Free Embroidery Designs

What I want to use it for is monogramming and small pictures. I am sure that once I get more experience I would like certain options, but all the information on the websites is a bit baffling. Can you tell me from your experience which machine(s) I should be looking at? Thanks for your time!!

I have a Viking embroidery machine and LOVE it.
I have downloaded many designs for free on the internet that have sewn out beautifully.

Buy your machine at a good sewing machine store. They will have free classes on how to use your machine. Take as many classes on embroidery as you can. There are so many tips and tricks to learn that make it easier to embroider. You need to know what type of thread to use in both upper and in the bobbin, hooping, stabilizers, needles. I took classes at the store and at sewing conventions. If you can get to a convention take as many machine embroidery classes as you can afford.

Take time to just practice.. There is a learning curve with it. It will take some time before you are comfortable with it.

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