Wow! Kathdavis, you've made some really neat things. Had to chuckle over the toilet paper!

I bought a Baby Lock Emore from a friend just before Christmas. Really wanted the Janome 9700, but that's not possible right now. Anyhow, I decided to buy the Baby Lock #1 because of the price, and #2 because I figured I would see if I really used an embroidery machine. Let me tell you....I am loving this thing! I've mostly been doing mongrams, phrases, and a few motifs. I'm finding that a mongram adds a nice personal touch to the little bags I make.

So, I will keep up with this thread for ideas, etc (can't promise that I am going to read the previous 300+ pages, though). Glad I found you folks!

I have the Janome 11000SE and it's really fun to work with. I did really cool huck towels with embroidered ornaments on them for Christmas gifties this year, plus I monogram my bags too. I haven't gotten into embroidering anything with like 20 colors or anything yet, but have enough embroidery files to embroider from the East coast to the West coast. I get lots of nice stuff from embroiderylibrary.com

Just got a Janome 10001. It is in the shop getting checked over. I am picking it up Monday and taking a lesson on it. Boy oh boy, I cannot wait. Will keep watching this thread for updates.

Customizer is a digitizing program for Janome. You can download simple clipart and digitize it so you can stitch it out. Customizer is a very basic program. It usually sells for about $300. I got lucky and purchased mine on ebay for $100 as a donation to save greyhounds. So it was tax deductible. The good digitizing programs, like Florini run about $2300, or $1400 when they run specials. Big difference from Customizer.

I have a Brother 1500D and really like it, although I am still learning all of the ends and outs as far as stablilizers and hooping go. The largest hoop that came with my machine is the 6 X 10 but I haven't used it yet. Hope to see a lot of pictures, hints and design ideas on this thread, also. :)

I have a viking diamond.

I've had my eye on the Esante ever since I got my Babylock Ellure Plus!

I have the Brother SE 350 but have not used the embroidery part yet and am planning to try to learn how to use it. I would like to learn to embroider for gifts and myself of course. I would love to do some towel sets and clothes but am nervous about trying it. I have a lot of projects going but would love to join you all. Please feel free to PM me or I'll try to watch. Thanks Karen craftybear for the invite. Sue

I have a Designer SE, Viking. I love it. The 1st year, I sewed with a friend and learned so much. We did Jenny Haskins Heritage quilt. I made 2, one is my avatar.

I so wish the board had the ability to enlarge the avatars because I'd love to see what you did. I can magnify my screen to 400% but then it's all blurry.

Planning my first quilt with embroidery.

I have 2 embroidery machines now.

My oldest machine is a Brother NV1000 I got it for Christmas
2006. LOVE the machine. However discovered I wanted a bigger
hoop size machine so last month (Jan. 2012) I got a new machine.

The NEW machine is the Brother Innov-is 1500D and I absolutely
LOVE the machine. Have really been going to "town" with the 6x10
hoop. I found that I can set up and make 4 sets of FSL praying hands
in one hooping. I made a FSL bookmark that I was able to stretch out
to approx. 9 inches long it was a cross with scarf.

I bought some to help with hooping that I am now SWEARING by! will
have to post the name of the product when I get home (at work right now).
But I truly wish I would have found out about this stuff when I first got
my other machine.

Your quilts are pretty.I have a Happy Voyager.I will show some of my designs later .

I will be watching for the next two weeks. Fri. morning I have to have a Trigger release done one my right hand and won't be able to use it for at least two wks. I'm hoping I can at least get online to keep up with what's happening with the Embroidery I am really looking forward to learning something. I have Brother SE 350. Sue

I'm looking at the Brother PE770 as well. Being completely ignorant of these things, if you have the USB port, do you still need the PED thingy?

i have a brother se-400 and i really like it. right now i'm into the free standing lace mode. out of water soluble so i guess i'll go and get some today.

Hope design free
 

! have a Singer Futura XL-500 that I Love, now I have a design to share it is free on the internet for those of you who like to download something fun and pretty, the site says this design is for a cap but I embroidered it on a flat peice of fabric and it sewed out fine. Here is where you can find it; stitchesmagazine.com it comes in dst.exp. hus. and pes. formats. Maggie

Pretty sure it is XXX for Futura. Linda

Karen, I have the Janome Craftmaster 9000, which we got for half price because the 10000 was coming out and they wanted to get rid of these. I just love my Jan, though I understand why a couple of people said they upgraded from it for a larger image capability. I have several of the cams (way expensive, but on sale) but mostly I use the quilting designs. I often use the flower and butterfly designs for auto quilting. There are great feather designs, but putting them together is very complicated if you want to create a larger design. Would love a bigger embroidery area, but no likelihood of getting a new one. My favorite thing about this machine is roundedness of it. I hate sharply angled, flatish machines. This one just feels so round and womanly. Is that crazy?

I have the futura SES2000 but am still thinking of upgrading I also would like to have another futura so i can get more done when i have the unit on I have to use little singer to sew


The futura will read all formats that is why i fell in love with it NO designs to have to buy

Somebody mentioned bobbin problems with Janome. Several times I thought the bobbin was misbehaving, but always found if I pull out the bobbin and the thing it's in, and clean out all the fluff junk in there, it works fine. I have a small paintbrush that I use to stick down in back of the bobbin area, and it catches dust bunnies in there like crazy. I do wish I could get new designs from the internet, but the converter box I'd need cost about $500, which is way too much for me, especially now that I've retired.

