Embroidery Requests

You and your family were so excited when you first bought an embroidery machine, you probably told the world about your "magical" machine. Now friends, neighbors, co-workers and forgotten cousins are asking you to embroider something for them. The machine does all the work, so they expect you to embroider for free.

You have a right to decide whether you will embroider for someone else, and whether you will charge for the service. Explain that although the machine does all the stitching, you still have to buy the design, thread, needle and stabilizer, that it takes time and skill to properly hoop, that a large design can take an hour or more to stitch, and the embroidery machine works about as hard as your oven does when you bake cookies.

If you are not comfortable charging family or close friends, you might suggest a favor in exchange. Perhaps baby sitting, homemade cookies, ironing or some errands. But also learn to say "no", especially when asked to embroider hard-to-hoop items such as hats or heavy jackets.

If someone close to you keeps asking you to embroider things, even after you have repeatedly explained that it is more time-consuming than it looks, buy her a used embroidery machine and let her experience the "magic"! 

Next issue: mixing threads

from Mary Jane Allen of Perfect Little Stitches

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BobbinSaver

Blue silicone ring can hold over
20 bobbins, small or large. Bobbin
threads won't tangle or unwind.

Your choice of blue, lavender or red.