Break the rules with a sewing style that's all about irresistibly rough edges, uneven stitching and mismatched fabric! Step into the studio of popular textile designer Poppy Treffry, as she demonstrates how to create quirky, fun and memorable sewing projects using freehand machine embroidery. Learn to draw and doodle with your sewing machine, using scraps of new, used and vintage fabrics for one-of-a-kind creations. This book will make you look at your sewing machine in a whole new light - not just as a maker of curtains and tablecloths, but as an artist's tool. As you work your way through the steps and become more confident with the techniques, you'll be able to make your sewing machine do things you never thought it could! Poppy guides you through the basics, from threading your sewing machine and setting the right tension to choosing fabrics and hooping up ready to stitch. She then demonstrates how the core techniques, including outlining, shading and applique, are used to create pictures with charm. She shows how layering fabric pieces and leaving edges to fray add to the free and easy effect. Once you have mastered the techniques, 12 projects allow you to put your new skills to use to make practical and desirable sewn objects. From greetings cards to framed pictures, cushions to curtains, bags and purses to doorstops and blankets, these charming project ideas are sure to excite and inspire you. Step-by-step instructions, helpful illustrations and photographs combine with a fresh design to offer you a new twist in needlecrafting.