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1. First a little about me I got into machine embroidery after becoming a grand mother.
 I had retired from a job at the local University in the computing center there.  I also had been using the same sewing machine for 40 years and had no idea how much the sewing world had changed.  I decided I deserved a new machine and began doing some research online into the different machines and discovered machine embroidery.  Went to a local authorized dealer and purchased my first combination sewing and embroidery machine.  It wasn't long before I wanted software and a larger stitch field.  If you are looking to get a machine try to get one with at least a 5 x 7 stitch field you will be happy with it  longer.  The 4 x 4 field is just not big enough for long.  I still have my little one as a spare however.  When digitizing I don't generally use any art work unless it is some of my own work.  I found a portfolio I did in college a while back that I do intend to use some of the drawings in when I get time.  The drawings are over 40 years old now.  I like to just get an idea and start working directly in my software and let it evolve.  The 2 ponies were done from photographs of my grand daughters ponies from photographs I took at the fair.  Starred at those photos off and on for a long time to get the embroidery a good likeness of each one for them.  This definitely does not make for mass production of designs.  Once I think the design is done I start test sewing and usually it takes me about four stitch outs before I am completely satisfied and don't find anything that needs a little bit of fixing.  I do a lot of sewing for my grand daughters.  If you have a question or are having trouble please feel free to e-mail me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. No spam please I am tired of deleting e-mail accounts on my server to get rid of unwanted mail.  If you have any problems with this sites functioning correctly please let me know.

2.  One of the things that gives most new embroidery enthusiast trouble is stabilizing to get good results.

    Let me help you out a little with my own experience in this area.  When I first began this and got my first machine I followed the directions and in my machines manual and the store.  I carefully hooped my stabilizer and fabric.  Just a plain piece of cotton to give it a try wasn't ready to put it on anything to wear yet just going to try out my new machine.  I was very excited and couldn't wait to see what this machine could do.  Well I was disappointed I had a fair amount of puckering around the edges of the embroidery design and it did not lay very flat.  I had used a peel off stabilizer that I had purchased at a local fabric shop and did not know that I should have hooped only the stabilizer and layed the fabric on top after peeling off the paper surface.  Several months later through a forum I discovered hoopless embroidery.  I haven't hooped anything since and probably never will.  What a difference not only did it make getting stuff hooped much easier because I wasn't trying to cram it all into the hoop those pesky puckers immediately disappeared.  Below are my favorite ways to stabilize.
  1. For knits (such as cotton T-shirts or slinky type fabrics) I like to hoop a piece of medium weight tear away stabilizer then lightly spray the stabilizer surface ( never spray your fabric only the stabilizer.) with temporary adhesive spray that is intended for machine embroidery.  The ones I like best are 505 temporary adhesive spray, and Madiera.  Next position what you intend to embroider on top of the hoop centering the piece so that the embroidery will be where you want it on the fabric.  Be careful not to stretch the knit when smoothing you don't want it to be pulled crooked.  You can easily reposition it if you are not satisfied with the placement.  This method works well for me .  I you try to hoop a knit it is going to get pulled out of shape automatically when you hoop it.  Hoopless works great for me and prevents any hoop burn on the finished surface. 

2. For sweat shirts I prefer using a fusible medium cutaway.  Sweat shirts are very spongy and can be almost like having two surfaces one on top of the other that can cause shifting.  Sweat shirt fabric can also tend to allow the stitches to sink into the fabric.  To solve this problem lay a piece of light weight tear away film that is water soluble over the top with just a tiny bit of spray to hold it in place.  Never spray your fabric only the stabilizer.