made or store-bought article.

Let's start with an easy one: Monogrammed Towels. The year I got my embroidery machine, everyone got a set of monogrammed towels for Christmas. This is such an easy gift, but they are so appreciated by the recipient. We may sound like a broken record on this front, considering our previous project for embroidered towels – but we just can't say enough about this fun and easy home décor idea. Well ... maybe I've said enough for today.

The birth of a baby is the perfect time for custom-made gifts. Embroider a baby blanket with the name and birth date of the new arrival. Take a set of store-bought onesie and add cute designs or an initial. You can also make adorable burp cloths with your embroidery machine. Start with an off-the-shelf package of cloth diapers, and add an embroidered letter to the front of each. Machine embroidery takes this ordinary necessity and totally glamorizes it. A new mommy won't mind spit up quite so much with something cute over her shoulder.

Upcycle with Embroidery

Don't throw those old things out just yet ... make them new again with machine embroidery. Tired of those those pillows on your sofa? Give them new life with machine embroidery. This pillow went from ordinary to extraordinary in less than an hour! All we did was take off the pillow cover, put it in the embroidery hoop, and press 'go' on the machine. It's so easy to create unique home décor with machine embroidery.

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