I have the Viking SE. Have purchased a few CD with designs, however, don't know how to use it very well. Would love to share.

this is exactly what i was talking about with the futura it converts every brands designs and even turns clip art into embroidery designs i got the progams to stitch out photos too although i have not tried that one yet. But putting several thousand $ in a machine then still spends hundreds and hundreds on designs is out of my budget right now.

I just found this thread and have read all the posts!!! Just what I needed. I have a Babylock Ellisimo and have really enjoyed this machine. I love this machine. I've learned bits and pieces with embroidery and have made 3D fall leaves and christmas decorations. I also made mug rugs with embroidery designs. I made a family tree quilt with all the branches and leaves depicting sons and daughters and grand and great grand children (128 names) for my MIL's 90th birthday party. I've made other quilts but just stitched in the ditch and a very small amount of fm (not so good at this task). It's all been fun.
I still need to learn quilting in the hoop. I've messed up several times with the hooping. Gail-r do you have your e-book completed and are you still teaching the art of hooping? I want to tap into your knowledge. Since you don't live too far away from me I would love to take a class from you.
I've enjoyed reading what you all are doing.

brother quanttro
 

This is my second broher embroidery machine and i dearly love and i havent had any trouble with either one

I still have my little brother PE 150 and works like a charm I bought it when they 1st come out years & years ago it runs a lot i have made hundreds of appliques that i have sold as long as i take it apart and clean that bobbin case i don't have any problems I bought the futura for bigger jobs but still am watching this post to upgrade again because i want a huge embroidery area but i do love my futura. I think next time HSN has the futura on sale i will buy another one. then when i can afford it buy the BIG machine
does any one think i have a problem besides me ??? actually I have sold enough of my embroidery to pay for them already

When you make your appliques to sell what fabric do you put them on? What do your customers apply the appliques to? Are they primarily patches for jeans or what?

I have the Bernina 830 with all the hoops. I am taking classes to learn to use this machine. I bought a kit made for the Bernina. It has a DVD with 8 different designs that go on this quilt. I am taking the DVD, the quilt kit and a USB stick to my next class and have my teacher help me embroider one of the blocks so I will know how to use it. I don't even know how to download the designs from the DVD to my USB stick. I tried, but couldn't do it. My sewing machine has an update and I don't know how to load the update onto a USB stick so I can upload it onto my sewing machine. If you can't tell, I'm not good with computers.

Assuming you bought it from a dealer, you should call your dealer and have them walk you through it or go in and get lessons. It's part of the sale.

I have the Janome MC9000, Brother Innovis 500D, Brother ULT2003D, and the PR600II. I do lots of digitizing. Right now I am making designs to put on toilet paper.

Laura, that is too cute on the toilet paper! LOL! My daughter would get a kick out of it! Good job!:thumbup:

When you do quilt designs on quilts that you hoop, do you use stablizer next to the machine bed like you do with regular embroidery? I am new to using the em unit on my Topaz 30 and love what I have done. I did one quilt but wasn't sure about the stablizer. I used a stablizer that washs out, but haven't actually finished it yet to wash it to see if the stablizer does actually wash out. Thanks. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this thread!!!!!

I have a Bernina 180E, I usually make quilt blocks with my embroidery machine.
I really like the 5 X 7 hoop the best for bigger quilt blocks. But have used the smaller hoop for crib quilts and embroidered the 4 X 4 designs as well. They have a wonderful selection of designs available.

OMG, I love these!!!!! I have ME'd on TP too! :D

I have a Brother 2500D. It usually doesn't like to embroider anything without really good stablizing.
I use bolts of the wash away type. If I don't want to wash, I get rid of it with the water sprayer I keep by my iron. That leaves your fabric with a light starched finish - but when you actually do wash, it will all come out. You can test your stablizer by putting a piece of it in a bowl of water and watching it dissolve.

Thanks for the tip. I will try the water spray bottle when I get home tonight.

Love you Tp's they are sew cute

embroidery machines
 

Hi I have 4 embroidery machines 3-singers 1 kenmore love my newist singer futura lg hoop. fun fun fun!! have done a lot of app. quilts for grandaughters. etc. aprons lots of wording on shirts for bowlers ,towels dish towels have had a great time with all of them. Also have a long arm with q-bot , my husband is now using that I just retired 2wks ago so now I want to longarm..

I have a Babylock Ellegante 2. I just finished a tote where you embroider all the squares within the hoop. It was a lot of fun. Once I figure out how to post pictures I will submit one:)

Have any of you tried a product called "Hoop Grip"?

If you have not tried it I highly recommend it, I bought
some when I got my newest embroidery machine in
January and now I will NEVER go without it again. It works
like a dream in keeping stabilizer and fabrics from slipping
while trying or in the hoop.

If you want more info about it you can "google" the name
"hoop grip" and it can be found at several online stores.

If you have tried it what are your opinions on it?