Why You Should Consider Buying a New or Used Sewing Machine on EBay

If you?re looking for a sewing machine, whether new or used, you might not have considered one option for picking yourself up a bargain. eBay!

At present this offers some great opportunities to pick up the best buy online without even stepping out of your front door!

You can pick up brand new sewing or embroidery machines from top brands such as Singer, Brother, Viking / Husqvarna, Viking and Kenmore with a full warranty for substantially less than it will cost you in a store. With very low overheads, many eBay shops offer real bargain prices.

Many sellers and stores also offer a return policy if you feel that the item that you?ve received is not what was described in their listing. Although you?re unlikely to get the cost of postage returned, at least this will cover the expensive investment that you?ve made.

Paying with Paypal also offers you some protection as a buyer ? check the Paypal website for further details.

There are two main formats for buying ? Buy It Now and auctions. Whilst you can be secure of your purchase with the buy it now format, an auction does offer the possibility of a real bargain. At the time of writing this article, an antique Singer sewing machine was being sold at a snip of a price of $25 with just minutes to go to the end of the auction.

eBay is also handy if you?ve already got a machine but have mislaid the manual ? it?s relatively easy to pick up a spare manual for your existing machine.

Looking for notions such as thread, needles and spare parts ? check eBay again ? you?ll be surprised how easy it is to have them delivered to your door!

Next time you have a sewing project, as well as your local store, consider checking eBay to see where you can get the best buy.

You can check out our reviews of popular brands of sewing machines online at Sewing World website.

What You Should Consider Before Buying Embroidery Online

Buying simply based on the lowest price is a recipe for disaster. The following are all factors in the final price for an embroidered item:

1. The cost of the item being embroidered

2. The cost of the embroidery. This will largely be affected by the complexity and size of your design. Most embroiderers charge by the number of stitches (such as $1.00 per 1,000 stitches)

3. Digitizing is commonly referred to as a one time charge for converting your design into a format usable with embroidery machines. Most shops charge a fee once per design for this conversion. If you pay for digitizing, find out if you will receive a copy of the embroidery file (which may be useable by other embroiderers in the future)

4. Shipping and handling of the goods from the embroiderer to your location

5. The number of items which you are purchasing should affect the price. As you order more, the price should come down. Some companies will require you to order a minimum number of items.

Quality is something that is difficult to assess from an online provider. Unless you have ordered from a company previously or they come highly recommended, how can you determine the quality which a company may produce?

Well, we have a few of recommendations which we suggest you follow when choosing your embroidery provider:

1. Does the provider offer any type of satisfaction guarantee?

2. Does the provider offer any samples?

3. Does the site contain testimonials from previous customers

4. If time permits and the supplier offers no minimum purchase quantities, buy a single item embroidered. This allows you to see quality of the embroidery and garment prior to placing a larger order. It also allows you to see how the sizing is on the garment.

A company with excellent service is something you do not want to be without. You will need to communicate details of your requirements. While web sites are great for gathering information, nothing beats being able to speak with someone or communicate via email your requirements or to get questions answered. Here are things to look for in a company:

1. Can you reach a live person via the telephone? This is important if questions or problems arise during your order process. Ideally the company should have a toll free number.

2. If you email the company with a question or request for quote, how quickly do they respond? Acceptable time frames are generally a response within 24 hours.

3. Make certain that you have the opportunity to view the finalized art work or sample before the job is started

4. Find out the length of time which the job will take to complete. If you have specific time requirements, be certain to communicate this to the embroiderer.

How To Start Custom Embroidery Business In Chicago

By starting custom embroidery business in Chicago, you can become your boss. This is because only two other cities are bigger than the Chicago in the United States of America. The population of Chicago is more than eight million people. Chicago is a popular as mid continental shopping point. It is the financial, industrial, cultural and commercial center for a big area.

What Motivates People To Start This Business?

There are several reasons for which people would want to start a custom embroidery business in Chicago. Everybody wishes to live the life of financial freedom. Some people are creative artistes and want to use their flair in a business. Flexibility in working hours is also an important feature that attracts people towards this business. Many people also enter this field because they feel that through this business they can earn unlimited money.

