Embroidery Machines

What are Embroidery Machines?

Embroidery machines are specialized sewing machines that produce eloquent embroidery on different types of fabric or paper. The designs are created with software that comes with the machine, is downloaded for free, or is purchased from a sewing supply store. These machines have enhanced the home-sewing industry by allowing crafters and hobbyists an opportunity to create items that in the past were done by hand or in large factories. They cost about $500. Embroidery supplies are not as expensive and can be found at local fabric or crafts stores, as well as sewing machine shops.

With embroidery machines, crafters design artistic motifs, images or monograms. The precision to create them takes patience, effort and most of all, practice. Basic types of motifs include:

• Floral
• Religious
• Natural surroundings
• Geometrical
• Realistic
• Letters
• Numbers

A Brief History

While hand embroidery was introduced centuries ago, a machine that did the same type of work wasn't invented until the early 19th century. Around 1829, inventor Josua Heilmann of France sold his new machine to a cloth merchant. In 1854, the first Swiss factory opened with a lot of 12 machines in operation.

Also around that time, several different models were designed. They included:

• Handmachine -- First style invented was operated initially by hand and later by water and electricity.
• Chain-stitch Cornely machine -- Introduced in the 1860s in Switzerland. The chain-stitch style is still popular today.
• Schifflimachine -- Invented in the 1860s, this machine led to the production of imitation lace. This in turn resulted in a boom for embroidery industry. The Jacquard Punched Cards system was eventually applied to these embroidery machines.

How They Work

Today's embroidery machines are controlled by computers. In 1980, Wilcom introduced the first model. It was a design system that ran on a mini-computer, and instead of a punch card, the designer would digitize the pattern into the computer. This technology was enhanced a few years later with the invention of a multi-user system, which in turn streamlined the commercially-operated embroidery machine process.

There are several models on the market including:

• Simplicity - SE3
• Brother PE700
• Brother PR600II
• Viking White 4400

It's as Easy as Sewing

Creating embroidery on a computerized design system is done like this:

• Create or purchase a digitized embroidery design file.
• If needed, edit the design or combine with other files.
• Load the final design.
• Stabilize the fabric and place into the machine.
• Start your machine and create your design.

Supplies Needed

Besides your machine and a computer, the following embroidery supplies are needed and can be purchased at fabric or sewing machine stores:

• Digitizing and editing software
• Embroidery design files or patterns
• Fabric and fabric stabilizers (such as interfacing)
• Embroidery hoop (usually comes with and attaches to the machine)
• Thread
• Needles
• Bobbins

Online Help

There are many Web sites that make machine embroidery designing a little easier to understand:

• Secrets of Embroidery -- Find everything from designs to helpful hints for embroidering successfully.
• Artistic Thread Works -- Get answers to all of your embroidering questions.
• Sew Vac Direct -- From simple to more advanced, find all types of embroidery machines here.

Embroidery Machine Books

There are many books that outline basic techniques for machine embroidery. Here are just a few:

• Embroidery Machine Essentials: How to Stabilize, Hoop and Stitch Decorative Designs
• Machine Embroidery with Confidence: A Beginners Book
• Creative Beginnings in Machine Embroidery: Innovative Ideas for Expert Results
• Machine Embroidery Wild & Wacky
• Machine Embroidery on Paper