Fun fact - in a previous life, I was a cake decorator!

It’s how I survived grad school - I made custom birthday cakes and wedding cakes during my nights and weekends. I even made my own wedding cakes (plural, obviously) when my husband and I got married (and remind me to tell you about the time when my dad ate the whole top tier before ever got back from our honeymoon!).

All that to say, when birthdays roll around in my family, I'm in charge of the cake(s). When we had a 3, 4, and 5 year old to celebrate at the same party, I knew it was the perfect time to make a birthday cake topper with numbers - and a set with bows!

What you need:

First things first – assemble your supplies.

• This design, if you want the bow version - and this design, if you just want numbers!
• Fabric – enough for the front and back of the number with Heat and Bond Lite ironed on the underside of the fabric. I find that small patterns or solids work best for this - and if you’re doing the numbers with bows design, make sure you have enough fabric for the bows too!
• Sheet of white craft foam OR white stiff craft felt – your choice here, I've done either for this design but like foam for the ease of cutting!
• If you're going to float this project, something to float it on - sulky sticky is my favorite product.
•  Sharp scissors (all the scissors - applique, fabric cutting, rotary blade, and exacto knife)
• Iron 
• Spray adhesive
  

NOTE: There are so many methods for doing projects like this, so I just want to give you a few ideas and how I do them! Play around and see what you like best. There is no ‘wrong’ way to do this!

Let’s get started!

• Step 1: Float or hoop your foam/felt on your embroidery machine. If I float, then I clamp it within an inch of it’s life! If you’ve got magnetic hoops, or like a traditional hoop - this project just got easier, hoop the felt/foam directly and pop it on the machine!

• Step 2: Run the placement stitch around the project.
• Step 3: Spray your felt/foam with adhesive spray, and then place your fabric (Heat and Bond Lite side down) on top of your felt/foam. Secure these layers together!
• Step 4: Run the tack-down stitch. A bean stitch will run right after this step around the number!

• IF YOU’RE DOING THE BOW NUMBERS Step 5: Run the placement stitch for the bow fabric.
• IF YOU’RE DOING THE BOW NUMBERS Step 6: Place your fabric (Heat and Bond Lite side down) on the number and clamp/pin/sewtite the layers together.
• IF YOU’RE DOING THE BOW NUMBERS Step 7: Run the tack-down stitch for the bow fabric. A bean stitch step will directly follow, and then trim the bow!

• Step 8: Pop your whole project out of the frame and trim! I use a pair of sharp, heavy metal scissors for cutting this step. I usually leave about a quarter inch edge around the number bean stitch just to give myself a little room if I need to trim up later.

• Step 9: Flatten one end of a cardboard party straw (I got these gold ones from Target, but you can find them so many places/colors/patterns) and sandwich the straw in between the numbers with hot glue. You’ll want to glue them foam side to foam side (or felt side to felt side).

Done! Personalize and trim the straw if it sticks out of the cake too high!

Some tips and tricks:

• Pick one thread color – my favorite machine for this project is my single needle! I pick my thread color and use that color for every single step.
• You can personalize this a million ways! Put a name on the bottom of the front of the number, or add a mini fill design. Do a tiny grosgrain bow under the number or a big bundle of ribbon. The world is your oyster!

• This file set comes with the front of the number and the back of the number already designed for you! I do them both at the same time and then sort steps so that the placement stitch for front and back of the stitch at the same time, the tack down stitch for both front and back stitch at the same time, etc.  It’s an easy-peasy stitchout!
• Press your numbers with an iron (if you use foam, make sure no foam is showing and cut the heat down a bit) to make them really crisp. 

Have the best time with this one!

Beth