 Rank: Advanced Member Thanks: 2 timesWas thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)
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I predict that there will be a really great Blog from The Avid Embroiderer on Hooping around Friday or Saturday, June 6 or 7, 2008.
I also predict that there already is a really fun Blog from The Adventures of Crash Coarse Cathy and can be viewed at: http://www.annthegran.co...ner-s-project.aspx
Oh!, I forgot, I am The Avid Embroiderer.. Well, I promise there will be an interesting Blog on Hooping coming up this weekend.
See you there!!
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 Rank: Member
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Well, I predict that any blog you post is going to answer questions most of us (especially me) haven't even thought to ask!  While you're typing away on your blog about hooping, would you take the time to tell this newbie how often I should change my needle?
Rita
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Ritamae,
Hi,
When we were at the Community Circle,in Eileen Roche's class ,she was saying that most change their needles with every design. If I am doing lighter designs,I don't do that but If I am doing higher density designs or using either, sticky stabilizer or spray adhesive,I do change with every design. The sticky and the spray adhesive can stay on your needles making them dull, and sometimes I have had cases where the thread has stuck to the needle and broken.
I don't however throw them away.They can be used for other projects.Such as sew outs .Some times I just use them for a quickie vintage design on something. They still work ok, but if you are going to actually put it on something you want to be perfect,or is for a gift,I would deffinatly use a new needle.
i know I can hardly wait for Pat and Cathy's next blog too.They are always so interesting,and filled with useful information.
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Rank: Member
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Judy:
It ought to be interesting to try to keep the needles straight (no pun intended). Do you have a suggestion for keeping the used needles separate from the new ones?
Also, I notice you live in Del Webb Sun City in Florida. Since I lived in Ruskin for many years, I happen to know where that is. A hundred years ago (well, not quite..but almost) my Dad had a restaurant in Ruskin called the "Sugar Shack." We even considered buying there when we retired, but fell in love with Pell City, AL and built here on the lake. And Ruskin real estate is wayyy out of reach these days.
Since we have a son (make that two grandkids...) in Orlando, we go down there a couple of times a year and sometimes go to Tampa to get deviled crabs from Sea Breeze. That place was there when I was a teenager too.
Rita
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Rank: Advanced Member
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 Oh Rita ,I see your point!(hey we're a pretty good comedy team here!)
Yes ,I do indeed!.I put them on a scrap of fabric ,which sometimes helps to clean some of sticky off,then I fold the fabric over so they don't bite you when go to use them again.I usually save them in a plastic zip bag(heavy duty,like a small freezer bag) .I lay them in my drawer by my machine ,so they are handy.If you don't have a drawer handy,then just make some room for them close to your machine so they can be easily accessed. Maybe even just slide them under one corner of your machine.I have been thinking of making myself just a little bag with, a top that folds down on it ,that has a piece of elastic in it ,sort of like what the needles come in for hand stitching.If they are still a bit tacky from the stabilizer or spray,just take a piece of scrap fabric and wet it with just a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol and that will remove the rest of the adhesive.Even some thing like a q-tip would work,as long as you are careful with it. The new needles of course ,I just keep in the original packaging. I always have 4 to 6 packs of new needles on hand in case I can't get to the store.If I use a pack of them,then I go to my excell sheet on my computer and mark the needles box on my thread list,so when I print out my thread list ,it also tells me what colors I need to replace as well as any other sewing items that are needed.It is my shopping list for sewing,so to speak.With the high cost of gasoline now,I am making fewer trips, and making sure both hubby and myself have lists so we do not forget things and have to go back right away.
Wow ! It really is a small world isn't it. My folks came down here in 1972,so I had been going back and forth for several years.Until circumstances came about that I moved here to take care of them.They lived down in Venice,but I remember coming here many times,that was when the only way south was US41. I think I remember a place called the Sugar Shack. I do know where the Sea BReeze is as well.
