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Bigger Is Not Always Better…Tiny Little 2G USB Sticks Now In Stock

24 January, 2012
Sew This & That 2 Gig USB Stick

Sew This & That 2 Gig USB Stick

As the world gets smaller and electronic memory gets bigger and more affordable, buying a USB with an enormous memory for your embroidery machine can be very tempting.  Working with the theory that saving every design that you own on one big USB stick will mean that you wont have to fight with your computer again may seam ideal, but…consider this. In order to choose an embroidery design from that stick, all of the designs  have to be processed and represented on your embroidery machine in the form of a Thumbnail image. To do this, the tiny memory of your embroidery machine has to read every design on the stick, and then check the full extent of the USB stick to make sure that it didn’t miss anything. If you have a stick which has a very large memory, your embroidery machine effectively can’t read all of it, and not knowing what to do in this circumstance, it will either sit in its safety mode and not do anything, or shut down completely.

What does this mean?  USB sticks used on almost all embroidery machines should be no bigger than 2 GIG (gigabytes).  Two or three years ago, this was the normal size for a USB stick.  Now 8, 16 or even 32 GIG sticks are the norm, and tiny 2 GIG sticks are getting expensive and very hard to come by, causing embroidery machine owners some concern. At  Sew This & That, sharing our customer’s frustration in not being able to get our hands on this important small-size USB stick, we have sourced our own!  Tested on Brother, Janome, Bernina, Husqvarna and Pfaff embroidery machines; we’ve imported purple 2 GIG USB sticks with our logo on them – and are selling them at just $10 each.

Bobbinfill

17 March, 2011
bob1

The bobbin thread for embroidery should be a bobbin-fill thread.  This is a fine thread that is usually black or white and sits close to the underside of the work and should never appear on the top side at all. It should have enough tension to pull the coloured top-thread firmly to the underside, but it still should be visible when the back of the stitch-out is viewed. It is essential to gain the best results that you use the bobbinfill that is recommended by your machine manufacturer (this may also form part of the terms of your warranty). To test the tension on a machine and to make sure that the top thread and the bobbinfill works well together, use the following formula:

Firstly, with a block font and in uppercase, create the word ‘FOX’ on either the computer software or with a font built into the machine. The type of fill-stitch required for this test is a satin.  The characters need to be at least 3cm (1¼ in) tall to get the right proportion for the satin stitch to show on the underside of the work. Use a new needle (80/12 or 75/11 embroidery) in the machine and use a quality thread with the bobbin-fill in the bobbin.  There needs to be a medium-weight backing to support the washed calico (or similar) in the suggested hoop for the size of the word.

Most machines will either give a guide for the top tension setting on the machine or the machine itself will automatically default to its own embroidery tension setting. When the stitch-out is complete, remove the hoop and turn to the underside of the work. If the machine’s tension is correct the bobbin-fill thread should only make up a good third of the under-pattern and should not venture too close to the outer perimeter needle holes.

The word ‘FOX’ gives every possible angle the machine may have to stitch while creating an embroidery design and this is a great exercise to perform if you’re not sure if your tension is correct. Tweaking (reducing or increasing) a machine tension is not necessary but can make a huge difference to a finished stitch-out.  However if your tensions require constant ‘tweaking’ then a service by an authorised technician is recommended.

Photos & product knowledge from Martyn Smith at McCalls Pattern Service Pty Ltd.

 

 

Technically Speaking – Quarter Inch Feet

9 November, 2010
Quarter Inch Foot

This month this technically speaking is covering
off a little issue that often cause big problems.

A quarter inch foot is a very useful tool; as a specially designed foot that will give a smooth and easy to sew quarter inch seam it is almost invaluable.  But, part of the success of the foot is that it has only a very small needle-gap in the centre (the hole for the needle), designed to keep fabric flat as it travels under the stitch. 

The downside to this feature though, is that if you turn your machine off with the foot still attached and your machine defaults to a needle position to the far left, then there is a good chance that you will break your needle.  Turning your machine on a week later, and quickly sewing up the hem of your pants can end in disaster – you have forgotten that the quarter inch foot is still there and because of that tiny little needle-gap, your needle strikes the foot and if you’re lucky, only breaks! 

Obviously, the best solution is to remove the foot once you have finished with it; indeed this is sound advice when using any specialty foot.  The next thing that you should do is change your initial needle position to the middle.  This can usually be done in your machine’s menu section, or on some simpler electronic machines, by holding down a particular button while powering up.  Check your instruction book to find out if you can do this with your machine. 

This also brings up another important point – good needles.  Good needles are designed to break when put under stress.  Now, this doesn’t mean that breaking a needle is fine; indeed it can lead to timing issues or shaft damage.  But, if the needle breaks when under duress, then it is going to help spare your machine from far worse damage.  Poor quality needles will bend, rather than break when in the same conditions, exposing the rest of the working parts of your machine to a far greater risk of damage.

Technically Speaking – Bobbin’ Along

1 December, 2009
bobbins

bobbins

Bobbins are one of those things where one day we seem to have a bucket-load of them, and then the next day, when we need one we can never find one empty.  They are tiny little things but never-the-less, they play a very important part in our sewing machines.  One of the most common causes of stitch problems is the wrong bobbin.  Sure, they may look the same from a distance, but each brand of machine has its own bobbins, and using a different one causes problems.  When you update machines, don’t hesitate to ask us if your existing bobbins will fit.  If they don’t, then you’re best to throw them away.  Almost all Janome machines use the same type of bobbin, while Husqvarna VIKING and Brother both use different types of their own bobbins depending on the generation of the machine.

Once you have the right bobbin for you, there are several things that you should also be aware of.

Avoid winding colours over each other on the one bobbin.  As one colour comes to an end, it can pick up the tail of the next one, which causes tangles in the bobbin case.  Trimming the tail after winding the bobbin is important, as is preventing bobbins unwinding while out of the machine – rewinding them can change their tension - try using a rubber bobbin holder or handy clips such as “bobbin buddies”.  Bobbins also need to be wound in the correct way.  The end result should be an even and firm spooling of thread.  If the thread is looped or spongey on the bobbin, then the tension is wrong and you should double check with us or your instruction book that you are threading the bobbin in the correct way.  While having several bobbins pre-wound is handy, avoid winding dozens of bobbins at a time simply because your machine’s bobbin winding mechanism is not intended for prolonged repetitive use.

See what we mean? Sure bobbins are small, but if you don’t pay them the right amount of attention, they can cause you big trouble.

BobbinPlstc[1]