Choosing a Sewing Machine

Type - If you're a beginner, stick to a regular sewing machine, but be careful what you buy. I'm not promoting any particular brands here, but of the available machines out there, I would say a baseline price range for a good beginner machine is in the $300.00 range. I know that sounds like a lot of money, but trust me, you will save money in the long run. If you have the means to buy one of the more expensive, computerized machines, by all means, keep it in consideration. One piece of advice before you run out and buy a $3000 programmable machine: invest some time in researching the different brands and models that are out there. You might actually save yourself some money and you also might discover that although the computerized machines are convenient, they can be troublesome to program if you're not computer-literate.

When to buy - make sure you call ahead to find out the name of a sales rep and determine when he/she will not be busy so you can have their full attention without worrying about taking up your and their time. When making a buying decision that envolves this much money, it's always a good idea to take your time and make sure you're getting what you want and need.

Testing a machine - sit down with the models you are interested in and put them through their paces. After all, when you get the machine home, you're the one that has to thread it, fill bobbins, and use to for making button holes, double stitches, etc. You want to make sure you not only feel comfortable completing those type of tasks with a machine, but you want to also make sure the machine works as advertised.

Bring your own fabric and thread - when test driving a machine that you're interested in, bring your own fabric and threads. Typically, you will want to bring fabric that you intend to use in your sewing projects. Bring a variety as well. Denim, cotton, etc. Don't worry about that either, the salesperson will be happy to accommodate you because they want to show you how superior their machine is.

Take control of the situation - Don't allow the salesperson to pressure and take you over to the most expensive machine they have on the floor first. If they try to, insist that you be shown some mid-range to lower end machines first and explain that you're a beginner and are not ready to make that kind of investment.

I hope you find these tips useful. For more sewing help, visit my website at threebsinsanity.com to learn more.

Stay at home mother of 3 that loves to sew and create children's items and children's item patterns.

Earning A Living With Embroidery Digitizing

You originally bought an embroidery machine to embroider your own items and to make gifts. Then you buy an embroidery digitizing program as you couldn't find your patterns already digitized. With the cost of the program, the only way you could justify the purchase is to start an embroidery digitizing business.

You make sure you get plenty of practice. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, you learn to hand punch your own design so you can make sure the program is doing the embroidery digitizing the best way possible. After you are sure you know the embroidery digitizing program inside and out, you start embroidering the digitized patterns. You want to have plenty of samples to prove you know how to digitize embroidery patterns.

Once you are satisfied with your digitizing skills and once you feel you have plenty of samples to show, you start thinking about beginning your business.

However there is more to consider. To start a crafting business, you need the same information you need for any other business. You need to write a business plan. That's where you sort out what your plans are for the business. You need to consider advertising, you need to consider what you are going to charge, and you need to have a plan in place for bookkeeping. Like any small business, you need to look at how much competition you will have.

When you consider advertising, you may come up with many ideas. You can find a web designer with skills at search engine optimization. As your embroidery digitizing business is driven by digital files, it will not matter if your customer is not local to you. You can put a business card up at a local coffee shop or other local gathering place. You might decide you want to embroider some items and get a booth at a craft fair. Not only will you be able to sell your embroidered items, you can put out your business card for your embroidery digitizing business. You may decide to start small. You can join an embroidery forum and post there, offering embroidery digitizing services in your signature line with each post.

There are any numbers of other advertising ideas you may decide to follow. Once you have the business plan and advertising ideas in place, you may be surprised to find that your business can grow by leaps and bounds. There are many people out there who do digital embroidery. A good portion of these people are not going to want to learn to digitize their own embroidery patterns. That's where your business comes in.

One final thought, statistics show that when starting a business, the first five years are the toughest to get through financially. Some days it may seem too difficult to stick with it, but if you do, your business will be a money maker.

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

Know-How of Machine Embroidery

It can be (Machine embroidery) as simple as selecting wonderful design, inserting the design card into the machine, hooping the fabric and pushing a button. But if one aims to manufacture good-looking garments with soft, flexible embroidery, there is much one should know.

