Cute frig door handle covers. I've never thought of doing that ... till now ... :)

adorable fridge handles. I had seen them but not close up... very cute

Free upgrades, free designs and projects every month and free training constantly. I wish I'd gotten it before I got the 5D Pro, I love the pro but our local store that promised the training didn't live up to their promise. I no longer go to that store for that reason, too many broken promises after the sell was completed. Best place to buy Floriani is if you can find an event, they have great deals

I had bought the 820 and I really do enjoy it. Love the hoops that comes with it.

I love my Janome 500E. Tonight while I was running the basting stitch I discovered that I didn't get one of my pins quite far enough to the side. The machine sewed right through a flower head quilting pin without a flinch and kept on going.
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Cari

Just sharing some little gifts I have been working on. Love my embroidery machines! [ATTACH=CONFIG]563743[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]563744[/ATTACH]

Wow! Beautiful gifts!

rennie, those are so beautiful, hope I'm on your Christmas list!!

What site has the refrigerator handles? They are so cute. I want to make a bunch!

Rennie,
Are we looking at placemats and mug rugs? (I'm having a little trouble gauging scale.) Whatever they are, they're gorgeous!

I'd love to know which parts are embroidered, which are appliqués, etc.

Thanks for sharing!

maryellen2u, I made my wraps in the hoop..then used appliques (made into patches) to add to the tops. You only need a design for a quilted rectangle--size it--and add emb design or a patch to the top edge. But you can buy some handle wraps at the Sweetpea site. Sorry I don't have the addy.

Rennie, I love your Mug Rugs. I have those same designs, was going to make some up today, but instead had to take my machine into the "hospital". Looks like about a three week turn around on the machine. :( When I get my baby back I plan on working on various mug rugs. Thanks for sharing!

Rennie like all your placemat and mug rugs

mermaid like your refrigerator handles where did you get your embroidery pattern?

The file extension for the new Singer Embroidery machines is FHE (futura home embroidery)..the older machines used XXX , but your machine will use all of the embroidery file extensions out there, (it reads over 20 of them)...so it doesn't matter what the file extension is..you can use them all. When searching for a design, just be sure to highlight "all embroidery files", or it will search FHE by default, and you won't be able to see your other designs.

I created the ITH wrap--it's just a quilted rectangle (mine=5.2 x 0.6 inches). The snowpeople are appliques/patches that are sewed on at the end. I've had them so long I don't remember from where. A strip of velcro is stitched on the back of one side and front of the other side, so it will cling around the handle. You could just embroider a pretty design on the wrap. I love them on my doors!--no more sticky handles.

Thank you, everyone ..... I really enjoy making these.

Sushi, they are all mug rugs, but the "JOY" ones are about 6" X 9" and could easily be made large enough for placemats by adding a larger boarder. The flower, ribbon and words are appliqued. The smaller mug rugs in the first picture are embroidery and they are all done "in the hoop". I gave a set of two of them to my local friends instead of sending Christmas cards. The designs came from "Oma's Place." The "Joy" design was by Klee 2 Strings but I am pretty sure I got the pattern off of the Crafty site .

I am brand spanking new to the world of quilting, but I have dabbled in most other fiber arts, including embroidery. My machine is a combo sewing and embroidery machine. It is a Brother LB-6800PRW Project Runway Edition, and I love it as an everyday machine and for smaller embroidery. I thought that using it for quilting may help me get my feet wet, but was wondering if anyone had used a smaller hoop, like a 4 x 4, for doing quilting? I think the largest hoop size that I can get for it is 6 1/4 x 4... so the width doesn't change any. I am not in the market at the moment for a new machine, but it is possible if I were to get into quilting and use it a bunch I may. Anyway, I am so happy I stumbled upon this forum (via one of those Pinterest rabbit holes, lol). It's wonderful to see all of your beautiful work, and learn some tips!

Amazon had a one day special on the machine last month. It was priced at $437.99. The other machine you mentioned was on sale too. But it didn't have all the extras like the Costco version.

What are your thoughts on the 200e? I'm new to embroidery and considering a Janome.

