Embroidery Machines Lets Chat & Have Fun
#2101
I recently bought a Husqvarna Topaz 20 and took a couple lessons to learn how it thinks. My advice is to contact the dealer, make an appointment for a whole afternoon, and take your book and write notes. I would have never figure this machine out on my own. It's so different from the Janome Memory Craft 8000 I used for years and years. ( Well actually, I burned thru 2 Janomes!) But the good thing about this Husky is that my Janome designs were re-programmed from design cards into the language for the Husky and now I have them downloaded to my flash drive straight to the new machine. I had spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on the Janome designs and just throwing that out was not an option for me. So now I not only have all of them, but I can buy great designs for very cheap on embroiderylibrary.com also.
#2102
I would use the clear water soluble plastic stabilizer on both sides, maybe even double on both sides since the fabric is so slippery. You can get it in big rolls now and if you watch the sale coupons for Joann's and Hancock's, you can get it for good prices.
#2103
I have been playing with my Brother PE-770 since I got it for my birthday in March. I have been using a borrowed software and now I want to find one that is made for Brother. We don't have a dealer here so I talked to one while I was visiting my daughter and all she wanted to sell me was a $1400 Brother software. I went to a Bernina dealer that told me to check out Embird and BuzzTools. Any thoughts out there ?
#2104
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 5,397
I have been playing with my Brother PE-770 since I got it for my birthday in March. I have been using a borrowed software and now I want to find one that is made for Brother. We don't have a dealer here so I talked to one while I was visiting my daughter and all she wanted to sell me was a $1400 Brother software. I went to a Bernina dealer that told me to check out Embird and BuzzTools. Any thoughts out there ?
#2105
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Bluebell
Posts: 4,291
What kind of stabilizer should I use for items like burp cloths, kitchen towels? I was using a tear away but then I read where it doesn't hold up after washes. I am so excited, I got my janome 9500 to read designs from transfers now. I have only had this machine how many years, and just getting into this embroidery. I really need to slow down and read about all this. Up to now, I just been playing around with it.
#2106
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 5,397
What kind of stabilizer should I use for items like burp cloths, kitchen towels? I was using a tear away but then I read where it doesn't hold up after washes. I am so excited, I got my janome 9500 to read designs from transfers now. I have only had this machine how many years, and just getting into this embroidery. I really need to slow down and read about all this. Up to now, I just been playing around with it.
#2107
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 5,397
Reply to SingerSewer; Anita Goodesign has great designs and if you can find her classes as they go to different areas then that's also great. Also check to see when John Deere and Floriani offer classes in your area. Not only are their classes affordable, you'll learn a lot and get lots of free things and have the opportunity to buy things at great prices.
For organization I use my software that came with my machine. I had gotten one from Floriani last yr that was to just view your designs in one large folder. You save them in the folder with the orignal name and then they show up as icons and you don't have to remember what the name was because you can see all of your designs. The nice thing about this software besides seeing all of your designs as pics so you don't have to recall a name to pull it up because when you click on it, it will pull up the design but it also doesn't matter if you've gotten designs with the same name, it will still store them. This happens alot especially when you buy from different companies. I'm not currently using it and have decided to sell it because I found out my machines software will do the same thing so it's not needed. but it is an easy program to use and it's around a 100 new so really affordable.
When I download designs I first save them into an orders folder with the companies name. This is because if you ever want to reorder a design, it gets corrupt or whatever, you need to have the co name plus the original name of design. I don't rename them until I save them into another folder by catagory. Now I just don't rename them at all, I put them into folders by catagory as to what they are and then have subfolders with companies name so I know where I got them. This is also good if you need to redownload a thread chart or instructions from a site, you need the name. Some companies archive the designs after a while so if you don't have the design name you can't get it again. I save them all to my pc and then do a backup to 2 Cd's. In the future I'll get a portable hard drive and then I'll back them up to it and do a cd and with a copy on my laptop I should be covered. You'll be amazed at how fast the designs accumulate with all the free ones you can get, the ones on sale or just the ones you can resist. I also have a folder called Cd and that's where I save the orginal for CD's that I have purchased so that I'm sure of where Ineed to go to find them. Organizing them from the beginning is so much easier than trying to do it later and then keeping it updated is also a chore but worth it when you need to find something.
For organization I use my software that came with my machine. I had gotten one from Floriani last yr that was to just view your designs in one large folder. You save them in the folder with the orignal name and then they show up as icons and you don't have to remember what the name was because you can see all of your designs. The nice thing about this software besides seeing all of your designs as pics so you don't have to recall a name to pull it up because when you click on it, it will pull up the design but it also doesn't matter if you've gotten designs with the same name, it will still store them. This happens alot especially when you buy from different companies. I'm not currently using it and have decided to sell it because I found out my machines software will do the same thing so it's not needed. but it is an easy program to use and it's around a 100 new so really affordable.
When I download designs I first save them into an orders folder with the companies name. This is because if you ever want to reorder a design, it gets corrupt or whatever, you need to have the co name plus the original name of design. I don't rename them until I save them into another folder by catagory. Now I just don't rename them at all, I put them into folders by catagory as to what they are and then have subfolders with companies name so I know where I got them. This is also good if you need to redownload a thread chart or instructions from a site, you need the name. Some companies archive the designs after a while so if you don't have the design name you can't get it again. I save them all to my pc and then do a backup to 2 Cd's. In the future I'll get a portable hard drive and then I'll back them up to it and do a cd and with a copy on my laptop I should be covered. You'll be amazed at how fast the designs accumulate with all the free ones you can get, the ones on sale or just the ones you can resist. I also have a folder called Cd and that's where I save the orginal for CD's that I have purchased so that I'm sure of where Ineed to go to find them. Organizing them from the beginning is so much easier than trying to do it later and then keeping it updated is also a chore but worth it when you need to find something.
#2108
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Oregon City, OR
Posts: 214
I have been making burp cloths out of flannel - double sided so the back of the embroidery is not seen. I wanted them to stay soft so I use iron on very light weight knit interfacing (half price coupon at JoAnn's) and iron on to the entire one side of the flannel. It is enclosed in the seams so I am not worried about it loosening up with washing. Doing the embroidery I do float a piece of WSS on the top. The flannel is washed prior to cutting/stitching, and then again after and there has been no puckering or shrinkage of the stitched area. If I were doing a single layer I think I would use a WSS stabilizer in the hoop and float another piece on the top. I have been doing very simple redwork type line designs and not a heavier applique type design. Jane
What kind of stabilizer should I use for items like burp cloths, kitchen towels? I was using a tear away but then I read where it doesn't hold up after washes. I am so excited, I got my janome 9500 to read designs from transfers now. I have only had this machine how many years, and just getting into this embroidery. I really need to slow down and read about all this. Up to now, I just been playing around with it.
#2109
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coastal Georgia
Posts: 1,508
You can expect to pay several hundred dollars to as much as over a thousand for a good embroidery software, however, what you spend depends on what you want the software to do.
What features are you looking for in an embroidery software.
Buying this is very much like buying a car, or a new computer, or a sewing machine for that matter. All depends on what you want it to do (what features you want on it).
What features are you looking for in an embroidery software.
Buying this is very much like buying a car, or a new computer, or a sewing machine for that matter. All depends on what you want it to do (what features you want on it).
#2110
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Port Charlotte, Fl
Posts: 2,569
Hi, I have a Brother SE 350 and haven't had a lot of time to play with it. I replied last post I saw and then lost you while I was away on vacation. Let me know where to look for this conversation I would love to join you and learn and share. Sue
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
craftybear
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
22
02-13-2010 12:12 PM