Thread breaks

Stitching out a design can prove to be frustrating when experiencing an abundance of thread breaks, so in an effort to help my customers here are a few things to keep in mind.

1 - Are you getting thread breaks on all needles or is it isolated to a particular needle? 

• If you are getting thread breaks equally on multiple needles the problem could be from:
•  poor hooping or incorrect stabilizer
• the bobbin is in correct - make sure that when it is in the machine it unwinds counter clockwise
•  the presser foot could be too high
•  a poorly digitized design
•  a burr on the needle plate
• an incorrect setting in AMAYA OS - make sure you are stitching on auto instead of standard. 
• least likely... your hook timing could be off.

• If just certain needles are giving you problems start by:
•  checking the thread path and make sure the thread isn't getting stuck under the cone or wrapped around the thread tube
• using good thread (I like Iris polyester thread from EnMart)
•  make sure the thread is coming off the cone smoothly
•  the machine is threaded properly
•  the needle is installed properly with the thread guide to the front.  
• If everything looks okay with each of these things then try putting in a new needle... sometimes that does the trick.

To be honest, the biggest problem I see when people are experiencing a bunch of thread breaks is a poorly digitized design, especially when stitching small lettering or after re-sizing a design.  If I have done your training, remember that I suggest that you not make a satin stitch less than 1.5 mm wide. You can check the length of the stitches with the ruler tool in any level of DesignShop.  If you are not sure if the design is the problem, the easiest thing to do is load "1day.ofm"; this design is well digitized and has all three stitch types.   This simple test will let you know if the problem is with your machine or with your digitizing.

Star Graphics

When it comes to energy I think I've met my match.  Jerry just purchased a new embroidery machine to replace his EMT that has been giving him problems lately, he is also waiting for his laser engraver to arrive, he is adding both these machines to his screen printing business, news paper business, off set printing business and Jerry also publishes pdf books online, has a youtube channel and oh... I did mention that Jerry is 70 years old and he runs his businesses by himself?  There wasn't a lot that I could teach Jerry about embroidery, he's got me on experience, but it was great teaching him about his new machine.

Some of my friends think I have boundless amounts of energy, but I can only hope that in 30 years I can still have as much energy and drive for life as Jerry does.  

You can watch some of Jerry's video's on youtube.

The building next to Star Graphics burned down last September and Jerry caught it on video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-wVlArSi0&list=UU7m-J31aAcBF2V4DSD_gpyw&index=1&feature=plcp

Here is a video of the old machine running a design - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgd-wwZj_0w&list=UU7m-J31aAcBF2V4DSD_gpyw&index=6&feature=plcp  I hope he posts one soon of his new machine running a design!  It's amazing to watch how differently the machines sew.

2nd time around...

The training that I did earlier this week is unique for me in that it's the 2nd round of training that I did on the same machines.  You see, in August 2010 I went to Kansas City to train Sheila on two brand new machines, she recently sold the machines and gave the new buyer my name as a trainer.  The girls (two AMAYA machines) have been split up but are both now residing in Poplar Bluffs, MO. 

One of the girls is finding a home with Tanya and Dale.  Tanya is looking forward to making lots of fun and creative gifts for her grandchildren.  With all the great designs out there for kids, this should prove to keep Tanya stitching for hours on end.  I can't wait to see what creative things she comes up with.

The other machine is now residing at Stinson Press.  Stinson Press is a multi-facated business offering screen printing, banners, business forms along with off-set printing and a mailing service.  I'm thinking that this machine is going to see a lot more logo work than her sister. 

It was a pleasure working with Tanya, Dale, Robert and Kelly.  It was nice going down and meeting the crew, and it's great that they see the value in getting the proper training to run their machines.  Melco machines are not hard to run, but it is nice when someone is able to help you with getting up and running and getting the background on hooping, stabilizers, needles, etc to keep the machines running smooth and the frustration to a minimum.

My wish for "the girls" is that they keep running smoothly and making lots of stitches.

Diggin My Threads/M.Y. Embroidery

One of the hardest things about starting a new business is trying to figure out what to name it.  Mindy from Diggin' My Threads or M.Y. Embroidery is no exception.  You see, Mindy's husband Dave owns an Excavation company thus the name Diggin' My Threads but Mindy's initials are MY so the name M.Y. Embroidery is also a perfect name for a company.   Leave a comment below if you want to help Mindy come up with a final decision on the name.

Dave's excavation company was needing some embroidered caps to give out to customers, so Mindy went out and got some quotes on embroidered caps.  The company that she went to was charging $25 per cap for an order of 12 caps and all they were allowed to put on the caps were the company name in an arc across the front of the cap.   The thought of shelling out $300 for 12 caps was a little rediculous, so Mindy decided to look into what it would cost to purchase her own embroidery machine and make her own caps.  By the end of training we had digitized a design for the cap which included lettering on the front and their logo on the side.  We were pleased with how the design looked and  as I left Mindy was ready to stitch out the other 11 caps that she needed. 

People ask me all the time what to charge for embroidery.  Now, I for one certainly think that we as embroiderers need to value our skills, investments and time, but I also believe that you need to keep your prices reasonable to keep your customers happy.   So, the moral of the story is.... if someone is charging you too much for embroidery - give me a call.  :o)  I'd be happy to hook you up with an embroidery machine and get you started making your own stitches for money.

Dakota Expressions

It has been a busy week... I am a couple days late in writing about the training I did with Dan and Robin in South Dakota. Dan has certainly got his hands full of work in the basement of the couple's home. Their new embroidery machine is an addition to the pad printer and laser engraver that they have already been making money with. I am impressed with the attention to detail that Dan and Robin have; they certainly are putting out quality products!

On day 1 of training I worked with Dan and he had a lot of questions about digitizing (as many people do). He had sent a few logos off to a digitizing company in India and as we started stitching these designs out he saw the value in good digitizing. As I started teaching about digitizing and the importance of underlay, proper density and proper stitch types he began to understand why some companies charge more for the service. It is true that you get what you pay for!

The company that I use for digitizing is www.artworksource.com and if you would like to check out their services you can email them at service@artworksource.com and give them my code Nancy2000 and they will send you a coupon code to get 1 design digitized for free!

Patch Pals

I didn't get to meet Mackenzie this week because she is off to college these days, however in the basement of her parents' house in eastern Iowa there is a full blown business that was started because she was diagnosed with severe amblyopia when she was three.

To find out more about amblyopia or Mackenzie click here!

You may be wondering what Mackenzie or amblyopia have to do with embroidery... well, I'm going to tell you.   Cathy and Bill came up with an ingenious idea years ago when they were faced with reality of making their daughter wear an eye patch most of the day every day... make it fun!  They began looking for a way to decorate the eye patches and found embroidery to be an ideal solution.  For years the patches were being sent to a local embroidery shop to be embroidered.  This past week I had the pleasure of meeting Bill and Cathy and working with them to bring the embroidery portion of the business in house.   The use of their embroidery machine is going to give them more control of the lead time on the patches. 

If you have been following my posts you will remember the link that I posted about Marks book - "The Spirit of an American Entrepreneur" -  That spirit was alive in Cathy and Bill!   

One of my recent trainees sent me an email with a scanned image of a business card and was having trouble remembering how to use the vector conversion tool in Design Shop.  This doesn't work for those of you who have Design Shop Lite or Design Shop without the Vector Option.  The vector option is available in Package B when purchasing a BRAVO.   As with many things, there are more ways to accomplish the same thing, but this is my personal favorite.