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Join Artistic Threadwords the day you bring your machine home from the store! Without Artistic Threadworks I would have never realized the vast world of creativity that my machine could open up for me.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
The entries to the Embroidery & Computer Tips contest are closed. We have received hundreds and hundreds of embroidery tips. That's a lot of info you'll be able to use!
So what's next? I've been going through the tips as they came in but of course the last couple days with the end of the contest deadline the pace has picked up and I've got hundreds of new ones to sort through. I'm still reading them and looking for the prize winners. So far I have about 100 in the "finalist" category so it's going to be tough to choose the very best.
If you've been reading Bobbin-Buzz for the last month though, you've seen a few of these tips already. They're in the gray boxes throughout the newsletter. These new tips will continue to show up here one per day for a LONG, LONG TIME! So our contest has been fun and you'll reap the benefits of it for years.
Okay -- I've got to get back to looking through those tips. I'll have winners announced as soon as I can finish reading them all. -- Larry
"So, we need computer skills 4 to learn how to do pay pal for internet physical sales and the Simple sales to learn how to do a website, that would show us how to do our physical sales? - Chicky"
"Simple Sales" covers how to set up a simple website without a lot of fussing around with all the details most people find staggering at first. IE... what software to use, what hosting company, what about "graphics", etc.
Then it also shows how to make your site take orders for products. I specifically showed how to set it up to take orders for "digital products" like embroidery designs, but you could also use it to sell other e-products like music, e-books, video clips and similar items that are delivered AUTOMATICALLY to the customer a few seconds after they buy the product.
I showed how to sell digitial products in this video because it's one of the hardest things to figure out how to sell online. But it's not the ONLY thing people want to sell so I latger decided to also show how to sell PHYSICAL products online easily. Since the SIMPLE WEBSITE video had already been released, I added "How to set up a Paypal account and sell products with it" to the next video I released called "Computer Skills For Embroidery". That video is a mixture of all kinds of things people need help with on their computer.
Do you need both videos to build a website and sell physical products online? Probably not. The SIMPLE WEBSITE video will show how to do everything you need to know. You just have to skip the part about uploading your digital products and add BUY NOW buttons for physical products instead. But if you need step-by-step help on that part too, it's in the COMPUTER SKILLS FOR EMBROIDERY - VOLUME I video just in case.
Just in case you really want both, I'll make a special offer for the month of September where you can buy one and get the other one at a nice discount at the same time.
Here's the sale info...
http://www.artisticthreadworks.com/products/item580.cfm
(Note: At the last step in the checkout process, members will get an additional $10 off the price!)
Here's a quote from our Discussion Forum today... "Wow! I love them all! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
I think they're great too! I really don't know how Holly keeps up the pace with digitizing and finding the artwork but she does and I'm happy to be here to help out. Here's some of this weeks new designs...
"In Full Bloom" is the September 2007 member bonus at ArtisticThreadWorks. This set is available for free to members at...
I have been reading through the entries for the two contests and frankly it's a bit overwhelming how many great answers there are to these two questions...
What's the best embroidery tip you can give us?
What's the best computer tip you can give us?
There were 1,035 answers to the first question and 469 answers to the second one! That's a lot of reading and I've gone through everything now once but still have over 200 potential winners. So -- I'm going through the 200+ again and looking for the diamonds amidst the gold.
Thanks to everyone who participated. I'll have the final winners announce as soon as I can.
-- Larry
Every week we draw a winner from our email list and this week's winner is...
pattyary @ aol.com who has just won a 3-month membership at ArtisticThreadWorks! You can claim the prize here... http://www.artisticthreadworks.com/prizeclaim anytime in the next 7 days..
There are...
over 13,000 designs in our Design Library,
over 1,000 articles about embroidery,
over 20,000 photos in our projects photo galleries,
and almost 1/4 of a million posts in our discussion forums!
Our members have access to ALL of this and more!
Help yourself to this weeks free design set "Daily Chores". These are for everyone that is a subscriber to Bobbin-Buzz, our free weekly newsletter!
Have fun!
The following 3 members were chosen as Photo Contest Winners for posting photo's in August...
