April 2007 marks our Third Anniversary. It is hard to believe we have been online 3 years, but it's true. I guess the old saying "Time flies when you're having fun" really is accurate.

I can't announce anything specific just yet, but trust me when I say we have some big things in store for you next month. We'll be having a month long celebration that you won't want to miss.

Watch for the next issue of Thread Times where we will be able to let you in on all of the exciting details. Sixteen days and counting for the start of our 3rd Anniversary Celebration.

A brand new set of Native Art Designs. Our first set was extremely popular and we expect this one to be even more popular. This is an exclusive set you can't get anywhere else. Included are 10 unique designs in sizes for both the 4x4 and 5x7 hoops. A total of 20 designs in all.

Special Introductory Price. Save 50%

Go Native here...

As promised in our last issue, here are the results of our testing on the new Class 15 pre-wound bobbins. We put them to work test sewing designs in all of our home machines which include Babylock, Brother and Janome.

The Class 15 bobbins performed very well in all of our machines. I must say we were quite pleased with the results. The bobbins fit well and do not rattle around in the bobbin case as do regular Class L bobbins. Stitch quality was excellent. They ran smooth with virtually no lint.

In our opinion this new polyester pre-wound bobbin is the answer you have been searching for in your Class 15 machines. There will be no more need to purchase too small bobbins for any machine. Watch for them to be available soon.

For more information on bobbin sizes read this article...

Finally some designs for the guys! So many of the designs you see are geared toward women and children. We thought it was time to create some guy stuff. This set of Old Tyme Fishing redwork designs would be great for a man's quilt, fishing gear, shirts, jackets, you name it.

Complete set of ten (10) unique designs in two sizes for the 4x4 and 5x7 hoops.
A total of twenty (20) designs in all.

On Sale Now. Save 50%!

Let's go fishin'...

Anyone that uses the ART format may find this information helpful.

While experimenting with various ways to convert our designs to the ART format we made an interesting discovery. Since we currently do not have any Artista software, we ran some tests using Wilcom's Truesizer 2006 for conversions to the ART V2 format. We then attempted to verify the conversions by opening them in Embird 2006. What we found was that Embird could only open some, not all, of these converted files.

Since Wilcom also writes the Artista software used by Bernina owners this did not make sense. Initially we had no idea if the problem was with Embird or the conversion software. We figured if Wilcom can't get it right no one can, so we focused our attention on Embird.

We contacted the nice folks at Embird to ask for their help with this problem. They promptly replied to our inquiry with information that assured us we weren't crazy.

Without giving us specific reasons or giving away any trade secrets, they told us that Embird 2006 has a problem reading ART files in build 4 and earlier versions. The problem was not with the conversion software. They also informed us that a new build 5 was soon to be released that would correct this problem.

As soon as Embird 2006 build 5 was released we installed it and re-ran all of our tests. We can confirm that the problem has been corrected. Embird 2006 build 5 can now open all ART files in both V2 and V3 formats. It is, however, unable to work with ART V4 files at this time. Hopefully a future update will enable Embird to read ART V4. At least for now we know we can use it for working on V2 and V3 files.

Our thanks to Alita Long for submitting this helpful embroidery tip:

Have you ever tried to do lace projects using any kind of wss only to find that no matter how tightly you try to get your hoop it still moves? Here's a tip to help with that. I use shelf liner that you can get at any store. The non skid kind. Just place your inner hoop on it and cut about an inch around the hoop, then cut the liner from inside the hoop but leave about 1/4 of an inch or a little more. When you use the shelf liner it makes the hoop alot tighter when using wss!

Want to win FREE designs? Submit your tip or trick to us. If we publish your tip you will win your choice of any design or design set we offer for sale on our web site.

• American Embroidery Conference - March 28 - April 1 Atlanta, GA
• International Quilt Festival - April 13-15 Rosemont, IL
• Crazy Quilter's 20th Annual Quilt Show - April 14-15 Mukwonago, WI
• Creative Embroidery Conference - April 16-18 Las Vegas, NV
• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo - April 19-21 Worcester, MA
• Central Illinois/Peoria American Sewing Guild Chapter trunk show - April 27 Normal, IL

Some embroiderers still use older less common design formats. The Janome SEW format is one good example. Unfortunately many digitizers are offering far fewer designs in this format than in the past. There is, however, one very good reason for that.

While some digitizers do create very small designs, many like to take full advantage of the 100mm x 100mm (4" x 4") hoop. By creating their designs as large as possible more detail can be included. Thread takes up space so smaller designs mean less room for detail.

The Janome 9000 and earlier models included only a 90mm x 125mm hoop. Obviously 100mm x 100mm and larger designs won't fit. In order to offer the SEW format, additional smaller designs would have to be created.

Since the number of folks using this format is so small, it isn't always cost effective to create additional designs that will fit in the SEW hoop. Believe it or not, the number of embroiderers that still require the SEW format is dwindling rapidly. Our web survey indicates only 3% still use SEW.

None of this implies there is anything wrong with the older Janome machines or the SEW format. I am not suggesting you should rush out to buy a new machine, but the harsh reality is newer machines are capable of sewing much larger designs. It makes good business sense for digitizers to concentrate their efforts on serving the 97% that constitute a much larger customer base. After all, they are in business to make money.

Some embroiderer's purchase designs with the intention of doing their own conversions. The idea is sound, but if the design won't fit in the hoop the conversion will fail. A 4" x 4" design could be as much as 10mm too large in one direction. If you use the SEW format this is something you should consider before purchasing any designs. There are still plenty of designs that will fit the SEW hoop, but if any doubts exist question the digitizer before buying.

In case you haven't heard of it, there is a great stabilizer product on the market that really helps minimize show through. Aptly named "No Show Mesh," this product may be just what the doctor ordered for lightweight knits and light colored fabrics.

There are other benefits too. Not only is it translucent, but Nylon No Show Mesh stabilizer is very soft and pliable. It won't feel scratchy against the skin. It is relatively stable and can be used alone or with a layer of lightweight tearaway stabilizer for added stability.

There is nothing worse than backing showing through behind a beautiful design you have sewn on your favorite shirt. Give No Show Mesh a try. It is available in white and beige which may blend even better with some skin tones.

Two adorable critters that are just in time for Easter! It's difficult to say which one is the cutest. Please enjoy them with our compliments.

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