Katie's Tips & Tricks (affiliate links)

 Your embroidery machine will load designs into the machine's memory faster from 1GB USB sticks. Here's a set that comes with a wristlet to help you hang and organize them neater in your sewing space! You can get hundreds of designs on a 1 GB stick....You can also organize your designs by category on the sticks! 

Brush this OdiCoat product on your fabric, let it dry overnight, then cut out your pattern!  You'll create your own oil cloth effect for inside wet sacks, lunch bags, cosmetic pouches, diaper bags and more!

OMG! More great thread prices!  It's a party in a box!! Polyester thread is PERFECT for those kids projects that need to be washed often...the colors won't bleed or bleach out!  This is great for anyone starting out in embroidery and you need a general assortment of colors!

Tips & Tricks: Do you ever need to touch up your embroidery to cover that unsightly bobbin thread?  Use these fabric markers, in a wide array of colors, to match your projects perfectly! 

Pro Tech Tip: It's time to backup your phone or iPad!  We forget that we need to backup our phones photos or documents.  Do you have a way to download embroidery designs from your phone when you purchase one and take it to your embroidery machine?  This is a GREAT tool! Great for temporary backup when your phone  gets overloaded.  Check your phone's connection for the correct usb style.

 Tricks of the trade: I can't say enough about this water soluble glue stick when I need to tack a binding in place before sewing, hold a paper piecing fabric in place, tack a hem, temporarily adhere applique pieces, or hold embroidery fabric to stabilizer temporarily until I get it basted in place.  

This is one of the 3 stabilizers I use when teaching embroidery to beginners.  I personally use it in EVERY embroidery project.  It comes in convenient sizes...

  The JellyRoll Sasher for those of you making jellyroll rugs, this will SIMPLIFY your life and make the process soooo much faster.  There are videos on You Tube showing you how simple your life is with this tool. 

Embroidery on these cotton tea towels for the perfect hostess or wedding gift.  Multi-Colored 18 Pack.  A great project for you beginning embroiderers out there!

You have serious power fluctuations when you are running an iron and computerized sewing/embroidery machine at the same time.  What if your power fails and you lose your embroidery design?  With a battery backup system with AVR (automatic voltage regulation), you will maintain a constant flow of power to your investment and give yourself time to power down your machines appropriately and help protect your machine from a power surge or brown out.  With the battery backup, you'll have some time to charge your electronics, even if the power goes out!

My embroidery machines are an investment I want to protect, so when I work in an arid environment, it's easy to create a static charge when I'm sewing.  Putting my sewing machine on a mat like this not only dissipates a static charge, but it provides a little sound buffer under my machine.  An added bonus is that it keeps my machine from moving around on a table.  It's also  great to take to a sewing class if you are sewing on a plastic table which creates a lot of static charge build up!  It's easy to cut to a custom size as well...you may have enough for home AND classes!  There a different sizes available.

For successful machine embroidery, you need to have the fabric stable, yet relaxed (not stretched out of shape).  If you can stabilize the fabric, you can use lighter "paper" stabilizers.  I love Terial Magic for those special quilt blocks, applique, or machine cutting techniques.  I even used it to add body to the 15 Minute Bow Pattern!  This small botte will be your stabilizing friend, so give it a try