Free Embroidery Designs

I am willing to buy one, but I’m not sure which one i would like to buy. Any suggestions?? I dont care what price range it is either.

I can’t tell you the ‘best’ one to use but I can offer you some guidance, of sorts.

You need to also think about what kind of designs you intend to do. Can you use the small 4×4 stitching area or can you afford a couple of hundred more to move on up to a 5×7 stitching area? Personally, I wish I’d waited and saved to get the 5×7 stitching area for my first machine.

Ok, after you ‘ve decided what size stitching area you want You’ll need to decide which machine.
Before deciding on a machine, you need to determine what you plan to do with it. Will it be a work horse that never stops, or do you think it may be something you tire of quickly? ( Honestly, machine embroidery is ADDICTING so I don’t see that second option happening.)
Ok, when you’ve narrowed down to a couple of machines you think you’d like, look at what you’ll need to use them. For example. I bought my brother embroidery machine blindly having no clue what I’d need. After it was delivered, I found out that to transfer designs from my computer to the machine, I’d have to have a ped basic and design card.
Some machines use a flash drive, some need cd’s, others still use floppy disks, and some can hook directly up to your computer. You need to find out what you’ll need before you buy the machine.
After you find a machine you want you’ll also have to buy supplies. You’ll need all of these things before even stitching your 1st project.

Thread – lots and lots of thread (i recommend anna bove collections)
an assortment of embroidery needles (depending on your fabric and stabilizer, you could need a different size needle for each project)
Stabilizers – everyone has their favorites and you will too. To start I’d recommend a good water soluble stabilizer, a light mesh stabilizer, and a heavier stabilizer.

Before getting anything – even the machine – I’d recommend joining and online forum. You can join for free at www.sewforum.com or you can join a subscription site like www.artisticthreadworks.com. I learned sooooo much from the people at artisticthreadworks that I would recommend you join before buying the machine. The people there will answer any question.
I also recommend www.nitasplace.com. The forum is less busy – more advanced stitchers i guess – but they will ALWAYS stop to answer a question.

I know I didn’t directly answer your question, but I didnt want you to think it was as easy as just picking up a machine. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to email me at jdlindseyembroidery@yahoo.com

I have been asked to transfer and embroidery by hand an image and some lettering on to work uniform of a cousin of mine, this is the first attend at embroidery and actually getting the image of what she wants and the adding the extra words of her workplace is stressing me out, has any one any really simple put affective ways of achieving this project, I have a simple sewing machine and have also have been looking up how to free embroidery by machine, I have the wooden hoop, and nothing else, i.e. water water-soluble stabilizer or pencils etc.. I also have no idea how to place the design on her work tunics and tops. Please help a complete novice. Any tips or ideas would really be appreciated.

If this is your first embroidery project, then tell your cousin to find a professional embroidery shop and have it done. Beginners can very rarely make professional looking embroidery by hand… it takes months and years before you get to the point that you can do lettering in a professional manner, for instance. Lettering by free motion embroidery is almost as difficult.

And in the meantime, practice. But not on someone’s uniform.

Best book I know of on free motion machine embroidery: Fanning and Fannig: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Machine-Embroidery-Creative/dp/0801976480 Hand embroidery is a much broader subject: I’d probably start you with one of Erica Wilson’s books, and then move you to Royal School of Needlework Embroidery Techniques by Saunders, Butcher and Barret.

In answer to your question: how would I do the transfer? I’d either use a heat transfer pencil, a perforated stencil and chalk, direct drawing with a soft lead pencil, or basting. Depends on the substrate being embroidered.