It's a fantastic starter machine. I find that Janome machines are easier to use than Brother machines and the 200e has a bit more capabilities. It has a 5.5" square hoop and you can buy a smaller hoop separately. I used mine every day for 2 months before I got the 350e. Actually I fell into a great deal on a used 350e, that's why I bought another machine so soon. I played with the 200e constantly and found it can do a couple things that I was told it can't do. You can combine designs in the editing screen(even the Janome website says the 200e can't do this). I loved my 200e and often used it at the same time as I was using the 350e.

Cari

Thank you mermaid. I think these will make a nice home made SS gift for next year.

Cari,

Thanks for your feedback. I like the larger hoop area and didn't want to make a huge investment because I intend to get a Bernina with the embroidery module. This is my starting point and there's also the portability factor which helps.

What additional features do you find on the 350e? And how does it differ from the 400e? It's probable that my choice will come down to one of these.

All 3 machines are very different although the computer part of the 200e and the 350 are the same. The 400e and the 500e are basically the same machine. The biggest hoop for the 400e is 8" square and for the 500e it's 8x11" for doing quilting. The 400 and the 500 also have a large color screen. The 400 didn't come out in the US until well after the 500 came out. Janome hasn't even really advertised the 400, not like they have the 500. The 200, 400, and 500 all have the same way of attaching the hoop to the machine.
The 350 is a very different machine. it's largest hoop is a 5x7. The hoops attach to a bar that come out of the back of the machine, this makes it possible for the machine to have a free arm. It's not a small free arm but it is one.
If you're planning on going to the Bernina with embroidery then the 200e is a good starting point, but I like having separate sewing and embroidery machines so I can do both at the same time.
Here's a page comparing the Janome machines:
http://janome.com/en/machines/embroi...ry-craft-500e/

Cari

Cari, thank you for the link. Based on what you've said it sounds like the 400e would suit me best. It's a little more but I really like the screen. As for quilting, are you unable to do the same on the 400? I see the 500e is an embroidery only machine, I'm assuming the same is true for the 400?

I don't know if its the same ones but Anita Good designs has some

Sweetpea site has fridge handle covers. Mine, I made myself; did not buy pattern.

All 4 machines are stand alone embroidery machines. I know nothing about Janome combo machines because I've never had one. The 8x11 hoop that the 500 comes with looks like an accufil quilting hoop but again I don't know anything about that other than I've seen some really nice work on a high end machine at my dealer. I use the hoop for embroidering large designs just fine. Quilting on the 400 should be the same, you just use the square hoop it comes with. I absolutely love my 500 and I'm sure you'll love the 400.

Cari

Thank you for your help. I bought one to get the rectangle (from Sweetpea) and then I will put other designs I already have on top! I can do that after this holiday madness is over! She has lots of cute ITH stuff. I wanted so many things but I already have more than I will ever use! Thanks again.

As for larger designs, for the sort that you see on a tote bag, what size are they typically? I'm thinking 5x7 but since I've never embroidered I could be wrong.

They can be any size you want them to be. I've done mine anywhere from a 2" design on an outside pocket up to about 8", it depends on the size of the bag.

Cari

I love the lettering especially on the smaller oval or scalloped tags/coasters? What kind of machine are you using? My Brother has difficulty with smaller font sizes (even the built in small option).

Small fonts and small fine details look best when you use 60wt thread and a smaller size 9 needle. try a few sample stitch outs this way, you'll see the difference. The letters will be clearer.

Cari

That is what I will try next...too pricey to give up.

I just found this thread, wish I saw it in the beginning of the year.
Maybe I would have learned to use my embroidery machine.

There is a learning curve to machine embroidery even if you've sewn for years. It can be an addicting hobby once you get the basics down though.

Cari

I wanted share a couple of things I made with my embroidery machine last week. I also Monogramed hand towels and towels sets and other things. I am so addicted to this.

This thread is HUGE! I have never gone all the way through the hundreds of pages...

Deedum, your items are beautiful. Embroidery is so addictive. My machine is in the "hospital". Can't wait to get her back so I can do more embroidery. Merry Christmas to all!

Sophie2
Thank you for the nice compliement. I have one machine that is the hospital too, so I understand that. We miss it when we don't have it with us that is for sure. I hope you had a great Christmas.