We have teamed up with A & A Crossroads Sewing Center in St. Petersburg, FL to give away a brand new Baby Lock Emore embroidery machine.

We'll be picking one lucky winner by random drawing on October 31, 2007. All you need to do to enter for your chance to win is be on our newsletter mailing list. It's that simple!

If you are already a subscriber there is nothing for you to do. You are already entered. Forward our newsletter to everyone you know so they can sign up and be entered in the drawing too. It's the only way to win.

If you're in the St. Petersburg, FL area, be sure to stop by to see Jane at A & A Crossroads Sewing Center. She knows her machines and has the best prices around on all Baby Lock products. Trust me, she'll take really good care of you.

Click here to learn more about this fantastic giveaway.

If you are considering a new embroidery machine this fall, we thought it might be helpful to have all the new releases in one place. In time for the holiday season, and ranging from entry level to top of the line, are new machines from Baby Lock, Brother, Husqvarna/Viking, Janome and Pfaff.

Here's a complete list with direct links to more detailed information on each machine.

Baby Lock:
Emore - Official Baby Lock web site. (new embroidery only machine)
Ellegante 2 - Official Baby Lock web site. (replaces the Baby Lock Ellegante)

Brother:
Duetta 4500D - Official Brother web site. (replaces the Innovis 4000D)

Husqvarna/Viking:
Desiger SE Limited Edition - Official Husqvarna/Viking web site

Janome:
Memory Craft 200E - Janome UK Official newsletter in pdf format. (scheduled for release in time for the holidays)

Pfaff:
Creative Vision - Official Pfaff web site. (new top of the line machine with the largest sewing field in its class)

We're pulling for you if you have a new embroidery machine on your Christmas wish list.

Here's a question submitted to Ask Mary! recently requesting additional information on USB connections.

Question:  My question is in connection with a recent article in your news letter - "Carry a small stick." In the article and I quote:

"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."

This make sense. What I would like to know is what is happening with the machine if you connect it to a computer? I have so many designs and freebies on my computer. It is far more than it can be transferred to USB stick. Will my machine attempt to read and store all of them? What will happen in this situation?

Answer:  That's an excellent question!

When connecting a USB Flash drive, it connects to what is called an USB "A" port. That's the rectangular shaped port that your flash drive fits into very nicely. Your machine attempts to read all the files when you access the device from your control panel.

Things are a bit different when you connect your machine directly to your computer. To make a direct connection to your computer you would use the USB "B" port on your machine. That's the little square shaped port that requires a matching cable. Once connected, your computer will recognize the machine as simply another removable storage device and assign it a drive letter. Your machine does not attempt to read anything from this port, it just sits there waiting for you to send it a design from your PC.

So, no worries about it trying to load all the designs on your hard drive. It doesn't work that way in this application.

Decorative, elegant and beautiful. Sure to be a hit no matter where you use them. Ten (10) unique designs for the 5 x 7 hoop.

Enter the floral garden here.

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

Recipe Name:  Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork and Potatoes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-9 hours

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes
2 pounds boneless pork loin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups barbecue sauce, divided
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Spray slow cooker crock with vegetable spray. Peel and cut 6 medium potatoes into 1½" cubes. Place potatoes in a 4- or 5-quart crock-pot. Cut 2 pounds boneless pork loin into 1" cubes. Place pork cubes on top of potatoes in crock-pot. Mix together: 1 teaspoon dry mustard and 1 cup barbecue sauce (I use Montgomery Inn, if available). Spoon the sauce evenly over the pork and potatoes. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-9 hours, or until the potatoes and pork are tender. Stir in 1 cup barbecue sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Tips: This is a great meal that goes together fairly quickly and cooks all day while the e-machine stitches away. A favorite with my DH.

Submitted by: Grace Arnold

While they last - Save 70%

With winter and the holiday season fast approaching, there's no better time than now to start thinking about some great indoor projects.

We have only a limited number of these great "In the Hoop projects" left and we're offering them to you at a rock bottom clearance price. When they're gone they're gone. Both sets are now out of production and we can't get any more.

If you love "In the Hoop" projects, now is the time to grab a bargain. What a great gift!

Quantities are limited so act fast.

SOLD OUT!

Our thanks to Deb Zachrich for submitting this helpful embroidery tip:

When I'm using a water soluble topping, especially on fleece, I use a 'water brush' (which holds water in it like a fountain pen holds ink) to trace over the stitching edges. The topping pulls away from the stitches so easily!

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.

• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo - October 11-13 Chicago, IL
• Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival - October 18-20 Pamona, CA
• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo - October 25-27 Kansas City, MO
• CreativFestival - October 26-28 Toronto, Canada
• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo - November 8-10 Minneapolis, MN
• Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival - November 15-17 Puyallup, WA

Enter the garage here.

Your embroidery thread is actually pretty tough stuff, but it does have a few natural enemies such as dust, dirt and sunlight.

If possible, a sealed container or drawer would be the ideal place to store your thread. Either would offer good protection from dust and sunlight. But if you are like us, you have way more thread than you could possibly store in a drawer or two.

Wall racks are a very popular way to store a large number of thread spools. If you go this route it is best to keep the racks covered with a fabric or vinyl cover. Clear vinyl will work if your thread is not exposed to sunlight, but if it is a fabric cover would be a better choice.

With proper care, polyester thread should last for many years. It is not prone to drying out since it is produced from man-made fibers. Rayon thread, on the other hand, is made from natural fibers that will dry out in time. Generally a spool of rayon thread should be good for a year or so. Any older than that it might be a good idea to replace it with fresh stock.

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 extremely popular Retro Restaurant Advertising design set. Please contact us by email 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.

Quite frequently we get requests for Red Hat designs, so here are two that we thought you might like. One full color and one redwork. Enjoy them with our compliments.

For the 4 x 4 hoop

Available to subscribers only. Not available through the Archives.

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