Free Design: Embroidered Trinket Tray

Brother Sews Blogger

Use your Brother machine and the Free Design of the Month to make a sweet little trinket tray. This project features the Brother 8-inch square embroidery hoop and highlights design possibilities using frame shape patterns built-in to your Brother machine. If you have a slightly smaller or larger hoop, feel free to adapt these instructions to make a different size. Add a monogram letter and a scalloped frame to the center for an extra special touch! You only need a few supplies and a short amount of time to make this pretty and practical item. Perfect for the boudoir or powder room, this makes a great gift for Mother’s Day too! Are you ready? Let’s go sew!

Materials and Supplies

• Brother
  sewing and embroidery machine.
• Brother
  Embroidery Thread, Bobbin Thread, and size 11 embroidery needle for embroidering.
• Brother 8-inch embroidery hoop or another desired hoop.

Note: Instructions are for using an 8-inch hoop, for a tray that finishes at approximately 5-inches square.

Materials for Trinket Tray:

• For topside of tray, cut one piece of quilt weight cotton large enough to fit the 8-inch hoop with an additional margin of 1-2- inches extending beyond the hoop. Cut a layer of thin fusible craft fleece to match fabric dimensions.
• For bottom side of tray, cut one piece of quilt weight cotton measuring approximately 9-inches square. Cut a layer of thin fusible craft fleece to match fabric dimensions.
• Note: You can use the same color for both top and bottom of this tray or choose two coordinating fabrics.

Brother FREE Design of the Month:

• RoseCorner.pes See below (click here to download
  )

Note: Finished size of trinket tray is approximately 5-inches square. Note: Just in case, click here
to see the Design on iBroidery.com.

Steps to Create Trinket Tray

1. Download Free Design and transfer to your machine. 2. Fuse fleece to wrong side of each fabric piece. See Figure #1. [caption id="attachment_24182" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #1[/caption] 3. Gather supplies and decide on embroidery thread colors. See Figure #2. [caption id="attachment_24183" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #2[/caption] Note: I modified my thread colors as shown below: 4. Hoop fabric for topside of tray in the 8-inch hoop, with fabric facing right side up. 5. Follow the steps below to create a combination design using frame shapes built-in to the machine, along with the free RoseCorner.pes design rotated to fit into each corner.

• Start by selecting frame shapes from the built-in menu, selecting the square shape with the triple stitch.
• Resize square to equal a measurement nearly 5 ¼-inches square. Select the same frame shape a second time, and re-size to fill the entire allowable area of the 8-inch hoop. Add Rose corner designs to each corner, rotating and mirror imaging designs, making sure they are positioned just inside the smaller square.
• Add a small frame shape to the center, along with a letter from built-in fonts. Re-size small frame and letter as desired.

See example of completed design below: 6. Stitch the design. See Figure #3. [caption id="attachment_24184" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #3[/caption] 7. Remove from hoop and layer the smaller fabric piece on top with right sides together. See Figure #4. [caption id="attachment_24185" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #4[/caption] 8. Pin layers together. See Figure #5. [caption id="attachment_24186" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #5[/caption] 9. Flip so wrong side of embroidery is facing you. In the next step you’ll need to stitch around the larger square. Use a small round object such as a thread spool to mark off rounded corners on the square. See Figure #6. [caption id="attachment_24187" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #6[/caption] 10. Use a straight stitch to sew just inside the stitching line for the large square, leaving a 3-inch opening along one edge to turn piece right sides out. Trim excess fabric, trimming close to corners and leaving a ¼-inch seam allowance along remaining edges. See Figure #7a and Figure #7b. This shows a rough outline of the stitching line in red and the opening in blue. [caption id="attachment_24188" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #7a[/caption] [caption id="attachment_24189" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #7b[/caption] 11. Turn right side out. To form side edges on the tray, press along each of the stitching lines formed by the small square. Pin corners. See Figure #8. [caption id="attachment_24190" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #8[/caption] 12. Fold edges together and use a straight stitch to tack down each corner, removing pins, beginning your stitching ¾-inch from the point and continuing to the tip at the end. See Figure #9a and Figure #9b. [caption id="attachment_24191" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #9a[/caption] [caption id="attachment_24192" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Figure #9b[/caption] 13. You are finished! Enjoy your new embroidered trinket tray! Free Design_ Embroidered Trinket Tray - Stitching Sewcial.pdf