My Beginning Embroidery Journey

So I have had my sewing/embroidery machine for almost a year. I played around with it, and then put it away..right...I had so much happening in my life. I was spread out thin over all these crafts I wanted to do. So I just put it aside. I love the machine. I even used it to sew a ribbon skirt but this past two weeks I brought it back out and decided to start back up...I admit I was nervous, scared, the only thing I have seen is how to make patches, or even embroider on things. That wasn't enough for me. I wanted to make more. Ok so am I in no way a professional embroider, but I think I am a professional crafter. My machine is only a single needle Brother machine.. I am so glad that my machine has the option for me to design and then transfer it to the machine. Creating an embroidery design will require you to make use of your creativity to come up with an appropriate design. It is important to note that this is not just a creative job but involves some technical work. You will need to consider the fabric on which the design will be embroidered. This is so important. I have learned these things on the fly, which materials that will not fray or unravel.  The machine you are using must also be taken into account when creating an embroidery design. How many needles can it accommodate? And how many colors can you afford to include in your embroidery design?

Next let me tell you...Once a design is made and completed, you will need to save the design in a format that the machine can work with, for example, PES format. That is the format my machine uses. Different embroidery software have different native file formats, and you should take the time to learn the one used with your software. In the software’s native format, the design is easier to edit if the need emerges in future. Once this is done, you can transfer the file to the embroidery machine. This needs to be done when the file is already saved in the native format of the software. The information can be fed to the machine via a USB cable.

Let me tell you an embroidery machines are able to create stitches through a mechanism involving the top thread and the bobbin thread. The bobbin thread is located at the bottom of the material being stitched and gets the thread from the top thread, in this way creating a loop. Once you have completed the framing, you should start the embroidery machine running and let it run till the stitching is complete. You should monitor the progress of the designing. This means you need to BABY SIT the machine...every time I am not paying attention to it, something happens and I have to go back.. so I have gotten a little better and deciding where the machine left off...but not the best...yet.. The computer will direct the embroidery arm of the machine, and will only stop once you make the order. Some machines have only one needle, and this means one color needs to be completed before the machine can start on the next. You will, therefore, have to monitor closely so that you can know when to switch the needles. Normally, the computer will stop once the machine is done stitching one color, and you will need to switch the colors for it to continue. 

My dream is to get a bigger machine with more needles...Currently my machine only works with a 4x4 hoop. When purchasing an embroidery machine, it is important to consider the size of the embroidery you intend to work on. This is because different sizes of machines are used for different sizes of design. In addition, you should consider the format in which you can save the designs. Machines with more formats available for saving the designs will offer you less trouble when working. 

Stay tuned until I post my next adventure.