Embroidery machines do so much more than you can imagine

 In The Hoop Embroidery 

From Sweet Pea Machine Embroideryc

I have talked about machine embroidery before but as I use my machine such a lot, I wanted to share some of my latest projects with you. 

There are more ideas on Machine Embdoidery ideas so do take a look to see what else an embroidery machine can do. 

I really love In The Hoop Embroidery by Sweet Pea Embroidery

The designs are far removed from the traditional embroidery designs in that they are dimensional and the entire piece is completed In The Hoop - Backing,  wadding,and zips included!

If you  visit their website from the link above you will be able to view the catalogue of designs available to purchase. They are not at all expensive. They also have a gorgeous range of fabrics and their own range of thread which I am coveting. 

The designs are mostly applique with added Embroidery which are built up gradually starting with wadding and ending with the backing.

Embroidery Machines

A Jaycotts post

What else can I do with an embroidery machine other than embroider clothes?

"An embroidery machine is an investment, so what else can I use an embroidery only machine for" is something I get asked a lot and I know Jaycotts have the answer!

These are a few of the items I make on my Brother embroidery machine.
To view the range , this is the link Embroidery Machine

If at all possible it is well worth a visit to try a few and to discuss options

I have to admit that once my embroidery machine comes out, I never want to put it away, I find it addictive and before I know it I have been sat at it all day long.

So I hope that by sharing some of the things I use it for will make you realise that they are a really good investment. There are so many ways to use it and even when you think you have tried everything you could purchase the software needed to make your own designs!

Fascinating to watch, no matter how many times you have used your machine

Sweet Pea Machine Embroidery Australia Cutest Cupcake Collection

A Jaycotts Post

Sweet Pea "In the Hoop" Machine embroidery designs.

A while ago I was fortunate to meet the Sweet Pea team and see their amazing designs close up.

Sweet Pea were invited by Brother UK to do a roadshow in the UK and Germany and we were very fortunate that Jaycotts was chosen as one of the few locations to host an event promoting their incredible in the hoop embroidery designs

Cutest Cupcake Collection

Since then Jaycotts have been able to stock three of their designs to sell online and in the store. 

If you have not come across Sweet Pea before then you are in for a treat. This is embroidery at its most exciting, the designs are mostly made entirely in the hoop,and what stunning designs they are!

The Brother Multi-Purpose Screwdriver

Introducing the Brother Multi-purpose Screwdriver

I love Machine embroidery on my Brother machine, but I have been having problems hooping my fabric and stabiliser .

This is a story about how a tiny gadget saved my sanity.

I  love machine embroidery, who doesn't, but  the results I was getting were so disappointing, all this puckering, it just doesn't look nice.

It is just spoiling the effect of my designs. All that work I put in and the results are not good. What is happening?
Have you ever experienced this?

Everything starts off fine, the fabric and stabiliser are stretched tightly across the hoop, but then after a while it all starts to look wrong.

I tried everything and in the end I asked Brother themselves what I was doing wrong.

The solution they gave me was so simple! I don't know why I didn't see it for myself!

You see, these are the tools which typically come with Brother machines. They are used to tighten screws, change needles, tighten embroidery hoops and a zillion other uses. They work fine for most people yes......
But they are so tiny! I struggle to use my hands so  I cannot grip them properly Maybe you have this problem too ? I know my friend has arthritis in her hand and I have Parkinsons, so trying to hold  such a tiny object and fiddle with tightening screws is an almost impossible task. As I have grown older my fingers are less nimble too making it doubly hard work.

It is important that the fabric to be embroidered and the stabiliser under it are secured very tightly in the hoop otherwise the fabric will move around resulting in the puckering shown in the above  pictures. The lack of grip in my hand meant I was not tightening the screw in the hoop sufficiently, giving very poor results.
 So, what is this mystery solution?

It is this utterly brilliant and simple Multi-purpose screwdriver! Who would have thought that such a tiny object would revolutionise not only my embroidery but make little jobs on my sewing machine so much easier too!
The metal screwdriver part is easily rotated to make it suitable for all your needs.