Even the fabrics like silks and soft wools can be machine-embroidered. But manufacturing elegant embroidery, which is well matched with the fabric, doesn't wrinkle, or alter the fabric's drape, includes the relations of all the following essentials: a machine that's well-adjusted and placed at the suitable needle and bobbin tensions, a well-equipped and located design, the exact needle and thread for the job, and a sound knowledge of the fabric being embroidered therefore it's properly hooped and stabilized. The article will discuss these fundamentals, but the content will focus on how to select designs and fabrics that are suited with each other and tell what to do when they are not.

Good Design & Digitising in Embroidery

Good design and digitising need some excellent ingredients like production friendliness, proper pathing, proper underlay, a balance of stitch count and detail.

Production friendliness means designs must be visually pleasant; but it is more crucial that they must be sewn fast and proficiently. Customers have to understand this serious matter: by giving a little more money for good digitising, they save their money by reducing machine time.

Though, techniques of Proper Pathing are difficult to master, it is the foundation of effective designs. Proper pathing is complicated in terms of many concerned variables, including the type of fabric, the design's foreground and background. Proper underlay is unseen but it is a significant part of a design. Underlay helps perfect the look of design and it also enables you to loosen your high compactness that decreases total stitch count and helps designs run better. Proper digitising is the result of good placing of underlay concerning the top stitch. The break wall of underlay prevents the top stitching from sticking to the fabric or stitching bottom.

A balance of stitch count and detail helps digitising demonstrates detail without producing a mess of stitches. Manufacturers must not forget that the thread has a mass of 1 mm; therefore they should allow the viewer to fill in the design's space with his mind's eye. After all, designs are generally viewed from a certain distance.

Designs with high compactness are likely to become impenetrable and rough to the person wearing the garment. Manufacturers should reduce the densities with developing coats of embroidery. They must consider the suppleness of fabric when a manufactured sample does not please eyes of viewers.

There are many features connected with good digitising; these are clean lettering, efficient artwork modification, importance of push/pull issues, knowledge of stitch length and type, correct tie-ins and tie-outs, successful blending, a good perception of when to use or not use automatic software functions and other factors.

Compatible Design and Fabric

Fabric features, its proposed usages and the particulars of design form a winning combination of fabric and design. But there are some hurdles, which should be coped with. Manufacturers must take care if the design's stitch density would alter the hand of the fabric. If yes, this should not become a problem in your project. Then the effects of colour, weight and texture of fabric on design should be examined. If manufacturer is able to obtain good results by using backing and topping, simple change of thread colours might make the fabric and design work together. Modifying design to make it work or selecting design might prove an unwelcome option.

Stabilizing the fabric

When high-speed embroidery is concerned, knit is taken as unstable fabric. A cut-away stabilizer is the solution to design stability while the design is being embroidered and it stays behind the embroidery pattern all through the life of the garment.

. A fusible or non-fusible cut-away stabilizer in a weight harmonizes the fabric weight. Extremely heavy stabiliser makes the designs stiff; on the other hand a stabilizer, which is incredibly light will enhance the probability of the design cupping and wrinkling.

Various coatings of lightweight cut-away stabiliser are advised for heavyweight knit and grade the stabiliser layers after embroidering. This will stop extra volume behind the design and next to the body.

. Used with knits, a tear-away stabiliser may draw back from the design during embroidery, creating design deformation and mismatched figures.

. Combine knit tricot bordering to the fabric incorrect side under the embroidery region so that fabric stretch can be stabilised before hooping. Knit tricot interfacing has the same cross-grained stretch as the fashion knit, so combine the interfacing stretch perpendicular to the knit fabric stretch. Remember that cut-away stabilizer is still essential even though interfacing is used to hold the fabric.

. To prevent misaligned outlines, forward through the design and stitch the outline first to secure all the layers together, using a thread colour that goes with the fabric. Then embroider the design from the beginning, re-stitching the outline in sequence

Backing and Topping are Fabric stabilizers

Backing

Backing, as the name denotes, gives support and structure placed under the item or fabric being embroidered; it is a woven or non-woven material. Backings are available in various density and patterns.

