How To Turn Your Hobby Into A Day Job With Sewing Machines

It's the American dream and it means taking something that you love and finding a way to make money at it. Today, a growing number of individuals are doing just that as they spend years turning their hobby into a full time, successful business. Sewing machines are an essential part of quilting, clothing design and other fabric creations. While many have an actual storefront presence, others are turning to the internet for their entrepreneurial adventure.

Sewing machines are most beneficial for anyone with a creative imagination. The ability to purchase pieces of plain fabric and turn it into a beautiful bed covering or clothing ensemble is a gift. Because it would take forever to manually sew either of these, sewing machines make it possible for seamstresses and/or designers to earn a good living while doing what they love.

Before deciding to start a business, individuals must first consider the type of product or service they will offer. For instance, will the sewing machines be used to repair clothing and hem the length of certain items or will it be used for fashion creation? Because the latter requires more detail, sewing machines with advanced features are often needed. Any of the basic sewing machines can help to mend tears and other tasks that a seamstress would do.

The next thing to ponder is distribution. How will your product be promoted and how will potential customers find out about your new business? Many businesses, which use sewing machines, are welcomed at craft fairs and may find success with distributing to local specialty stores.

If you plan to incorporate a website into your business, as every owner should, start small and work your way up. The basics of a good website will be a detailed look at the sewing machines you use, what your business offers in the way of products and/or services and a little background information about your expertise.

If you are just starting out and the business budget is limited, try and avoid the temptation of placing a huge display ad in a publication. Instead, consider writing a press release for distribution to local newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Sewing machines do nothing without a knowledgeable person to operate them, so be sure to let others know how you work. Introduce potential customers to your method of creation, concept on various sewing machines and do it all without sounding like an advertisement. In order for your press release to be published, it must be newsworthy. The best advice? Promote your grand opening, a special sale or other time-sensitive tidbit.

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Sewing Machines for Children

Children love to make crafts and have fun making things. One way for children to do this is with their very own sewing machine. They can make creative items and learn something new while they do it. Children may not want to work on an adult sewing machine, so it may be a good idea to buy a child size machine. You can find these in many the department stores or toy stores in your area.

Sewing machines for children are safer for new beginners to use. The yare not as fast and they have special parts on them that are made just for children. The needles on toy sewing machines are plastic so that there is no chance that they will get hurt with them. Machines for children usually run on batteries and do not have a lot of power behind them. This means that the child has to go slow and there is no risk of sewing their finger together.

Most of the children sized sewing machines are smaller and move easily. They can be used almost anywhere and you can even take them on the go. This will keep your child busy and quiet when you are on vacation or taking long trips.

Children can create so many different things with their child size sewing machines. They can make anything from doll clothes to their very own clothes. They will have so much fun creating new things for their dolls and for them to wear.

A child and a parent can have so much fun together playing around with a sewing machine. Moms can teach their children new things with their sewing machine and it is a good way for moms and daughters to share special bonding time. Getting young girls started on a sewing machine now will get them ready for the years to come.

You can give young girls the practice and the skills that they will need for the future not only in school with classes like home economics but in life. They will have the knowledge of how to make many different items and they will be able to do patch work at the same time.

Your child will absolutely love to have a sewing machine and create her own products. Once they have all the skills that they need, they will be ready for an adult sewing machine and make even more exciting and beautiful creations.

For more information on sewing machines, please visit: http://www.1-sewing-machines.info

Antique Singer Sewing Machine Information!

If you own or want to own an antique Singer sewing machine, you probably have found that it is hard to find parts and manuals for your machine. Finding an antique Singer sewing machine may take you some time. Some people have made it hobby to collect these machines as timeless classics.

Antique Singer sewing machines are collectors items to many. To determine the value of one of these machines, you must first know the some basic information. The serial number can be found on metal plate at the base of the machine usually on the right side below the arm. If you call Singer and give them this number, they can tell you the exact date of manufacture and the model. With this information you can find several websites online to get more information on your machine. But, you may need to pay someone to give you an appraisal of the machine to get an exact value. Since they are worth much more in good condition and older, this may be necessary to get a good value on your antique Singer sewing machine.