Picture# / Member
27593 - tizzylishy
27590 - czgrad
27764 - ahberry
Each of you has won a free 1-year membership extension at www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com and your membership has already been extended.
Congratulations to you and thank you to all who enter photo's in our Photo Gallery every month. Thanks to your contributions we now have over 28,000+ embroidery project photos in our galleries!
You can click any of the numbers above to see their photos!
Here's a picture of ONE of this week's design sets...
Members of ATW can download all of this week's new designs, along with more than 13,000 other designs in the "Design Library"... Join Here!
Okay -- maybe more than a little...
...but I'm getting caught up today if it kills me!
I've been working on a new project that's really eaten up my time for the last several days. Thankfully I'm done with the bulk of it and the only thing left is an hour or so tomorrow morning and I'm done! Whew!
You know the feeling I'm sure. The really HARD PART is that I can't tell you about it until next Saturday! That's killing me to keep it under wraps until then but I promise you'll love it when you tune in here next weekend and get the scoop!
One of our members is named Debi Weinert. Her husband Karl and she own a boat-building business and a school that teaches people how to build a boat. In fact, the students come to their school in Western Tennessess and two days later, they've built this boat...
You can visit Debi and Karl's websites at...
http://www.tennesseeboatschool.com/2007
and
http://sandralynnboatworks.com
Don't use candles in your sewing room! Seriously, I love candles and lots of other folks do, too. They're calming and restful. Just the atmosphere I want in my sewing room. But according to my Service Tech, candles are similar to smoking as far as the machine is concerned. He said he can always tell when someone has candles in a sewing room. The inside of the machine gets black from soot, and it's in his shop a lot more often, too!
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
Hi. I have an old baby photo album (well, at least as old as I am - 41 years) with some really cute baby cartoons drawn in it. I think they would make great embroidery designs, but I want to make sure I can use them legally, possibly sell the designs at some point. Isn't there a set amount of time that the copyright goes away or something - I thought I remember seeing that somewhere, but I'm not sure. Thanks! Beth in AZ
Great question Beth! The answer is 75 years from date of copyright for most situations, or 75 years from the date of death of the copyright holder. Also -- if the copyright was "renewed" then it is 75 years from the date of last renewal. So.. most likely the artwork you're looking at is still copyright protected.
However, you can BUY the right to use artwork at a very reasonable price if you can find similar artwork you'd like to use. It's even possible you can find the exact same artwork. I'd suggest you browse around this website... http://store.doverpublications.com Read their Terms Of Use which differ from one book to the next and are entirely different on artwork purchased on CD vs in books.
I store my embroidery thread in two 6-drawer plastic units which sit side-by-side to the left of my machine. Spools are arranged in "rainbow" order, with some extra drawers to further divide the colors. For example, I have reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and golds, etc. I also have a drawer for dark neutrals and light neutrals. Nets from a floral shop hold threads neatly on the spools, and strips of clear vinyl wrap the smaller spools. The true color lights I have on the sewing table also enable me to choose the correct colors for my project as well as clearly see my embroidery area.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
The tip above about "getting comfortable" should be carried a bit further here.
Holly has been getting a stiff neck and lots of headaches lately and she finally figured out why. Her glasses are bifocals and in order to read the screen on her computer she tips her head back to look through the bottom of the lenses. It dawned on her that the unnatural position has been putting stress on her neck muscles, making them sore and giving her a headache. At least that was her theory.
We went to the optometrist yesterday and he confirmed her intuition and recommended that she use her bifocal glasses for other activities but switch to a pair of reading glasses for viewing the computer screen. He's making a prescription pair for her now but in the meantime he suggested she try a pair of off-the-shelf $20 glasses from the pharmacy section of the store.
She bought two pair and brought them home. One pair is a +1.00 and the other pair is a +2.00 magnification. The +1 pair is great for when her nose is about 18" from the screen, as when she's going through emails or surfing the web. The other pair is better for when she's digitizing as they focus about 14" from the screen.
If you're having problems with a sore neck and headaches, your bifocals may be at fault. Try this simple solution. If it works, consider getting prescriptive glasses just for computer work.