Use of Backing

Backing is used to support the item being embroidered; it handles the stitches being applied to the fabric or item being sewn. Backing gives an additional support to prevent distortion of the design being sewn. Manufacturers are always in dilemma which backing they should apply to improve the quality of products. The most important rule for embroidery is to stabilise the fabric. Manufacturers use backing to stabilise the design sewn on the garment. Stabiliser works as the foundation of design and everyone knows that any project or work will come out wrong without having a good foundation. The same principle is applicable to embroidery also. If a builder wants to erect a skyscraper, he has to make the foundation strong. The requirement of backing is in proportion to the number of stitches of design. If the backing is lightweight, four layers are more than enough. Some common sense might be useful at this moment. Multiple layers of backing are better than one layer of heavier backing.

Topping

Toppers keep the stitches above the surface. There are various kinds of toppings like water-soluble, coloured vinyl or matching organza. Put the topper over the design region and use the machines' fix/baste function to support it in place during embroidery. Toppers can be taken off by carefully cutting or eliminating according to the directives of the manufacturers. Organza topper can be taken off by holding it tight above the design and cut close to the design edge using sharp, curved scissors. The organza cut edge will vanish back into the fabric, but will stay under the design for firmness.

Designs

Light and airy designs are perfect for knit fabrics. Even after selecting the ideal stabilizer, the knits might be curled, cupped or distorted by solid, dense designs.

Designs must be selected according to the weight of knit. Simple, less dense or outline designs are advisable for lightweight knits. If a thick design is embroidered on a lightweight knit, the fabric that hems in design will be overburdened. A design with more detailing but not excessively dense works best for sweatshirting and other heavyweight knits.

Floating appliqu?s responds well to machine embroidery designs, which are preprogrammed. Manufacturers must consider how the designs stitch out prior to selecting designs. The stitches must hold themselves even after the stabilizer is detached, hence the design should start with running stitches and then have satin stitches added to support the design. All the stitched areas must connect to retain the design shape.

Occasionally, the stitches in a design appear to be totally connected, but when the stabilizer is removed, the embroidery falls apart. If in doubt about the design's stability, sandwich a layer of sheer fabric, such as organdy, organza or tulle, with the water-soluble stabilizer prior to stitching. After the stabilizer is removed, carefully trim away any fabric outside the design area

The same procedure can be used if the appliqu? has open areas in the design. To ensure the sheer fabric in the appliqu? won't show, select a colour close to the garment it will be placed on.

Puckering

If your design is 4" square, use the size hoop closest to the size of the design. Fabric can be distorted by extra large hoop used during the embroidery procedure. Puckering appears on the design when the fabric is unhooped. Fabric must be hooped tightly not rigidly. Too taut of fabric could result in the stretching of the fabric and will cause the same result - puckering of the fabric around the design. Adjusting the size of the hoop before the last hooping is also significant. First, set the screw on your hoop just about where you think it should be for the layers of stabilizer and fabric. Then, try to hoop your fabric - continue hooping and unhooping until you have the perfect tension. Never adjust the screw on the hoop after hooping your fabric with the stabilizer. This action will cause the fabric to shift in the hoop and ultimately cause puckering of the fabric around designs.

Distortion

Achievement of desired results is relied on proper selection and use of stabilizer. Design will create distortion in the fabric on which the design is being stitched out. If the distortion is not reduced, it can cause misalignments of the design outline as well as other features. If misaligned features or gaps in between fills create troubles, the problem is most likely a result of improper choice and use of stabilizer or poor hooping method.

Applying perfect stabilizer can minimize fabric distortion that occurs as the design is being stitched out. The quality of the finished work is much affected by both the type of stabilizer used and technique used to attach the fabric to the stabilizer. The distortion of design depends on the density of stabilizer; it is also significant to take in that there is a strong relationship between connection of fabric to the stabilizer and tendency of its movement while the design is being stitched out. All of designs incorporate underlay stitching which facilitates the fabric to get linked with the underlying stabilizer. Using either adhesive sprays or stabilizers such as Wet N Set, which include some form of adhesive, can often further improve this union between the fabric and stabilizer.

Fabric Coverage

Poor coverage is the result of loose stitches and one can see through the embroidery stitching. Other things like colour or texture, thread selection, enlarging the design, or even personal preference cause poor fabric coverage. This poor result can be corrected by digitizing with proper stitch choice, with more stitches and underlay stitches and with the help of suitable backing and topping. A topping like Coverup can be used to prevent poor coverage. The proper colour has the ability to cancel the influences of coloured or printed fabrics and can control the pile of fabric quickly.

