Our month long celebration is nearly half over, but there's still plenty of time left to enter your name in our 3rd Anniversay Sweepstakes drawing. Many great prizes await ten (10) lucky winners. You could be one of them, so be sure to enter.

And don't miss out on the many advertised and unadvertised specials we're running all month long. Be sure to visit our web site often to take advantage of these savings.

Visit our 3rd Anniversary Embroidery Sweepstakes page for complete details on all the fantastic prizes we will be giving away and to learn how to enter.

Introducing this great Toucan redwork set. Included are 10 designs for the 4x4 hoop and 10 designs for the 5x7 hoop. A total of 20 designs in all.

Special Introductory Price. Save 50%

Bird lovers can visit the aviary here...

Starting with this issue of Thread Times we will be giving away a prize to one lucky subscriber in each issue. Prize drawings will be held prior to the release of each new issue of our newsletter.

So what do you need to do to get in the drawings? Absolutely nothing! You need only to have your name on our mailing list to be included in each random drawing.

Winners will be announced right here in our newsletter. Watch for your email address to appear in the winner's circle and then contact us to claim your prize. It's that simple!

Someone is always asking us where they can find world flags. We have been working on this set for some time and they are finally complete. The initial release includes 36 different World Flags to choose from. We will be adding more flags to this collection as they are completed.

All sew in the 4 x 4 hoop.

See our flags of the world collection here...

The true origin of "Spring Cleaning" may be open for debate, but we all know what it means. Spring is the time of year we all get to work cleaning everything in sight and tossing out those old unused items in the garage or attic.

One thing that should definitely be on your Spring Cleaning list is your embroidery machine. This is the perfect time to give it a thorough cleaning and inspection. To keep your machine in tip top condition, consider taking it to your dealer for a complete checkup. Consult your owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendations.

There is no way we can prevent every possible malfunction, but spending a little extra time now will go a long way toward keeping your machine humming along smoothly all summer long. Pay special attention to the area under the needle plate. Stray threads and lint build-up can wreak havoc under there. Check your machine manual for any oiling requirements too.

Our thanks to JoAnn Patton for submitting this helpful embroidery tip:

I use plastic prewound bobbins in my embroidery machine and wind up with numerous bobbins with only a small amount of thread remaining--too little to begin another project. I now use those "odds and ends" bobbins as the top thread to tack down fabrics when I machine applique, then change to embroidery threads for the satin stitching. When emptied, the bobbins are saved to reuse when I need matching threads in both top and bottom; i.e., for FSL.

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 we offer for sale on our web site.

• 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
• Stitch & Creative Craft Show - April 19-22 South Somerset, England, United Kingdom
• Craft & Quilt Fair - April 19-22 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• SWF Embroidery Extravaganza - April 20-21 Romulus, MI
• Central Illinois/Peoria American Sewing Guild Chapter trunk show - April 27 Normal, IL
• SWF Embroidery Extravaganza - May 4-5 Pittsburgh, PA

Hoop marks, or hoop burns as they are often referred to, are common in machine embroidery. Unless you use an alternate hoopless method of hooping, they are an unavoidable occurance that everyone has to deal with. When you hoop a garment for embroidery the fabric is so tightly pinched between the inner and outer rings that it leaves an ugly mark. Why does this happen?

The tight compression of the fabric between the inner and outer rings of your hoop actually crushes and compacts the fibers. When the hoop is removed the fibers remain in that crushed state, thus causing the unsightly ring around the design. The good news is the mark is not permanent. Those fibers have a good memory and will return to their original state with a little help from you.

One of the easiest ways to do that is with a mist of water. Remove the garment from the hoop, cut away the excess stabilizer, and hang the garment on a hanger. Using a spray bottle lightly mist the ring with water. The water will cause the fibers to start relaxing. As the water dries the fibers will quickly return to their original shape and the marks will no longer be visible. To aid the process even more you can lightly rub the area with your finger to wake up the fibers and prompt them into action.

Naturally this doesn't work very well with fabrics such as leather or vinyl. Hoop burns in these fabrics are usually much more difficult to remove and may be permanent. In this case a hoopless approach might be your best choice.

Today's lucky winner is:  alykat1061@b...(truncated to prevent harvesting)

If this is your email address you have won a free set of our Retro Restaurant Advertising designs. Please contact us within 5 days to claim your prize.

Others interested in this set can see it here.

Three decorative Paisley redwork designs. Included are two sizes of each design for both the 4x4 and 5x7 hoops. Please enjoy them with our compliments.

Available to subscribers only. Not available through the Archives.

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