The first position shown in the picture above is so useful for jobs on all your Brother machines. Embroidery machines, overlockers and sewing machines all have screws that need to be tightened.

Take my   BROTHER Innov-is 1300    for example. Sometimes I want to remove the foot attachment and swop it for a different one.  Old screwdriver? Fiddly to hold.
Same with changing the needle, a bit fiddly too.

But with the multi purpose screwdriver set at position 1 both of these tasks are a breeze.

Sometimes there are screws in hard to reach places and I find  the little round gadget which came with the machine so hard to grip.  The result of which was that something which should have taken me seconds to remove was taking forever

But put the multi purpose tool in position 2 and it is so easy to access even the most awkward screw!

Now this is the bit I like best. Rotate the screwdriver bit untl it is inside the rounded end and you will be astounded at what it can be used for.

Just insert it into the tightening screw on your embroidery hoop and turn, keep on turning and suddenly your embroidery hoop is tight and secure and all this without struggling to use a fiddly little tool. I have the BROTHER Innov-is 800e embroidery machine from Jaycotts

Your stabiliser and fabric will now stay put because it is so very easy to tighten the screw properly - no effort required!
And that is the secret of smooth embroidery - keeping the fabric firmly in place in the
hoop without it moving at all.

No puckering around the embroidery on this little pillow! 

And perfectly flat pockets

No puckering to spoil the applique on this pillow either!

You will now be as excited as I am and be wondering how to purchase this wonder tool!
It is called The Brother Multi-purpose Purpose Screwdriver and it is available from your nearest Brother outlet priced £14:99 and worth every penny!

So go on Jaycotts website or call in store and treat yourself. Brother Multi purpose screwdriver

Any queries? Contact Jaycotts for help and advice on any of their products

Honestly, it makes life so much simpler, not only for people whose hands don't quite work as well as they once did, but for everyone.

Who would have guessed that I was struggling for so long but that there was a simple solution just waiting to be discovered

Thank you for reading this post

Angela 

The Simplicity 8258 Amazing Fit Denim Dress

This is a MCBN post for Minervacrafts

The pattern is one of the Amazing Fit range by Simplicity 

This lovely dress is so versatile, it can be worn all year long too, in summer with pretty sandals and in winter with a Polo underneath and boots.

Best of all it will an Amazing Fit Pattern by Simplicity so your perfect fit is guaranteed.

Do read the post by clicking on this link My Amazing Fit Simplicity Dress

#sewangelicthreads #denim #dress #MCBN #embroidery #machine embroidery #simplicity #simplicity8258

The Personal Embroidery Design Software System for your Brother Embroidery Machine

Introducing the Brother PE Design 10 software 

Just suppose that you have had your Brother Embroidery Machine for a while now and you have been downloading additional Embroidery patterns from the internet, and everything is going fine but where do you go from here?

You may want to create your own designs from a photograph or clip art, perhaps you want to add lettering to a design and create your own logo, with this software you can do all that plus add colours, change colours, change hoop size, arrange several patterns to make one design and much more 

If this appeals to you then this software is for you.

The software is easy to install and there are full instillation instructions in the box with step by step pictures showing each stage. You cannot go wrong.

The software is actually run by  a Key and you need to keep it safe as it is needed every time you use the software. You will be unable to use the software installed on your computer if this key is not plugged into a USB port. 

 Assuming you have installed the software and opened the system with the key you will see the Startup Wizard. This screen enables you to choose your hoop size and fabric type which is the part I always start with.  It shows the design you previously worked on and much more besides
You may also want to go directly to a template which is quickly accessed from here.
I find it so useful to start here as it makes everything simple, and by choosing my hoop size now it saves trying to work out which size hoop you need later.

I do love the fact that the instruction manual can be accessed very easily from the main screen and it opens in a new window so that you do not lose the work in progress.

 For example I wanted to know how to centre my design and the answer came up immediately in a simple to understand diagram.

