I'm having a bit of a deja vu moment and feeling like I've asked this before...
Lately I've been really considering on getting an embroidery machine (maybe I considered the idea before, hence the deja vu). I've been thinking about it because of my stained glass quilted wallhangings and I'd like to have labels for all eight of them. Well, its not just the wallhangings. I'd like to have one for just about anything quilted I make in the future.
I hate the iron on sheets you can print the designs on. My handwriting is not the prettiest so I'm not planning on writing my own with fabric markers. I really, really liked the look of a customized embroidered label I had ordered and it turned out fantastic, but the process of trying to communicate what I wanted was...well, a little frustrating. A slightly frustrating experiance is not the only reason why I'd want to get an embroidery machine and do it myself. I could do more than just labels. I'm thinking "I could create things and they would be awesome!"
I'm kind of hitting a snag on finding a machine that I would like. There are so many embroidery machines and its been a little hard deciphering what one would suit my needs. I would like the option of expanding on the designs already programmed into the machine. I've seen embroidery designs on the internet you can download to use on the machine. I'd like one that could actually use those designs. It would also be nice if it could sew AND embroider. And I'm wondering if I have to give an arm and a leg to have such a machine or if there are more affordable options. Like $500ish affordable.