Louise, have you ever tried putting mylar or that lovely shiny illusion fabric behind them? It adds a lot of sparkle and if you use blues, another lovely background color. The only minor pain is that you really need to use a woodburner to get off all the extra fabric.

This past weekend I visited my guild's quilt show, which was marvelous. There was one quilt that was exquisitely machine embroidered -- photos below. The center panel had hot fix crystals throughout.

I remarked to one woman, "Wouldn't you have loved receiving that as a wedding gift?"
She said, "Yes, but can you imagine your husband putting his dirty boots up on it?"

While we were chuckling someone else was admiring the quilt and wondering why it didn't place higher. A woman, who I think was a show official, remarked with disdain, "Yes, the embroidery is lovely, but SHE didn't do it, did she? No. The machine did it."

So, just wondering if any of you have run into this attitude about machine embroidered quilts.

I mean if you use a programmed long arm, you didn't do it ... a machine did it. So what's the difference?

I have the babylock elegante, ellisimo and the brother PR620 and the little pooh that I can travel with. I love to do free standing lace, quilts, monograms and just about anything that can be done with the machines. I have the babylock palette version 8 software. I have been going to learn to digitize since 1996, but it is just so easy to purchase the designs. I mostly use the software to do Monograms with and to put designs together to make a design. I also use it to change the colors to get an idea of what it will look like before I stitch it out. It is so much fun, but some times when things go wrong it is such a headache.

People with this attitude are the same ones who complained when artists stopped mixing their own oil paints, or using electric tools to make hand made furniture.

I Have the Brother Inovis Quattro 6000D that I got last summer. I am having a blast embroidering everything I can. My machine will read any format, but I always get PES designs. The machine comes with several hundred built in designs, but I am always looking for more and have found great deals online. I embellished sweatshirts, for my grandkids, with Disney characters and their names for Christmas. I have made In the Hoop stuffies, placemats, napkins, towels, runners, purses, and of course...Quilts. I will be posting pics soon.
So happy I found this thread.
Val

QuiltyLouise,
Those Angels are beautiful! And you said you used what kind of thread again? Sorry having a brain fart this morning :(

Krystyna or Quilty Louise, can you explain to me what the mylar is for? I've seen several embroidery designs that ask for mylar paper and don't know what they mean.

Quiltnut, you can view a video on using mylar in embroidery here - it is essentially the sort of cellophane type material that you would use to wrap a gift basket, but with a bit of luminescence. You actually can buy a roll of it at Joann or Michael's, but there is another type to use if you want your embroidery to be washable in a machine.
I don't use it myself, but like using the vapor organzas from Joann. They are just gorgeous and come in so many colors. I also used a sparkly burgundy organza to make napkin rings. So pretty. If you look at post 427 you'll see a little angel I made using some organza - although I also used glitter thread on the wings and some details.

TanyaL - you hit the nail on the head. I think that the use of an embroidery machine is legitimate for use in quilting. Just as legitimate as the use of any other piece of equipment.

Clem55--there is a free download of embroidery chart for fabrics that lists the type of stabilizer to use with ea fabric..very informative. It is at http://www.diamondthreadworks.com and is only 100kb, tho there is almost every fabric listed.

I started with the Brother Snoopy machine--then I got the Bernina Deco 600--both were sold when I bought the Bro ULT2003D new..and I truly fell in love. It sews as well as embroiders..4 hoop sizes. Recently I added a used ULT2002D that was upgraded to 2003. So now I have 2 of the same machine and there is no way I'd change brands. They use cards or floppy disks, and I have software PE Design v4, and v5, and a Mini Magic Box. I've installed My Editor which I use as much as the pe design--I have Embird, and the free Pulse Ambassador (all 3 will convert formats.) I just don't have time to do as much as I'd like, but my late favorite is projects made ITH. Love them!

quiltnut - the thread I used was purchased from Amazon.com
It is called "Radiant Threads" by C&C Sales NY Inc. I posted the
link earlier, but here it is again Amazon.com and it has a
GREAT price for 50 spools, it breaks down to about .90 per spool.