The project I wanted to work on first was a logo that I could embroider onto a garment to be worn if I am giving a sewing class or similar event.
First I needed to find a picture. There are plenty within the design software itself or you can download from the internet or use a disc or pen drive. Another option is to convert a photograph or clip art into embroidery.

I have quite a few designs of Angels saved into my computer so I wanted to try a few of them to see which I liked best.
This one was easily transferred from my computer onto the design page by selecting it in the import pane and dragging it onto my grid.
I then entered some text, just my name in this instance and played around with colours fonts and sizes . That's the best way to learn incidentally, by playing around with various designs until you achieve something which pleases you.

This is my first design and although I do not want to embroider it yet or choose it as my logo I do want to save it.
There are two choices and you can choose either or both. In this photo I am saving the design to my computer by clicking on "Save As" and choosing a file which I had already created on my desktop.

 

The other option is to choose "Send Embroidery Design" and choose your USB stick.
The USB stick can then be inserted into your embroidery machine ready for stitching

This is one of the designs I finally decided on. I wanted the design quite small so ensured that I chose the 4x4 hoop size in the start up whizard.
I also need to mention that there is a sewing order pane where you can easily adjust the sewing order so that the number of thread changes is minimised .
There is also a stitch view or realistic view to see how the finished pattern will appear and you can actually watch as the machine simulates the actual embroidery.

You cannot use your PE Design key in your embroidery machine so you will need a USB stick. I use a normal one with a large memory to store a copy of all my designs on and the fun scissors one to transfer just one or two designs into my machine.

This is the first logo embroidered. I also added a border as you can see. As this is only a practice logo I wasn't too worried about the colours, they can easily be changed according to the colour of the garment it is to be embroidered onto. There are some changes to be made before I embroider it for real but doing a test run, for me, is very useful.

This is another little logo which I came across and saved into my embroidery file.

I am doing another logo. This time starting with the text. There are a lot of text design patterns to choose from and a huge library of fonts.

This is one of my Angel designs I have in my folder and again I saved the design into my computer file in case I want it in future

I quite liked this one though and I wanted to see what it looks like embroidered so I transferred it to my memory stick and into my machine.

And this is my finished design. It is clear to see that the lettering needs centering and it will need a border, so I am going back into the design to make these alterations before I use it properly.
When I practice my embroidery I use my sheets, pillowcases and table wear! I don't see the point of doing all that work and just discard it, so now my linen is covered in random embroidery which I actually love.

My embroidery machine is the Brother Innov-is 800e so do contact Jaycotts for the latest prices and to discuss other embroidery or embroidery / sewing machines combined.

There is a whole lot more that I can tell you about this incredible software but the best thing for you to do is to try it for yourself. You can flip and duplicate patterns to make large designs and you can create your own shapes, changing the sewing direction whenever you want to. In this way you can create your own unique designs.
I could talk forever about the benefits of this software It really adds a lot to the value you will gain from your machine.

The product information from Brother is;-

Embroider, Embellish, Enjoy
Expand your creative possibilities and streamline your design work with the new PE-DESIGN® 10 Embroidery Design Software. PE-DESIGN® 10 truly is the "Perfect 10" of embroidery software, with new and enhanced features for everyone - from the hobbyist to the home business entrepreneur.

• 130 built-in fonts
• Easy user interface
• New functions (chain stitches, net fill stitches, multiple stitch direction and more)
• Over 1000 built-in designs
• See design previews in Windows Explorer  
• Intelligent colour sort
• Enhanced photo stitch quality
• Enhanced Applique wizard
• Enhanced Split stitch tool


This incredible The Brother PE Design 10 Embroidery Software is available from Jaycotts Telephone them on 01244 394099 for more information.

Or you can fill in the Contact Jaycotts form or call in of course.

Do sign up for the Newsletter and be the first to hear about special offers, promotions and to read the latest blog.

Thank you for reading this post.

