Free Embroidery Designs

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

I inherited my mom’s Brother NV4000D embroidery machine and want to learn to use it. The Brother dealer wants $50/hour and I can’t afford that. Mother used to go to weekly classes and I doubt she paid that much for them but she was in Colorado so I don’t know.

Your mother may not have paid that much, because the lessons where at the dealer from which she purchased the machine. Over the past years, prices have gone up for service and lessons.

When I purchase my first embroidery machine, there wasn’t anyone selling the machines who new very much about how to use the.

I learned at my own pace from Jeanine Twigg’s books.

The manual for the machine will show you how to operated the machine – read and follow the instructions carefully.

There are many sites where you can ask questions or view "conversations" among those who do machine and embroidery and they are always very helpful when it comes to a "newbie".

Try Machine Embroidery Essentials, How to Stabilize, Hoop and Stitch as well as a few visits to http://www.sewforum.com

One important caveat – never walk away from the embroidery machine while it is operating. A jam can throw off the timing and this is around a $90 fix.

Visit Ann The Gran for free designs to download as well as Sewforum and several other sites.

Ask about lessons in San Diego at Ann The Gran. There is at least one person on the forum in CA, but I am not sure of the city.

You might also ask the same at sewforum.

Additional information –

Your machine embroidery format is pes.

According to this ad, the 4000 has been discontinued, but it does have the USB port for easy transfer of downloaded designs from the PC to the embroidery machine, but a limited embroidery area of 8" x 4". Another plus – it is a combo (sewing as well as an embroidery machine).

http://www.mrvacmrssew.com/Shop/products/Brother/Embroidery-Machines/Brother-Innovis-4000D-Sewing-and-Embroidery-Machine/index.html

I’m looking for an embroidery machine that will do custom logos. I need to upload images (gif/jps whatever) from my PC. All it really needs to handle is one color, but the more the merrier. Would also like it to be able to do at least a couple of fonts so I can write names. Thanks!

Any embroidery machine will do what you want, but the design has to be in the embroidery format of the machine (pes, sew, hus are examples).

The machine will not recognize gif/jpg/jpg and whatever.

You will need to purchase digitizing software and then you need a way of getting the design to the embroidery machine.

The less expensive machines use a memory card for machine embroidery, which requires the purchase of a reader/writer unit and rewritable memory card. These have to be compatible with the brand/model and format of the embroidery machine. These are usually less expensive online. http://www.allbrands.com

The more expensive embroidery machines either have USB Port B (direct connect) where you have to have the PC next to the embroidery machine or both, USB Port B and USB Port A (removable flash drive/stick), which is self describing.

You can download trials and demos of the software before you purchase – the easier to use the better. However, even auto-digitizing can need tweaking. Here is one that is free during the trial stages http://www.sophiesew.com/

Visit sewing machine dealers and tell them what you want to do and they will show you what they have. Expect to pay out at least $2,000 for the entire kit and caboodle.

Or, you can buy the Brother at Walmart and the reader and card at Allbrands for a total of around $700. This how I got started – it may appear confusing, but it is not rocket science.

I want to buy an embroidery machine for myself in a couple years[when I have more money and experience] but I don’t really know how the USB adaption works
Is it one of those things like when you legally go download a song, you have to buy it? Or can you get a free pre-made image? Is there sites for that sort of thing? Are you able to use any image?
And when you use multiple colors on the image, can your machine automatically change threads[like, you put the threads in a certain order or what?]
Honestly, I’m a real newbie in this field. As you can probably tell.
I would also appreciate your bran preference for these machines.

You can download free designs as well as purchased designs from the Internet.

If you purchase an embroidery machine with a Port A USB connection, you will be using a flash drive/memory stitch to load from the PC.

If you purchase an embroidery machine with a Port B USB connection, there will be a cable with the machine that you use to connect to the PC for loading the designs to the embroidery machine.

Only a multi-head embroidery machine can load different colors of thread.

You may want to start with the Brother model sold at Walmart that has the USB Port B cable to see it this is the craft for you. It is around $400. With this type (home embroidery machine), the machine will stop when the color change is needed and you re-thread the machine with the next color.

The multi-head machines cost several thousand dollars.

Visit sewing machine dealers for a demo of how the machine works. If you are a minor, take a parent or guardian with you as the store will not want to take the time for someone who is underage.

My preferences are Brother and Babylock brands.