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Organize your threads
- Murphy says that having your embroidery threads organized can save you time!
Some folks like to have their threads sorted by color or by number. I have it
done both ways since I have more than one thread manufacturer. I also have a
pretty basket where I have all of my smaller spools of embroidery thread and
they are not really sorted very much :-)) When I am looking for "the" color, I
use my thread charts and find the threads by number. If I can use "a" color, I
look in the basket until I find one that suits my project. Cabinet support - Murphy says that a sturdy and level area for your sewing and embroidery machine will help to keep it stitching properly. Sometimes having the embroidery unit sitting on the center joint of a cabinet that opens/closes can cause the cabinet to bow thus causing problems with stitching.
Clean up duty
- Murphy says spending a few minutes each day for clean-up duty will help keep
your work area neat and tidy. If you let everything pile up (as most of us
have!) and then feel overwhelmed, it can make it a difficult task. By doing a
little at a time, you will have everything put away. You might want to even set
a timer so that you only spend 10 or 15 minutes each time. Apply fray products - Murphy says to use a toothpick to apply Fray Check or Fray Block to your threads. It makes for an easy and quick precise application. I put out a small amount on a paper plate and work quickly from that rather than from the product bottle.
Keep needles sharp and another way to dispose of them. D Faust says - I save the old camera film canisters and put old or bent/broken needles in these then throw them away in this to protect people from sticks when taking out the trash! I also take needles that have been used for embroidery and if they are not damaged I put them in a pin cushion that's full of resin (the old fashion pin cushions) this sharpens the needles then I use them for sewing and not embroidery.
Another way to clip jump stitches.
Sharon Foster says she also has a good way to clip jump stitches on her
Designer I - it is to press the "needle up/down" button and the hoop comes forward
allowing easier access to the stitched area and when pressed again the hoop
resumes its correct position. Also need to pull back the thread at top of
the machine before restarting.
Clipping jump stitches. Pat Black suggested that I say a bit about clipping jump stitches. Yes, this is very important in most designs and especially for cross stitch. You should try to get as many as possible clipped between color changes so that the next color doesn't stitch over the jump and encase it forever into your project. I leave a very few. Those are so tiny that it is very difficult to clip or they will be totally covered by the next fill and not show. I like to use a nice set of tweezers that will hold the thread up while I clip. This helps to clip right up close to the fabric. I like to use my small bent-tip Havel brand scissors to clip. I have a set of both the tweezers and the scissors at each machine so I don't have to go looking each time I use a different machine.
Dispose of used needles easily and safely (part 2)
Janet Arnold says, "I use my
husband's old Nitroglycerine bottles. They are a about one third longer than the
needles. When it is full, I put the screw cap on it and toss it in the trash.
Totally Stable reused. You can reuse your unstitched portions of Sulky Totally Stable. Just carefully pull away from your project and then iron on your fabric like usual for another project. I like to use fresh when I am doing a large design that must be rehooped but the "leftovers" work wonderfully for those smaller hooped projects.
Dispose of used needles easily and safely. Machine needles seem to be hard to dispose of properly. I take an old empty case and mark it with an X. This tells me that the needles are to be trashed. So when I fill it up with used needles, I throw it out. That way the needles don't find their way through the trash bags and into anyone's fingers or hand. Back up your designs and your data. This one seems to be forgotten fairly often. It is one of the most important things you can do for your computer and you! It is best to have your information in more than one place. Your computer will eventually fail. Be sure to have your designs stored so you can put them back into your computer. Be sure to check your backup copies to make sure they work! CDs seem to be one of the best and most popular methods. Copy and paste your information. This is very easy to do. Just take your cursor and click at the beginning of the text or data and hold it down as you swish across the group of words, graphics or whatever data you want to copy. This highlights your selection. Let go of the left mouse button and while you have your pointer over the area you just highlighted, click with your right mouse button. In the box that opens, select "copy." Now you can go to the spot you want the highlighted selection and again use your right mouse button. When you click with the right mouse button, a box will open and this time select "paste." You can do this paste over and over again until you select other text or data. Regular maintenance of your computer is essential. You can read about this in the documentation that came with your computer. Most computers that you buy from a reputable dealer will also include a Help system. Microsoft Windows also has a Help system. You can often times find the Help by clicking on Start and then Help. You can find most answers to your problems there. One important maintenance operation is to defrag your computer. You can find out how to do defrag and scan disk in the Help system of your computer. Protect your computer with virus scanning and removal software. It is very important to keep your virus protection up to date. There are many different types and brands of virus software out now so it is very easy to be protected but you MUST put the software on your computer to protect it. Firewall is another form of protection. Use a search engine to find it fast! I really like Google to search for just about anything on the Internet. Here is a direct link to their page. http://www.google.com Include your full name when you write. I get many email messages from folks who only have their first name (or no name at all) and no other information for me to figure out who they are. If you want information from me, be sure to let me know who you are! The more information you give me, the easier it is to help you. Tip for Viking D1 users When your machine is stopped between colors, that is the best time to clip the jump stitches that you may have. The foot automatically raises for you at that point. You can get even better viewing of the area around your foot if you click on the "Sensor foot lift up/extra lift button". This is in the row on the right-hand side of the thread path/take up lever. It is the 2nd one down. This raises the foot higher without moving the hoop to a new location. The extra area might just be enough for you to find all those pesky jump stitches so you can clip them!
If you have suggestions that you would like for me to include on this page, please write to me and let me know. Just click on the mailbox below to send me a message.
Updated November 3, 2005 |
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