YAY!!! I just did one little flower with my name (just one color). So excited!!

I have some questions for my wonderful forum family. What kind of stabilizer do I need for cotton material? And what kind of thread can I use? Which brand is better? I can use cotton, rayon, etc thread....right?

Thank you,
Mish :0)

Another question I have....What format do I use? I don't see it in the manual.

Hi Mish - I know how excited you must be because just last Thursday (a little early) I got a Janome 300e Embroidery machine. It has less bells and whistles than yours does but an acquaintence that I know who does lots of quilting and has lots of machines was selling one at a good price and I just had to have it.

I'm having lots of fun with it but have LOTS of questions. I do know that it is .JEF format on the patterns.

I bought some embroidery thread at Joann's that day with some 40% off coupons but I'm not using that yet. I'm using up old thread - have a lot of that - that I wouldn't trust using in any quilting projects. One "old" spool actually had the price on it - believe it or not - it was 19 cents - LOL. I think it had to be my grandmothers - and I'm 70 - ha ha.

One of my many questions is how do I do pictures on small pieces of fabric - pieces that are too small for a hoop? Maybe if you don't know someone on here will answer.

My machine came with the adapter but no card. I ordered a card online at a good price. So far I am just using the patterns that are built into the machine but I have downloaded some that I will be able to put on the card when I get it - probably at the end of the week.

Keep in touch - maybe we can learn together.

Pat

Both of you received really good gifts. I own the Janome 300E myself. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Hindsight being what it is, I do wish I would have paid the extra bucks for the 350E, but I am still very happy with my purchase.

NAYY, but Nancy's notions has a couple of great items for machine embroidery beginners.

http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...ues+book+cd.do
Embroidery Machine Essentials is a fantastic book. Tons of good information. I don't embroider without it.

http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...n+guidebook.do

sort of a cliff notes to stablizers, a real must have.

The janome can read .jef or .sew formats. Regarding threads, you can use just about any thread you want to use. You need to pay attention to the density of your embroidery design. A design that is dense you should use a light weight thread. Less dense, you can use a heavier thread.

Watch it with using the old thread in your machine. Being old it will leave lots of lints through out the machine and breakage can be a real problem.

I would recommend using Schmetz Embroidery needles in the machine. The machines that the CLASS 15 bobbin.

Have fun with the machines, they are great!

[quote=crashnquilt]

Embroidery Machine Essentials is a fantastic book. Tons of good information. I don't embroider without it.

Thanks Crash - I took you advice and ordered the book. Now to be patient waiting for it - LOL.

Can you answer my question about embroidery on a small piece of fabric. For example, if I want to put patterns on some blocks for a quilt and the blocks are only 6 or 8 inch blocks that won't fit in hoop.

Thanks for your help! Pat

The book should have info about how to do that. You will hoop the stabilizer ONLY. Find the center point of the hoop and place a small mark. Find the center point of your fabric and place a small mark. Line up both marks. You can use spray adhesive or baste your smaller square onto the stabilizer.

Until you are familiar with machine embroidery I would not attempt this method for a while. At best this is a bit difficult because you have to keep a really close eye on the project while it's stitching. Sometime corners or edges can flip up and get stitched in the design.

OOOH, you lucky thing. You must have been extra good this year. Have loads of fun.
Annie

What if you sew stripes around the square,then embroidery on your square,then take out the stitches when your done?

Mish,your new machine takes embroidery cards?

[quote=crashnquilt]The book should have info about how to do that. You will hoop the stabilizer ONLY. Find the center point of the hoop and place a small mark. Find the center point of your fabric and place a small mark. Line up both marks. You can use spray adhesive or baste your smaller square onto the stabilizer.quote]

Thanks for your help - I need all I can get.

I have had a 350E for a couple of weeks. I have found it very easy to use..A great site is www.bunnycup.com she has some great free designs that are already in JEF format...
I am on a learning curve trying to change formats on some of the free downloads....I downloaded truesizer today so will spend tomorrow trying to use it....

Yes it does. Thank you so much for everyone's input. I need to get that book. I just ordered that book....heehee

Thank you for that website. We all will learn together. :lol: I just went on the site....OMG....When I tried to save the image I wasn't sure what to save it too. What did you save it too?

I make sure to prewash the fabric so it doesn't shrink and distort the embroidery work. I stay away from cotton thread for the same reason, if it is going to get washed :wink: :D:D:D

Check out emblibrary, they have wonderful tutorial/projects there and very reasonable designs too :D

http://www.emblibrary.com

Yes, I found this web site quite by accident and have been watching some of their tutorials throughout the day.

Thanks for the tips! I've been using up all the old threads just for practice. Today I went to Joann's and bought a roll of tear away stabilizer so I can practice some of those videos.

Pat

I just found this really neat chart listing the different kinds of stabilizers and what type to use with different fabrics. I saved it as a Word document - hope you can open it.

