AWESOME! They look absolutely marvelous! You are doing so well for just getting it!

Well, a belated Happy Birthday Nanny! What a great way to spend your birthday evening. The designs look wonderful. Love those Cinderella shoes!

Happy Belated Birthday and what a great birthday present. The embroidery work looks great! Keep it up!

I just posted fast photos of an embroidered Scripture quilt for an ailing QB friend. Done in a weekend. I really like the look of these designs - so vintage looking.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t225363.html

K,
That is beautiful.

You friend is going to feel all the prayers coming from that quilt.

Wow, that is beautiful. Did you make the designs yourself? If not, where might I find them?

error message - not good!
 

!I have a Brother Innovis 6000D. Working on a Hoopsisters quilt that has been moving along nicely. I take apart the bobbin area and clean out the lint after every block. So, yesterday it was stitching along nicely and a little squeak started that I noticed around the left side (needle side). I took off the cover and couldn't see anything, no loose threads anywhere, and the squeak seemed to be on the upstroke of the needle. Well, I wanted to finish the block since I only had maybe 5" of sewing left. The machine stopped and an error message appeared that the safety mechanism had kicked in and that I either had a bent needle or the upper thread was tangled. The needle will no longer rise. Again, I took the machine apart and can't find anything. Turning it off and on doesn't help - I still get the message when I touch the needle down button. I don't suppose anyone has a quick fix suggestion. I hate to take it in as I know I won't see it again for weeks. Anyone? Help! Jane, stuck with needle up

Thank you so much. The designs are among many that are offered for free. I wish I could remember where ... I will look for a link in the freebies section at cuteembroidery.com

Krystyna that is beautiful work!

It seems weird to reply to my own post, but I thought I'd give an update. I did take my machine into a dealer yesterday. Of course, it's $159.00 just to have them take a look. The upside of that is, my machine will be serviced which has not happened since I got it. The gentleman said it's not uncommon to get thread wrapped around the mechanism that is not visible unless they completely remove the entire cover and some of the workings. I did that and still couldn't see any threads, but hopefully they can find it. So, at this time I am now without my baby! It will be about a week so they say. Interestingly, they tried to sell me another machine to have for backup for the week. The other good thing about this experience is the lessons learned. 1. Do have your machine serviced on a regular basis. 2. The time without my baby around has given me the motivation to finish a couple other projects. At least that's the goal. 3. When you hear a squeak, don't ignore it!

Well I did it.....went and purchased the 5d professional embroidery system!!!! Got it for $1299.95 plus I get the free upgrade to the 6d when it comes out! Installed it but I am going to have to play with it a lot as it just boggles my mind! Wish me luck....I think I'm going to need it! :)

This thread is confusing to me to navigate but I will give it a go! I saw a post here recently about people in search of 4D and 5D software. (I am still in the cave with 3D and doing fine, thank you very much:)) However I got this email today and thought I would pass it on in case anyone is in search of a new gadget. Go for it girls! Our world is so small Montana is right next door. Have fun!
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[TD]Please contact The Quilting Hen at 406-734-5297 or email us at [email protected] if you are interested in any of the softwar specials.
All major credit cards accepted and we ship out same day.

Sorry no returns on software or booklets

www.quiltinghen.com
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You are going to love the 5D, I know I love mine!

I hate to be without my machine for a week while they clean it, so I try to take it to the shop on my way out of town for a weeks' vacation or out of town for the holidays. I can usually schedule it ahead of time so they have me on the schedule. There is one shop that says it I schedule it ahead of time, I can drop it off in the morning, do some shopping, and pick it up in the afternoon. Of course, this is for cleaning, not for a mechanical problem. We hate to be without our "babies" :(

I sooo know what you mean. Earlier this year I had to take my machine
in for "emergency surgery" (hahaha funny joke) because I was having
some ugly issues with it plus I made the mistake of leaving my (LARGE)
spool of bobbin thread to close to the right side of the machine where
the "wheel" is located and ended up with it winding around the wheel,
it was an ugly mess and a mistake I vow to NEVER make again.

It took them a MONTH to service my machine only because this all
happened right about the time they were moving into a new larger
building.

I DID have my smaller & older machine, but using that machine is just
not the same by a LONG shot, largest hoop is 5x7, only way to to use
designs is via a card (to which right now I can't find none of the 4 cards),
smaller viewing screen, etc....

