Free Embroidery Designs

My mother has always wanted one of those. She doesn’t have a business or anything but she likes making crafts at home–curtains, shirts, pillows, etc., and she’s quite advanced at sewing. What machine do you reccomend for her to get? She’s got a budget though, so nothing TOO pricey, please!

Does she have a sewing machine she likes currently? If so, I’d suggest she think about an embroidery only machine to supplement it. That way she can still sew while she’s waiting for the design to stitch out.

Or consider taking up free motion embroidery, which can be done on any straight stitch sewing machine…
here’s a simple sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tcy2dse68M and a more complex one:
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3833/video-manuels-free-motion-embroidery-technique
and some information on bobbin work, using heavier threads and embroidering "upside down":
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/5025/bobbin-work-when-threads-are-too-thick-for-the-needle

Suggested reading on free motion embroidery: Robbie & Tony Fanning’s Complete Book of Machine Embroidery, and any of the many editions of Singer Instructions for Art Embroidery (the originals were all done on straight stitch treadles, ca. 1910)

Then head to a sewing machine dealer and try some of the machines… and check the prices of supplies, too… if she’s on a tight budget, the supplies may be a significant factor in costs.

If i make an account and start designing do i have to pay for anything? And how do i get paid?

I am a seller on Zazzle and there are no costs for starting a store and adding your designs to products or using Zazzle’s design tool. It is all free.

If you want to sell your uploaded designs on embroidery products, you are charged a conversion fee for each embroidery stitch file Zazzle has to create. If you have your own embroidery stitch files there is no fee. Regular text designs that you make with Zazzle’s text tool are free on embroidery too.

If you decide to sell on Zazzle, I suggest to visit the Zazzle community forums. There are a lot of fellow sellers including myself helping each other out. I’ll leave a link to it in the source area.

There are several free font web sites you can download from. I’m not sure what would be the difference of an embroidery font but almost all fonts can be enlarged and most newer printers can print iron on patches of anything you design.

I have a Brother Innovis 4000D sewing machine.

You can download a lot of free designs at Brother. http://www.brother-usa.com/HomeSewing/GetCreative/free-designs.aspx

Embroidery Library has a variety of designs at good prices. http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/default.aspx

They also have very good techniques & tips – http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/holder.aspx?page=techniques

This is a good site for supplies – http://allstitchembroiderysupplies.com/

My fiance and I run a screen printing business and came across a non-working BAS-416 machine. We have fixed it! Now we want to learn how to digitize images. Any insight and/or links to resources would be greatly appreciated!

I was going to give my usual answer in that you need a software program for creating your own designs and that it takes quite a bit of time to learn to digitize a professional quality product.

However, after viewing the manual for this model, I am beginning to think the machine is as equality difficult to learn. I cannot tell what machine embroidery format it requires.

http://www.brothercom.ro/docs/2-Partsbook%20-%20carti%20piese%20de%20schimb/Masini%20de%20brodat%20BROTHER/BES-1210BC%20BAS-401,412A,416A/BES-1210-BAS-416A%20Instruction%20Manual.pdf

Most owners of professional embroidery machines, have a company rep help them set-up and learn to use the machine.

The format appears to be .dst (Tajima). Finding a software program is not difficult. Most, if not all will save in the format of all embroidery machines.

Machine embroidery software requires a Windows OS.

If you do a search of free machine embroidery software or free machine embroidery trials you will get a sampling how to create your own designs.

Good luck in your adventures into machine embroidery.

On the Brother BM-2600 sewing machine, can the feed dog drop for free-hand machine embroidery?
On the Brother BM-2600 sewing machine, can the feed dog drop for free-hand machine embroidery?

Yes u can do free motion embroidery but you will need a darning
foot which is sold seperatly for about $15 from brother but u will need the code which is in the your manual so u know you have the right 1

also u will need a hand embroidery hoop ,stabilizer and a design that u want 2 stitch out like a car or a Disney character.

the darning foot is a screw on. and cover feed dog with ur darning plate

And are there new technological advancements in terms of embroidery?

In the early eighties, designs where still being hand punched and the stitched out in factories By the late eighties some where switching to computerized machines.

Few individuals are talented enough to do elaborate free hand embroidery with a sewing machine.http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3833/video-manuels-free-motion-embroidery-technique

New technologies would include downloading designs from the Internet, software for the home embroidered to digitized their own art work and editing of commercial designs and the USB flash drive which provides large amount of storage space, and connectivity from the Internet to the embroidery machine.

The home embroidery machine has been around since the nineties.

I bought my first one early in the current century.

would like to know what machine would allow me to do free motion work: a quilting machine or embroidery machine? and what make model and year is the easiest to use with the most space also sews different directions besides forward and reverse.
i see that a singer 15-91 can be used for freemotion work?
has anyone used this machine for that or embroidery?
is there a machine that will do both ?

A Bernina 730E … Sews in 16 different directions. Includes the BSR (stitch regulator) for even stitches (straight or zig zag) when doing free motion. Beautiful embroidery and applique. Huge variety of built-in stitches, up to 9mm wide. Truly, a Dream Machine! Wish I could afford one … I have a 440 QEE model, it has the BSR but only straight stitch. I also have the embroidery unit (optional) but have to use it attached to my laptop. The 630, 640 and 730 have the embriodery software built in to the machine. The 440 is still wonderful to sew and quilt on. Nothing sews like a Bernina! (The only premium European brand still made in Switzerland by the original family-owned company. Viking and Pfaff are now owned by Singer and made in Asia.)

I’m looking for some free patterns so I can make somethings for my daughter’s room she is only 14mos so I need Ideas for that age group or even a little more older up to age 5 so I don’t have to change it right away. Thank you

Go on line and do a search: free floral embroidery or try advanced-embroidery-designs.com. They have free designs.

I have a ton of excess denim from making a purse out of my friends never woren jeans she got rid of. Now I decided to make a bracelet with embroidery… how do I do it with a sewing machine? Also, have any other ideas on what to do with the scraps?

Sure, you can do free-motion embroidery with any machine. You need to drop the feed dogs or cover them in order to do it, but that’s easily accomplished. Best beginning book I know of is Robbie and Tony Fanning’s Complete Book of Machine Embroidery — you’ll probably have to get it from your library, as I believe it’s now out of print. Want to knock your socks off? Check to see if your library has a copy of Singer Instructions for Art Embroidery — everything in the book was done on a straight stitch treadle machine, and it’s gorgeous.

Here’s a professional free-motion embroiderer at work:
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/tvt032.asp