This is a broad category where you’ll find general guides and tips as you start your embroidery and sewing journey.
Want free embroidery designs? Find posts with resources here.
You can also find the best sewing machines, embroidery machines, sergers, and accessories by brand, purpose, and intent.
Find other guides featuring embroidery blanks, sewing supplies, and even computer recommendations for embroidery software.
If you’re interested in learning to embroider, one decision you must make before starting your new hobby or business is the type of embroidery machine you want. Single-needle machines, multi-needle machines, and multi-head machines all produce embroidered items as an end result, but the pros, cons, use, and even price differ between the three options. …
I finally hit the point where my embroidery design files were so haphazardly organized on my computer that I couldn’t find anything. Some files had been sitting for years in my downloads folder, while thousands of others were all in a big folder titled “Embroidery Designs.” To make matters worse, many of the files were…
Whether you’re a seasoned embroiderer looking to transition to making money off your hobby or a newbie looking to harness demand for embroidered items to turn a profit, considering embroidery business startup costs is essential. Several years ago, I unintentionally started a small embroidery business embroidering for friends and family. When things went well, I…
I finally cracked and bought a cordless iron. There was nothing that wrong with my everyday Shark iron or my small Steamfast Mini, but having cords everywhere drove me crazy! I really wanted more flexibility in my sewing space, and I wanted to stop fumbling with cords. So I searched, searched some more, and finally…
Everyone has an opinion on the best sewing machine for beginners if you start looking around. You can ask your local sewing shop, Reddit, or Quora or even check online retailers, and at each place, you’ll find different reviews and recommendations. Because everyone has unique preferences, circumstances, and budgets, the needs and desires for a…
Sewing machine needles are not all the same size, and using the wrong one when quilting can wreak havoc on your blocks and quilt tops. While a room full of quilters probably won’t ever unanimously agree on needle selection due to strong opinions, general rules do exist for picking the best size sewing needle for cotton…
Embroidery and sublimation can both customize products. The common end goal of producing personalized goods is one of the very few similarities between these two methods, though. Sublimation and embroidery differ in everything from the equipment and supplies used, the time they take, the expertise required, and even the projects you can create. I’ve been…
One great thing about living in a big Southern city is the zillions of craft shows within a few hours’ drive. I love a good quilt show, sewing expo, or embroidery convention, and if the shows are local, I pick up my mom and 90-year-old grandmother, and the three of us make a day out…
My husband and I recently started shopping for a replacement for my 10-year-old car. We were SO shocked at car prices with inflation and the ridiculous interest rates (even with good credit) compared to the 0.9% we got a decade ago. As such, we still haven’t bought a car and are enjoying not having car…
One great thing about living in my metroplex is there are two IKEA stores within an hour from my house. While neither store right around the corner, I had a doctor’s appointment near one and an hour to spare before needing to pick my daughter up from preschool. So, I popped into IKEA, survived the…
When I bought my first serger, I was suffocated by school loan debt and quite simply couldn’t afford anything snazzy. I researched all the affordable serger options, penny-pinched for what felt like forever, and ultimately saved enough to purchase an entry-level Brother serger. And, I have loved that thing to pieces and serged to my…
When I purchased my first serger, I was on a strict budget and chose a model based on what I could afford, which was not much! After paying off student loans and working for several years, I later had more financial flexibility to purchase a nicer machine. The kicker was…I paid ten times the cost…
Recently, I got fed up with my manual threading serger and splurged on a self-threading serger to decrease my frustration with failing hand joints. As I was weighing options, I decided if I was going to spend a ton of money on a self-threader, I might as well pony up a few more bucks for…
I loved my trusty Brother 1034D and 1034DX sergers for many years. And yes, I owned two sergers–one threaded with white thread and one with black. Not only was changing threads a pain, but I started having more difficulty with hand and finger dexterity, and trying to change threads became flat-out demoralizing. Unfortunately, I have…
Want to embroider but don’t want to purchase your own embroidery machine yet? I totally get that, which is why I used my local library’s embroidery machine before purchasing my own. Or, are you a home business embroiderer who just had your machine break with an approaching order deadline? That’s no fun! Thankfully, it’s easy…
