suehenyon wrote:

Thanks Jo Jo, I'll try that proportion. There is a slider with 20 hash marks (for want of a better word), ranging from "inside" to "outside". I guess 10% would be 2/20, so two lines? I should do some samples.

I'm using tear away. Would you recommend wash-away? I have a lot of the aqua-mesh style (different brand, feels the same). Tear away is just a lot cheaper for the amount used.

Thanks for you input!

I just put down the placement lines for the entire left side of the design...much faster than going leaf by leaf. I'm glue basting, then using the cutting line stitch before the blanket stitch. I've found that if I don't glue baste, sometimes I was getting excess fabric in the middle of the piece. (using the purple school glue stick).

suehenyon wrote:
If you haven't done so already, try a 90/10 combination (90% on and 10% off) on a couple of leaves just to see the result. That works really well for my applique designs. Are you using a tear-away or wash-away stablizer on bottom?

JoJo

Lynn, those toppers are really cute! Is that a snap on the ribbon? Will you attach towels to them?

I just had an ah ha moment. If we are embroidering the BOM with auto applique, we can do all the tack-downs or placement stitches at one time, (at least for the section) simply by arrowing through to the next appropriate object & then going back for the next sequence. I just put on 6 leaves that way...FasT I'd already completed one branch on the right side, so just did this for the lower quarter. I'll try all twelve green on the left side after re-hooping.

I'm still having to work on perfecting the right offset for my blanket stitch...learning, learning. It's not totally unfortunate, but I'm looking for a little better. I have too many pokies, but don't want to re-work this design yet again, so will probably wait until the next block to fix it, with a little trial & error on scraps in between.

I have posted a couple of pics of two completed toppers in profile, at long last!!! Plus a christmas pic of our tree!!

like libby, i have posted all over the place and don't know where I am at all!!!!

Lynn

sounds good Libby, when you post it so we can view and admire!!!!

Lynn

I've got this thread going in 2 other postings now and I am confusing myself.

I have my Jan. BOM digitized to my satisfaction. I resorted to a manual method to get the stitch sequence the way I want, that is, to remove the hoop for cutting fabric shapes as few times as possible. Advance Applique and Auto Applique really didn't let me do that. Of course, I am no expert and I may have missed something but I read and re-read the manual section a few times and did some tests.

I have 2 hoopings in the Jumbo hoop. I have top and bottom on the left with a basted circle for placement as my first hoop and the top and bottom on the right with the center flower as my 2nd hoop.
I put down the stems first. It sews placement for both stems, then cutting for both stems, I remove the hoop and trim the fabric. Then I replace the hoop and do the cover stitch (didn't opt to do tackdown). Then I do the flower buds in the same sequence, then all the leaves, the either the placement for the center flower or the actual center flower last. The flower is layered in the same manner as the traditional applique method.

Now I just have to pick a color scheme and start!

It's bad isn't it. I did manage to find the missing files and copy them over yesterday so I have it on the XP computer, just not the right dongle now.

I'm with you on the Vista thing. Unfortunately our computers are company ones and, though we own the company, IT decisions are made without us and they arrived already loaded. I'm looking into the Windows 7 Pro already, it does cohabit with XP well apparently.

How's the hooping going???

Amanda, I think I have bad news for you The following is from the Yahoo group on the software

Mags - V4 won't ever work on Vista from what I've read in other groups.
It 'may' work in a Virtual machine but I don't know if the virtual
machine will recognise to dongle though.

You install VirtualPC http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/ or
VirtualBox http://www.virtualbox.org/ and install Windows XP into that
and then V4 into XP.

If you don't have a full copy of XP you may still be able to get one
somewhere online and this might be a cheaper option than upgrading to V5
or V6

Trish
-from NSW Australia

margaretr25 wrote:
> All the mail on this subject goes back to 2008, but nothing more recent. Does anyone knoe if Bernina have come up with an answer. I did download an update from Bernina International which was suposed to work, but it still will not work. all the program is there, but ther is an application.exe missing, so ti won't work.
>
> Any help greatfully received, I don't want the expence of buying V5 as I don't use it all that much.
>
> Mags
>

Because of all the problems with Vista, DH and I did not upgrade. I skipped it altogether and went to Windows 7 with my new laptop. So sorry

One of the ladies in my sewing circle has done a lap quilt in a chequer board fashion. One set of the squares are a turkey red and off white patterned fabric and the other are machine embroidered red work panels. It looks really rather nice. She's hand quilting it at the moment. I will see if I can take a photo and put it on. It would be an ideal sort of starter project.

Saga of the software continues. I have managed to upload the Editor Lite 4 to the redundant XP computer, with minimal help from the shop who sold it to me, but after the restart it's asking for me to insert the blue dongle. I have a white one and it doesn't want to go any further. Man at shop was out yesterday so no help there. I think there may be a patch somewhere on the Bernina site that I have to find but this computer won't connect to my internet so it might be down to more jiggery pokery with a USB stick!

I managed to join the US site. I have an obscure address in America now!!

Lessons start tomorrow. [/list]

Diane,

I think you would love it. No templates, no bity pieces of paper & fusible (at least I don't fuse very much), no removing freezer paper, no light boxes... . And a variety of decorative stitches to use to finish the edges.

If and when you give it a try, sign up for Joanne Winn's embroidered applique course at QU. Two versions of a Dresden plate in the hoop--a revelation.

Libbi

Libbi,

You didn't hijack my original suggestion, and you are right, there are so many different ways to do things today, that there is room for everything. I'm glad you are learning your software and how to create applique with it. I think the best way to learn how to do something is by actually doing it. If you are happy with what you are creating, and do finish the entire quilt in your machine, I think that would be awesome, and would love to see it.

I just thought that some kind of a BOM for machine embroidery would be a good way to learn, and if JoJo was going to make some tutorials (I thought I saw her mention that in another thread) that having a BOM to work on, using what she shows us, would be a great way to practice, and have something to show for it, instead of just practice pieces.

IF and that is a HUGE IF, I ever did decide to make an applique quilt, I probably would want to do it in my machine, as I don't like doing hand work, and perhaps if I tried it, I might actually find that I like it. (When I first saw any machine applique, ages and ages ago, it was always with the satin stitches, and I never liked that, and I can't help but think of that any time I think of machine applique. I really need to start looking and paying attention to machine applique, and see how it is being done, especially now that we have these wonderful embroidery machines).

I would be happy just to see more discussion in the Embroider's Corner on the board, this topic doesn't seem to get much activity. And if people were talking about what they are doing, and problems they run into, and how to fix them, it would help a lot of people.

Diane in Colorado Springs

Libbi said,
I agree.

My brain is burning. Trying to save money, I decided to try to center the whole big multli-hooped design in a nicely cut square. Well now, that didn't work too well. Third try coming up... My language is not appropriate for public.

I ended up digitizing registration lines to stitch onto hooped tearaway & drawing a grid on the fabric. I just have to rip some stitches for awhile before I see what surprises this will bring.

We enjoy this, right?

This digitizing process makes me appreciate all the knowlege that goes into well done designs.

Maybe after a year we'll be good!

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm quite happy for your folks to do all the work and pass it on to us! lol.
At last I managed to complete 1 towel topper!! found out that most of my problems ie. broken needles was down to tension. I put a net over my spool and it sewed fine. Using Isotard, not had to do it before but there you go!!!!

Thanks for all you help ladies, couldn't manage without you!
Lynn were it was snowing earlier on today and now has melted!