BERNINA Corporate Blog -Embroidery Tutorial for Lightweight Mesh Packing Cubes
Packing cubes in three sizes with fun, embroidered text.
This embroidery tutorial was a perfect project for me. I hadn’t yet used the embroidery feature on my BERNINA 590 and I was looking for something relatively simple to learn to use my machine. This tutorial can help you get started with some simple machine embroidery too.
I have been travelling a lot lately for work and I try to pack as lightly as possible to use my carry-on luggage. I decided I really wanted to get some packing cubes, but there are so many cheap and flimsy ones on the market that just don’t seem to hold up to regular use.
While searching for packing cubes online, I found some fun designs with goofy sayings. Packing cubes with personality! I knew that I could easily create my own fun designs with my BERNINA 590.
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to try the Ripstop by the Roll packing cube kits sold here. These kits have all the pieces you need. They are laser precut so you can start sewing immediately. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
Alternatively, there are a lot of packing cube patterns available, and many of them are free. By gathering a few basic materials, you can create your own travel accessories.
Materials Needed:
Sewing Machine BERNINA 590
Embroidery Module
Hoop to fit your cubes and designs: Medium hoop
Embroidery foot for your machine
BERNINA Big Book of Embroidery: Page 26 discusses different types of stabilizers and their uses.
Sewing Thread
Embroidery Thread
*Ripstopbytheroll Packing Cube Kits
*Note – these cube kits are truly amazing!! The first 15 people can use the discount code Heather10% .
Alternatives:
If you wish to sew alternative packing cubes, here are some optional Free Packing Cube Patterns:
https://www.myogtutorials.com/clamshell-packing-cubes/
https://mellysews.com/sew-use-packing-cubes/
Packing Cube Fabrics:
You can use any packing cube pattern with a lightweight fabric. I prefer lightweight mesh fabrics because you can see the contents a little without opening each cube all of the way up. Insect no-see-um mesh would be a great alternative, like you would find on bug jackets and tent windows. You could even try using a strong polyester organza! The key is strong and lightweight. Cotton fabrics such as quilting cotton will also work. I prefer nylon or polyester because they are easy to keep clean, slide smoothly into your suitcase, and dry quickly.
Getting Started with Machine Embroidery:
Here are some BERNINA videos if you are just getting started with your BERNINA embroidery and sewing machine.
How to use your embroidery hoops.
Embroidery Tutorial – Getting Started:
First, cut out your packing cube pattern pieces. Take the top panel and draw chalk lines to mark the center of the fabric for the packing cube top.
Select a hoop for your fabric piece. I used the Medium (100X130) hoop for my small and medium-sized packing cubes. The large oval hoop worked well for my largest cube.
Choosing the correct stabilizer is important. Here is a BERNINA Blog post about this. Which Stabilizer for Which Material.
Take your stabilizer and cut a piece approximately 2” larger than your hoop. Lightly spray with temporary spray adhesive. I like to spray inside a large cardboard box to prevent overspray from getting onto my floor or table (I learned this the hard way).
Hoop the fabric and stabilizer as one. See page 51 in the Big Book of Embroidery for instructions to hoop fabric and stabilizer.
Use the hoop alignment guide for embroidery placement.
Follow the steps on page 137 in the BERNINA 590 manual to set up your machine for embroidery.
I used the Straight- and CutWork Stitch Plate.
The plate and the embroidery foot came standard with my BERNINA 590 sewing and embroidery machine.
BERNINA Straight- and CutWork Stitch Plate and BERNINA Embroidery Foot #26.
Creating your Font Design:
Go to the BERNINA embroidery files on the machine. Select the fonts folder and then choose the font that you wish. Type the text that you want to use. You can then edit your text using the edit menu on the BERNINA screen. I rotated the font and then sized it to fit the hoop using the knob on my machine.
Attach the hoop to the machine and you are ready to embroider.
TIP! Always stay near your machine. You never know when a thread will break or a jam will occur. If you do have to step away, I suggest you pause your embroidery. To do this, simply press the sewing stop/start button on your machine.
Repeat for additional packing cubes. After your embroidery is completed, cut away the bulk of the stabilizer. Then, wash away the remaining stabilizer bits. 
Finish sewing the packing cubes according to your pattern instructions.
Adding embroidery labels to packing cubes makes it simpler to find your items and you can also add some humour!
Happy stitching!
Heather @ManitoulinThreads🧵✂
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