Angela

#machineembroidery #embroiderysoftware #Jaycotts #Brother #sewing #embroidery

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Let's talk some more about Machine Embroidery

Talking about machine embroidery 

Labels

Machine Emboidery, embroidery stabiliser, ,Hong Kong seams, Bias binding foot, pressing, 

Machine embroidery is such a massive subject that I will be coming back to it frequently.
In this post I wanted to talk more about it because I know that some of you are still undecided if an embroidery machine is something you will use.
I will be honest and say that Embroidery machines are only as complicated as you want them to be. They come with designs built into them so you are ready to go as soon as you take it out of the box. Furthermore if you are reading this then you have enough computer knowledge to download and use designs off the internet too. You may then want to further your new passion and create your own designs using specialised software - more about that later.

In this post I am making a dress and simple unlined jacket in black cotton, but you will excuse me for not going into detail about the construction of these garments as there are plenty of instructions elsewhere on my blog and the instructions inside the pattern are excellent too. If you do want more detailed information then please let me know.

Machine Embroidery and the Brother NV800E

The Brother Innov-is NV800E 

This embroidery only machine makes short work of embelishing anything from garments to bed linen and home wear. But it is not just an embroidery machine, it does free standing lace and applique too. The long arm makes it suitable for larger projects but it is equally at home with small intricate designs. Interested?

Not only does it embroider beautifully it appliques with ease and makes free standing lace. I make these bookmarks to give as gifts.

Watch this short video to see it in action

It's such a pleasure to use this machine , and so uncomplicated that within minutes of it being delivered I was producing my very first embroidery.

This is one of a set of velvet cushion covers I have been making. Velvet is notoriously difficult too work with but this machine had no problem with it whatsoever. More about how I made them later.

As you know I recently spent a day with Jaycotts to ask owners of the wonderful Brother Innov-is VQ2 sewing, quilting and embroidery machine
 The post is here if you would like to read it. The Brother Innov-is VQ2 .

Many of you already own a sewing machine which you do not want to replace, but if you  would like to own an embroidery machine too,  look no further than the NV800E from Brother.
I have this machine at home and I wanted to tell you more about it and why I like it.

First of all it has a large colour LCD touch screen. This is the place where you select your pattern and make alterations to it.
Once a pattern has been selected you then have editing options, so you can easily change the shape, size and position of the design. Not only that you can also change the thread colours and rotate the design creating a mirror image.
Each design gives the total time to sew and the amount of time before the next thread change.
It is easy to combine patterns and to change the font on your lettering.
A useful feature is that you can easily check that the embroidery fits inside your chosen frame.
Once you start embroidering the LCD screen displays the thread being used and the minutes it will take to complete that section. The colour list and thread number moves after each colour is stitched and puts the next colour at the top of the list.
There are many other functions easily accessible on this screen,  for example you may need to go back a few stitches or save a design to a memory stick. There is also a stitch counter which comes in handy if you need to turn the machine off and come back to it later
Once editing is complete the design is previewed in full colour.

Introducing the Innovative and Intuitive Brother Innov-is VQ2

The Brother Innov-is VQ2 from Jaycotts.co.uk

I recently spent a day instore at Jaycotts finding out from owners of this wonderful machine just what it is that excites them so much.

What became obvious very quickly was the tremendous amount of enthusiasm and passion for this machine shown by both owners and staff, so I had to find out more!

I interviewed a group of  Jaycotts customers who all own this fabulous machine and have put their comments and thoughts together so that you can see it though their eyes

Quilt by Sue from Liberty Bell Chester

Ann has been sewing all her life and has not had the VQ2 for very long so she is still learning. She loves the electronic side of it, in particular the extra-large colour touchscreen which is so easy to use
All Ann needs to do is to simply touch the screen to edit stitches, customise the settings, change to one of 13 built in languages and set the clock. She also loves the on screen video tutorials and built in tutorials and help guides which recommend the perfect settings for her project.
Another feature which she loves is the lighting. This machine has ultra-bright LED lighting giving a crisp natural light, it is also adjustable, so it can  turned down or brighter as you require .The lighting is not just in the needle area as usual though - this machine goes better than that as the whole arm area is illuminated.