Cleaning your antique Singer sewing machine needs to be done cautiously and carefully. Any damage to the machine will cost you in value on the machine. Some collectors use WD-40 and a very soft cloth to clean the head of the machine. But, when doing the decals, be very careful as they can easily be ruined. Be very careful not to remove the paint on the machine. Taking all of these precautions will ensure the value of your antique Singer sewing machine.

If you are intrigued or interested in antique Singer sewing machines, take a great deal of time to research them. Understand what models are worth and know which details are important in making them worth more. Know the antique Singer sewing machine value by using websites or calling the Singer company before you purchase these machines. Also, if you find an antique Singer sewing machine part that needs to be replaced, realize that the age of the machine will limit the availability of parts. The older they are, the harder they are to find. Using your research, you will be able to find and possibly collect the best available antique Singer sewing machine.

Mike Yeager
Publisher
http://www.my-sewing-machine-4me.com/

The Singer Sewing Machine Line!

In sewing machines, the Singer Sewing Machine is probably the most well known. The name itself will have any advanced sewer or quilter eager to give comments. Their line of machine range from the most advance electronic machines to the most basic for beginners. The company has many features, accessories, and models to available in most department stores.

Singer sewing machines are high quality and highly praised. The company itself has been in business since 1851 making sewing machines. They were the first to offer machines with the zig zag feature. Also a first in the world by offering an electronic sewing machine. Their newest sewing machines are the world's most advanced home sewing and embroidery machines. They boast that their machines can do anything such as home decor projects, clothing construction, quilting, and embroidery. With so much to offer it is easy to see why the Singer sewing machine has been around for so long.

Singer sewing machines are grouped in 4 basic groups. First there is the basic featured machine. This sewing machine is the most economical, but still offers such features as buttonholing and utility stitches. Another group is the scholastic. Scholastic Singer sewing machines are highly durable and practical. These machines are great to use in a teaching environment. Singer sewing machine's highest quality machines are probably the Quantum line. These machines offer the most new features and electronics but are also great beginning machines as well. Lastly, the multi featured line is what the name suggests in that they offer many features in one machine such as buttonholing, automatic needle threaders, and drop feed. Singer sewing machines has something for everyone.

To find a Singer sewing machine, you needn't look far. They are available in most department stores, in catalogs, and online. Since they are made durably and of high quality, purchasing one second hand is still a good options available to the consumer. The Singer sewing machine has something to offer for every level of sewer or quilter. They have something for computer savvy individuals down to the most technically challenged. When looking for a good machine to last a lifetime, consider Singer sewing machines.

Mike Yeager
Publisher
http://www.my-sewing-machine-4me.com/

Organizing Your Embroidery Designs - On A Budget!

While there are many software packages out there that will help you organize and catalog your items (whether it be designs, images, music, etc.), many, if not most, are costly, confusing and yet-another-thing to learn.

Today I want to tackle the task of organizing your designs on the cheap. We will just use the standard Windows file system (though this can be readily done on a Mac). I am going to talk about methods of organizing, not any OS-specific functionality, so this can be readily applied to any type of file on any system.

So the first thing we need to analyze is what kind of designs we have, and what would be our best strategy for beginning to organize them. With that in mind, we need to figure out how many ways we can categorize them. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few possibilities right away:

• Few or same designers (One/Few particular company(ies) or your own)

• Many designers

• Design collections

• Genre or sub-type of designs (animals, flowers, etc.)

• Size of designs (We should make a mental note about these, since changing the size by more than 20% degrades the quality of the design, and from my experience, thats even pushing it).

Organize

Let's see if we can create some possible structures for the examples above.

Let's take the first case of having just a few different designers, or you digitize your own designs. If we are sure that the amount of designers is going to stay static and you will not be growing the number of different design suppliers, then it would make sense to start thinking about what kind of designs you have.

