Even though I’ve been sewing for forty plus years, I’ve only recently started experimenting with machine embroidery. What a treasure trove of creativity this new skill set has opened up for me!
The process of justifying and ultimately purchasing a new sewing machine with embroidery capabilities was for me, a very gradual odyssey. After all, my little workhorse, Pfaff 6152 “Jeans and Satin” sewing machine, which I acquired in the late 1990s, has held up extremely well over time with NO trouble whatsoever. In addition to the many items of clothing I have made with this dependable model of efficiency, I also learned to do free-motion quilting with it and even machine-quilted two queen-size quilts with no industrial long-arm in sight.
Still, as my patient friends and husband can attest, whenever I would be in the vicinity of machine embroidery displays at Sewing Expos, State Fairs or my local sewing store, I would invariably want to stop, observe, linger and learn more about what these particular types of machines can do. What I noticed at these times was that my imagination would begin to spark, envisioning all sorts of future projects; fabric embellishment, quilting design, collars, cuffs, shirt and jacket yolk, jeans jacket panels and more.
After much research, reading reviews of various machines and trying out the top contenders out at various sewing machine stores, I finally decided on a Pfaff Creative 3.0. It’s not the top of the line, but it is definitely a higher end, professional model with excellent capabilities. I’m still in the learning stages in discovering everything it can do, but even my first attempts are turning out remarkably well. I will post a photo of a sample I experimented with on stretch denim. I think it’s safe to say I’m hooked.
Lastly, I should say that I decided to hold on to my “Jeans and Satin” machine. I plan to use it for doing top stitching during jeans construction, or quilt piecing when my other machine I set up for another function, like embroidery!
PetiteSewSop 