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Posts Tagged ‘Memory Card’

what is the cheapest most effective software for my sewing machine?

January 18th, 2013 5 comments

I have just recently purchased a brother se 270d. I am completely new at embroidery and I am not sure about all of the software available to help download designs. I looked into the ped basic(because it is cheapest) but saw several complaints due to the limited capabilities with it. I don’t want to spend over $150 on something to help me to download designs from the internet. I am really interested n monogramming. Can anyone tell me what else is available for my machine that is not so expensive, yet still do a pretty good job? thanks!

You may be confusing editing software with memory card software.

Without a reader/writer unit and rewritable memory card and you cannot use designs from the Internet or a CD without one brand or the other.

PED Basic or another brand of the same type of software will provide a method of getting the design from the PC to the Embroidery machine via a memory card. Basically, that is all they do.

For monogramming you need fonts (alpha designs). You load as you would any other design and then copy to the memory card. Insert the memory card into the machine and press "start".

For editing, Embird is a popular product and you can download a free demo.

ABC embroidery has a tutorial for combining letters with Embird.

Remember, the design has to be within the limitation of the size hoop your machine is programed for.

http://www.secretsof.com/content/1853

http://www.annaboveembroidery.com/usemfo.html

What software do I use to merge fonts or alphabets into a word on my Brother PE-150 embroidery machine?

January 10th, 2013 1 comment

I would like to buy some alphabet designs from the internet, and I have the PED Basic software to put them onto a memory card for my Brother PE-150 machine. If I remember correctly from my first machine(this is my second time owning this kind of machine), I can put the letters into individual files on the card. I want to know how to merge the letters into a word, such as a name, so that I don’t have to embroidery each letter individually. I haven’t yet opened the PED Basic program, because I wanted to find out if I needed something else first. Thanks!

You need an editing software program. Embird is very popular with home machine embroiderers. Your start with basic and then add other programs as you wish.

You can get a trial here – http://www.secretsof.com/content/1853?PHPSESSID=d577402e3683026a2f7c375ffeec4ca0

And here is a free tutorial for combining letters into words – http://www.annaboveembroidery.com/usemfo.html

is it expensive to get started embroidering. i know the machine is costly.?

January 6th, 2013 3 comments


You can start machine embroidery (ME) for less than $600.

An embroidery machine (EM) can be purchased for around $500. You can start with about $50 in supplies. A reader/writer/card unit can be purchased on-line for around $120.…this can be added later.

Visit sewing machine dealers or purchase from Walmart or Costco. I started with a Brother EM from Walmart, then about five years later, traded up for a Babylock with more bells and whistles.

Brother and Babylock are very user friendly and the most compatible with software and design files.

The lesser expensive EM most likely will have a maximum embroidery area of 4 x 4.

There will be built-in designs and fonts, but for more selection the machine will require a reader/writer unit with a rewritable memory card in the format of the EM for sending designs downloaded from the Internet to the machine. You do want to be able to take advantage of products on the web where you can find thousands of free designs to download.*

If you go higher in the price of the EM, you will get a larger embroidery area, and USB compatibility.

USB compatibility offers USB Direct Connect – a cable will come with the EM to directly connect to your PC and/or USB Flash Drive/stick drive. Either of these devices will indicate to the PC that a removable drive has been installed and that is where you will send the designs you want to use on the machine.*

Purchase supplies as you find them on sale – check the ShoppersRule and Allbrands websites – they usually have the best prices and variety. JoAnn Fabrics has thread on sale almost every month and if you sign up for the store flyer, you will know when the thread will be on sale. The flyer usually has at least one coupon. Also, check the Internet for JoAnn printable coupons.

Start with ME thread in basic colors. Polyester can take bleach, Rayon cannot. Bobbin thread comes in black or white – buy both….white for most items and black for darks.

Embroidery machines are designed to slightly pull the top thread to the back of the design, so the bobbin will only show on the back of the embroidered item.

Purchase medium weight stabilizer in tear-away (white is fine as the excess will be removed), cut away (white and black) and a water soluble stabilizer for placing on top of napped fabrics, such as towels. This provides a smooth surface for the stitching and helps prevent the stitching from sinking into the nap.