If you have a specific target audience, let's say you do baby clothing or pet items, then your categories could be limited to Boy/Girl/Pet type, Seasons, Holidays, etc. One thing to keep in mind as we start subdividing the categories is that you can get pretty granular, but there's a point of diminishing returns. What we want is the ability to think, "OK, I need a bib design for a baby girl that has a cute Christmas saying" and be able to know exactly where in your computer it resides.

So let's start building our catalog. We have, as examples, the following starting directories:

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Boy/Holidays/Christmas

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Boy/Holidays/Thanksgiving

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Boy/Holidays/New Year

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Girl/Holidays/Christmas

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Girl/Holidays/Thanksgiving

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Girl/Holidays/New Year

Notice how we structured based off the gender. If your business is less reactive (on-demand), then a variation of the above could be more beneficial to you:

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Holidays/Christmas/Boy

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Holidays/Christmas/Girl

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Holidays/Thanksgiving/Boy

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Holidays/Thanksgiving/Girl

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Holidays/New Year/Boy

[top-level]/Baby Designs/Holidays/New Year/Girl

The choice of how to subdivide the categories is very important, and can only be done after analyzing your own personal needs.

If our business is not as targeted, and we use many different sources of designs, then we have a different situation. What we need todo is, once again, look at our customer base and the type of work we're asked to do.

[top-level]/Designer 1/Holidays/...

[top-level]/Designer 1/Animals/...

[top-level]/Designer 1/Flowers/...

Again, this is subject to how you work. We could just as well do the following:

[top-level]/Holidays/Designer 1/...

[top-level]/Animals/Designer 1/...

[top-level]/Flowers/Designer 1/...

Putting it all together, we could have the following structures:

[top-level]/Baby/Bibs/Bunnies

[top-level]/Baby/Bibs/Bears

[top-level]/Baby/Bibs/Flowers

[top-level]/Bags/Fleur De Lis

[top-level]/Bags/Lace

[top-level]/Shirts/Holidays/Christmas

[top-level]/Shirts/Holidays/Halloween

[top-level]/Shirts/Holidays/Thanksgiving

[top-level]/Socks/Holidays/Christmas/Snowmen

[top-level]/Socks/Holidays/Christmas/Snowflakes

So there you have some suggestions on how to organize your designs, and keep things where you can find them.

Next column, I will build on this concept, and show you how you can tag the designs you own for easy searching.

Dan Wyszynski

Any comments you may have, please contact me at dan@embuniverse.com or through the website at: EMBUniverse.com

A Stitch In Time - Confessions Of An Embroidery Newbie

Dreamer

Lots of little stitches creating patterns and eventually turning into pictures and designs. Stitching designs on clothing, linens, towels, and giving away my fabulous creations at every holiday.

My friends and family oohing and ahhing and wondering at which boutique I purchased the items filled my daydreams.

Having a hobby for which I could sell products and use the profits to purchase more designs or have pocket money.

Different goals, but the object of my desire was one and the same? I wanted a home embroidery machine!

Dreaming about owning an embroidery machine was one thing. Actually purchasing the embroidery machine became a trek and project unto itself. I saw a Singer embroidery machine demonstration one day in a local fabric store, and was mesmerized by what it could do!

I could not imagine owning something that could produce such results, and figured that it must be outrageously expensive and difficult to run. I had mainly done ?crafts? and home d?cor sewing, but I have two toddlers, and was really interested in embellishing store bought clothing to make it seem more like boutique style clothing (for a lot less!)

Being the person that I am, I delved into research on the subject of home embroidery machines ? size, price range, features, quality, hoop size, etc. I talked to many people who owned them, and got their opinions on what was important, and what was just ?bonus? (and usually unused by most novices and home embroiderers.)

Finally deciding on my current machine took a lot less time than convincing my husband that it was ?necessary!? He accompanied me to the local dealer on a number of occasions, watched them stitch out designs, grilled them about the features and costs associated with the machine, and even tried to bargain with them! I think they were very relieved when my kids distracted him by shouting about how the machine was ?painting? a picture on the fabric!