My tip is make sure you have a comfotable place to do machine embroidery. There isn't much to do between thread changes so have your computer right beside your machine and a telivision set there, too. Makes machine embroidery multi-tasking, and you need to stay close to your machine just in case the thread or needle breaks. Sometimes the thread nests underneath the design and the machine will keep sewing, but if you are right there, you can hear the difference and stop the machine and fix the problem before it goes any further. Join ATW and ask questions on the forum. There is a world of embroidery experience on the site and someone will have an answer to your question. Not to mention all the great designs and support. It is well worth the price of admission.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
The newest "Weekly Sampler" design set will be released this morning around 9-AM and it's free to everyone that reads Bobbin-Buzz. Just click into the "Design Library" on www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com and help yourself to the new set under the "Weekly Sampler" button.
We release a new sampler set every week. It's free for that week only. After the week is up, those designs become part of the thousands of designs our members can download any time they want from the rest of the Design Library. If you're not a member yet, what ARE you waiting for?
Buy or put your dream machine in lay-a-way or at least talk about it outloud or you may end up with the lowest end model on Christmas with no thread or stabilizer.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
From our "Computer Help Forum" on ATW...
"DO YOU HAVE ANY DESIGNS IN THE VIP FORMAT.....I LOVE YOUR DESIGNS...."
You can convert to VIP easily using any of several different programs including Embird. Because it's so easy to do this, we don't put VIP on our downloads. Check out www.Embird.com for example. There's even free programs that will do it for you. .
Thanks for the question! We have a Computer Help Forum where you'll always find a helping hand with your computer and software questions inside ArtisticThreadWorks. We also offer a VIDEO on CD that plays in your computer and shows you Basic Computer Skills For Embroidery...
I get emails every day from members and guests to TheBobbinBuzz and ArtisticThreadWorks. Today Kaye Hansen from Oregon wrote to me and told me about this organization and their efforts to honor our fallen heroes...
"This nationwide effort to show our support for the families of service men and women was established in 2004 by Don Beld, nationally recognized quilter and historian of Redlands, California. Just as the quilters in early American history were dedicated in their heartfelt efforts to support the soldiers, we are working to show our gratitude for their service and sacrifice by providing these commemorative Home of the Brave quilts for the family of each serviceman or woman killed in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom."
You can read the rest of the story at...
...and view their photo gallery at...
As of today, only 484 people have seen their website. Please take a minute to look at what they are doing and if you're in Oregon and interested in quilting, check out their "How You Can Help" link.
My biggest learning curve with machine embroidery was to learn how the bobbin tension and the top thread tension work together to make a perfect stitch. I had to learn through trial and error how to tighten and loosen both the bobbin thread and the top thread. After I understood what makes the perfect stitch, whenever I had problems with I could adjust the tension easily to have perfect embroidery. So my tip is make sure before you leave the dealer with that new machine, have them show you how to adjust both the bobbin and the top thread to loosen or tighten the stitch and to show you what a perfect stitch should look like. This also goes hand-in-hand with stabilizing properly and using the right SHARP needle!
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
Today is the 53rd anniversary of my birthday. My mom, Colleen (Pike) DeUsa passed away in 1996 from inflamatory breast cancer. She was the most gracious and faith-filled woman I have ever known. And today I celebrate her life.
This morning Holly bought breakfast for me at my FAVORITE breakfast place in the world. It's called "Richard Walkers" located in Crystal Lake, IL. It's not the sort of place you want to eat at very often if you're fighting the battle of the bulge, but for special occasions it's a big wow! Their apple pancake is to die for!
After breakfast we did some shopping and we'll spend the evening relaxing with our girls and watching a movie. It's a far cry from the early years :-) but it's what I'd call a perfect day for me nowadays.
I hope you're having a great day too and look for lots more of Bobbin-Buzz tomorrow morning.
If you are going to do embroidery for the public, it is a good idea to create a form on which the customer has to spell out the name, etc. they want placed on a garment. You can even have small blank shirts, pants, hats, etc. drawn on the form so they can mark where they want the designs placed. That way there is no question as to whether you finished the piece as per their instructions.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
It took me FOREVER to read through all the embroidery tips and computer tips! There were over 1,500 tips, some quite long. I felt like I was proofreading War & Peace but it's finally done. We have our winners and I'll start with announcements today.