Somebody had to plan how the designs were combined and where to place them for the best effect. This is beautiful. Thanks for sharing the picture. It provides inspiration for ways in which to incorporate embroidery into quilting.

As I predicted ran out of thread. I was able to get 11 finished leaving
just 1 blasted angel undone.

Had I known at the start of making them I would have "planned"
my stitch order differently. As it is it is the September angel that
did not get finished.

Oh well live and learn I had fun making them anyways.

Check the floriani website and see if they have a seminar going on near you. It cost me thirty dollars but got all kinds of gifts. Ten huge spools of thread, designs, stabilizer samples, thread conversion cd, ect. She gave a couple hour talk o stablizers and designs and computer help. No hard line selling, lots of info.

P E software locks computer
 

Could it be that your P E software needs updating? Could that be causing your computer to freeze up? Why don't you visit the Brother (updates) site and compare your version with the update info. If that is the prob (or maybe you need updated drivers for the card reader)....anyway, you can download the entire updated program from Brother site and install--then connect the box to verify you have ownership, and it will update the drivers. Also, you know that the OS must be 32bit processor, right? I hope you can get this worked out--it is a great program...but almost each release version has updates. Good luck!

mermaid, I'm a Snoopy fan and up until a while ago I found that Brother Snoopy machines were existent at one time. I'm going to check if there are any out there, maybe ebay to see if there is a used one out there!

I have a janome 10001 on some of the designs i get the thread count is to large. Is there any thing I can do to use the designs. And when doing a design the thread comes out of the pick up bar. Is there anything I can do so it don't come out.

I have a Janome 350e. I have done lots of embroidery on towels and for my Grandchildren. My next step is to start embroidering on my quilts

Re Brother Snoopy machine
 

It was fun...I did Lucy, Charlie, Snoopy..all those kids on everything I owned! One day at the flea mkt, wearing a Lucy/Snoopy decorated top, a stranger came up to me wanting to know where I got it. When I said I embroidered them, she went wild to own my machine. I was already thinking of another anyway...for lgr hoops. The Snoopy came with 2 hoops--one was for split designs. I added a cap hoop and never used it. Good luck in your search.

Remember BE CAREFUL about licensed designs!

Yeah that is so true.

I NEVER sale ANY design that is licensed. Only thing I will
sale is designs that have no "restrictions" on them such
as what I buy from Embroidery Library.

The format for futura is xxx hope that helps. LInda

I have two Husqvarna Viking machines that I bought used and have been very happy with. The Rose is 10 years old to me and still does wonderful 4x4 embroideries-it's a many step process, though, to get the designs over to her. So I purchased the Designer 1 used and love it. I got SewWhatPro to load designs to it, but I'm always sewing on it and hardly ever want to stop to do embroidery. I'm thinking of buying another one so I can multi-task and embroider larger designs. My HUGE hangup though is stabilizer. I am still a beginner as far as which stabilizer to use in each instance. Is there a chart out there listing projects and stabilizers? For example, what is the best stabilizer if the embroidery will be used in a quilt where it will stay permanently? I have sweatshirts that have sat here all winter because of my stabilizer indecision.

abc123, when I am embroidering for a quilt, depending on the density of the embroidery, sometimes I don't use any stabilizer at all. The sandwich seems to be enough. If it is a smaller project, I will sometimes use the soft type that you leave in, especially if it is a large dense design.

I used to think the same thing. If you did not embroider by hand, you did not embroider. But now I have an embroidery machine and changed my tune. There is so much more to embroidery on a machine than people realize. This quilt is beautiful and so much work!!


