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the futura is now…
2006 @ 6:21 pm
After at least 5 sessions of set up, I finally embroidered something on my Singer Futura CE-200 tonight! I guess I could have tried to do it all at once, but I think I did the right thing is stopping each time I hit a little snag and coming back the next day.
Let’s start at the beginning–acquiring a computer. A few months back I switched over to Mac. The Futura requires a Windows machine. So, I asked my sister if I could borrow back my old laptop. I got this baby in 1998–ah, Windows 98, what a revolution. I was a little worried about how the software would interact with the hardware. HARDY HAR HAR. The software appears as if it would do just fine in Window 3.1. After a first failed attempt to install, I got it working.
Many lessons have been learned. For those of you not interested in the gripping details of my first machine embroidering experience, feel free to browse the photos. They tell the more important parts of the story.
The software is set up to take you through a sample pattern. I hooped up my fabric of choice–a cheap cloth diaper. What backing to apply? God only knows. After watching the accompanying dvd and reading a bunch of stuff, I went with a tear away. Would it have made a difference? No clue. Only another trial will tell.
I threaded the machine, set the design and STALL. Took me about an hour to figure out that I had threaded the bobbin incorrectly. Okay, Go again. This time it worked! How cool is that???
For a minute anyway… then it all started falling apart.
It appeared that the thread was being eaten by the needle… but the bobbin thread was doing just what it was supposed to. Upon further inspection, the spool was not letting thread off. I think i put it on wrong. Hey, I am new here!
Despite my mixed results, I threaded for the next color… it went pretty well!
I was going for this:
and got this:
I am perfectly happy with this result for my first time out. This must be the “new me”. In addition to the obvious lack of pink in the petals, there are other issues. First, the design created holes in the fabric (shown below). But, this is an open weave fabric with possible the wrong kind of backing.
I absolutely could not have gotten through this without joining the usergroup for Singer Futura on Yahoo!. They are the greatest! There was a solution to every issue I came upon.
PS-Dear Singer Company, It is motherfucking impossible to read a 75 page manual in pdf format while attempting to use software and an embroidery machine for the first time simultaneously. Please just include it in the package with my major purchase.
Comments
mmm, yes, killer holiday photos. you MUST show her (and your embroidery skills) off!
I’m so impressed that you didn’t just cast the whole project aside in frustration - and the result really does look good!
It looks great, you are going to be embelishing all your clothing before we know it 
I can’t wait to see you and MJ in matching jeans, covered with colorful flowers and butterflies. I think every object in my house would be covered if I had that machine–it is SO cool!
Keep on keepin’ on with the embroidery! You’ll get the hang of it. Pretty soon, MJ will be decked out head to toe embroidered clothes. Maybe you could whip out an outfit in time for some killer holiday photos! LOL.