Here's how we chose the winners...
First -- the tip had to be "good". I say that because there were a few that suggested things to do with an embroidery machine that I'm not 100% positive your repair technician would endorse. Hey -- if it works for you then it's your machine, but I didn't think we'd want to pass on something that could cost you money for repairs.
Second -- the tip had to be useful to a large percentage of our readers. There were a few great tips that only applied to people in certain niche areas of the hobby. While they were good tips, most of our readers wouldn't be able to use the ideas.
Finally -- They had to stand out above the others and that was the most difficult part of all. I first narrowed it down to my favorite 100, then my favorite 50, then favorite 35, then best 17, then finally top 4. And we finished that this morning.
We have TWO contests and TWO complete sets of winners! The prizes are as follows for both the Embroidery Tips Contest AND for the Computer Tips Contest...
1st Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
3-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
2nd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
2-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
3rd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
1-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
We'll start with today announcing the 3rd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007" and continue for the next 7 days with the other winners.
Here's the 3rd Prize Wiinner for Best Embroidery Tip...
"I store my embroidery thread in two 6-drawer plastic units which sit side-by-side to the left of my machine. Spools are arranged in "rainbow" order, with some extra drawers to further divide the colors. For example, I have reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and golds, etc. I also have a drawer for dark neutrals and light neutrals. Nets from a floral shop hold threads neatly on the spools, and strips of clear vinyl wrap the smaller spools. The true color lights I have on the sewing table also enable me to choose the correct colors for my project as well as clearly see my embroidery area."
This tips was submitted by Barb Torrey. I have Barb's email address and will send her a notification that she has won third prize. Barb, welcome to ATW and I know you'll enjoy this prize!
Check back tomorrow for the 2nd Prize Winner!
Before purchasing from a designer, download AND stitch out one of their sample designs that is similar in style to what you would like to buy! You will be amazed at how many designs, that turn out all right in the end, have weird stitch sequences, unnecessary jump stitches and other irritating quirks that make you go back again and again to your tried and true favorite designers.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
We have TWO contests and TWO complete sets of winners! The prizes are as follows for both the Embroidery Tips Contest AND for the Computer Tips Contest...
1st Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
3-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
2nd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
2-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
3rd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
1-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
This morning we'll announce the 2nd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007" and continue for the next 6 days with the other winners.
Here's the 2nd Prize Wiinner for Best Embroidery Tip...
"Trimming threads and getting them off the project can sometimes be a real challenge. In addition to using Holly's Tweezer Tip as demonstrated on the "Now That I have the Machine Home" DVD here's a tip that has been invaluable in my sewing / embroidery domain. I keep a small vacumn cleaner nearby. A dust buster, car vac, Dirt Devil, computer vac, any vac will do - as long as you are careful. After trimming all the threads, i carefully "swipe" the hooped design area near the intake of the vac. This gently removes all those loose threads from the surface of the project. I find this easier and cleaner than using the lint removal rolls - since vacs are usually close by the sewing area it is one less thing to keep track of, and I don't have to remove the used roller sheet. happy stitching"
This tips was submitted by Joyce Santoni. I have Joyce's email address and will send her a notification that she has won third prize. Joyce, welcome to ATW and I know you'll enjoy this prize!
Check back tomorrow for the 1st Prize Winner!
I keep a "Tide" pen right along side all my other embroidery tools. I never know those little spots from no where will appear and besides I always seem to make my finger bleed on my design. Anyway, it really does take those spots out.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
We have TWO contests and TWO complete sets of winners! The prizes are as follows for both the Embroidery Tips Contest AND for the Computer Tips Contest...
1st Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
3-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
2nd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
2-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
3rd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
1-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
This morning we'll announce the 1st Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007" and continue for the next 5 days with the other winners.
Here's the 1st Prize Wiinner for Best Embroidery Tip...