I have a Bernina 200....and took one private lesson on it...tried it out a couple of times...but the steps and directions are just over whelming to me...so I put it back in the Bernina luggage carrier and it sits staring at me from the corner ....I enjoy the sewing machine, all of the items I purchased from a new move-in where I live...I don't think I could be much help to anyone....Still you have a great idea....Hattie

I know how overwhelming it can be. To be honest, after I bought my Viking Diamond the embroidery unit stayed in the case for 3 1/2 years! I finally took it out, and committed to getting through 1 -2 pages of instructions from the book per evening. In a week I had a full design embroidered. Be patient with yourself, go back and tell the shop you don't understand and ask if they have regular groups hat get together. My local shop has monthly digitizing and embroidery groups.
Another possibility, sign up fr a class, and let them know when you register for it that you are a novice. People there will be very willing to help you.

Good for you! That is awesome. I got the 5D Pro and absolutely love it. I've been going through the books and doing the stuff and it's still a bit overwhelming at times. If where you bought it does classes, they are a definite must! There is also a DVD that they probably tried to sell to you that is really a great investment. It is the "Simply Teach Me" set - fantastic! The other thing I found is an online tutorial at MrPatience.com Of course it is a subscription site, but he also has a number of free tutorials which are so easy to follow. Great stuff! Congrats on your new adventure. Jane

A website to check out.
 

I found a site www.sewterific.com which is really a nice site. I found it by looking for redwork but she has all kinds of stuff. I have not purchased anything from there so can't attest to the accuracy of the digitizing, but it is certainly fun to browse.

Me too. I have 5D pro and waiting to see how much the upgrade for 6D will be in the fall. If you go to mrpatience.com he has videos, and classes on 4D and 5D that may help you. Some of his stuff is free and others he charges for but there is enough free stuff to make it worth checking out.

I'm not sure if anyone told you but if you go under programs and 5D embroidery and go to I think its modules you can get lots more info on the software. It's like the little books they give you but much more. It also has lots of things about fixes if you need it. I love the thread manager. If you take the time to enter all the thread you have on hand it not only will give you an inventory list that you can print out when you go to the store but when you have a design loaded in the software you can chose color tone and tell it to chose only the colors in YOUR thread list and then it'll match the color stops to the closest of what you already own; no guessing on your part. Its a great software.

Thank you for the site...I am going there now :)

One thing that made me go with 2 separate machines is I can have my embroidery machine running while I sew on the other. That being said, Baby Lock is an awesome machine (I have Crescendo ($3500 and LOVE it). I bought the brother PE-780D (~$1000) for embroidery - got the best of both worlds and spent less money. Just saying.....

bigredharley,
I own the Babylock Spirit and I have the Melody and like you I like the idea of having the embroidery machine going as I'm sewing and I have no complaints with this brand. Just love it! **BTW you got a great deal on the Crescendo! Enjoy it!

Just starting the journey of embroidery. Got a first lesson at the dealer yesterday. Going to work/play today.

I have a brother pe-770. I just got it for Christmas last year from my bf. I honestly haven't done too much with it, just really names for Christmas stockings, and a few designs. Now that I have a whole area that I can set up for embroidery I want to start to fiddle with it more.

I have the Spirit and have been looking at the Crescendo. Please tell me what you really like about it and you got a much better deal than I have found. Did you get the Gold Standard included for the price?

I just came home with a Brother 950 today. I wanted to get a nice travel machine for regular quilting, but decided that since I was getting yet another sewing machine, that maybe I should get the combo unit. I really have no idea what I'll do with it, other than hoping to create quilt labels. Thinking I might get some nice linen and do some napkins or something like that. It seem like I have a lot of catching up to do on this thread as it is just about to reach 200 pages!

Not familiar with that machine but jope it has a frame larger than 4x4. If not, you will be wanting to upgrade soon. 4x4 is so limited.

The 950 is just a 4x4, but I really bought the machine because it's light and I can easily take it with me. Got the Brother because my home machine is a Babylock, so can switch out bobbins and some feet. This model seems identical to the Babylock Sofia, but I was able to buy it from a dealer at a better price. If I "take" to embroidery, I'll get a bigger one. I see some comments above about the Crescendo - that is what I have. I absolutely love it so far. It's quiet, tracks great. I am really crazy about the laser light thing. All those little squares that go in the corner and sewn from tip to tip - no marking, just line it up on the light and go. I got the machine mostly because of the big harp space which is awesome, but even more than that, FMQ on it is fantastic - stitches perfect, no wierd tension issues. I paid $3,600 before taxes which include the gold warranty. The price supposedly included a trade in, but that was just market-speak. My dealer really does not want my old machines. I shopped around for it, and was quoted a price as high as $4,500. I did not get the dual foot pedal, but now, of course, I want it. My birthday is next month:)

I have been going to an embroidery class and there are several people with the smaller machines. All of them have commented that they now wish they had the capability of larger hoops. Mine will do 8" blocks and I love it, although I do have machine envy when I see the ones that can accommodate the super big hoops. When I got the machine I had no desire to have an embroidery machine and only used it as a very nice sewing machine. Now, many months later I am completely hooked! Love, love, love it!