Even though Dollar Tree raised the prices of items to $1.25 (and added the $3 and $5 sections to most of our local stores), I’ve been pleased that the craft supplies section has expanded to include some great deals. So, just like I did with my Dollar Tree embroidery blanks post, I headed to my…
Whether marking paper patterns for cutting or marking fabric for sewing, it’s important to have different fabric marking tools in your sewing kit. Most tools are interchangeable, but sometimes the fabric type or marking needed (like marking multiple fabric layers) requires a specific marking tool. Want to learn the ins and outs of fabric marking?…
I started using embroidery software on my older 11″ laptop, and let me tell you, I do not recommend that. Not only was the screen MUCH too small to plot out stitches accurately, but my slow processor just couldn’t keep up. Thankfully, that computer was near the end of its life, and I soon replaced…
If you’re not yet sure you want to spend your next month’s (or year’s) rent an embroidery machine, then you’ve found the right article! I hemmed and hawed for almost a year before finally purchasing my first home embroidery machine. Then, I continued to stress myself out with the pros and cons of updating my…
Like buying used electronics, appliances, or cars, buying a used embroidery machine can be a great way to save a fortune. Or, it could be a huge mistake that costs you big in the long run. Thankfully, if you do your due diligence before purchasing a pre-owned embroidery machine, you could save hundreds or thousands…
Brother embroidery machines are known for their ease of use, quality stitches, and affordable prices. I currently own a top-of-the-line Brother embroidery machine and a mid-to-lower-level Brother embroidery machine. I also owned the cheapest Brother embroidery machine on the market for several years before upgrading. All that to say, I love Brother embroidery machines and…
If you’re looking for embroidery inspiration delivered to you regularly, a subscription to an embroidery magazine might be a perfect fit. While physical magazines (and even digital magazines, for that matter) aren’t as popular now as they were years ago, there are still many exciting embroidery magazines that you can check out. Check out this…
When I started embroidering, I owned three rolls of stabilizer and two packages of pre-cut stabilizer sheets. It was easy to remember which stabilizer was which, and it didn’t take any organizing abilities to figure out how to store them. Now, three embroidery machines and over 20 rolls of stabilizers later, organizing my embroidery stabilizers…
Since purchasing my Brother Luminaire, I’ve been able to sew, embroider, and quilt more projects than I ever dreamed of from home. Gone are the days of trekking to the local library with a quilt sandwich to stand and ache while using their longarm machine for quilting. Instead, I can piece and quilt in my…
If you’re budgeting and planning for your first sewing machine or just want to upgrade your current machine, knowing the average price of a sewing machine for your skill level is essential. Unfortunately, the price of a sewing machine fluctuates wildly depending on multiple variables. So, what features can you expect within different price ranges…
What do you do if you need an embroidery design in a different file format? Convert it, of course! Thankfully, converting embroidery machine file formats from one machine file format to another is often straightforward. And, there are so many free embroidery file format converters! Check out my five favorites below. Converting Image Files vs….
Embroidery designs, especially machine embroidered ones, can be hard and itchy on the back. For instance, embroidered infant items. No baby wants to sport a onesie with a scratchy embroidery design! Thank goodness for iron-on embroidery backing. In addition to this benefit for machine embroiders, embroidery backings are also helpful for hand embroiderers. Backings can…
Before purchasing my Brother Luminaire XP2, I had no idea embroidery apps even existed! However, once I discovered my machine worked with two of the Brother embroidery apps, I was excited to search for more. So, I downloaded everything I could and compiled this list of the best free machine embroidery apps for iPad, iPhone,…
Looking for an embroidery machine with a 5″x7″ hoop size? Thankfully, you have several options, as 5″x7″ is a popular hoop size (and the size I use most often for projects!) I did a lot of research into the available 5×7 embroidery machines before purchasing my Brother SE1900 and put together this guide for beginners…
Like planning new quilt designs or chatting with fellow quilters while using your phone or tablet? What about calculating backing fabric sizes without having to pick up a pencil? If so, you’re in for a treat when you see all the quilt design and quilting calculator apps that assist with calculations and fulfill crafty desires. …