Shortly after Valentines Day of 2006, he purchased the machine for me (a previously owned model) and I brought it home! It was almost as exciting as bringing home either of my kids, especially because this ?baby? had an instruction manual!

Embroidery Crazy

The machine already had a few designs preloaded into it, so I immediately began to stitch on anything I could get my hands on ? towels, fleece baby blankets, scraps of fabric, even a pair of my husband?s underwear! (boy, was he surprised the next day when he opened the dresser drawer!)

My ambition to embroider was unmatched, but what I was really lacking in was the experience and knowledge of the basics ? stabilizers, thread type, needle types, and design density for various weight of fabrics. Most of my early projects look novice and ?homemade?, the backs have thread nests, there are puckers on most of them, and I had to throw away about a third of the first few attempts.

The store I purchased my machine offered intro classes as part of the package, but I was limited in my ?free time? to take the classes, and so I thought it would be a months before I was going to ?get it right!? I called the local stores and got some advice, but mostly they wanted to recommend products in their store. So, I took to the internet and researched my options online.

I cannot recall exactly what I initially entered in the search engine, but somehow I stumbled across the Designs by Sick website. I was impressed by all the cute designs, and joined the forum right away.

I lurked, mostly, but I did learn from reading past posts from others. What impressed me the most, though, was that they gave away FREE designs every day, and an entire font, and there were even more in the yahoo group?s file folders!

I also began to read more postings on the yahoo group, and in time, was confident enough to post messages myself. Mostly, I would stick to ISO (in search of) for various designs I wanted or needed, and sure enough, someone would answer me!

The friendliness and willingness of most group members to help someone they will probably never meet is a real draw to join a good group and become an active member. Since postings can be read and answered at your leisure, it makes for something to do at any hour if you need help or just want to vent that your machine has a mind of its own!

Design Overload

Like most newbies, I think I suffered from the disillusion that if I didn?t download EVERY free design immediately than I would never again have the opportunity to do so. Thus began my freebie downloading binge.

I would log onto the computer early in the morning, searching out free sites, joining yahoo groups and panicking that I would have to await approval. Never since college application days did I worry so much about getting accepted! I HAD TO HAVE THOSE DESIGNS!!!!

Hours upon hours of downloading, searching, and hundreds of designs later, and I still hadn?t really stitched out anything worthwhile ? but I had those free designs! It took me a long time (and I still will occasionally slip) to come up with some guidelines about downloading what is right for me.

I have two young children, Nathaniel (age 3) and Theresa (age 2), and I used to be a math teacher ? so the designs that most appeal to me are designs for children, teachers, and really cute holiday designs.

Each person has to decide what designs are right for them, but the rule of thumb I have developed is, ?If your immediate reaction to the design is ?Ugh!? then DON?T DOWNLOAD it!? You are only wasting your time, and computer space, as well as the time you will take to file it. I have several designs that are ugly to me, and while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if I don?t get happy looking at the designs, and can never imagine stitching them out, I don?t download those types of designs anymore.

I have also begun to realize the benefit of downloading and test stitching ?sample? designs. You may see several of the same design (from shared clipart) among many designers on the web. Though the clipart may be similar, the actual quality of the design can only be determined by test stitching.

Density, jump stitches, decorative fills, tension of the design all affect how it will stitch out on your machine. What looks good as an image on your 2D monitor, may not actually resemble the 3D finished product. So, test, test, test!!! If you feel like you are ?wasting? the thread and stabilizer, then use a square of similar fabric to your final product to do it on. Always use the same sized square (I use 9? squares so I can test stitch up to a 5x7 design on them.) Then when you have 20 or more, stitch them together to form a ?raggy? quilt or actually sash them to form a traditional quilt and gift it to someone - or even better, donate it to your local Linus Project or other charity!)

Education is the Key

The time to take the classes at the local embroidery dealer was finally going to fit my schedule, and I had learned some things from the internet, so off I went, machine in tow to sit for hours and learn the basics of the machine (from turning it on to utilizing the most popular of its features.)

