As I posted last week, I was asked to vendor at my church Women’s Day event this coming Saturday. I guess they asked me because I am always coming in on the Christmas Holiday selling what every I have made. I have nothing to sell, so I am crashing on trying to make up some bags and things this week.
So since I had my embroidery machine service last month I pulled it out to make some bookmarks. Well 5 hours later I have broken 15 to 16 needles and only have 3 bookmarks to show for it.
These are lace bookmarks, I am using one sheet of heavy water soluble stabilizer, needles I used are 75/11 embroidery; 80/12 topstitch; and 80/12 titanium. All of them broke. Along with the broken needles I was have thread breakage and the needle kept coming out.
This is all I was able to finish before giving up on this idea. They are lovely, but too much time wasted in making them, it takes 54 minutes to stitch them out. With all the broken needles I estimate it took me at least 1 1/2 hours to stitch each one of them.
I plan to call the person who serviced my machine to see if it is the machine or me or maybe even the design.
Do any of you embroider? Have you every had this problem? Any suggestions?
New name change “The Broken Needle Quilter”, how you like that.
The Slow Quilter
(Felicia)
I feel your frustration. I have had similar issue with free standing lace designs. My suggestions and questions. Have you used the design before? If not try another design from a different company to see if you have the same kind of problems. If not probably it is the design. Have you used that stabilizer for other FSL? I personally use the fabric like water soluble and use 1 layer of it and 1 layer if tulle, I have found due to weather conditions my stabilizer and thread may not react the same as other times. Have also found some threads like FSL better than others. And you might try sewing out a pattern you have sewn with no issues before calling the service man so if there are issues with the design now you will have that info available to tell him. At best I find there is no perfect solution at least for me. Good Luck
ReplyDeleteDarn. Needles are pricey, too! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI have had similar issues with FSL designs. Make sure it is a design from a reputable digitizer. Lacw freebies hardly ever worked for me ...And some of them jerk so much I thought my machine would break. Try a different design from a different digitizer also decrease yoru speed. You can also try useing a differetn brand of thread. My baylcok use dto eat the Metro thread and pop needles with it. I used to buy my needles in bulk from All Stitch..
ReplyDeleteI don't embroider but the bookmarks are sure beautiful! Sounds like a lot of work and I can't believe all the broken needles! Hope it gets figured out!
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