You will need:
- 100mm x 100mm (approx 4 inch) hoop & stabiliser – use tear away if you want a firmer pizza or wash away for a softer feel
- 10cm x 10cm (4″ x 4″) light wadding (approx. 2oz weight)
- 2 x 10cm x 10cm (4″ x 4″) light brown / light yellow felt
- 9cm x 8cm (3.5″ x 3.1″) dark red or orange felt
- Scraps of dark yellow, bright yellow and bright red felt
- Masking Tape
- Threads (I used Polyester Embroidery Thread in Brother colours – 323 Light Brown, 126 Pumpkin, 800 Red, 205 Yellow)
Download the Free Embroidery Machine File Here:
Please note that this is a zipped compressed file containing 10 different files for different embroidery machines. To use the one you need, just right click on the zip folder and select “Extract All”. That will save them as uncompressed file versions ready for you to transfer to your embroidery machine. The following embroidery machine extensions are in there:
- .CSD (Singer)
- .DST (Tajima/Barudan/Brother/SWF)
- .EXP (Melco/Bernina)
- .HUS (Husqvarna Viking older generation embroidery machines)
- .JEF (Janome/Kenmore/Elna)
- .PES (Brother/Baby Lock/Bernina)
- .PCS (Pfaff)
- .SHV (Husqvarna Viking Designer 1)
- .VIP (Pfaff/Husqvarna Viking modern embroidery machines)
- .XXX (Singer)
You’ll notice the file appears to have many thread changes. There are only 5 actual thread changes (including the first colour). The rest are all stopping points to give you time to prepare for the next step, so just follow the steps below as it pauses after sewing.
I’ve also made it so that each layer of pizza toppings is a complete embroidery rather than just stitching what shows. I figure this way you can make each pizza slice the way different people like to eat them. Want to leave pineapple off? No problem! Going meat-free? Done. Cheese only? Go for it! Just skip past the steps that add that topping.
How To Stitch Out The Free Pizza Embroidery Machine Play Food
STEP 1:
Starting The Pizza Base:
First, hoop the stabiliser only and start with the light brown thread – colour 323. The first colour will stitch out a pizza shape to mark your first placement on the stabiliser. Next, place your first light brown or light
yellow felt onto the stabiliser so that it covers all the stitching. I like to use masking tape to hold it securely in place, but you could hold it in place with pins well outside of the stitch lines if you prefer.
STEP 2:
Colour 2 on the file simply repeats the pizza shape to hold the felt down in place and adds a line for where the
sauce will come up to.
STEP 3:
Adding The Sauce:
Place your orange felt over your pizza so that it covers from the point of the pizza and past the sauce line. Tape it on top, then step 3 will stitch it down in place.
STEP 4:
Take the hoop off the machine. Leaving the fabric and
stabiliser still in the hoop, trim off the top section of
the orange felt as close to the stitching as you can.
Be careful not to cut through the stitches, light brown felt or stabiliser. I find it helpful to use applique scissors and leave the hoop on a table so that the frame and stabiliser are supported, making it less likely that I’ll lean on it and stretch it.
Colour 4 will stitch out a satin stitch at the edge of the sauce. I did mine light brown, but you might want to switch to orange for this bit too.
STEP 5:
From here on in, the toppings are optional! Just add the ones you want and skip any sections you don’t.
Adding The Cheese:
Switch the thread over to orange (I’m using pumpkin 126).
Colour 5 will mark out where your cheesy patches will be.
STEP 6:
Place your dark yellow/light orange felt over the stitched out markings for the cheese. Again, just keeping the new layer in place with masking tape or pins well away from the stitching area.
The 6th colour will tack it down in place.
STEP 7:
Like step 4, where I trimmed off the edge of the sauce felt, this step needs the hoop removing from the machine, and the bits between the cheese trimming away close to the stitching without cutting down into the other layers, before returning back onto the embroidery machine.
Colour 7 will add a satin stitch all the way around the cheesy sections.
STEP 8:
Adding The Meat:
Change the thread to red (I used Red colour 800). This next colour will stitch out where to place the red felt for the meat.
Step 9
Place your red felt over the 3 rings and hold them in place with your masking tape. This step will tack them down.
It’s easier if it’s 1 piece, but I was using up some little scraps. Don’t worry if you catch a little masking tape in your stitching. It’s easy to just ease out gently after.
STEP 10:
Again, take the hoop off the machine temporarily. Leaving it all hooped up, just trim away the excess red
felt being careful not to cut anything else or stretch the stabiliser.
This next colour change will add a satin stitch around the edges, and add detail to the centre.
STEP: 11
Adding The Pineapple Pieces
Change your thread to a light and bright yellow – I used Yellow number 205. This colour change will mark out the pineapple pieces.
STEP 12:
Place bright yellow felt over and tape in place. This
step stitches them down
STEP 13:
Pop the hoop momentarily off the embroidery machine so you can trim away the excess felt around the pineapple pieces. The next colour will place a satin stitch around the pineapple and add a little bit of detail.
STEP 14:
Adding The Back To The Pizza Base
Take the hoop off the machine and turn it over so you are looking at the back. Lay a piece of wadding over your stitching then add the other piece of light brown/light yellow felt on top.
Secure it in place at the edges with masking tape or pins well away from the stitching lines.
Put the hoop back on the embroidery machine and switch back to the light brown thread (I used number 323 thread).
The final colour stitches the front to back.
Then all the stitching is done. All that’s left is to gently pull away any excess tear-away stabiliser (or dissolve soluble stabiliser) then trim the fabric close to the stitching line being careful not to snip any stitches. Then pass it to an excited child to enjoy!