I've been lurking. Never wanted an embroidery machine. But....as I'm teaching classes at a dealer and have been casually thinking about a new machine, started looking at all the models. I teach FMQ, so wanted a large harp. Then discovered that I can quilt blocks with an embroidery unit. So I went all the way to the top of the line. Have been playing with FMQ and piecing. Took a basic lesson and first embroidery lesson. When I got home, couldn't do even one thing on the embroidery unit.

Went to embroidery club today. Wow. So much to learn because my machine can do so much. There's a new project every month. I think this will help my learning curve. Was there the longest and did the least it appears. Most of the doing is what's happening in my brain. Did learn it needs a very sturdy table. May need to rearrange the studio.

Now I need to get it out and do the class all over on my own, so I can remember, before I forget too much.

There is a group of ladies in my area that would like to start some sort of group so we can exchange experience and ideas on our embroidery machines. Something much less formal than a quilt guild. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

We thought we might meet once a month then from time to time go to one another's sewing rooms and see demonstrations. We have several different brands of embroidery machines.

Again, all ideas and inspiration appreciated.

I have been playing - what I call practicing and learning- with my new Janome Horizon 12000 including downloading free designs and purchasing some on sale. I must say I see a definite difference in the embroidery stitches between those in the machine and the freebie ones from websites. I 'm thinking of that old saying "you get what you pay for" is true. Has anyone else noticed the quality difference?
Maybe it's just me.
Are there websites with good quality embroidery designs?

Nanny's Dollface, it depends on where you're downloading from. There are many sites with excellent free designs. I like Oregon Patchwork as a sort of mall for embroidery shopping. Always lots of sales there, too.

While there are those out there that aren't stitched as well as should be and some have a lot of unnessaary stitches added to the design which will make them seam poor stitching quality. You need to look at the stitch count and this will make a difference on how it stitches out on different stabilizers and fabric. I'm fortunate enough to have 5D and I take all designs and have them checked for unneeded stitches and it will remove them and I also add jump stitches to reduce the amount of running stitches that aren't needed. I agree that OregonPatch is a great site and it represents lots of designers and they send out emails all the time about specials. One thing that I was told from emblibary.com was that you need to download the version closest to the newest one offered. For my Viking there are 3 formats that are Viking and I can use any of them (including most for other machines) but depending on what the design was orginally created in it will vary the outcome. This is something that isn't always easy to find out. So I just run the designs thru 5D. I get lots of free designs from various sites and haven't had a problem for the most part since I found out that the stitch count and using the right stabilzier really makes a difference. JuJu and Juia's needles are two more great sites for freebees.

Sonia Showalter Design just added a NEW FSL earring design called
"under the sea" if you have her seahorse design then this new design
will go perfectly with it.

Sonia Showalter Designs

I want to order these (soon as I can get the extra money for them,
since I already have the seahorse.

Enjoy!

Not ALL embroidery designers have the "best" workmanship, but there are
MANY talented designers.

Embroidery Library has FREE designs in multiple sizes (minimum 2 sizes)
every month. This is my #1 embroidery site I go to when I am looking
for anything, 8/10 times they will have something that will work for what
I am working on.

I get designs from MANY different websites so many that I had to create a "list"
of the websites.

You are going to love embroidery!

Just remember it is a learning curve and you WILL have times when
get frustrated and want to give up, but DON'T just walk away for a
short while than try again.

Even after 6-1/2 years I still have times where I want to scream.

Be sure to post pictures and share with us your works of art.

Just want to share some baby bibs that I made for my friend Teresa aka MsCupid804
who is about to become a first time grandma (lucky woman).

Of course I need to learn how to spell again I think LOL (see the blue bib).

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]424061[/ATTACH]

I was going to try and remove the stitches on the misspelled bib and
start over, but I had already put a "backing" on the bib (to secure the
stitches) , and the more I tried to work on that the more I damaged
the bib, so Teresa is getting 1 less bib than I expected (no more stock
of bibs for a boy).