Tips and Hints

On this page you will find lots of tips and hints about machine embroidery, fabric, threads, stabilizers. The page will be updated frequently.

Please feel free to email us with any tips that you would like to see included.

Conversion of metric to inches

Check out this site to convert metric to inches:

Download this converter to use on your own PC or laptop: Josh Madison

Water Soluble Stabilizer

My favorite water soluble stabilizer is Water-Soluble Vilene. I buy it from Embroidery Source, in Melbourne, VIC. I use 2 layers for free-standing lace.

What to do with the left-overs and cut-off pieces?

Mix 1 cup water
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
WSS scraps

• Depending on how much of the WSS you put in the mixture, you can either spray it or brush it.

• Use it on your free-standing lace bowls to firm them up if you have washed them.

• Use it as a spray, like starch, if you want to firm up a piece of fabric before hooping, or stitching decorative stitches.

Organizing your Embroidery Designs

• Download the Embroidery Organizer
• Extract it to C:\EmbroideryOrganizer, and then you have a great place to file your designs and downloads.
• You will have a series of folders from A to Z that you can sort your designs into.
• You can delete any folders that you will never use.
• You can add other folders as you require them.

Tips for Piece-in-the-Hoop

• Spray starch your fabric pieces before you start. I use Mary Ellen's Best Press - it is really lovely starch and doesn't leave any residue.
• Print out the templates and color them in with the colors that you are going to use for your fabric. You are much less likely to make a mistake and sew the wrong color fabric in the wrong place.
• Always trim your ¼" seam allowance with your block face down on the cutting board. I line up the 1/4" mark on the ruler, so that the line is just inside the original stitching line. Then you can seam with a ¼" seam allowance, and no unwanted stitching will show on your block.