| The latest and strongest trend in home sewing is | | | | machine to stitch embroidery designs. If you have the |
| machine embroidery. Digitized designs stitched by | | | | room for a separate machine, the stand-alone machine |
| sewing computers give professional results that in the | | | | offers you the opportunity to embroider designs at the |
| past were available only from commercial embroiders. | | | | same time you are using the sewing machine. The |
| Introduced in 1990, the first home embroidery machine | | | | single machines are usually more limited in features and |
| stitched beautiful 4"x4" designs. Today's embroidery | | | | in maximum design size but offer you the opportunity |
| machines have gone far beyond this, enabling you to | | | | to get into machine embroidery for less money. |
| customize designs and stitch up to 16"x10" in one | | | | Combination machines sometimes offer more in the |
| hoping. Now you can personalize everything with | | | | way of features and design size and are priced |
| richly-colored designs and lettering stitched in your | | | | accordingly. |
| sewing room. | | | | Designs are available in a variety of file formats, each |
| When shopping for an embroidery machine, there are | | | | one unique. Most machines read one format but files |
| three main points to consider: | | | | can usually be converted to other formats using the |
| | | | computer and a conversion program. Many |
| 1. Determine how much space you have to devote to | | | | embroidery software programs include a conversion |
| embroidery. Do you have room for another machine in | | | | feature. |
| your sewing area? | | | | Design styles range from beautiful florals to outline |
| 2. How computer literate are you or do you want to | | | | redwork to funny cartoons. Any style of artwork can |
| be? If all you want to do is stitch preprogrammed | | | | be digitized and turned into a stitched design. When |
| designs, you don't need as elaborate a machine as | | | | purchasing designs, especially over the Internet, make |
| you do if you want to customize and digitize your own | | | | sure you are buying from a reputable design house. |
| designs. | | | | The quality of digitizing that goes into the design makes |
| 3. Think about the type of projects you want to | | | | a huge difference in how it stitches and in your |
| embroider. Do you want to only stitch simple | | | | satisfaction. Look for designs that are attractive and |
| monograms on terry towels or are you planning lavish | | | | detailed without having too many small details. They |
| designs across the backs of jackets?Embroidery | | | | should sew out with a minimum of color changes and |
| machines are sold as stand-alone machines that only | | | | jump stitches that need to be trimmed. Multiple fill |
| do embroidery, or they are part of a system made up | | | | stitches with different patterns sewn at different |
| of a sewing machine and a separate unit added to the | | | | angles add depth and dimension to a design. |