The VQ2  with quilting by Elaine

As soon as Elaine saw the VQ2 she knew instantly that she had to have it. She loves the way the fabric is fed through easily which was instantly apparent when she went for her demonstration.
Elaine recommends that when doing free motion quilting you practise first on a small sandwich of your quilting fabric, wadding and backing until you are happy with the effect you want to create.

Make An embroidered tunic top -Sew fashionable

This is a continuation of my previous blog post, Making free- standing lace....  I have made exactly the same top but this time I have embroidered it instead of putting applique lace on.
The pattern is as before by  Simplicity -  Simplicity 4149

When I find a pattern I like I keep it in a large plastic envelope to use again. I liked​ the Navy Blue top on the previous post so much  that I wanted to make another one straight away.
The fabric is a length of embroidered Indian cotton from my own stash of fabrics. I have been looking for an opportunity to use it for a few years!

I am using my Embroidery machine Brother Innov-is 800E which is one of a range of embroidery machines from Jaycotts. I absolutely love it.
I also used Gunold tear-away stabiliser on the embroidery hoop underneath the fabric Gunold stabiliser. It really does tear away from the fabric very easily indeed .
The threads I am using are from a box of 40 satin finish embroidery threads by Brother Satin embroidery threads . Everything is from Jaycotts.co.uk and the links take you directly to the product on their web site

I chose a heart design for on the sleeves and on the bottom of the right  front. This is the reverse side as you can see I am picking away at the residue of stabiliser with a pin and some tweezers. It is very easy to remove 

The finished design is rather pretty. When I was choosing my designs I looked for something which would echo the embroidery on my fabric, but the important thing is for you to choose something which you like!

I tacked the front darts in place and marked the cutting line and stitching lines on the tunic front before placing my embroidery.
I then measured carefully where I wanted the centre of each design to be, marking the grain lines and centre with tacking thread which I did not fasten off.
After placing the fabric in the hoop it was then easy to align the centre of the design with my markings which also allowed me to ensure that it was straight and not off-grain. This is important if you are thinking of mirroring a design on a piece of fabric, because if one is off centre or crooked it will be instantly noticeable.
Pull the tacking threads out once you are certain that your fabric is hooped correctly.
The designs are different from each other but I did carry some colours through each, for example I used the same pink and the same yellow and blue to provide a little bit of continuity. Please don't get too hung up about it at this stage,but where there is an obvious substitution then do make it.

Instead of the French seams on my previous top I used my overlocker throughout. This enables speedy construction! By that I mean just less than two hours after the embroidery had been completed.
My overlocker is very easy to use and more importantly easy to thread  it is the Brother 3934D Brother overlocker Do telephone for the best price and to discuss other options, the contact details for Jaycotts are at the end of this post.

To hold the facing down I am using one of the embroidery stitches on my Bernina Sewing machine Bernina 350PE  Again do telephone to find out current prices and other options to suit you and your budget.
If you are using embroidery thread in your regular machine then you do need to swop to an embroidery needle
There are various choices depending on what you are sewing on Embroidery needles

Did you know that your needle needs to be changed after almost every project? When I am using my Embroidery machine I remove the needle after I have finished using it. Then when I come to use it again I insert a new needle as part of setting it up ready for use.
The pattern is very easy to make. There are no fastenings to worry about and it has nothing complicated about it whatsoever. It is suitable for all abilities from beginner upwards.

This is my finished top. It is very different from the last one don't you think, I like them both!

Please do not hesitate to contact Jaycotts with any questions about their wonderful products and If you have any general sewing questions I am happy to help you too. There is a contact form on the right hand side of my own blog.

Contact Jaycotts by telephone or by completing the online contact form and why not pay them a visit and see and try out  the machines for yourself?

Contact Jaycotts HERE

I hope that you are interested enough to consider purchasing  an embroidery machine, you definitely will not regret it!

 And I hope that you are inspired to explore how you can get the most out of your sewing patterns by re making them with subtle alterations .I do recommend Simplicity Patterns, they are a good fit, easy to use and fashionable Simplicity Patterns at Jaycotts

We would love to see photographs of your makes by the way!

Angela