Embroidery needlework at its finest was a skill that many ladies picked up to do in the afternoon or evenings. Whether it was cross stitch or crewel embroidery, time spent sewing designs by hand was once the normal way to embellish the home. In the 1980’s, I went to the Creative Circle parties to purchased embroidery kits like the picture shown on the left. One can still find this vintage pattern on eBay or Esty. It is amazing that unfinished kits still can be found today after 45 years.
Today, we have machine embroidery to replace the skill of doing it by hand. One does not need to know how to stitch the pattern since this is done by the machine. The only skill required is threading the machine. I hear that machine embroidery was develop back in 1964. Of course, this was for the clothing industry in product branding. Now, consumers can do their own product branding as home decor. Just think about the uses of the machine embroidered tulips or the wise owl below.
Back in August of 2022, I purchased my first embroidery machine. I got the Brother SE 1900 sewing machine that has a 5″ x 7″ Hoop Area for embroidery. The machine also has a needle threader, which is the great advantage since one will be changing colors for the designs. The SE 1900 model is discontinued, but one can still find it on the internet. This machine is not just for embroidery, but for regular sewing as well, so the cost is well worth it. It took me a while to become familiar with the machine. I watched YouTube videos to help me learn how to use the machine. I found that if I lose patience, I would just step away from the machine and come back later. Some embroidery designs can take a while to complete when you have to change the color of thread every minute such as the design below.
The machine has its own set of designs, but you can use other designs using a thumb drive. My favorite place to go is Embroidery Designs for patterns. There are different file types for the designs, so one needs to know what the embroidery machine uses. The SE 1900 uses .pes files. The other important thing to consider is the hoop size for the designs. Think about how you will use the design. Below, is a wheelbarrow of flowers design that is used in a quilt.
The sky is the limit they say when it comes to machine embroidery.
Machine embroidery can be used on clothing, tablecloths, pillowcases, aprons, kitchen towels and even pictures such as the hoop to hang on the wall.
One just needs to find a good embroidery machine that can be used also for regular sewing to make it a good investment. Amazon is still selling the model I have, and one can have special financing. This is what I did three years ago.
Machine embroidery is just another way of being creative. It has multiple uses in home decor. I keep thinking about the possibilities. If you have an embroidery machine, don’t let it sit in some corner. Turn it on and use it.
