Still Playing

with the new machine.  I've tried the embroidery unit with patterns on the USB stick that comes with it.  This was the first one I tried on Sunday

Bit of a mishap with the thread (I hadn't threaded up properly so the first stitches ran without any thread!) and I couldn't figure out how the tack around the image so the fabric was puckered, mainly around the pink flower, but pleased that I managed it.

Later came this design.  This was one that Pauline (from whom I bought the machine) supplied on another USB stick.  By this time I figured out the tacking before doing the embroidery, a much better result.

Afterward I took the unit off and went for some general sewing on a sample that I made a few weeks back.  The Pfaff has this IDT system which means that a walking foot isn't needed for quilting.  If you think the block doesn't look square, it's not meant to.

It was good to try out the straight and fancy stitches on this to see how well it quilts.  Not bad.

Today is my day off and last week at work so decided to stay in and have more play

This was one of the Pfaff designs.  I've made this into a postcard holder.  Then I used the same pattern in purples and made it slightly larger by editing the size on the machine, so in this next pic it doesn't look any larger but then I have made a large item which has made the design look smaller.

Not sure what it'll be - maybe a cushion?  That was this mornings little effort.

Pauline had suggested using Embird software for embroidery designs and that could be installed on the Mac using a programme called Parallels.  David ordered this last week and he picked it up from the sorting office today.  So after installing Parallels I'm now trying out a trial version of Embird and see how I get on.  I did, however, find on the Secrets of Embroidery website (from where I downloaded the software) a free coaster pattern by Artistic Designs which I added to the USB stick and it was sewn this afternoon.

I've still got quite a way to go with this machine embroidery malarky, but enjoying the experience so far.