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

I survived a PhD by making custom birthday cakes and wedding cakes on 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 - so I created two sets, one with bows and one without!

Materials needed:

• Embroidery design: numbers with bows or numbers without bows!
• Fabric for the front and back of the number, with Heat and Bond Lite ironed onto the underside. Small patterns or solids work best. 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 (applique, fabric scissors, rotary blade, and exacto knife)
• Cardboard party straws (I get the gold ones from Target!).  Thin dowel rods (or even bamboo skewers) would also work.  
• 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!  Use this as a starting point as you figure out what method you prefer.

Let’s get started!

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!
   
2. Run the placement stitch around the project. 
3. Attach the fabric.  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!  
4. Run the tack-down stitch. A bean stitch will run right after this step around the number!
5. If making the bow version:  Run the placement stitch for the bow fabric.
6. If making the bow version: Place your fabric (Heat and Bond Lite side down) for the bow on the number and clamp/pin/sewtite the layers together.
7. If making the bow version: Run the tack-down stitch for the bow fabric. A bean stitch step will directly follow, and then trim the bow!
   
8. Remove and trim. 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.
   
   
   
9. Assemble the topper. Flatten one end of a cardboard party straw (or a dowel or a bamboo skewer) and sandwich the straw in between the layers of the front and back of the number - foam side touching foam side.  Use hot glue to secure!
   
   
   
   
10. Finishing touches.  Personalize and trim the straw if it stands too high out of the cake.  Add a monogram, a name, or a mini fill design to make this the perfect custom product!
    

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.
• Get creative with personalization! 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!

• Front and backs of numbers are pre-designed in this file set! 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