The machine will come with extra needles, tools and a manual – keep the manual handy. When learning to use the machine, open the manual and go step-by-step through the entire process, then refer to the manual as needed.

Excellent resources are: Jeannie Twigg’s book, Embroidery Essentials. Websites – Embroidery Library, ABC Embroidery and Ann The Gran.

*Before downloading embroidery designs/files, create a folder on the hard-drive of your PC. Name it Embroidery or EMB Downloads….something easy to find.

When downloading, select the design in the format of the EM and save to the folder you created on the hard-drive. Also, keep in mind the hoop size. A 8 x 6 design will not be accepted by an EM that is limited to a maximum 4 x 4 hoop.

The downloads will most likely be a zipped/compressed file. This has to be opened before it can be used. Highlight the zipped file and open or extract the file. Give the opened file an appropriate name and then delete the zipped file.

Should the design not come in the format you need, there is a free software program – Pulse Ambassador that you can download from the Internet, then open the design in question and save it in the format needed.

Help for my Brother 270D Embroidery Machine!?

December 31st, 2012 7 comments

I Just got my Brother 270D emboidery machine for Christmas so I am new to the world of embroidering. I have purchased and downloaded a few fonts so that I can use them on my machine. I put them on the memory card and put the card in my machine, but here’s my problem. Each letter is a different design on the memory card. So how do I combine the letters to spell a name so that my machine can embroider the name all at once? Example: I want to embroider the name "Olivia" but the O is one design, then the "L" is another, etc. I can’t do one letter at a time or else I’ll never get the spacing right! When you use the four fonts that are on the machine, you can type in all the letters you want to use and then it embroiders them all as one design. How can I do this with fonts that I’ve downloaded onto my memory card?

You need a program that will allow you to merge designs. Here are a few that have good reputations:
http://embird.com/
http://www.designersgallerysoftware.com/products/product.asp?Product_ID=EDG-CW
http://www.buzztools.com/products/software_wizard/sw_be.asp

Embird is probably the most used of these programs and the least expensive (I think).
Embird also offers a free trial. It’s fairly easy to use, and there are tons of tutorials and yahoo groups that offer support.

—-
Since you’re new to the hobby, I’d like to recommend a couple of sites to you
www.artisticthreadworks.com has the best embroidery forum members on the net. I’ve been a member there since I started out with my first 270D. The ladies and gents there have answered every question I’ve ever had.
www.nitasplace.com Nita O’keefe has some of the most beautiful embroidery designs online and she’s a wealth of knoweledge. She’s a sweet heart and is always willing to answer a question.
www.sewforum.com This is a great community of textile artists and hobbyist. They have several great forums that where you can get quick answers to questions, free embroidery designs (I share designs there), and a great forum to show off your finished products. Sewforum is a free site.

I am wanting to buy a sewing & embroidery machine. Which one to buy…see below?

December 9th, 2012 3 comments

I would say that I am an advanced sewer, however I have never done any embroidery on a sewing machine. I just got laid off this past June from my marketing job and have enjoyed just bouncing around not doing anything, however, I am now looking for a new creative job, something I could do with the skills I have an sell –perhaps on line, and the personalization of products seems really interesting. Your opinion would be gratefully received. TKS

Brother or Babylock are the most user friendly brands.

I have both and would buy none other.

Bernina for example makes a wonderful product, but they are very expensive and proprietary when it comes to software and accessories.

The other brands – I read too many problems – may be the machine and it may be the operator.

Stand alone models are less expensive than the combos.

Hoop size indicates how large a design you can stitch out without the aid of editing software. You want nothing smaller than 5 x7.

Connectivity. There will be designs and fonts already built into the embroidery machine. However, there are thousand on the Internet to download – some are free and some you will have to purchase.

To get those downloads to the embroidery machine you need an embroidery machine with USB ports for direct connect to the PC or to use a flash drive.

Supplies – medium weight cut away and medium weight tear away stabilizer.