"I hate "losing" all that beautiful thread doing a test stitch out. I know I could always save the test stitch outs to make a quilt, but then I'd like them to all cooridinate and that could take forever to have tested enough similar designs, so I've come up with another solution. Now I look for an article of clothing that maybe I love but never wear due to a stain, or maybe it's just something a little outdated but I still love, or perhaps it's even just a wear around the house only piece of clothing. Now I test stitch on these pieces and more times than not when the stitchout turns out to be good, I find I am now the proud owner of a newly restored old favorite piece of clothing often nicer than the original !!! And some of those just around the house pieces turn out to go back out on the town. The flip side ( a bad stitch out ) is a win/win too, as I will now finally have no excuse to keep hanging on to it and my closet gets a little cleaner !!!! I also do the same thing with my families clothes and give new life to old favorites !!!!!!!"
This tips was submitted by Michelle Blitchok. I have Michelle's email address and will send her a notification that she has won first prize. Michelle, welcome to ATW and I know you'll enjoy this prize!
Check back tomorrow for the 1st Prize Winner!
My tip is to have a support group. The forums here are the best! You can ask any question and get at least one answer, or you can just read what others are asking. The knowledge you gain is invaluable and will make your embroidery experience much more enjoyable.
We have TWO contests and TWO complete sets of winners! The prizes are as follows for both the Embroidery Tips Contest AND for the Computer Tips Contest...
1st Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
3-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
2nd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
2-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
3rd Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007"
1-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
This morning we'll announce the Grand Prize for "Best Embroidery Tip of 2007" and continue for the next 4 days with the Computer Tips Contest winners.
Here's the Grand Prize Wiinner for Best Embroidery Tip...
E njoy this craft and it will make you smile
M ake something for yourself every once in a while
B reaking needles and threads is part of the game
R espect others’ copyrights & they’ll do the same
O rganize your files so you can find what you need
I nvest in quality scissors & you will succeed
D esigns should be tested before they are sewn
E nsure that your projects are shared here & shown
R ejoice when you get your design to look right
Y our hooping of fabric should be good and tight
These tips are not earth shattering or new
They are just some things that we all should do
Do one more thing and everybody wins
Join ATW and make a bunch of good friends.
This tips was submitted by Jan Pratt. I have Jan's email address and will send her a notification that she has won first prize. Jan, Thank you for all you bring to ATW!
Check back tomorrow for the 3rd Prize Winner in the Computer Tips Contest!
I love to add a lace cuff to my fancy blouses. By pinning some water soluble stabilizer to the cuff and extending it to 1 inch beyond the bottom of the cuff, I can use the continuous embroidery hoop to sew a lace design on both the edge of the fabric and beyond in the free air. I make historical costumes for wearing in the Society for Creative Anachronism and this adds an authentic look to the gowns and is beautiful besides.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
We're now ready to announce the winner in the Computer Tips Contest! I've read through and sorted and re-read through almost 500 computer tips. The top ones were narrowed down then sorted through again to come up with the 4 best tips.
The most useful tips I read were those that were probably not known by everyone and yet would be useful to almost everyone. So we'll start with what the prizes are again, then get into the winning entries...
1st Prize for "Best Computer Tip of 2007"
3-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
2nd Prize for "Best Computer Tip of 2007"
2-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
3rd Prize for "Best Computer Tip of 2007"
1-Year Subscription To ArtisticThreadWorks
Plus Complete Collection of Premier Design Sets
We'll start with today's anouncement for the 3rd Prize Wiinner for Best Computer Tip...
"The best tip I ever received was to back up my computer regularly onto cds, even though I use an external hard drive also as a back up already. Prior to getting that tip, I was using a brand new external hard drive for my main backup source. Unfortunately, it crashed unexpectantly, and I lost everything!!! I never dreamed that I would need to worry about it crashing so quickly, so of course, I did not have anything saved on any other media. I learned the hard way!"
This tips was submitted by Paula Kimmich. I have Paula's email address and will send her a notification that she has won third prize. Paula, welcome to ATW and I know you'll enjoy this prize!
Check back tomorrow for the 2nd Prize Winner!
When embroidering lace bowls, use a balloon to shape your bowl. When completely dry just pop the balloon and you have a wonderful piece of art!
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
The 2nd Prize Winner for our Computer Tips Contest is...