Designs, which are enlarged on some embroidery system lengthens the stitches and extends the spacing between them. Such designs do not protect fabric as well as their unscaled corresponding parts. Put gold lam? as topping if the customizing software lengthens the stitches and widens the rows. The spaces generated from elongating the stitches will have the sparkling lam? peeping through, and you may even generate a more remarkable effect than the first design. Fabric coverage is also influenced by personal choice. Expectation of total coverage of fabric, not considering thread-colour selections gives birth to inflexible embroidery, which expert embroiderers and digitizers consider to be of poor quality - and which will probably cause other troubles like puckering, thread breaks or even fabric damage.

Misalignment

Tearaway backing with a design, which has ample fill regions, can cause inferior registration like gapping or misaligned outlines. These designs can crash a tearaway and weaken the stability before the figure has been totally sewn. To solve this problem, use only a cutaway backing or stuck with embroidery spray paste.

Poor registration can be resulted from excessively stiff tensions also. Such situation makes you loosen your bobbin and upper thread tensions to put it right. Roughly woven fabric threads may create what might come out to be inferior registration. By deflecting the needle to one side of the fabric threads, the fabric fibres can create bumpy edges. Stable and smooth-finish fabric is ideal for clean-edged effects.

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Buying Embroidery Machines

Types of Embroidery Machines:

When shopping for embroidery machines, remember that there are different types of equipments that can be classified under embroidery machines, based on function, size and use. The most common types are those that need manual operation to create designs on fabrics and other materials, and are mainly used for fiber art and quilting projects. These are:

1. Embroidery only Machine: This unit is meant only for embroidery and can be a great accompaniment for sewing machines, and for creating simple embellishments of existing items. Portable, so best for homeowners who love to embroider.

2. Combination Embroidery Machine: This equipment combines sewing and embroidery features into one unit. Great for tailors or sewers who want to embroider too.

3. Commercial Embroidery Machine: Has multiple needles. Several colors can be threaded before starting work on the design so a lot of time is saved. Units can be large, so best for commercial and heavy use.

Computerized Embroidery Machines:

Computerized Embroidery Machines, though a little more expensive than conventional embroidery machines, are most convenient for hobbyists and professionals alike. These units are capable of automatically creating designs from pre-made patterns that are fed into them through CDs, floppy disks, or flash cards. They can also be connected to a computer to create custom designs.

The average Computerized Embroidery Machine costs around 500-600 dollars, along with the digitizing software program. Additional embroidery patterns can be bought from manufacturers, and other companies dealing with these kinds of embroidery accessories. However, many people prefer to create their own patterns by attaching the machine to a computer loaded with digitizing programs capable of resizing, editing and creating patterns.

Embroidery machine software programs can be divided into Commercial software? for custom designs, Machine-specific software ? That can be downloaded for personal use, Independent-vendor software - An add-on for converting formats, Independent-designers software ? which requires brand-specific hardware and software.

Important Features to Look for:

After you?ve made a decision to buy an embroidery machine that you like, don?t forget to double check if the equipment incorporates any of these important features:

1. Mirror-image capability - enables symmetry and balance in the pattern-creating process.

2. Cutaway Backing ? enables cutting the excess with a pair of scissors.

3. Tearaway Backing ? enables the excess to be torn away after fabric is embroidered.

4. Automatic needle threaders.

5. Bobbin: The spool that holds the thread. The stitches on the underside of the garment are formed by the Bobbin thread.

6. Presser foot - a tool that is used to hold the fabric steady and provides support and stability to the garment being embroidered.

7. Hoop ? another embroidery tool to hold the fabric steady.

8. Embroidery Scanner - can scan custom designs and convert them into stitches.

Popular Embroidery Machines:
Some of the more popular Embroidery Machines that you might want to consider before buying one include those manufactured by Tajima and Melco such as Bernina, Pfaff, Babylock and Brother; and other brands like White and Simplicity. Embroidery HQ offers articles, tips and tricks about embroidery.