Thread – rayon or polyester machine embroidery thread and machine embroidery bobbin thread.

Embroidery machine needles – a small supply comes with the machines.

You can get started for around $1,000. The models with the smaller hoop that uses a memory card is less money and with supplies about $700.

There is a series of books by Jeannine Twigg that are helpful when learning to use the embroidery machine. I started with this one – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873419995/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=087349847X&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=13BBF9W6FA3WQB253K4T

Supplies, you can purchase when on sale.

Allbrands, Allstitch & ShoppersRule are a few of many, many sites that sell machine embroidery supplies.

http://www.allbrands.com

http://allstitchembroiderysupplies.com/

http://www.shoppersrule.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=sr

Now that you are "loaded" with info – hit the sewing machine stores and let them show you what they have to offer.

Buy the machine you like best from the dealer you like best.

Which embroidery softwares are compatible with the Brother PE 700 II sewing machine.?

December 7th, 2012 1 comment

Hello! I Need some help. My girlfriend’s mom has a Brother PE 700 II machine. Which of these programs like Wilcom ES, Tajima DGML or Melco Design Studio are compatible with that machine? Or, does the PE Design the only one that work ? Thanks.

You can actually use any software that you like, personally I use Fancy Works Studio. What you will need is PED-Basic. The PED-Basic will allow the designs to be put on a memory card to be used with the machine. Personally if i were going to invest in another software program it would be embird. www.embird.com you can try it before you buy it and with the add ons you can purchase seperately it is wonderful for anything you would want to do. it really depends on what your girlfriends mom wants to do with the software. if she just wants to get designs from the internet to her machine and maybe resize or change the design a little that can be done with PED-Basic. PED=Basic can be found on e-bay for about $100.00.
if you have any other questions please feel free to e-mail me.
my favorite embroidery website is <a href="http://www.designsbysick.com/amember/go.php?r=5647&i=l0">Designs by SiCK Embroidery Library</a>
they have an awesome site with great designs.

good luck,
deb

how do Brother and Singer embroidery machines compare?

November 27th, 2012 3 comments

Trying to decide which machine to purchase as my beginner embroidery machine. Don’t want to spend too much under $500 would be great. Not sure that I will like doing it so looking for a lesser model. Thanks for your time and expertise!!!

Brother is the leader in home embroidery machines. They are easy to use, software friendly and most designs that are available on the Internet (best and least expensive way to obtain machine embroidery designs) are in pes format, which is the one used by Brother.

For your price range, you may be limiting your embroidery area to 4 x 4, which many of us started with. And many designs come within this hoop size.

The price may also limited you to using memory cards for designs which are not built into the machine. Most of us started with a reader/writer unit and rewirttable memory card for machine embroidery – the unit has to be compatible with the brand and format.

You can purchase a unit – PED Basic, a Brother product with a rewitable memory card for around $119. See Source.

To use designs from the Internet, you need to have a PC. On the hard drive, create a folder and name it Emb Downloads. Choose the design you want from the many sites on the Internet and save to the folder. The design most likely will be zipped. Mouse over and choose extract or open. A new file will appear and this is what you will send to the memory card. The zipped file can be deleted.

Save the folder to a USB flash drive (if your PC has a USB port) or to a CD as backup – do this everytime you add or change a design file in the Emb Download folder.

Open the manual and lay it next to the embroidery machine. Read through and apply each feature of the machine.

Some basic supplies you will need are – stabilizer (tear away, cut away and water soluable); machine embroidery bobbin thread; machine embroidery thread – polyester will withstand chlorine bleach, but rayon is more readily available. Start with a few basic colors.

Add to your supply list as you find the items on sale.

Embroidery Library has great tutorials and tips – http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/holder.aspx?page=techniques

Can my Brother SE350 embroidery machine read from standard memory cards and what type? ?

November 21st, 2012 1 comment

It looks like a slot for something like a compact flash card. Does anyone know what type of card this is? I can’t imagine I’d have to buy "special" cards. I know I’ll need software to digitize/convert images in PES format. I’d imagine the software also knows how to format the card so it can be read by the embroidery machine.