"If you are in and out of your computer a lot of times during the day, you don't have to keep it on all of the time. If you are using Windows XP, this is a simple and easy way to have it available quickly. Left click on "Start" Select "Settings" Select "Control Panel" Select "Power Options Properties" Select "Advanced" Select "When I press the power button on my computer. . ." Select "Hibernate or Standby" Select "Apply and then OK" When you don't need your PC, press the power button for a moment and your computer will close down. When you are ready to go back on the PC, press the power button (just as you normally would) and you are already back to where you left off! Quick, time and energy saving."
This tips was submitted by Pat Snyder. I have Pat's email address and will send her a notification that she has won 2nd prize. Pat, welcome to ATW and I know you'll enjoy this prize!
Check back tomorrow for the 1st Prize Winner!
I've finished shooting volume 2 of computer skills for embroidery. It's going to be on a special sale until volume 3 comes out which should be pretty quickly. Here's the details about what's on this one...
http://www.artisticthreadworks.com/products/item564.cfm
CSE - Volume 2...
How To Cancel A Paypal Subscription
Control Your Desktop Pictures
3 Ways to Downsize Photos
Exploring HELP
File Move In-Depth
Full-Sized External Drives
Making Disk Labels
A Wish-List Catalog Of Your Own
"My Computer" Tricks!
Renaming A Drive
Safely Stop A USB Drive
TaskBar Controls
The $1,000 Clock That Can't Keep Time
The P-Touch Solution
Tiny Little Drives
Webstyle 4 - Creating Your Own Graphics
Web-Wize: Using Buy-Out Music
Web-Wize: Using Tiny-URL
I store my embroidery thread in two 6-drawer plastic units which sit side-by-side to the left of my machine. Spools are arranged in "rainbow" order, with some extra drawers to further divide the colors. For example, I have reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and golds, etc. I also have a drawer for dark neutrals and light neutrals. Nets from a floral shop hold threads neatly on the spools, and strips of clear vinyl wrap the smaller spools. The true color lights I have on the sewing table also enable me to choose the correct colors for my project as well as clearly see my embroidery area.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
The 1st Prize Winner for our Computer Tips Contest is...
"We all love a free design, but then when we want to recall what site it came from, then there is often a problem! After unzipping take the time to right click on properties and click the tab summary and cut and paste the URL or type in the information there. If when you right click there is not the summary option, then just create a notepad with the details and name the notepad the same name as the file. A little time spent doing this is such a time saver late."
This tips was submitted by Carolyn Robertson. I have Carolyn's email address and will send her a notification that she has won 2nd prize. Carolyn, welcome to ATW and I know you'll enjoy this prize!
Check back tomorrow for the Grand Prize Winner!
Every week we draw a winner from our email list and this week's winner is...
christina.strom1 @ telia.com who has just won a 3-month membership at ArtisticThreadWorks! You can claim the prize here... http://www.artisticthreadworks.com/prizeclaim anytime in the next 7 days..
There are...
over 13,000 designs in our Design Library,
over 1,000 articles about embroidery,
over 20,000 photos in our projects photo galleries,
and almost 1/4 of a million posts in our discussion forums!
Our members have access to ALL of this and more!
Help yourself to this weeks free design set "Farm Mini's". These are for everyone that is a subscriber to Bobbin-Buzz, our free daily embroidery newsletter!
Have fun!
I picked this photo as a "weekly photo contest winner". Thanks for sharing with us Karen! You've won a 3 month extension on your membership for posting this photo!
Thanks to all of you who post photos regularly in the photo gallery. It's hard to pick a winner every week because there's so many great ones to choose from.
Every week we release new designs that are FREE for our members to download. Last year there were over 2,500 new designs. Membership costs about 22-cents per day. Here's part of one new sey released today...
Members of ATW can download all of this week's new designs, along with more than 13,000 other designs in the "Design Library"... Join Here!
Holly is in Knoxville, TN this week at the Hands-On Sewing School. There are about 170 people attending the classes there. While Holly's there she's getting some hands-on time with the Fuwari finishing machine.
I had hoped to attend with her but there's just too much to do here in Illinois before we head South for the winter. And winter is coming soon! Tonite's low temperature here will be in the mid-30's. That's a bit too chilly for my tastes!
Just two weeks ago it was in the 80's here and we were barbequing in the backyard...