I have had my 350E for over a year and it just adds so much with so little effort to about anything I do. Last year for Christmas I embroidered kitchen towels with each person's name and snowflakes in different colors. I have both Maxine CD's and those are a hoot to do. Since Joann's will have all their thread on sale beginning 12/30/10, would be a good time to stock up on some colors. I like having the USB port. I purchased a portable hard drive to use instead of tying up my computer. It was a well spent $80. I know that some of the embroidery thread sounds expensive but the larger spools have 1,100 yards compared to 400 for cotton. Stock up on Black and white and find colors you like. Also, lots of the quilt shops carry the Dakota Collectible embroidery cd's and each quarter, there are several that are reduced to $19.95, well worth the money. I got tired of trying to download and copy and I just put everything on a cd. It is simpler with less hassles. There are lots of embroidery sites and some have great bargains. There is one site, designs by sick, which have lots and are super reasonable. Enjoy your machine. You might also want to get you a pair of embroidery clippers, sure helps to keep your threads clipped close and those little nippers really help.

Where I live at the moment there is only one shop in the country that sells stabilizer..So I purchased a roll of medium vilene 25 yards for $5.00 and I am using that for practicing and have also used it when I embroidered designs for a Christmas tree skirt and then just carefully cut away the excess vilene when finished.
For some reason the vilene does not stick hard to the fabric,maybe because I dont iron it for to long. Sometimes I iron the vilene on the fabric then when the hoop is placed on the machine slide another piece of vilene under the ironed on vilene..Because sometimes the fabric tends to pucker a bit in the hoop.
Also found some fabrics are thinner so I starch the fabric first..

PGH Pat, thanks for the handy reference sheet. Printed it out and put it in a protector for easy access.

Your quite welcome!

Yesterday I bought a roll of stabilizer and thought I was buying cut away but turns out out is tear away. Do you think I should keep it and go get the cut away or exchange it. Normally would one have enough use for both.

It depends on what kind of fabric you embroider on the most and if you can afford another roll of cutaway. I mostly use the tearaway. Is the place you purchased the stabilizer close to you and is it worth the time and mileage to make the exchange.

After I sent that last message I thought "how dumb" - how could anyone else judge which I might use. And I thought it doesn't cost an arm and a leg so what's the big deal. I live a half hour from Joann's, where I bought it. I am currently going to physical therapy twice a week and have to pass Joann's every time I go - YEA!!!. I went today and stopped and got the cut away and kept the tear away - 40% off coupons for both. LOL Who knows when I might need one or the other.

I think I want to practice on a T-shirt - the reason I wanted to start with the cut away.

Thanks! Pa

How do you save the free downloads from the website? I can't figure out which program to save it in.

I just order a 350E yesterday, and should have it in about a week. Already reading here has help a bunch. So much to learn and so little time, with everything else guess housework will be on the back burner.

Congratulations everyone with the new embroidery machines. Metro Threads website has great thread at good price. I like poly thread as it seems to be stronger than the rayon .Janomes use a class A bobbins not 15s .There is a special bobbin thread that is lighter weight you should use . Lots to learn. Good group to join is MC Embroidery on Yahoo.On small and odd shaped things use sticky back stabilizer hoop that & score the paper thats on top inside the hoop stick your fabric to that.I have a Janome 9700
love it.
Anne

Just went on yahoo and signed up for mc embroidery

Great Mish you will learn so much

i just download it to my computer ,open,copy ,paste to design usb..Then put in my machine.
I don't know what I am doing.....Just hope my net book keeps working till we move home in April so future sil or son teaches me what to do.
Sorry I am not much help to you.
I could right up my instructions for opening etc if that is any help.
Hoping someone with computer knowledge comes along and helps....
Or you could ask on the Janome forum.

i just download it to my computer ,open,copy ,paste to design usb..Then put in my machine.
I don't know what I am doing.....Just hope my net book keeps working till we move home in April so future sil or son teaches me what to do.
Sorry I am not much help to you.
I could write up my instructions for opening etc if that is any help.
Hoping someone with computer knowledge comes along and helps....
Or you could ask on the Janome forum.

Just found this cool snowman site you might be interested in....http://www.charmingstation.com

Lucky you!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you...That is cute...I bookmarked it. :0)

If you join the group you can download 200 snowmen/people for free....

Congratulations on completing your first embroidery.
Now the decisions - what to do next - sew? embroider? embroider? sew? - hey you can sew and the embroidery machine can be doing its thing in the background - great time saver.
Enjoy your new machine!!

HUSH!!! Don't say that too loud for my hubby to hear. He bugs me everyday...What are you gonna do today? OMG....LOL

Got another question....When I put in the thumb drive into the E machine it came up with 3 pictures of the usb. I don't know what that means and if it needs to be formatted first. I did download some designs on the thumb drive and they are there according to the computer. HELP!!