Follow Your Heart

Not long ago, Ann the Gran featured the Calligraphy Project Designer special and I knew I had to try it out. Elegant fonts, scrollwork, and plenty of elegant accents... I LOVE it! I was really surprised at all of the features, especially for the cost. It is a mini customizing program with capa... [More]

Monogram of the Month: A Reason to Celebrate!

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog. I was very excited when Eileen gave me the opportunity to write this month’s Monogram of the Month featu... [More]

Glitter Vinyl: Red, White and Sparkling

Next to Angelina fiber, glitter flex vinyl is becoming my new favorite applique embellishment. Bonnie Welsh from Sew Inspired by Bonnie introduced me to this new product and I can see so many uses for it. She did extensive testing with several similar products and chose Glitter Flex Ultra and Glitte... [More]

It doesn’t have to take a village…

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog. The entire community used to come together whenever the needle plate on an embroidery machine needed to be remov... [More]

Pattern Variations: Getting the Colors Just Right

Much about creating, whether it is sewing, quilting, embroidery, or any other artistic form, depends on having the ability to visualize the project in your head. I don't know about you, but it is getting harder and harder for me to do that every day. Sometimes, it is easy to bypass a pa... [More]

Embroidered Jigsaw Puzzles

     Well, I'm back to embroidering for children again.  My newest thing is jigsaw puzzles.I embroider a picture on a piece of felt, then add another piece of felt under the stabilizerbefore stitching the outlines of puzzle pieces.  Then I use special cut work needl... [More]

Fusible Web

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog:   I have a love-hate relationship with fusible web. I like to add it to the wrong side of applique fabric... [More]

Threads vs. Backgrounds: Contrast or Blend?

  Because they resemble hand quilting, redwork embroidery designs work great as a quilting motif. Finding the correct amount of contrast (or not) is the key to an embroidery project that pops. Using a fabric sample called Elm Creek Quilts: Sarah's Collection by Red Rooster, I want to sh... [More]

Cloth Coloring Book Project Instructions

Materials: •1 pkg. of blanket binding o 10 pieces of 14 x12 inch of white twill or canvas (size will vary due to your hoop size) o Black & white thread o Fabric chalk or marker o Straight pins o Scissors o Ruler o Washa... [More]

PMS Thread Colors

You may have had a friend or client ask you to stitch their company or school colors on apparel using PMS colors. Typically, the mere mention of PMS strikes fear in the hearts of many. Here, PMS refers to Pantone Matching System and how it helps with color consistency in embroidery thread. Panto... [More]

My #1 secret to successful machine embroidery applique

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog:   I’ll let you in on a little-known secret – I hate to remove the hoop during the embroidery pr... [More]

How To Hoop Onesies

  I get lots of questions about embroidering onesies. I see lots of embroiderers floating them on self-adhesive stabilizers, but most projects will have better results if the onesie is hooped in a hoop with cut-away stabilizer. Watch this video to see how I like to hoop onesies. I demonst... [More]

Free Basting Stitches

Here is something no embroiderer should be without: basting stitches. Especially when they are FREE. Overall, basting files place a running stitch around the outside of the design area, temporarily securing the hooped fabric and stabilizer together. Some machines even have a basting feature bu... [More]

The Value of Hooping Correctly

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog:    Our friends at Baby Lock have excellent advice for achieving beautiful embroidery on any machine... [More]

Fancy Window Pouch

     A few years ago I made for myself a messenger bag style purse, with one of [More]

Bobbin Basics

Bobbins are the cement that holds embroidery stitches together, so they play an important role in the outcome of every machine embroidery design. Here is an overview of what you need to know about bobbins. Bobbins are not one-size-fits-all. They are available in three basic sizes for home embr... [More]

One Sassy Lady!

We are excited to have Eileen Roche, Editor of Designs in Machine Embroidery share this content with you, which was originally posted on Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog:   September 18, 2013 By eileenroche Katherine Artines   We introduced Stipple! Sass... [More]
The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Doing the Bobbin Hop and a 9/11/2001 Freebie

The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Doing the Bobbin Hop and a 9/11/2001 Freebie

Just a little tip (I have never seen this one anywhere). Once in awhile, you will be stitching along when the bobbin thread comes to the surface. You may have been stitching for a long time before it happens. You know that occasionally the bobbin does not get 'in tension' at the beginning of your project, but this is  much later in the design.

This peek-a-boo has happened to me a few times. It can happen when you are using cardboard bobbin spools. It is caused by your bobbin spool becoming too light weight allowing that spool to jump and get out of its tension path. You can see that this spool is not yet going to be alerting you via the bobbin thread sensor.  But so much of the thread is gone that the piece weighs nearly nothing.



By the way, when I did use cardboard (I switched to plastic some time ago) spools, here is another tip - I bought a 'box' which was a gross or perhaps 100 spools. An instruction page was inside the box saying to 'REMOVE' the top cardboard of the spool so that the thread sensor would work correctly. I know many of us buy bobbin spools in packs of 10 or similar quantities, therefore instructions may not be present. I don't know if all the cardboard bobbin manufacturers would say that, but mine did.

At less than 35 cents per spool AND consistent, evenly wound thread, these bobbins are a bargain. They sew a great deal further than a 'home wound' bobbin.

Lastly, on the subject of bobbins, if you missed out on my tip for inexpensive bobbin thread holders, check my blog.

I do like to let the newbies who may be reading me for the first time, or the 51st time, some of my blogs have been really notable. IMHO, the Bobbin Thread Holder is one of them.








bobbin jump Sept 11, 2001.zip (150.4KB)

Comments (2) -

I've been using these for a while - AND - you can write on the PVC with a fine tip sharpie. I sew with different weights and it makes it easier to not pick up the wrong weight when I have  similar colors!  And of course I'm in a hurry!

That is a great idea. I do have some bobbins that are 40 weight because I want my FSL to be the same on each side. Now I can determine which are 40 weight and which are 60 weight.

I have a lot of 60 weight because I do small lettering on my hankies. Remember, 40 weight are thicker than 60 weight. I have told women in the fabric store I go to how to remember -

If you have a length, any size, and it takes 40 of those lengths to make a pound, that is heavier than when it takes 60 of those lengths to make a pound.

jweber, you are one smart lady!

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