Leather is a fabric that instills great fear in the minds of some machine embroiderers. Many would like to try it, but only a few have the courage to give it a go. So, how hard is it to embroider a design on leather? What's the trick?

There really is no trick to embroidering on leather, but there are some important issues to consider before you start. The first thing to consider is the general properties of the leather itself. Leather is much thicker than regular fabric and it is very unforgiving. Once you punch a whole through the leather with a needle, it remains forever. It doesn't bounce back like knit or woven type fabrics. If you punch too many holes you'll find yourself left with a large hole in the shape of the design.

To avoid this the design you wish to embroider on the leather should be digitized for leather. To do that the digitizer would decrease the density and possibly lengthen the stitches to reduce the number of needle penetrations. If you have a stock design that you wish to embroider on leather that was not digitized for leather, you might try enlarging it somewhat to spread out the stitches. Enlarging the design without changing the density just might work.

Another thing to consider is your needle. There are special leather needles available that have a very sharp wedge point. You can try a leather needle, but most embroiderers I know use regular sharp needles with leather. In most cases a standard 75/11 or 80/12 should work just fine. Use the smallest needle you can safely get away with and not have breakage. Remember, the larger the needle the larger the holes you punch. Leather needles are generally in the 90/14 range.

Hooping the leather is another concern. To avoid hoop burns you could use one of the many hoopless methods that are available, or add a buffer between the leather and the inner hoop ring. Your buffer could be as simple as a strip of scrap fabric or a thin piece of foam. Due to the increased friction with leather it would also be a good idea to slow down your machine.

Naturally it is best to do some test sewing before you sew the design on the actual leather goods, but since we normally don't have scrap pieces of leather lying around this may be difficult. Leather is expensive and there is no room for error, but if you follow the standard guidelines for leather embroidery you should have good results.

These days our lives are full of logins and passwords. Many web sites require users to login before exploring the site or accessing any personal data. This can be a handy feature as it often eliminates the need to enter the same data repeatedly when you make a purchase or request information.

All of this, of course, comes at a price. We must remember our logins and password for each of the sites we visit. The less frequently we visit a web site the harder it becomes to remember. You could keep a written list handy and type in each login and password manually as you attempt to enter the site, but this isn't a very secure method. Someone could copy your list without your knowledge. It also requires a bit of extra time to manually enter the data.

You might also depend on Windows to remember your personal data and automatically enter it when you navigate to a login page. This method isn't very secure either as anyone using your computer could possibly take advantage of this and gain access to some of your personal data.

There is a dandy little program that can easily solve all these issues. It is called "RoboForm" and it's what we use on all of our computers. RoboForm is easy to use and quick to set up. Each time you wish to visit a site that requires a log in, simply select it from a drop down list and RoboForm does the rest. It navigates to the log in page, enters the appropriate data and you're ready to go.

To protect your list of logins and passwords RoboForm provides a master password feature. You set one password that must be manually entered once to authorize RoboForm to manage your personal data. You can also set a time limit for RoboForm to be active. It will again ask for the master password should your computer go idle for the period of time you set. This is handy should you leave your computer running while you head off to do other tasks.

There is a free limited usage version that you can download and try. If you like the program you can purchase the inexpensive Pro version to eliminate all limitations. Visit the RoboForm site for further information and to download your free trial.

Here's a question submitted to Ask Mary! from an embroiderer seeking help with software and her Janome 9000.

Question:  Hello, I have had my Janome 9000 for two years and have not embroiderd anything yet, I'm so anxious to get started! I purchased the "Customizer 2000" and have "Buzz Tools." Do I need any other software to use with the Janome 9000?

A friend said I may have a problem using these products with Vista. I don't want to mess up the computer, but I'm not sure if I can use them or not. Do you have any suggestions on using Vista with the above software?

Another question. When I download a zipped design, can I wait to unzip it until I'm ready to convert it? I have not unzipped any designs yet because I'm not sure of how it's done, or when to do it.

Answer:  If you have Customizer 2000 and the reader/writer box you can transfer designs from your computer to the machine using your blank design card. You really don't need any other software just for that. You will have to download the latest version of Customizer 2000 to use it with Windows Vista.

Buzz Tools will work with Vista as long as you have the latest version. If you have an old version it most likely will not. You can go to the Buzz Tools web site for further information on Vista compatibility.

You can unzip design at any time. You can unzip them as you get them, or wait until you wish to use some of the designs they contain.

Most, if not all, of today's home embroidery machines utilize plastic bobbin cases. They are light weight and probably less expensive to produce than metal, but they are more easily damaged. We all know things happen while we're running our embroidery machines. Something goes awry and suddenly we hear a loud thunk and the machine stops.

Many times something goes wrong that causes the needle to strike the bobbin case hook. When this happens the needle may puncture a small hole in the hook or create a burr should it strike the edge. When this happens it can throw everything out of whack and cause major problems. Burrs or nicks on the hook can catch the thread causing tension or timing problems. The hook must be smooth for proper operation.

If things get too bad you have no choice but to replace the bobbin case, but there is a way to extend the life of your bobbin case if the damage is not too severe. By using a small emory board, not unlike the boards you use for your nails, you may be able to smooth out the nicks and burrs. Go easy and don't remove any more plastic than necessary. Just enough to smooth out the rough spot should do it.

If your eyesight is like mine, not as good as it used to be, try using a magnifying glass to closely examine the damaged area before you begin. This technique doesn't always work, but if you are successful you can continue to use the damaged bobbin case for a while longer and save money. If you are unsuccessful you have lost nothing but a little time. You can then go ahead and purchase a new case.

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

Recipe Name:  Joe's Jambalaya

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 - 20 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
24 - 30 large peeled raw shrimp
1/2 pkg keilbasa cut into 1 inch pieces
1 med red pepper
1 med green pepper
1 med onion
1 can cream of celery soup
3 Tbsp olive oil
Ground cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Cooked rice

Directions: Cut chicken, keilbasa, peppers and onion into 1 inch chunks. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken and keilbasa 2-3 mins. Turn heat to medium add onion and saute 2-3 mins. Add green & red peppers and soup. Cover; lower heat to medium-low and simmer 3-5 mins until soup has thinned to sauce consistency. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and black pepper to your taste. Stir well; add shrimp and simmer another 3-5 mins until shrimp is pink. Serve over rice.

Tips: You can leave the shrimp out if you don't like seafood.

Submitted by: Bobbie W.

Our thanks to Charlene G. for submitting this helpful embroidery tip:

When embroidering on towels or anything with a thick nap, use clear 'melt-away' stabilizer on top of your towel rather than a 'wash-away' stabilizer. Whatever does not tear off from around the design is easy to remove with a warm iron, but the important thing is that the stabilizer remains behind the design when the towel is washed. No little loops showing through after a few washings as with wash-away stabilizer.

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Tips submitted by our readers have not been tested by us. We make no claim to their viability or usability.

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