I had already read the manual (a recommendation of mine to anyone who owns a machine, and don?t be intimidated by the size of it, it makes for interesting reading and got me really excited about using the machine, Just draw a warm bubble bath, and start reading!) so I knew a lot of the first class? instruction.

You may think then that it was a waste of my time to take it, but not so. I was able to use my time to ask more in-depth questions and expand on my knowledge while others were learning how to thread the needle. (However, if you are one of the ones that needs to learn the most basic ?basics? then you may want to inquire about taking the classes for a second, or third time, to help you out with expanding your knowledge once you do know how to operate the machine. Some dealers will even offer one on one ?tutoring? before the classes start to help out novices)

If you are not lucky enough to live close to a dealer, or you purchased your machine directly from someone else, on the internet, etc so that classes are not included, then don?t despair! You may be able to take internet classes from on-line dealers, pay for classes from a different machine?s dealer, or ask around on web groups to find a ?friend? who lives nearby with experience to help you one-on-one (or even via email or phone if they don?t live so close.)

NEVER think that a question is dumb or has been asked ad nauseum and no one wants to hear you ask it. The chances are, if you are wondering, then at least one other person is, too, and will benefit from your asking.

Advice: Stabilization is the Foundation

The teacher had a basic lesson on stabilizers as well, and I purchased a sampling of several that they offered at the store (for a small fortune!) I made a ?stabilizer? booklet and cut a swatch of each one, and listed the name brand, type and what it could be used for.

This is really helpful as you learn more and more about them, and can add to your booklet and lists, plus when I put away the pieces of stabilizer and was trying to figure out (by feel) which ones they were, I could refer back to the booklet for help.

I come by being cheap honestly, and so I have tried many tricks to saving money by scrimping and saving and reusing everything!

You can save your thread snips to create ?fabric? out of it, I have used empty thread cones to dry 3D free standing lace ornaments on, and most of all I save stabilizer pieces.

If I can ?piece? a sheet of stabilizer for some projects I will! Sometimes this works, and other times it will fail on you everytime. The trick is knowing why you are using the stabilizer. The actual purpose of the stabilizer in each project is the key to knowing how much or how little you can actually get away with!

For example, if you are doing a design on a t-shirt, then you would need an intact piece of soft cut-away stabilizer to actually be the strong, unmoving foundation for the stretchy knit fabric. However, if you are embroidery a name on a ribbon, or are embroidering on top of dense or fuzzy fabric, then smaller piece of water-soluble stabilizer (floated on top) will keep the stitches from sinking into the project .

You can also ?stitch? wss (water soluble stabilizer) together with water soluble thead in top and in the bobbin to create a larger piece you can reuse for smaller fsl (free standing lace) or other in the hoop projects which call for wss.

Michelle Brown is a writer about embroidery designs sharing her experiences and advice for machine embroidery designs.

Sewing Embroidery Designs At Home Is Real Fun.

When I first learned to embroider, I used a needle and embroidery floss. I learned to do counted cross stitch and to follow the pattern printed on a piece of fabric.

If you walk into a needlepoint area of a craft store now, most of what you see is counted cross stitch. You won't find many patterns calling for a satin stitch or French knot. If you want something more detailed than you can get with a counted cross stitch kit, you are severely limited to what you can find for patterns.

When embroidery machines came out, at first they were too expensive for a hobbyist to own. Businesses had them and would sell either pre-embroidered items or they would embroider items to order. With the cost of the machines going down, now you can buy an embroidery machine for home use. Though chances are, you'll want to sell the results of your work. With these machines, you are only limited by your imagination. You can get results similar to what you would buy in the store, 'Grandma shirts' with your children's or grandchildren's names, an afghan with flowers or other design and your wedding date, or the date of your child's birth. Or maybe you want your company's logo on a cap or shirt pocket. Maybe you want a bag with an embroidered dog or cat, a pumpkin for Halloween, a Menorah for Hanukah or a Christmas tree for Christmas. You can embroider a tablecloth and napkins to surprise someone for a wedding or anniversary.

