How Tough Is It To Learn Embroidery

Prosperi-Tees · October 7th, 2011, 05:05 PM

I thought I wanted to do embroidery and last year purchased a used Brother PR620. After a few months of not having time to learn the machine or the craft I gave up and sold it for very close to what I paid for it so no harm no foul. Now that the winter season is upon us and my customers are more and more often asking for embroidery and me having such a hard time sourcing a local embroider to do any jobs for me I am entertaining giving it another go at it but will do much more research than I did before. Most of the jobs that people ask for are your standard polo type shirts with simple corporate logos on the left chest. So I ask you experts how much harder is to learn than screen printing? I guess that question would be for people who have done both but any tips or advice you can give would be appreciated.

fwscreener · October 7th, 2011, 07:49 PM

We are screen printers also and as far as I am concerned, hell after 3 years trying to learn I hired an embroidery lady. Embroidery is easy if you hire the right people. It's just something I am not good at. Good luck

babydoodles · October 7th, 2011, 09:03 PM

Embroidery is not that hard to learn...when you buy new, most companies offer training. That training is essential for a beginner.

Here's my personal opinion...

* Meistergram Pro1500 is the most user friendly, easy to learn and operate.

* Expert 9000/9100 series are somewhat hard (easier then others) to learn but has the best Quality Sew and if doing hats capable of getting closer to the bill giving you more sewing room then any other machine on the market.

* Tajima has a very nice Quality Sew but is probably has the most confusing control panel.

* SWF machines are good machines, great Quality, hard to learn, somewhat confusing control panel.

* Babylock is smaller then the commercial machines, has a good quality sew, small enough to travel with, weighs less then the others and is semi user friendly.

If the desire is not there to Embroider, the lesson to learn how to Embroider will be a lot harder to learn.

Feel free to contact me for any other advise if you want. I have been in this business for a long time from the supply end to the training and now in the service and training.

arrowembroidery · October 8th, 2011, 01:46 PM

Embroidery is easier said than done. I tried to learn it but finally ended up with www.powerstitch.com guys doing it for me, and making me learn as well. So go get some training, that's the only good piece of advice i can give to you.

nametags · October 9th, 2011, 09:01 AM

It's not that hard, but you have to WANT to learn it. That's some advice from a rookie about 2 years in the business, starting totally cold turkey with it.

1. Buy new, make sure they give you INCLUDED training, at least 2 days. IF you're serious, get a full size machine, like the 9100 or so. CHECK WARRANTIES!
2. Practice before you start selling, putting out bad stuff will put you behind a year.
3. Be prepared to give out freebies,,,people won't spend money with you until they see your work. Put that into your budget. Embroidery is NOT screen printing, and vice-versa!
4. Embroidery takes time to do, be patient.
5. Find some other embroiderers, and talk with them, get some advice on machines, wholesalers, extra equipment you'll need, ets.

Hope this helps.

AJST · October 10th, 2011, 06:08 AM

I agree with babydoodles, and nametags.

There are two parts to embroidery, digitizing and the actual embroidery or operating the machine. Digitizing takes a little talent and depending on your background there may be a learning curve. If you are familiar with Coral Draw or Adobe Illustrator you may have an advantage, however there is a learning curve. There are a lot of embroiders in the field that mostly outsource their digitizing for their designs. So being able to digitize is not essential but is helpful.

Learning to operate the machine is not difficult however it will take time to learn and get proficient on the basics. A lot of people can learn this on their own however training from a qualified trainer or going to one of the schools offered by various companies will get you a huge jump on the learning process. It is well worth the money invested.

Good luck on your venture.

nametags · October 10th, 2011, 08:50 AM

Forgot about the digitizing AJ, you're so right.

It's fine to learn digitizing, but, take your time. Meanwhile, sub it out,,,,you won't be sorry.

A great design can be worthless if it's digitized badly.

Prosperi-Tees · October 12th, 2011, 09:51 PM

Thanks for the replys. I know I will get all kinds of different answers but what is the easiest machine to learn and operate? I know Meka already answered that question and thank you.

nametags · October 13th, 2011, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gerryppg

Thanks for the replys. I know I will get all kinds of different answers but what is the easiest machine to learn and operate? I know Meka already answered that question and thank you.

Since you're totally new as I was, any machine you start with will be a challenge at first, but you'll learn fast. And the first machine you learn on and get confident with will be the easiest, as you'll have no bad habits or conflicting info to sort out.

It takes time and dedication, but it's worth it. You'll enjoy it.

Good luck.

GoodStitchWitch · October 13th, 2011, 04:29 PM

Gerryppg, you were on the right track with the 620 but the 650 and the 1000 offer some upgrades that will make your work easier. I had never touched any kind of embroidery machine before I bought my PR650, which I chose because experienced embroiders told me that Brother machines were the most user friendly.

After 18 months, I am upgrading to the 1000 specifically for the time saving features of 4 add'l needles and the camera that finds where the machine needs to stitch, no matter how you hoop/un-hoop/re-hoop.

How did I start the learning curve? My dealer/store wasn't real close, and I went through a short class on "caps" that made it look so easy, I didn't really pay attention. The best thing that came out of that class was meeting other embroiders; one happened to live not too far away. We exchanged phone #s, and she was the person I went to for help, when I was completely stuck working nights and weekends. Find someone like that; and you can do almost anything.

Many times in that first year, I promised myself I was going to write a book that covered all the things that weren't in the User Manuals. But maybe learning by doing is the best way, when all else fails. Other resources I utilized were NNEP (the member's manual and also Susan, one of the founders who actually takes HELP phone calls during the day), a local Anita Goodesign 2-day Embroidery "party", and a Yahoo group for PR650 users.

In my first year, everything I did took a lot longer than I expected, but I was able to figure out how to complete and deliver quality orders on time. I outsourced all my digitizing, except lettering. Pacesetter's BES Lettering came with the machine, as did Designer's Gallery Masterworks II. Learning the software well enough to do what I needed was not hard. There is also a Yahoo group for BES- the guy who runs the group responds very fast to questions from newbies.

Good luck starting again with embroidery; I don't think you can go wrong with either the Brother PR650 or 1000.