Megan McConnell, BellaOnline's Embroidery Editor
One of the biggest decisions anybody who does Machine Embroidery will make is to buy a new machine. Like any decision, however, you have to come to some conclusions as to what you need, as opposed to what you want and what you can afford.
Prices for machines that can handle embroidery can start from a couple of hundred dollars, up into the thousands - and usually the price is reflective of the capabilities of the machine.
Firstly - any sewing machine that can do zigzag, and has a variable stitch width and length can do embroidery. In fact, normal sewing machines were the first ones used to do machine embroidery, long before the digital age dawned.
My own sewing machine (a mid-1960's Elna - and I wouldn't part with it for any price!) was touted as a major advance in sewing machines when it came out. It relied on interchangeable cams for specialty stitches (including one that lives permanently in my machine that does what is virtually an overlocking stitch!) and a booklet with designs that you could trace onto fabric to then embrodier. It also came with several different feet, including a "satin stitch" foot. My mother also has one of these (which began my love affair with the particular model) and I remember as a child in the mid 1970's, when embroidered jeans and jackets were all the rage, that she produced a masterpiece of an outfit for me using this machine.
To read the full article:http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47341.asp
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