With an embroidery machine, you get to see the pattern take shape before your eyes. Seeing it go from a clipart picture to a file on a computer to an result that you can touch is thrilling. Watching your pattern form as quickly as a machine will embroider is truly rewarding. It won?t take days or even weeks to get the results that you have planned. You can get your project done in minutes to hours depending on how much there is to the pattern and how many items you are doing.

With an embroidery machine, you get to choose what you want to embroider. If you can?t find the digital file for it either online or in a store, you can have the file specially made for you or you can digitize your own embroidery pattern.

Even with the steep learning curve of digitizing, the challenge of digitizing your own embroidery pattern can be as addictive as watching your embroidery take shape. Knowing that you made a project from start to finish will leave you with a feeling of accomplishment. All you need is a plan for what you are wanting to do, and an embroidery machine to start you off in the right direction.

Sahel is the Sales/Support representative of Cheap Digitizing. You can find more information on Embroidery Digitizing on www.cheapdigitizing.com.

Essential Embroidery Supplies

Before taking up embroidery as an occupation or a hobby, you need to know the different types of important embroidery supplies and accessories that are available. Also keep in mind that each type can be further divided into specific subtypes based on function and utility. Choose the right tools depending on your need, and type of work.

The Hoop:

An embroidery hoop is a circular tool usually made of wooden material that is used to hold the fabric steady, providing support and stability to the fabric being embroidered. Most hoops have brass screws that can be tightened or loosened if necessary, and come in various shapes and sizes. Popular types include -

1. Tubular Embroidery Hoops: The arms of the hoops are on the outside of the garment and connect to an inner hoop ring. The larger outer ring, on the other hand, is on the inside of the garment. Normally used without the table top. These are the most popular embroidery hoops on the market.

2. Magnetic Embroidery Hoops: These hoops require magnetic assembly. They can be used with or without the tabletop and are typically designed for lightweight and thin garments and fabrics.

3. Jacketback Embroidery Hoops: large wooden hoops that have strong holding power wood because of the wooden. To be used with the tabletop and Jacketback holder.

4. Q-Mag Embroidery Hoops: These hoops use a combination mechanical or magnetic attach plate at two places, suitable for larger fabrics because of its stability.

Bobbin Thread:

A Bobbin is the spool that holds the thread. The top thread and the bobbin thread form the stitch. Pre-wound Bobbin threads are widely available and come in different types and materials.

1. Continuous-Filament Polyester: Strong, thin, consistent, and does not leave behind any lint so it is the most popular type.

2. Cotton: It allows for a wide range of tension adjustments because of its texture.

3. Spun Polyester: Gaining popularity because of texture similarity with cotton.

4. Nylon: It is the strongest type but may be tough to adjust tension.

Embroidery Needles:

The type of needle used depends on the type of the embroidery, thread and fabric. Therefore the correct size and type of needle is important when browsing embroidering supplies for your work. These are the basic types of embroidery needles:

1. Tapestry: Has a blunt tip with large eyes. Ideal for threading multiple plies of thread.

2. Milliners: Has small eyes, and typically used for surface embroidery techniques.

3. Sharps: Sharp pointed and small eyed standard needles.

4. Chenille: Has same characteristics with Tapestry needles except for the sharp point.

5. Beading: Long and thin needles generally meant for beadworks.

6. Twin-Pointed: Has a point at each end and a single eye in the middle to be used with a stitching frame.

7. Easy-threading: has a split eye at the top, for easy threading as the name suggests.

8. Trolley: Attached to a ring it slips on the finger, and can be used as a laying tool.

Backings and Stabilizers:

Backings are important in any type of embroidery because by the amount of stability and support they provide often dictates the quality of the finished product. Here are some common types:

1. Water soluble topping: Put over stitches-observing fabric types, which prevents stitches from sinking into the fabric.

2. Water soluble backing: Generally used for used for embroidering freestanding lace designs on it, or making cutwork.

3. Cutaway Backing ? This type enables cutting the excess fabric with a pair of scissors.

4. Tearaway Backing ? This type enables the excess to be torn away after fabric is embroidered.Embroidery HQ offers articles, tips and tricks about embroidery.