Had an experience yesterday that I thought I'd share. I was about half way through a large fairly dense design when I started having thread break after thread break. Not just the top thread, about every other time was the bobbin thread. I've never had problems like this before. After going through all the usual remedies(rethread machine top and bottom, slowing it down, new needle, clean and oil machine, etc.) it was still happening so I shut the machine off and called it a day. I kept thinking about it though and it was driving me nuts. What was I missing? then I remembered something I've read about but never actually thought about it. Humidity. It's winter, the heat is on all the time and I don't have a humidifier. I put a bowl of water on both of the heat vents and closed the door over night. This morning I finished up my project without one single thread break. Christmas Calavera from Urban Threads.
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Cari

Wow! Who would of thought?

Thank you for this important "heads up"!

I never thought of that, I just firgued the needle just got hot from working so hard. I will have to give that a try.

Awesome . looks dense

Forgive me for not seeing this sooner. The Elna and Janome use .jef

[QUOTE=slbram17;7725152]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).[/QUOTE

Sorry to be so late in answering, SLBRAM17, but I just got back on here. I actually used my Brother PE 770 for the smaller coasters. OMA does a great job on her digitizing, I think. I did the larger applique items on my Babylock Esante.

Happy New Year!

Thank you. Someone suggested using sixty weight thread and smaller needle.?

I was having thread breakage too but found out I needed to bump up the size needle I was using. Back in 2000 when embroidery machines became the rage we were taught to use a 75/11 needle. Seems since then the normal size needle is larger. I had to go up to a 90/14 to finally get the thread to play nicely. Got thru a 45 minute design without a break. So I've decided to use my huge lot of 75/11 needles for piecing from now on.

Love this thread. I will get some pictures of my two UFOs and post them. I have two southwest quilt tops with embroidery waiting to be quilted.

I was making some refrigerator handles a few weeks ago and was having constant thread breakage. I thought it was my needle, so I changed from the 75/11 to the 80/12 - still constant breakage. Finally changed my thread and had no further breakage. Because I had a lot of thread from previously doing some bowling shirts for a league, my thread was old. So to double check, I took a strand and pulled it - and it broke (took a little strength, but it DID break). So I realized my thread was too old. This is why, I guess, we should not get overly excited when we start out with an embroidery machine and buy a lot of thread colors. Just another check to do when we have thread breaks. Oh, well, at least I figured it out.

Do you use your embroidery machine for quilting? I've done a couple of tops, but not quite satisfied. Maybe more experience?

I bought mine thinking that I would use it to quilt. Take a look at the Edge to Edge Quilting book by Amelie Scott. You have to buy the first one which is the instruction book with one CD of quilting designs. The next releases are the design CDs "only". You use larger hoops to quilt. She just released number 6.

Sandy

[QUOTE=Sandygirl;7737790]I bought mine thinking that I would use it to quilt. Take a look at the Edge to Edge Quilting book by Amelie Scott. You have to buy the first one which is the instruction book with one CD of quilting designs. The next releases are the design CDs "only". You use larger hoops to quilt. She just released number 6.

Sandy[/QUOTE
]Me too. But I quickly learned it isn't very practical. It does a nice job. But the hooping up of a quilt sandwich is very hard. And then there's the issue of all the rehooping to do even a small quilt. It can take about 40 on up. Perhaps other machines are better equipped with hoops that work well with a thick quilt.
I have the Horizon MC 12000.
I hardly ever embroider. So the expense for the embroidery machine was wasted. An accurate piecing machine would've been better.

Embroidery Machine Fun
 

I have a BabyLock Spirit machine.

I use this system regularly and love it. Yes, it does take some time which she states in the book, but as someone who does not enjoy FMQ, it's a great option. I embroidered a twin size quilt and it took several days, a 3-4 hours a day. I didn't find the hooping difficult, but maneuvering a large quilt out from under the presser foot then back is a bit of a struggle.

