If all the other threads are working, then it's not your machine. It could be that one spool of thread is actually different than the others. Not sure what color it is, but I've always heard (and cannot verify) that black or other very dark colors have so much dye in them that they behave differently.

you are absolutely right! It's OK if the cable is blue inside, it will still work. The cable doesn't actually "talk" to the machine or USB stick, it just passes the information along. I've been running with this setup for 2 years with no issues. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Thank you so much. I love hearing from other teachers! I hope you are making progress at taming your machine. Making mistakes is all a part of the journey. Since you've been sewing a long time, just remember not to use your good fabrics while you're on that road. LOL (ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ)

Squished designs are frustrating! When your design gets squished during stitch-out, it's from the force of the stitches pulling the fabric together in one direction more than the other. There are several factors involved in this and you'll hear the words "pull compensation" thrown around a lot. It could be the design wasn't digitized with proper pull compensation, or it could be you are stitching on a lighter fabric than the digitizer intended or you just need to use a stiffer stabilizer. If it's something you digitized yourself, you'll want to learn more about pull-compensation and John Deere's KZfaq channel is a good place for that. (★‿★)

Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching!

I have a separate video all about embroidery machine hoops that explains those things. It's part of my beginner series which might help you a lot if you're just getting started or need a refresher: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g7yWpaZqr9a2qWg.html

You never know about the honesty or integrity when buying used equipment. Facebook, ebay and etsy have ratings systems which help but they're not foolproof. It's part of the risk involved with getting that lower price. If you're not experienced with buying used equipment, it's better to stick with a dealer. And many dealers have a small selection of used machines for sale.

Any machine can do that. You'll probably want to buy the greek symbols and shields from 3rd party designers on the internet and a google search should be able to find many people selling designs like that for sorority and fraternity gear. Figure out what size you need for greek letters and sheilds and buy a machine with a hoop size that can accommodate your sizes.

Jump stitches are the threads on top of your design when the needle moves from one area to another. Some machines will cut the thread before jumping to the next position, while other machines will drag the thread and you need tiny scissors to cut all those thread on each design. Since you mentioned in another comment that you want a machine for business purposes, the jump stitch issue is a big deal. Some commercial embroiderers prefer to cut those manually so they can get another project on the machine faster, while many home based businesses prefer to have the machine cut those threads so they have less work to do.

I have an older video where I talk a lot more about home versus business use for embroidery machines. I think you'll find that useful kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bJqYZbN4xrWpeZs.html And good luck on your embroidery journey!

You would create the wig exactly the same way, just make larger loops of yarn for a bigger head. Use a tape measure to figure out how long you want the hair and find or make something to wrap the yarn around. (a book, a cereal box, etc) It will take some practice to decide how many wraps you need. It depends on how thick your yarn is and how full you want the hairstyle to be.

Janome makes great machines. They are a bit less user friendly than brother/babylock but very high quality.

All embroidery machines can do that and will have a few built-in nature designs. But all new machines have a USB port so you can get any design from the internet and stitch them. The design possibilities are endless.

I try to update this video every 2-3 years. Depends on how fast the technology changes. 😉

Welcome! It can be addicting. If you find yourself wandering the house looking for things to embroider, you're hooked!

You are very welcome! Influencer marketing is expected to be $24 billion dollars this year! It's big business now. I've got no problem with influencers making a living with brand relationships, as long as they follow the laws so consumers know what's going on. ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

Good advice and thanks for sharing! Having a nearby dealer or repair person is a big deal - especially with the big machines.

I don't have any tutorials for the gift bags. I'll consider that as the holidays approach. I make mine very simply, just like a pillow case and I hem the opening. I like to box the corners at the bottom but that is optional. There are lots of vidoes for making pillow cases, and for boxing corners. I'm sure you can do it - it's a very easy sewing project.

@@BallyhooCreations Thank you

YES. You will need to plug the usb stick into your computer to load designs, then plug into your embroidery machine so it can read them. Whether you use a short extension cable to save wear-and-tear on your usb ports is completely optional.

Thank you so much for that sweet comment!

Glad it was helpful!

I appreciate that!

glad it was helpful, hope it saves you some money on USB sticks!

You are so welcome!

Good point, the Organ needle package doesn't state Embroidery. They have a chart that tells you what all the needle codes are for. The ones with EB in the code are for machine embroidery. I typically use the HAX130EB in both single and multi-needle machines with no issues.

Thank you so much! That helps a lot!

Glad it was helpful!

I appreciate that!

It depends on you sewing machine. Try it and see. For example - Metal bobbins don't fit my Viking but work fine on my vintage singer.

Glad it was helpful!

You're very welcome!

I'm sorry to hear you're frustrated with your Janome 550E. (ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ) That machine has a LOT of features and large hoops so there are MORE mistakes that can be made. Hopefully the tips in this video will help you. I also have a free series of videos for beginners that is useful even if you've been embroidering for years. You might want to watch those if you haven't seen them already. Most of us have to learn our machines the hard way -after making Many, MANY mistakes.

@@BallyhooCreations I have watched your videos and they are just great! I could tackle few problems with the tension and breakage of the thread. Except one thing. I can not do anything about reducing the speed because it is all greyed out. I will have to ask local store technician if he can do something about that. So simply Big Than you for all your tips and tricks, it made the world of difference! 🙂