When it comes to embroidery machines and USB drives, bigger isn't necessarily better. Consider the following when purchasing USB storage devices for your machine.

They come in a variety of sizes and have many names, such as USB Stick, Flash Drive, Thumb Drive and more. Most of us want the largest capacity possible when we purchase a storage device for our computer. The bigger our hard drive is the better and our computer reads them just fine.

Your embroidery machine, on the other hand, isn't like your computer. It has only a limited amount of memory in which to store design files. When you insert a USB Stick into the USB port on your machine, the machine attempts to read all the designs it contains and store them in its built-in memory.

As you add more and more designs to the device you may be stretching your machine's capacity to the limit. If the device contains more designs that it can store, it gives up. Quite possibly it will store nothing at all if there are too many designs on the device. At this point you may conclude that the USB device is faulty, but most likely it is just fine.

If you know the memory capacity of your machine you can purchase USB Sticks accordingly. Normally something in the 256K range is the average memory capacity for most machines. Large capacity storage devices are definitely overkill. If you do purchase large capacity USB devices, you can most likely still use them as long as you don't send them into overload.

The best approach is to use these devices for temporary storage only. Do not use them for long term storage. Transfer the designs you need for your current project and then delete them from the device before you start your next project. Remember - the more designs you have on your USB Stick, the longer it will take you machine to read them.

Here's a question submitted to Ask Mary! recently seeking help with a unique project many of you may have wanted to try.

Question:  I want to place some simple embroidery on a candle, how do I make the design stay on the candle?

Answer:  There is a product called "Tacky Wax" that should work well for this purpose. It adheres to just about anything as well as wax. There are many online merchants that sell this product. You may also find it at your local craft store.

Good luck with your project.

Now in production and being prepared for release is our brand new "Embird Goodies" video CD. This special edition supplement takes you beyond normal editing techniques. It will show you how to perform many little known Embird functions.

Not only are they little known, but they are valuable functions that you will really use. I can almost guarantee you will say to yourself "I didn't know you could do that in Embird" at some point throughout these lessons. Quite possibly more than once.

This CD is scheduled to begin shipping on August 10, 2007. If you pre-order between now and August 9th you can save 20% off the regular retail price. Don't miss this oportunity to save if you want to learn even more about Embird and all it can do.

Pre-Order now and save 20%

Designed to get you in & out of the kitchen fast and back to your embroidery machine.

Recipe Name: Quick Pasta Salad
Prep Time: 3 min
Cooking Time: 8 min
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 lb box curly pasta (rotini works best for me)
1 sixteen-ounce Catalina salad dressing (any sweet French)
1-1/2 C frozen chopped peppers, onions (sometimes you can find a "Seasoning Blend" which includes onion, green pepper, red pepper, celery and parsley - that's really the best)

If desired, add drained, rinsed kidney beans or fresh veggies (broccoli works well, but having to chop adds to prep time)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta cooks, place frozen vegetables (do not thaw) and dressing in a large bowl.

Drain pasta and rinse with cool water. Toss into dressing mixture (the cold of the vegetables and the warmth of the pasta combine to make a cool salad that is ready to eat immediately!)

Tips: Enjoy!

Submitted by: Debby M.

I continue to read all the media hype about this new machine from Singer. Apparently it was designed to set the emboirdery world on it's ear. A revolutionary idea that really isn't revolutionary at all.

The new "Futura" is a combination sewing and embroidery machine, but as you can see there is no LCD screen to view your designs. The reason for that is simple, the machine is totally controlled by your computer. Designs are created and manipulated on your PC and then transferred to the machine via a USB cable connection. This concept has been around for a while. It's actually nothing new.

I guess what bothers me more than anything is the copy I have been reading about the software that accompanies this machine. According to Singer, all you need to do is import an image or photo, push a couple buttons to turn it into any embroidery design, transfer the design to the machine and sew.

Sorry folks. I'm not buying any of this. I believe we all know it isn't quite that simple. There are many digitizing programs on the market that offer some level of autodigitizing. However, it has been my experience that autodigitizing isn't what it's cracked up to be. While it may generate stitches, the resulting design is normally a lot less than what we hoped for.

The price of this new machine may be attractive to many small budget buyers, but I can't help but wonder how happy they will be with it after their purchase. If you purchase one of these machines, please let me know how it works and what you think of it. I would love to test it myself if I could get my hands on one.

Our thanks to Pat J. for submitting this helpful embroidery tip:

To check exactly the perimeters of my design placement I do this: Run a short coffee straw up through the presser foot and slide it over the needle. Now when you trace, instead of eyeballing and guessing the straw will lightly skim the fabric and show the exact outermost limits of the design.

Want to win FREE designs? Submit your tip or trick to us. If we publish your tip you will win your choice of any downloadable design or design set from our online catalog.

• Sew & Quilt Embroidery Festival - August 3-5 Honolulu, HI
• Embroidery Mart-EAST - August 3-4 Nashville, TN
• ISS Show Schaumburg - August 9-11 Schaumburg, IL
• World Quilt Show XI - New England - August 16-19 Manchester, NH
• Sew & Quilt Embroidery Festival - August 17-19 Reno, NV
• The Stitches & Craft Shows - August 22-26 Sydney, AU
• Quilter's Guild of Plano "Labors of Love" - August 24-25 Plano, TX
• Sew & Quilt Embroidery Festival - August 30-31 & September 1 San Rafael, CA
• Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show - September 5-9 Melbourne, AU
• Everything Quilting & Sewing Expo - September 21-23 St. Charles, MO
• Sew & Quilt Embroidery Festival - September 21-23 Council Bluffs, IA
• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo - September 27-29 Chantilly, VA
• American Sewing Expo - September 28-30 Novi, MI

Between these two well known embroidery software packages, have you ever wondered which might be a better choice for you? If you are currently in the market for embroidery software to edit designs, or possibly digitizing new ones, a bit of insight before you take the plunge may be of some help.

While I do have my own personal preference, my intention is not to suggest to you that either of these software packages is superior to the other. That you will have to decide for yourself. Like most things, they both have their own strengths and weaknesses.

One major factor in many decisions we make is cost. Software is no different. We want to be certain of getting the biggest bang for our bucks. What I did was put together a simple chart comparing features and the associated costs for each product.

The chart will clearly show you what program or module is required to perform each specific task using either of these two software packages. To simplify things, I limited the chart to the tasks you would likely use most often.

Whether or not this data surprises you I do not know. What I do know is it's pretty darn accurate. Take a look at the comparison chart here and you be the judge. It just might help you decide which package is right for you. Be sure to read the notes associated with some of the individual tasks. They will provide you with additional information.

Trouble viewing the large chart? Try this one (lower quality).

Two (2) lucky winners in every isssue!

Today's lucky winners are:

If your email address is shown above, you have won a complete set of our exclusive Monogram Coaster design set. Please contact us within 5 days to claim your prize. Be sure to let us know what format you need so we can get the designs on their way to you.

Others interested in this set can purchase it here.

Get a head start on Halloween with these cool designs. The hat sort of reminds you of the Sorting Hat, doesn't it? Both sew in the 4 x 4 hoop. Please enjoy them with our compliments.

Available to subscribers only. Not available through the Archives.

Not a subscriber? Sign up here to receive all our FREE designs.