Replies

1. 
   marymary | Feb 16, 2010 10:24am | #1

   Ashley, I would start by going to a Brother dealer. Brother seems to have a wide range of embroidery possibilities. I do have a Brother 150. It fits my needs. If you end up going commercial, then you might want to invest in an industrial.

   Since you say you are clueless...an embroidery machine can be used with an endless supply of alphabets. You create the monograms you want to use and then have the machine stitch out what you want. You will need software on your computer and a card that is inserted into a cardreader attached to your computer. This card is then transferred to your machine. Newer machines have software built into them. I think some machines can be operated directly from your computer via USB cords. It has been a while since I looked at embroidery machines, so I may be way out of date. Hopefully, someone with better knowledge will correct me if I am wrong.

2. 
   Teifi | Feb 23, 2010 03:29pm | #2

   Hi Ashley,

   I can endorse the comments by marymary. I have a Brother 750E which I have been using for about 4 months now. I did post some review information,  if you can track down a thread called 'buying a new emboidery machine' furter down the 'machine embroidery' list  you will find quite a bit of info from me and others. Like you I was a novice.

   However in case this info proves elusive, here is a summary.

   The 750E is a dedicated embroidery machine which retails in the UK for around £800, it is almost certainly cheaper than that in the US, given current exchange rates and purchase tax differences. It is is easy to use and comes with 6 fonts already loaded - monogramming is a doddle using these.  To the machine purchase price you will need to add the price of stabilisers, bobbin thread and embroidery thread.

   I have used Guterman Sulky stabilisers and found these very good. It is worth buying 'Totally Stable' (which irons on) and 'Film o plast' (which is adhesive and great for items which don't fit the embroidery frame) as a starter set. Black and white bobbin threads are a must too. If you only plan to monogram you might want to consider a smaller embroidery frame, otherwise you will waste a lot of stabiliser over time. You can buy embroidery threads in sets and these can be cost effective but you may find it makes more sense to buy just a few colours to start with, until you see what you use.

   The 750E comes with a clear plastic card with gridlines which makes accurate placing easy. The only thing I have found with monograms in particular is that you get better quality lettering if you change the the stitch density from the default 100% to 120%. Interestingly the pictorial embroidery doesn't need this change. The machine also does applique and will do applique letters, although you would need to download the appropriate pattern. You will need a .pes file format for any files you download.

   Brother will sell you their own cards with embroidery patterns and more fonts but these are pricy, it is much cheaper to use somewhere like http://www.emblibrary.com.  The machine has a USB port which makes downloads easy.

   The quality of the embroidery is very good, I have only used Brothers' own threads which work very well. However if you plan to use a lot of nonBrother designs you might find it easier to buy one of the bigger brands like Madeira. Most the the internet embroidery design houses will give you 'colour change sheets' so that you can select the correct thread from a range of common brands. However Brother threads are too small scale to feature, so you have to try to match the colours in a design to your Brother threads. If you want to mainly do monograms this may not matter but if you move onto pictures then getting the shades as they appear on the orginal design can be tricky.

   You can always buy the software to create your own designs and monograms but this is pricy too and all the reviews suggest it takes time to master. Not for me, I'm afraid.

   The machine itself is dead easy to use, runs quietly and works at a good speed. The instruction book is clear and the etutor on the machine is worth using. This is particularly true when filling and loading bobbins, as the machine is less forgiving of a less than perfect bobbin tension than a regular sewing machine. In fact if you find you have 'loopy' embroidery results this is the first culprit to check.

   Otherwise I can recommend this machine and would happily buy another. Hope that helps.

3. 
   BestLabel | Dec 15, 2016 08:29pm | #3

   Fringe Scarf tutorial for beginners!

   I find this article very helpful if you want to see a tutorial for making a Fringe Scarf guys! I just think that this is a great addition to anyone's wardrobe   :smug: :smug: 

    

   https://www.dutchlabelshop.com/blog/tips-tricks-tutorials/simple-sewing-fashionable-fringe-scarves/

    

   Hope you like it!