hello Ann

i buy a LOT of my thread from an ebay seller called raidantthreads i also get thread at JoAnn fabric when they have sales... go to their webpage and sign up for their circular and it'll be easier to keep track of sales and stuff.. they also usually have a 40% off a single item coupon on the back of the circular that a LOT of folks use for either thread or stabilizer.

a lot of people use rayon threads, some use polyester, i use either... the three things i can tell you for sure is to get good bobbin tread, change your needle frequently and research your stabilizer type.

Happy stitching ;)

I buy a lot of my thread on ebay from a site called erikasthread. The prices are reasonable and the shipping is fast.
Colleen

I've found a good place for stabilisers is Allstitch.com. They're really quick and the prices are good.
As for thread, you'll gradually get quite a collection. I already had a lot of Madeira threads as I use them for quilting but it's amazing how many colours you'll want! I'm finding this hobby seriously addictive!

How extensive is your regular sewing experience?

The brother is a nice machine, I have a PE-150 I'm happy with.

What I do with every machine I buy regardless of sewing over 40+ years is sit down and read the manual a few times, view the video, and then start practicing the manual page by painful page to learn the machine and the feet. You will start on the sewing side and work to the embroidery side. I've had my share of struggles learning new machine features and always glad I went through the manual first or it could have been worse.

Skipping around the manual and second guessing is the rough way to learn a machine much less machine embroidery--you miss the important details. If you have never used a sewing machine or sewn, you will learn how to sew at the same time...this is multi-tasking/learning at it's best.

If this machine came with free lessons, take them. I had them with my very first machine that pay off to this day...probably taught me to do the read and practice first as a young teen.

Not only is there 40 weight thread, poly or Madeira embroidery, plus bobbin thread, there is a miriad of stabilizers and needles to use with certain fabrics and projects. The back of your manual is usually a good source to refer to for combinations of what to use. Regular sewing thread is usually 50 weight (if you have no prior sewing experience) so it is recommended to keep the two types of thread separated in their own organizers.

I would also find a yahoo group that supports your machine...they always have a wealth of knowledge and how I learned much about machine embroidery before buying.

There is an excellent group going on Sewing World Commons where you will learn so much about machine embroidery.

Stitch - My sewing experience would be extremely limited. I have sewed a few thing but nothing that requires a lot of detail. I'm in the process of making a quilt for my grand daugther but I have to admit, without my mom's help I would have been lost on so many things. I think I have ripped out about as much as I have sewn lately but I did learn from it. I'm the type that whatever I get in the mood to do, then I have to go all out when I do it. First gardening, then scrap booking, now sewing and embroidery. There just is not enough hours in the day for me to get all done that I want to and work too. I'm thinking I may have to quit work so I can have more time for my hobbies... (I wish).

Hate to admit it but I hate reading manuals. I was hoping the cd that came with the machine would be of more help than it was, durn thing only showed me how to thread the upper thread. I do much better when I can see it done than having to follow directions... especially when I have to look on page so and so to find out what a so and so is, back and forth, back and forth..

I did order some thread off E-bay that should last me awhile. Such pretty colors!!

I love the pastels and baby colors. Two ladies at work are expecting and I would love to do something special for them. Guess I need to get on reading that manual, ughhh.

Thanks, Ann

Read it through several times...the first time is like reading mud. The nice thing is when you practice you learn sewing at the same time so you are mult-tasking at its best.

I would also suggest putting a piece of tape on the ¼" line or whatever line you are working at so you have a seam guide with a line easier to see when doing machine sewing. This will help make that seam ripper the loneliest tool in your sewing box.

Hi, Ann,

I buy my Isacord poly thread by Ackermann from Threadetc.com. Once a month, they have a sale column with 1000M spools at $3.20 each...that's a lot of thread per spool. I always order 10 at a time, so that with shipping it amounts to cheaper than my local dealer. I'm getting close now to having all 365 colors, but have bought the larger 5000M spools in often-used colors, such as black, white, Christmas red and green. Nothing is nicer than having the colors that are called for in a design. I also buy large cones of bobbin thread in white...bobbin thread is finer. I have some limited colored bobbin thread as well but usually white does very well.

I have been attending a monthly embroidery software class for about 2 years now. If your dealer offers that, it is invaluable. There's always something new to learn with machine embroidery. We all learn in different ways, no one size fits all.

You mentioned embroidering towels. If you do that, you will want to get sticky back stabilizer and just lay the towel on top of it (don't try to hoop the towel...too thick), and lay a water solible topper over the towel. The topper prevents your stitches from "sinking" into the loops of the terrycloth. One brand name is "Aqua Film" but there are others.

It's important to use embroidery needles when doing machine embroidery because those needles have a larger eye and groove to protect the lightweight threads. If you hold the needle sideways, you'll notice a notch on the back of the needle. This is the scarf which is specially designed for embroidery and also protects the thread. Embroidery needles also hold up better under the friction created by these fast machines. Titanium needles last the longest but are expensive. I always put a new needle in the machine for each new project.

Check out the Gallery in the Sewing Forum for some embroidery I've done. The embroidered lace Christmas ornaments are really fun to do...if you need any tips on doing embroidered lace, let me know.

Mary L

Stitch -Thanks for the tip on the tape. I did notice on the quilt some of my stitches were way off and tape would have prevented that.

Keep - thank you for the tip on the towels too. I would have been fighting those towels for days trying to get them hooped.

This seems to have turned into an expensive hobby what with buying the machine, then the thread and now stabilizers. Hopefully I will have a good supply before long and won't have to buy anything else for awhile. I think I will enjoy the hobby though once I get the basics down. Any more hints to pass along??

Ann

Yeah, it's an expensive hobby all right. I figure I have more than $15,000 in mine now, not counting the computers or my old Viking and old serger. But that's why I work (part-time, anyway)!

Mary