Now the leaves are turning and the sky is looking wintry. It won't be long before Fall is upon us. Speaking of fall, I'd like to share another photo with you. It's from the Fall of 2005 so it's almost two years old, but it was such a beautiful fall that year that we took some time to walk through the woods nearby and shoot some photos.
Here's a closeup of some of the leaves...
Holly used some of the closeups of leaves to make a set of designs later. It helps to see the real thing up close though so you know what you're digitizing!
Using a shade lighter than black can soften a design/outline.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
This morning we'll announce the Grand Prize for "Best Computer Tip of 2007" and continue for the Best Computer Tip of 2007. Here's the Grand Prize Wiinner...
"If you view your email in HTML, turn it off. If you inadvertently open a spam message that's in HTML, you can leak information, such as they've reached a live computer, back to the spammer."
This tips was submitted by Siobhan Friedgood. I have Siobhan's email address and will send her a notification that she has won first prize. Siobhan, Thank you for all you bring to ATW!
Congratulations to everyone that won, and thank you to everyone that submitted a tip to our contests this year. We'll continue to publish the best tips in Bobbin-Buzz every day so keep reading for really great ideas for making your hobby easier and results better.
If you are selling your work, use designs with lower stitch counts, ie: quicker, whenever possible. Saves $$ & time. Also, sometimes simpler IS better.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
Take a placement class. If you can't take a class in person, then get Holly's CD on Embroidery Basics and placement.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
Wow. Busy day for me!
Holly is still in Knoxville and comes home tomorrow. It's been 8 days now and I'm sure missing her but things happen and plans change so she stayed over to finish up some details there.
Meanwhile, today I took the girls to an appointment in Bourbonnais Illinois to see our vet. Her name is Karen Shaw Becker and she is a holistic vet and homeopathic doctor as well.
So this morning I was up at 4am to feed the girls and leave by 5 for the 3-1/2 hour drive. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I had a full typed sheet of questions and concerns and she took the time to cover every one of them with me in detail. They weren't "biggies" -- just little things that we wanted to know about.
For those of us who love their pets like their own kids, it's great to have a source for reliable answers. And on that note, I'd like to introduce you to our vet. Once you click to her website, BE SURE you click on the "Meet Karen" link...
Machine embroidery can be intimidating at first...so getting information can make the learning process much easier. Ideally, you can have a friend come over and teach you one on one, as well as be just a phone call away if you run into a jam. Next best would be to take lessons and participate in clubs offered from your dealer. Reading the manual that came with your machine should be top on your priority list, and there are several books published that are packed with information and tips to help out. Do not overlook the power of your computer to access information! Many machine embroidery websites offer beginner tip pages, but best of all are message boards, where you can post a question and get lots of answers from someone who has been there and done that before! In other words...jump in and try it!
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
This is a tip for any type of sewing not necessarily machine embroidery. I use a empty Smucker's Ice Cream Topping bottle for disposing of broken, bent or damaged pins and needles. Any type of bottle (Bath & Body Works aromatherapy bottles work well) with an attached lid that snaps open/closed and doesn't allow anything to come back out unless you unscrew the lid. This keeps them out of the plastic trash bag so they cannot poke through and hurt someone.
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You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.
The newest "Weekly Sampler" design set was released this morning and it's free to everyone that reads Bobbin-Buzz. Just click into the "Design Library" on www.ArtisticThreadWorks.com and help yourself to the new set under the "Weekly Sampler" button.
We release a new sampler set every week. It's free for that week only. After the week is up, those designs become part of the thousands of designs our members can download any time they want from the rest of the Design Library. If you're not a member yet, what ARE you waiting for?
I do a lot of applique. I use an iron on backing that adheres to the fabric. You pull off the white paper coating and put that side face down where you are going to applique. I use the small little iron to press a piece of it in place to hold it to the fabric, it glues the applique in place so it does not move or pucker the fabric while completeing the applique. Then you continue with your applique. When it is finished I iron the entire piece of applique. The applique material never puckers after being washing and always looks like brand new. I have sweatshirts I have done using this method and washed them dozens of time.
We do not test or endorse any of the tips listed here.
You are cautioned to follow them at your own risk.