Why I love my embroidery machine 

Thoughts on machine embroidery 

 Whenever I mention that I am going to do some machine embroidery I get dozens of requests to see it in action. There is no doubt that these machines  are infinitely fascinating,  but have you thought of investing in one yourself?

When I first got my embroidery machine I was so entranced by it that absolutely anything I could find was covered in embroidery.

I am more conservative now, but I still use it an awful lot and I believe that if you love sewing they are definitely a worthwhile investment. 

They are easy to use, there is a display screen which tells you exactly what colour thread you need, how long the chosen design will take to embroider out and much more.

You will notice that the embroidery hoop has a stabiliser in it. No matter what sort of embroidery you are doing you will need some sort of stabiliser to hold the fabric firm whilst the design is being worked.

Do follow this link on the Jaycotts website to a blog post I wrote some time ago in which I discuss stabilisers and  embroidery machines in more detail Embroidery machines Stabilisers

So, what do I use my Brother Embroidery machine for now? I make table wear, mats and Coasters, bookmarks and bags amongst many things.

 I always give handmade gifts and this is where machine embroidery comes into its own, it makes it so simple to personalise anything you make. I love making bags, Tote Bags, Handbags, clutch bags, satchels.  I recently made a set of 6 clutch bags for a wedding party and they looked gorgeous.

Of course the obvious benefit is that embroidery and Patchwork uses a lot of fabric scraps so it is a great way of being eco- friendly by recycling oddments 

I learned this tip only this week from a link Alex Jaycott sent to me. Sometimes the thread becomes tangled on the end of the bobbin holder and this arrangement of bobbin holders brings the thread close to the end of it, eliminating the issue. Wish I had figured this out years ago.

What do you need to get started? An Embroidery machine of course.

They are worth every penny and  I would love you to consider owning one yourself. 

Some machines are a sewing machine and embroidery machine combined.

I would definitely recommend that you take advice from Jaycotts as they are incredibly knowledgeable and will advise you on the best machine to suit your needs and your budget.

Contact details below.

Other  items needed 

You need stabilisers as discussed above 

You need machine embroidery needles Embroidery needles

And the best bit for some is that you need Embroidery thread

As you can see there is plenty of  choice of threads including metallic and   variagated , singly or in boxed sets.

I would start with a box  òf  BROTHER Embroidery thread sets

There are other useful things to have for example Duck Billed Scissors but you do not need everything to start with .

A Handbag Gift 

A good friend is going on holiday and I wanted to make her a handbag which suits her personality and is lightweight, taking up little room in her suitcase.

I am not going to go through the entire process of bag making because I have written plenty of posts which show the process in great detail. I wanted this post to be purely about machine embroidery and show how it can be used.

You will find instructions for these bags and much more on Tote bags, shopping bags and much more

Where do I get embroidery designs from?

The silver Faux leather bag shows a design ready on the machine. There are plenty of designs built in, including lettering,  so there is no need to search out software immediately. I still use the built in software but I use other sources too.

This is a tiny selection of designs available free of charge from

Annthegran  lots of people use these designs, myself included 

Jaycotts sell USB drives, each containing lots of embroidery designs 

Embroidery design USB

My particular favourite embroidery software is In the Hoop ,and I use designs like these most of the time. 

This set is again from Jaycotts In The Hoop Embroidery by Brother and looks fabulous  The scissor case looks useful don't you agree.

The designs for these bags are taken from various projects I have purchased from SweetPea embroidery 

This is the back of the new bag.

This is the side and front  handbag made for my friend. 

To make it I used four panels from various SweetPea  projects which are all the same size.

One of the panels is overlaid with pink lace before embroidering.

It is lined with a cotton fabric.

I have just taken it to her and she is delighted. 

This is just one of my favourite table runner designs.

If you are going to make bags or table mats then you will need a batting or wadding Batting to give structure to your design . This  goes between the stabiliser and the top fabric.

These are two of my own Tote bags, made with in the hoop panels 

I find the entire process interesting and uncomplicated,  it takes a day or two to stitch a bag for example but I love every minute of it. And the cost? virtually nothing.

Interested?

Give Jaycotts a call on phone 01244 394099 or visit their showroom in Chester

Thank you for reading this post 

Angela

sewangelicthreads

Best Wishes

Angela