[Nfb-krafters-korner] Embroidery Machines

Lindy van der Merwe stephlin at iafrica.com
Sun Aug 12 12:48:15 UTC 2012 

Joyce, I think most embroidery machines can do letters, either as a built-in 
function on the machine, like letter b would be one of the stitches, or you 
can download a pattern that will give you different letters or fonts. I 
think the design we tried was my daughter's name, but it was quite long ago, 
so I am not sure how we did it.
Firm fabrics that are not too stretchy is recommended if I remember 
correctly. You can use specialized stabilizing fabrics, which is then placed 
within your embroidery hoop underneath your actual fabric.
HTH
Lindy
http://www.facebook.com/practicalproducts
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Blindhands at aol.com>
To: <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Embroidery Machines


>I  really never thought about if they had such a machine as yours  Linde.
> Now it does sound a bit tedious, but I had thought in the past  about
> embroidery machines and different colored threads and when they run outand 
> how do
> you know which one to refill, etc.  Now doing it one color at a time 
> isn't
> too bad of an idea.  I, as a blind person have learned it takes  longer 
> for
> me to do many things then a sighted person, but that is OK as I am  doing
> it.  So I know that this might be expensive, but to use a machine  just to
> embroider and I have several machines I can sew on, might be a 
> consideration.
>
> I am going to check in a little more now that you sparked my  interest.
>
> I just would have to think what I would like to embroider and consider
> that.
>
> Can you embroider words?  Does it embroider on all types of cloth or  only
> special cloths?  What do you use for stabilizers ?
>
> Joyce  Kane
> _www.KraftersKorner.org_ (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
> Blindhands at AOL.com
>
>
> In a message dated 8/11/2012 1:42:51 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> stephlin at iafrica.com writes:
>
> Hi  Jennifer,
> I have a Singer Futura 350, which is an electronic sewing and  embroidery
> machine. I love the machine, but I primarily use it for  sewing.
> It is fairly accessible since, apart from having a screen, it also  has
> buttons that will bleep when pressed. You can count how many times to
> press
> to get to a certain stitch. It also has sliding levers with a bleep  noise
> to
> let you know when your stitch is correctly set up or within a  certain
> allowable range.
> I have my stitch numbers on my pc, so I can  look up the numbers. I 
> haven't
> made other adaptations. The threading path  is also fairly easy and
> accessible. The machine also has an automatic  needle threader, which,
> after
> some practice, I am able to use with no  problem. I have also learnt to
> replace needles, sewing feet, the throat  plate etc. of the machine, which
> does help a lot of times when I don't  have sighted help available.
> About the embroidery part of the machine, I  will try to give a quick
> explanation for in case others might be  interested. Keep in mind this is
> my
> personal opinion and your ideas and  circumstances may differ.
> This machine has a separate embroidery unit,  which is about the size of a
> laptop, just more bulky. Each time you want  to do embroidery or sewing,
> you
> have to change the machine by ataching the  unit and changing the feet and
> the thread, since you use different thread  and an embroidery foot than
> when
> you are just doing normal sewing. For  doing embroidery, you must secure
> the
> fabric you are going to use within a  hoop, which is like a plastic frame
> with clamps. This machine can be  connected to a pc and you can buy or 
> find
> embroidery patterns on-line,  which are then transmitted using software to
> the sewing machine. It does  sound easy, although I found it to be a long
> process which wasn't easy to  do on my own. Basically, after you have done
> the setting up of the unit,  the foot and the thread and found the pattern
> to
> use, etc. your colours  are done one by one, so you do the red, then the
> machine stops, then you  re-thread and do the other colour, etc. I did not
> even get as far as  sorting out how to fix problems with stitches not done
> correctly by the  machine. I did a small design and it did have a few
> glitches which I could  feel. It took a lot of thread, which is fairly
> expensive.
> Having said  all this, I know that embroidery is done a lot these days,
> mainly with  dedicated machines, but there are also many people who do it
> on
> a machine  from home. Maybe I might have had a different experience if I
> had
> one  machine for sewing and another for embroidery.
> So, I find the setting up of  the embroidery unit so cumbersome that I now
> mainly use my machine for  sewing.
> So, my advice would be to ask a lot of questions and if you have  someone
> with you let them help you as much as possible, especially if they  know a
> bit about machines.
> HTH
> Lindy
>
> Find PRACTICAL PRODUCTS  on FACEBOOK:
> http://www.facebook.com/practicalproducts
> ----- Original  Message ----- 
> From: "Jennifer Jackson"  <jennifersjackson at att.net>
> To: "'List for blind crafters and  artists'"
> <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, August 06,  2012 2:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] sewing
>
>
>> Hey,  does anyone have any information about the accessibility of an
>>  embroidery machine?
>>
>>
>> Jennifer
>>
>>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>> From:  nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>  [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Henrietta
>>  Brewer
>> Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 6:23 PM
>> To: List for  blind crafters and artists
>> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner]  sewing
>>
>> You might make some adaptions yourself. Like marking  the measurements 
>> for
>> seam gauge. But a simple machine with dials and  levers can work nicely.
>>
>> One thing I did to save time is to put  a piece of masking tape on the
> end
>> of
>> my thread while  threading. I was doing the threading without it but it
>> took
>>  forever. Then I cut the tape off before threading the needle.
>>
>>  Oh, and for how would you know if you made a mistake? Can you find a
> hole
>> in
>> your clothing now? In fact, I have never left a hole in my  sewing. Might
>> have made seams that were not so straight, Might have  kept sewing when
> the
>> thread broke, and even sewed two pieces together  so one was inside out
> but
>> never left a hole in anything.  lol
>>
>> Oh, to keep my quilt pieces on the same side I pin the  colors together
>> wiht
>> the head of the pin on the right  side.
>>
>> Lots of things you learn as you go. But skirts might be  a good way to
>> start.
>>
>> Henrietta
>> On Aug 10,  2012, at 4:26 PM, Nikki wrote:
>>
>>> Are they  adapted?
>>>
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Tanya  Wheatley
>>> Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 6:14 AM
>>> To:  List for blind crafters and artists
>>> Subject: Re:  [Nfb-krafters-korner] sewing
>>>
>>> Yes, it is. I have three  electric sewing machines and three treadle
>> machines
>>> that I  use!
>>>
>>> Tanya
>>>
>>>  --------------------------------------------------
>>> From: "Nikki"  <daizies304 at gmail.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 1:13  AM
>>> To: <Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject:  [Nfb-krafters-korner] sewing
>>>
>>>   Is it  possible for the blind to use a sewing  machine?
>>>
>>>
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