Home Embroidery Machines

Home Embroidery Machines

Embroidery can be a lot of fun for those who like to sew. You can choose to do embroidery by hand stitching or select an embroidery machine for larger pieces from various sewing machine brands.

What type of embroidery machines are there?

• Mechanical: Mechanical embroidery sewing machines were first developed over 200 hundred years ago and are still used. The machine will do simple embroidery designs. You control the mechanical machine by turning a wheel on the side of it to move the sewing needle up and down. You have to draw the embroidery design onto tracing paper and then place the tracing paper on top of the material in an embroidery hoop. Move the fabric and tracing paper in a hoop while turning the wheel to make the stitch.
• Electronic: Electronic embroidery machines are commonly used by those who like to embroider. You still have to make the pattern with tracing paper and place it in the fabric like you do with a mechanical machine if you are using your own designs, but you don’t have to work the wheel with one hand. This leaves you with two hands free to move the fabric and the tracing paper in a hoop to make sure the sewing needle stays within the design.
• Computerized: There are computerized sewing machines that can also be used to embroider material. The sewing machines need to be capable of holding fabric in one place since you won't be able to use a hand-held hoop. You can create your own pattern and save it to a software program or you can get one already done. Some embroidery machines come with their own built-in designs already installed. Once you load the design into the computer, all you’ll have to do is basically sit back and change thread, mind the bobbin, or do some other task the computer tells you needs to be done to complete the sewing.

 What is a hoop?

A hoop is a frame that holds the material and design pattern in it. The frames consist of a large and a small circular or oval ring. You put the fabric over the smaller ring and stretch it over the side until it is tight. The larger ring is placed over the fabric and side of the smaller ring. The larger ring has a model screw clamp like a hose clamp. When the large ring is tightened, the fabric and design are firmly held in place with the equipment so you can stitch them. Hoop rings come in many different sizes.