First, you have to have a card reader for machine embroidery and then you buy the card for your machine that is compatible with the card reader.

You use Brother memory cards or cards made for Brother machines. Again – these have to be compatible with the reader box.

You get these items from an embroidery machine dealer – preferable on-line.

Walk-in dealers don’t always have the cards in all formats, or any at all and have to order what you need.

They are more expensive than at online dealers.

To take advantage of downloading from the Internet, you need a card reader and a rewritable memory card.

You can get Brother’s PED Basic with a card for about $100 – On-line.

This is one dealer that I have bought from. They have a graphic showing how the card reader works. Note the PC requirements. http://www.sewingsupplywarehouse.com/pedbasic.html

Another dealer that I have bought from – http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp01060-0165.html

Digitizing is a horse of another color. This is software that allows you to create your own designs or digitize pictures and clip art. It is fairly expensive around $1,000.

You can download a free trial of Embird Embroidery Software here – http://www.secretsof.com/content/1853?PHPSESSID=f1d6a79654e8e476eaffaf7784b652a6 It is a very popular software and what you are downloading is the Basic program. It doesn’t digitize, but it is the base component for this software.

As you learn and want to expand, you buy plug-ins that allow you to digitize, among other things.

Free designs to download (I have used many of them) – http://www.brother-usa.com/HomeSewing/GetCreative/free-designs.aspx

When you buy or download designs, make sure they are no larger than 4 x 4. That is the maximum stitching area for the 350.

What kind of machine do I need for monogramming?

November 17th, 2012 2 comments

I want to learn how to monogram. What kind of machine do I need? I have heard you can just get a software to hook up with your sewing machine. Is that true? I don’t have a huge budget so a low cost solution would be great.

If you already have a sewing machine you can learn to do this, but it takes time to learn as most will be free motion (you guide the fabric as the needle goes up and down).

http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Machine+Embroidery/Howtos/Free-Motion+Embroidery+Basics.htm

Otherwise, you will need to spend at least $600 just to get started.

There are combo (sewing & embroidery) machines that can give you more for the money or you can buy an embroidery only machine.

The embroidery machines have a limited amount of designs, letters, numbers and punctuation already built in.

To add more you can download from the Internet. Some designs are free and some you have to pay for.

You add the designs by sending them to a folder on the hard drive of the computer, a cd or flash drive.

You then select the design you want to send to the embroidery machine and send it via a direct cable hook-up that comes with the embroidery machine.

If the machine does not have this option, you have to purchase a reader/writer unit specifically for an embroidery machine and a rewritable memory card for the specific format of the embroidery machines. These start at about $100 for Brother PED brand (on line) and go up.

The Brother sold at Walmart, plus the software you would be spending around $600 and then you have to have machine embroidery thread, bobbin thread and stabilizer for another $50 or so. The machine will come with extra needles and bobbin spools…which can be resupplied where sewing notions are sold.

This one is a good price – http://www.sewvacdirect.com/brother-se350-combo.html
It includes the reader software and the shipping is free.

Check with local sewing machine dealers. They may have a good price on an embroidery machine that the owner traded in on a more expensive model.

I have downloaded JEF embroidery designs, but they will not open just shows E for Internet Explorer .?

November 15th, 2012 6 comments

I have a Janome 6600P can someone please help as to how I download the designs.
Thank you.,
Sorry everyone I should have said that I have a Janome 350E embroidery machine as well as 6600P.
I shall just put it down as a "Senior Moment"
Thanks
Marie

I cannot find any information on the 6600P being an embroidery machine.

A computer’s operating system does not recognize embroidery machine formats.

You can save the download to a folder, but cannot open it without machine embroidery software.

If you want to see the design, you can download this free software http://www.pulsemicro.com/ambassadordownload

It is not what you need, but at least you can view the design.

Embroidery machines use (1) a direct cable hook-up to the computer, that comes with the machine, or (2) a flash drive, or (3) a memory card, or (4) a cd.

Which of the above methods does your machine use?

Only # 3 requires additional software – a machine embroidery reader/writer unit and card compatible with your machine.