You must be wondering over all these reasons and thinking over them before you decide to venture into this business. The very first factor affecting your decision will be the profitability of the business. No business owner will ever start a new business unless he is satisfied that he is going to earn a good amount of money with the business. Reasons for opting for this business are that almost everywhere people have the tendency of buying embroidered goods. So your business will definitely run as the risk factor is minimal. Besides, you have the liberty of choosing the timing of your business in this field. For example you can run your business on a part time basis or on the full time basis, as per your choice.

Benefits of Custom Embroidery Business:

There are many more advantages of starting a custom embroidery business in Chicago. For example, you do not need to learn any special skills for operating the equipments required in the business. Moreover, the initial investment required at the time of starting the embroidery business is a very small amount. The products you manufacture are very easily marketable and have full guarantee for any kind of defect. When we have a look at the figures of the custom embroidery industry our determination to start the custom embroidery business gets firm. You?ll be glad to know that custom embroidery industry enjoys an annual business of US $47 billion. So the future is really bright for the people who are entering this industry.

Advent of Computers Has Made a Big Difference:

Another big benefit of starting custom embroidery business in Chicago is that you can set up your workshop right at your home. During the whole process of the development of this business you do not have to spend a big amount of money at any point of time. With the advent of computers that are controlling the machines, you job has is even further easier as you can give out good quality products that will have a high demand in the market.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

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Choosing Embroidery Thread

 

Selecting the right type of threads for any embroidery work is important because the color and texture of the design, and eventually the look of the final product depend on the material and type of thread used. There?s a wide variety of embroidery thread to choose from, so take your time to decide what type or combination should be best for the design you have in mind. More importantly, thread selections should be based on Sewability, Seam Performance and Appearance, Availability and Cost.

Types:

1. Rayon: This type of thread has a great sheen, and so the best looking embroidery designs are stitched with it. Rayon threads can range from combinations of two or more colors twisted together thereby forming a single strand, to one solid color strand. They are widely available, mostly in standard 40 wt. and 30 wt. Even though Rayon is the most popular type, it?s not very sturdy because of its thinness.

2. Polyester: Polyester thread is more durable than Rayon but it is not as attractive. However, this type of embroidery thread hardly shrinks or fades, and if combined with Rayon, the effect they provide is nearly indistinguishable. It is also cheaper than Rayon thread.

3. Cotton: Cotton thread allows for a wide range of tension adjustments because of its texture. It has a nice sheen, is quite sturdy (though finer threads above 50 wt. are not), and typically used for machine embroidery.

4. Silk: Silk embroidery thread hardly breaks and has its own unique, and probably the best sheen. Threads come in various sizes but their availability is low so they are mostly used for luxury fabrics.

5. Metallic Thread: This type of thread has a core wrapped with a metal foil which may be coated with silver alloy, and color is added to this foil with a polyester film which may also be applied as an undercoating. Metallic thread is one of the most durable available on the market.

6. Mylar Thread: Plies of film are combined into a layer, cut into slices to create Mylar threads. They are durable but may break under high-speed sewing. One unique color feature is holographic hue, which picks up and reflects light or color from other surrounding objects. This really enhances the color and design of the embroidery.

7. Special-effect: Like the name suggests, this type of thread can be used to create different design effects, such as crewel-like effect. Some of the special effect threads change colors under sunlight, or may glow in the dark.

Quality Evaluation:

1. Tensile Strength: The tensile strength of an embroidery thread can be tested by sawing a suspended strand with another strand back and forth until the first strand breaks. The faster it breaks, the lower the strength and quality of that particular thread type.

2. Elongation: A good thread must have the right amount of stretch. Take a piece of the thread and stretch it till it breaks. The strand should neither break too quickly nor stretch for too long.

3. Sheen: The luster and quality of the sheen can be tested by studying the color and design of a finished embroidery product. Embroidery HQ offers articles, tips and tricks about embroidery.