Why do you love machine embroidery?

[Libbi]

Mailmanldy (Diane) said in a post of our discussion of a machine embroidered BOM that we quilter/embroiderers (sp?) should use this forum to dicuss this technique and do more sharing. She is absolutely right. So I'm going to start off another topic.

I love machine embroidery because it allows me to continue a craft I've enjoyed since I was a little girl--many, many years ago. As we grow older the natural physical changes in our bodies make it difficult to do the things we loved. With me it is mainly joint problems. My thumb joints became very painful and stiff. Doing handwork of any kind was no longer soothing and a joy. So I stopped.

Through the miracle of modern medicine, I've had my thumb joints replaced in both hands but one at a time. In total, it was almost 6 months without the use of one hand or the other. For the vast majority of daily activities I can hardly tell the difference. But for hand stitching, repetitive motions and holding an object in one position for a long time, it gets uncomfortable, stiff, and eventually painful.

Long story but quilting, embroidery, applique by machine is what I do and what I've invested in. As I get to know my "sewing computer" and software many options become available to me. My joy has returned.

PS: I don't really want to be a digitizer but I want to know enough to adapt hand techniques for quilting to embroidery machine techniques.

Why do you love it?

[Libbi]

I'm not sure that I do yet!! All it's meant to me so far is software headaches!

I much prefer the simplicity of picking up a hoop in the hand. I also like the pluck thrum sound of the floss passing through the fabric rhythmically as you sew, something you certainly don't have with a machine. It's a sound I grew up with and just soothes me.

If I ever manage to sort the computer side of things, I may change my mind. :roll:

I think what you are achieving is fantastic Libbi and I'm pleased you have figured a new way of expressing your passion! Keep it up, some of us are following. A little way behind but we're following!!!

[Libbi]

Libbi have you seen the tutorials Discover Artista, they seem to cover all the applique techniques that you are interested in I would love to try but have not invested in the software, but it looks very informative the website is http://www.exnovodesign.com.

[Libbi]

Yes I have and the tutorials are great. I went over the applique one again before I started with the BOM. Amanda Whitlatch used Advanced Applique which produces a great applique but won't let me combine the placement, cutting, tackdown, and cover stitch in the order I want. Nor does it appear to allow me to use a decorative for the coverstitch. Autoapplique also has that limitation. Or I could be missing another function that will work.

In the end I found that the Jan. Bom lends itself to the "duplicate and rotate" process well. I now have the BOM digitized to stitchout as I want.

Again, those tutorials are terrific.
Libbi

[Sewdreamy]

Libbi, I love machine embroidery because it can help me with those little touches on my art quilts that I would have a very hard time doing by hand. I especially got to love it once I learned how to use the software.

For instance, on my quilt "Margaret" I was able to create the vases using the special stitching that made it look like a ceramic. I would not have been able to do that by hand. I drew up the vases by hand, and scanned them in and then digitized them from there. Then I experimented with the various fancy fills and kept stitching out samples until I got what I wanted. Awesome! Then I made her flowers on her dress much the same way, using a satin stitch that jumped and melded together, producing a beautiful satiny flower that didn't have too long a stitch, much like you would do it by hand.

Then I made the dog all by stitching it.

I also used machine embroidery on many other quilts--the WWI planes on my grandson's quilt, the angels and words on my nativity quilt "Rejoice!" and the precise 10 degrees to the left light spires surrounding the large stars (just as it would appear in a telescope) in my "Stellar Nursery" quilt, and the corner precision quilting motif. It's wonderful. Perhaps I could do some of this by hand, but it would literally have taken me months to years instead of the few hours I spent working out the embroidery in the software and embroidering them on.

Yes, I love machine embroidery...it's a different thing from hand embroidery, which I also love, and it accomplishes different things...another arrow in our quilting quiver to hit that bullseye of a super fabric artist with. I am always learning new things about the software and I still am working on the V4, not the new version.

Cheers,

BJ

[longarm1]

Thanks Libbi
Embroidery is my passiion, I have been doing embroidery by hand since I was a little girl. Advanced to cross stitch to counted cross stitch, to machine embroidery.
I have worked my way up from a Brother embroidery machine, you know the kind you can by from Ames. (haha, dating myself) to the new Quatro 6000d I got for xmas.
I have made quilts and runners, and table linens, designed with embird to make alot of labels for clients. I can never get enough it calms me down and relaxes me. I have one quilt in my profile. I have purchase allllloooot of quilt kits with cds for embroiderying. Appliques, in the hoop projects, oh my. Thanks for asking, you have opened a can of worms, Oh wait a minute I have a pattern for that. Debbie

[longarm1]

One reason why I love machine embroidery, is because you can sew and be on TQS at the same time. Outstanding multi-tasking eh? :lol: :lol: :lol:
Lynn in snowy, cold UK

[Libbi]

Yes, multitasking is one of the advantages of machine embroidery. I can listen to audiobooks when doing the little handwork that I do but machine embroidery opens new possiblilites!