As far as property here ,I think you could afford it now.The housing market here is really in a slump.If people really want to sell their house here,they tell them to come down 50,000 before they even list it. Our neighbors here,just sold a few weeks ago, for much, much less than it is worth.But they had already bought another home up north so they felt pressuered to sell
.I have seen beautiful homes in here,even 3 bedroom homes any where from 97,000 to around 140,000, it just depends on how badly they want to leave here.We bought in here on 2005,as it was the only place anywhere near here that we could get a house for under 200,000.Now ,with things the way they are ,we can't get out what we paid for it even.So we are going to stay put for a while at least.My health is so much better here as well with all that sunshine! Hubby likes here as well,as he likes to be out side a lot. I will tell you too,that the property taxes here are high.Ours are better than Sarasota county,but they are still right up there.When we bought this house,we had to sell our Michigan home(which his son bought) we had twice the house,5 acres of land and half the taxes. But what can you do,it is a matter of where do you really want to be.For both of us,all our kids and grand kids are in Michigan,so I tell everyone we ran away from home,in hopes they couldn't find us and want to move back in!LOL,If the grand kids come down they are not allowed to tell either ,lol.Just kidding!
That to me is the hard thing,is no family. I do have a brother here but it is not the same as your kids and grandkids.I'm not wasting all those home made cookies on my brother !(but I will share them with him)It does how ever give them a great vacation,the rooms are cheap but the maid service is terrible,lol.They do have to wait on them selves,and for the most part we let them go out and explore unless they specifically ask us to tag along.We will send them off in the right direction,lend them the gps and let them loose.They are all great kids and grand kids.My grands (oh boy,I am dating myself again) Tony ,grand son is 17,graduating next year,Marissa is 16 and just entering high school.Did I mention the hubby and I have been married only 5 years?He has a son and daughter,1 grand child,Alexia and I have a son and daughter.I was really hoping for a lot more grand kids though.
Your area sounds nice too.It would be wonderful to live on a lake.Do you have aligators there? I have never been in that area to speak of so I really don't know.Rita,it is always nice to meet someone to connect with so quickly.When you next come to Tampa,let us know and maybe we can meet some where to chat.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Rita,
One other thing I remembered to tell you ,is that if you notice while you are sewing something that your thread seems to be breaking more than normal and for no reason,change your needle to see if it resolves the issue.
Hope this helps..................
Happy Stitching!
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Rank: Member
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Judy:
I appreciate all the information you share as well as your "sharp" wit (there I go again!).
Still on the subject of needles, I have another question or two (or 10?)....
I bought some jersey ball point needles to sew a design on a t-shirt...that was the advice, and it worked well. The only other needles I have are what came with my Brother PE 180D. I'm assuming, of course...but I think they are called "sharps." Is that correct? I also know (or have been told) that it's good to have a variety of sizes. So on to the questions.
1. Are the two basic types of needles called sharps and ball point? If there are other types, what are they and what types of fabric are they intended for?
2. Of the sizes 10, 11, 12, and 14, which will I use most often and what types of fabrics are appropriate for each?
3. Is there a big difference between brands (i.e. Coats vs Schmetz vs generic)?
4. You said you use needles only once for a project and then use the needles again for sew outs. I would think that designs that aren't very dense or that have only a couple thousand stitches rather than tens of thousands of stitches could perhaps be used more than once?
5. How many times do you use a needle for sew outs before discarding it entirely?
6. Do you have a favorite brand of needle? Why?
7. What is the least expensive source you have found for needles?
You can tell how new I am to this by the simplicity of the questions. However, it's really an improvement because earlier on I didn't have a clue what questions to ask.
Rita (still scratching her head trying to figure this stuff out!)
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Dear Rita,
No problem,I am glad that I can be of some help to you. I will try to make some key points for you to keep in your memory bank.