I've done several quilts on my emb machine. When I did the first one I took it to my quilt guild and they couldn't believe I did it on my emb machine. Yes, it does take time but I don't do FMQ. The edge to edge designs are great. The only problem I had was they are 5x9. My PE770 only does 5x7 designs. However, with My Editor by Wings (free program) I reduced the size down to where I could use it on my PE770. Since then I just got a new Innovis 1400 which has a 6x10 hoop so I don't have to resize the designs. I haven't had time to play with the new machine yet. Oh, I don't do anything larger than a lap quilt with my emb machine. Anything larger I do on a LA at my local quilt shop.

I have the Janome 15000,right now I'm working on BOM ,quilt ,every square is different,will send pictures when done

Copycat, I love your pillow! I would like to make one! I found the design on em library, and would like to know what size pillow form did you use and which design size?

Thank you! I'm an embroidery newbie and really appreciate all the wonderful people who post here!

Solomae

A pillow I recently made, learning to get the spaces right when I rehoop. Not perfect but getting better.
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Nice work, Crqltr!

[QUOTE=sval;7737791]i agree...but I also don't enjoy the re-hooping. I don't enjoy "quilting" anything large, in fact. Small embroidery designs are my preference. :). Love my Janome 9900.



Sandy

Like it Great Work

My Civil war quilt
 

I'm currently embroidering each section of this quilt with my emb machine. It's allot of hooping and sometimes a struggle with hoop popping off due to so many seams in this quilt I finally get it to hold.
I'm not good at FM'ing and hate to pay for LA'ing I've been using my own emb machine more and more
With gorgeous results.
With practice you can get great results and you get good at resizing to fit each piece the more you use it.
My machine is a Husqvarna SE and I use my Quilting Hoop which is a 6x6.
Just in case you wonder...yes it's sandwich and I'm hooping the 3 layers...

Gorgeous work, hobbykat1955!

HobbyKat,
That is beautiful!
Kirsten

Great quilting as well as a great quilt!!!

Hobbycat....I learned a different method for hooping 3 layers..I only hoop the backing, then use spray glue to attach the the batting and top. Then I stick the 2 layers to the hooped backing.. Much easier to hoop. I pin the 3 layers together in a few spots around the perimeter, and use a basting stitch to secure everything. Does your machine have the basting stitch to stitch around the perimeter? If not, maybe pin it in a couple places where your needle won't hit the pins.

So far, I just use my embroidery machine for gifts - towels, cards, etc... But these messages have been inspiring. I'm going to make some microwave bowls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZgv3vwvlsY) and I think I'll try the emb. machine to quilt them. And, after reading all these messages, it seems that 'hooping' is like 'seam ripping' - you just have to make your peace with it.

Inspiring!

Just make sure you use cotton thread. Using cotton thread in an embroidery machine can take some practice to get tensions right, and you'll have to clean out your bobbin area more often.

Cari

Thanks Donna 13350....great method and never thought of that...I do have a basting stitch...and sounds like the perfect solution...On my next quilt I'll give a go...

Just wondering if anyone has the color list for an old Dakota Collectible design (really old !). It is the Serenity Prayer done in machine embroidered crossstitch. It has a lighthouse scene with the prayer. I have exhaustively searched the internet but cannot find the same design. Evidently when I transferred it from the original disk to my computer, the color file did not come, and I can't find my original old disk (before cd's). I have the design, but the colors are not right, and since there are 40 colors and I want them right, I just thought I would ask before going forward on a guess.

TIA
Rennie

I use my embroidery machine to quilt sometimes and found re-hooping a pain until I bought a magnetic hoop. Much much easier.

i got a magnetic hoop for Christmas. Tried to quilt with it but didn't seem like the magnets were strong enough for the thickness of the quilt

Here's a few more of the Christmas stockings I did for family.
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Cari

love to see the diffrent items done. nice job on those stockings.

Magnetic hoops sound like a real winner. Do they make them for all different brands? What kind of machine do you have? I have a Brother DreamMaker XE Innovis VE2200

Nita in warm Florida

If you have a computized machine they say you should be careful in using the magnetic hoops...anyone ever have issue with this?

Aren't all embroidery machines computerized? Mag hoops have been sold, in use, for quite a while and no machine maker has sent up alarms. I'm not afraid of them.

Magnetic hoops are made for the machines. I have one for my Viking and my Brother, they are great. I also use a magnetic seam guide on the presser foot plate when needed. No problems at all. The computers in the machines aren't like the computers or laptops.