Thanks for the info! FYI all thread is on sale June 30-July6 at 50% off! It has been my experience to get there as soon as you can because it goes fast at those prices.

Maryv

It definitely works on iPhones too. Th Joann app is one of the best but Bed, Bath, Beyond / Michaels / Starbucks / Publix Grocery Stores / Amazon / IKEA and probably several other retailers have on-line coupons, too. Perfect for those of us too lazy to cut them out of the paper!

Kate

Quick question regarding the stabilizer: Is it the stuff that looks like saran wrap? If it is, it is not really what you want in a stabilizer to "play"/get to know your embroidery machine. You would be much better off with a tearaway or cutaway to start out. The washaway is used for special fabrics/circumstances.
When I first started out I found a huge box of embroidery thread on :E-bay at a great price...the spools look big but machine embroidery takes lots of thread.

Have fun with that fabulous machine!

Maryv

Tuppermom, it does look like saran wrap, but I also have some Sulky sticky that is tear away and white/opaque in color... I've already learned I much prefer the sticky stuff to the "saran wrap"... it seems to support better and the sticky stuff means you don't always have to use the inner hoop to secure the fabric... I just tried the saran wrap looking stuff out on a heart design that I got from the internet and I got a pucker... that hasn't happened with the Sulky Sticky tear away. Of course that was the least of my worries, I ran out of bobbin thread and the bobbin minder was turned off so it kept stitching and the top thread frayed, BUT I'm learning and it was SO easy to find a free design online and make sure it was in ART format and put it on the machine with the USB stick. I'm going to love that part!

Thanks for the advice. And about the thread being 50 percent off... goodness why didn't I wait until then! I have to go back and get some more colors, purple, gray, and more shades of green, blue, and yellow for sure so that tip will come in handy.

Good to see you posting Kate :o)

I've used that Joanns app before, but don't always remember to.

Hobby Lobby only has online coupons...they don't print any circulars or coupons. So if you want to save there, you must have a smart phone, or print at home.

I'm sure there're many more that will be going this way, 'forcing' you to have a smart phone in order to save money.

What a great tip. I don't get my fabric there but do buy thread, batting and notions. And, it seems like my coupons are always at home somewhere. I'll try that. Thanks.

Seems like most retailers that I deal with do the online coupons...it's so much easier than the paper! Good tip to share for those getting used to the smart phone capabilities...brave new world and all that stuff :-)
V.

That "saran" type you got is made for fabrics with a nap, like towels. It holds the nap down, so the stitches don't sink into the nap. And it dissolves in water when you get it wet. Most of the time, you just need tear or cut away depending on the fabric. I have 2 embroidery machines (one is a 6 needle) and have started a business, so let me know if you have any questions, and I'll be glad to help. Have fun; it can very addicting :-)

Robbi

Robbi.... let me take you up on that! I tried to embroider last night with some of that new thread and it kept shredding. It is 40 weight trilobal polyester if that matters...I was thinking more about the colors when I was buying it than what it was made out of, so I probably made a bad choice not knowing the difference. It doesn't do it nearly as much when I use regular cotton sewing thread. I was using an embroidery needle and the embroidery bobbin case (and I tried some of the embroidery thread and regular thread in the bobbin)... I was using the Sulky sticky stabilizer, and I've read that that can cause shredding too. It got old after about 9 times (especially with the needle threader not working). I turned off the machine, had a glass of wine and went to bed! In your experience, what are the top causes of top thread shredding?

I plan on taking it to the Bernina place to get it serviced and tuned up next week, (it's AT LEAST an hour drive!), so I won't be able to take it in and show it off at the next sit and sew, I'll have to use old faithful instead :o)

Thanks for the tip. I have an iphone that I barely know how to use. Do you have to have the data plan on to use the app?

Marti, with the IPhone you can save any screen image as a picture by holding down the on/off button at the top and then clicking the Home button on the front of the phone. That way you can find the picture of the coupon in Photos even if you aren't online to access the app and the coupons.

Cool! I didn't know that either k8orlando. I resisted this iphone for a long time, even left this in the box for months after I finally gave in. I like it now, but still kind of afraid of it I think.

I'm an iPhone addict (aka 'Techno Twinkie') and would be happy to help. Email me if you have questions. There are several quilting and fabric apps; I'll post about those later.

Kate