The needles that came with your machine were either sharps or embroidery needles. I am betting that they were embroidery needles.Both work well for different projects. As you know from trying it,the sharps work well on things like t-shirts.The only time I need a variety of sizes is for general sewing,like in the construction of something like a quilt for instance I would use a size 12 and on suzy's dress for top stitching I may use a 9 or 10. For embroidery I stick to either an embroidery needle or a metallic one(for embroidering metallic threads) the main reason being that they are specifically designed for your embroidery machine.They work on all types of fabric and stabilizer's as well. I may use a "sharp" for a design on say, a t-shirt. But I really mainly use the embroidery needles and unless you are really having a lot of issues,and because you are just getting started with ME I would mainly stick to embroidery needles.They will say Embroidery right on the package.It will give you one less thing to worry about and they have a proven track record.
Yes , I do believe there is, I use either Schmetz or Klasse'. I have used Coats but they didn't hold up well.I would discard them after every design. I am not a Coats fan,even their thread ,I have had issues with ,a lot. I like the Schmetz and Klasse' because for one ,they have both been around ,forever! They know what they are doing. I have also used a generic once,you did notice I said once , right? LOL. I stay with them because my machine manufacturer recommends those brands, and they are the ones that have proven themselves time and time again.I do keep a variety of sizes for my regular machine so if I need a sharp for something then I have it.I might use a sharp when embroidering on a pillow case as well,because of the grain on the fabric itself. It is a smaller needle and would leave a lesser punch in the fabric.Because it is smaller it will not separate the fabric as much,that is why I would also use it for a t-shirt.Those two particular needles have a track record with me from over the years. neither brand has ever let me down.They are well made,and they hold up well.
On point #4 you are correct in your assumption.See your getting it Rita! Stand up and take a bow, now and I will give you a pat pat on the back. Yes they can be used more than once in that case.I would maybe use it twice as long as you are not using it with sticky stabilizers,sprays or a high density design.Then I would likely retire it to the sew outs.I always know when a needle has had it when my thread starts breaking every few seconds. Sometimes that could even be at the beginning of a design. Some needles may have a burr on them at the beginning,and I hate to admit it but my eyes are not good enough for me to tell if it does or doesn't have one,lol.But I always know it does when the thread breaks with the first three stitches.
On point #5, I may use it three or four times before I toss it,or unless it is breaking a lot of thread ,then I would toss it for good.I never save a needle I feel may be compromised in any way.It is not worth ruining the fabric or the design over for sure.
#6 I use mainly the Schmetz,those are the ones that I have had the best luck with over the years.They hold up well and I have the fewest number of toss outs with that brand.
#7 Unfortunately Rita,I have not found a source for them,that I can get them a whole lot cheaper than at JoAnns or your local sewing machine place. I look at two things before I order any where online,1.what is the cost of shipping this item,it may be .50 cents cheaper but without free shipping it costs me more,2.Is this company reliable,how long have they been around,and what are their policies.Sometimes it is better to bite the bullet and get them locally ,than to pay the shipping on something that weighs what .002 oz and you have to pay at the least $5.95 shipping.You have lost your savings on that item.If you are however ordering something else ,then it would pay to add them into the box.
Rita I think you are doing GREAT ! All of this is from experience,trial and error and just plain reading everything I could.I didn't have this great site or forums to turn to for answers,so folks like us just had to plug along and get in there and get out feet wet.The more you do ME,the more you will learn.The main thing to remember is that you are doing this for fun and to relax,am I correct in assuming that? So go have some fun with it!!
There is no simple question,just as there is no simple answer. a lot of sewing is personal preference, and experience. The only way to gain the experience is to do it, and ask folks like myself,Ann,and Pat and whoever is out there, who have been around the dance floor on this.The only thing I can offer is another way do things and try to make your adventure the most fun experience of your life!
I hope this helps you out Rita,and you can end some of your confusion.Now ............Go sew something! And Please have fun with this! If there is anything else I can help you with ,just give a yell at me and I will do my best to answer for you.
Happy Stitching !
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