QUOTE=cmw0829;5093878]Somebody had to plan how the designs were combined and where to place them for the best effect. This is beautiful. Thanks for sharing the picture. It provides inspiration for ways in which to incorporate embroidery into quilting.[/QUOTE]

stabilizers
 

There is a wonderful chart to download for free--I posted the info yesterday. You can get it at www.diamondthreadworks.com
I can't remember where I learned of it, but it covers all fabrics--recommending the proper stabilizers...VERY handy document!

Thank you for the info Quilty Louise. Yes I am aware of the licensing/copywright restrictions. I only use it for my personal use and I do have several Peanuts designs I purchased on CD-roms. Maybe someday I'll have grandchildren and can sew up some pretty ones...maybe there is still a machine like this available, used....hmmm.

Mermaid,
I tried this site but its not available...

I tried it also and it does not work. Would love to get the information. Does anyone have a different address for this information?

Please know who you are buying licensed designs from..I bought from e bay years ago when I got my first machine. The OESD attorneys came after me also. I did not have a clue..figured e bay would be ok to buy from. They tried to fine me 800.00 and return the disks. If you look at e bay now most of the illegal designs come out of diff countries. It worked out but it was scary.
I tried this site but its not available...[/QUOTE]

If it stretches any least little bit you need a cut away stabolizer. I believe there are different weights available. Before working on your project try to find a piece of fabric similar to your blue in pic above. Use different weights and see what gets the best one.

This sounds fun. I used to have a Singer Quantum XL 150 fo0r about 5 years. I had never machine embroidered before. I went into the Sewing Center for something totally different and came out with this. Salesman very good. I immediately was hooked. I kind of self-taught myself. I really like this type of sewing if you can call it that. But this machine was limited in the size hoops it could accomodate, 4x4, 5x7. Last fall I did some window shopping and found a good deal on trading in my Singer. I now have a Viking Ruby. I have purchased a couple more hoops (pretty expensive for me) to fill in what didn't come with the machine. I am more in love now! I really like the more choices of hoops. I do projects for our church bazaar, and things for me. I use it alot to make labels for my quilt. I guess I'm lazy that way. I will say that I have gone in for lessons now and then because my "Ruby" (I finally named one of me machines because it is my mother's name) has more bells and whistles on her. I have purchased some designs to make quilts with. But I am very frugel, or cheap, and on sale, and spend alot of money on designs. I find designs that are free and purchase from the websites that handle these designs. I have slowly showed my daughter how to use it. She will be the only one out of 2 daughters that may be interested. Any other questions, ask.
Craftybear, will there be ongoing chatting about m.e.? I will try to keep checking. Thanks

[/QUOTE]
I had this happen to me also. didn't have to pay the fine, just returned the cd. So I never but designs from ebay any more.

Hi,

The Bernina 630 and 640 are both sewing machines that have the capacity to attach an embroidery module to them that you can either buy with the machine (I got a great deal on mine) or you can buy it later if you don't want it now. Ot if you never fancy embroidery.... you never have to purchase the module.

Hope this helps.

Caroline

[/QUOTE]

I'm just wondering - what did they come after you for? Buying counterfeit designs or using them to sell items?

I looked at the designs on Saveondesigns but they didn't look like the same quality that I'd expect if they were "original". For example, the Pooh design looked poorly digititzed. It could be the image, but it didn't look that great.a "professional" Pooh design which I'd

I

I have bought a used, barely used Bernina artista 180 with the embroidery module, which has never been used. I need HELP! I have not used an embroidery machine before and do not know how to begin.

OESD is a big company, when I got a letter from the lawyer I called and talked to someone explaining that I thought I was buying legal from e bay and how did they get away with selling ? I was imformed that they go after both buyer and seller for having and selling illegal designs. It was mostly a scare tactic and it worked for me, I no longer buy illegal designs!

I'm just wondering - what did they come after you for? Buying counterfeit designs or using them to sell items?

I looked at the designs on Saveondesigns but they didn't look like the same quality that I'd expect if they were "original". For example, the Pooh design looked poorly digititzed. It could be the image, but it didn't look that great.a "professional" Pooh design which I'd[/QUOTE]