Brother Sewing UK

One of the many new features of the Luminaire XP1 sewing and embroidery machine is the ability to adjust the size and aspect ratio (height versus width) of character and decorative stitches, allowing greater control and creative flexibility than ever before. As with many of the machines in the Brother range, there is also an onboard custom stitch creator, allowing you to create your very own stitch designs if what is provided isn’t quite what you need. On the XP1 there are also now even more character and decorative stitches that can be used 'in the hoop' on the embroidery side of the machine too, allowing even more creative fun. In my experience, one of the most overlooked features of many machines in the Brother range – including the XP1 – is the ability to combine stitches to create your own pattern. On the XP1 (and other machines), you can combine different stitch patterns, mirror them, combine those of different lengths and also create stepped patterns. These can then be...

Located in Wyke Regis, Weymouth, Bits & Bobs has plenty of sewing supplies and classes for craft lovers. Sewing machines and a wide range of workshops in Weymouth Bits & Bobs was founded in 2014 by Roberta (Bobs) as a new business venture. Bobs had bought the premises in 2013, but they were in dire need of renovation. Bobs wondered, one day, sitting amongst the bare shell of the building, whether she could run a shop in it – something she’d not yet tried in her career. Bobs knew a bit about sewing and knitting and other crafts, having been bought up in a crafty family who made all their own clothes and accessories, but knew very little about retail. It couldn’t be that difficult, she thought, and so her journey began! Haberdashery and sewing machines for all skill levels Five years on, the shop is now well-stocked with plenty of fabrics, haberdashery, notions, crafting products, yarns, patterns, kits and threads - everything you might need for your favouri...

Fig 1 - Brother VR single needle embroidery and free motion embroidery machine If you are lucky enough to have a big, framed embroidery machine such as the Brother VR, embellishing a quilt can be a great way to make the most of the all the machine's built-in designs. The Brother VR is a single-needle embroidery machine with free-arm embroidery and free-motion sewing capability, and comes with 305 built in embroidery designs! This is the perfect machine to embroider quilt patterns because the extra-large hoop allows you to work with designs up to 200mm x 200mm. The VR easily converts into a free-motion quilting machine, however the built-in embroidery capabilities create amazing quilting designs with no effort or expertise at all! There is a whole section in the Embroidery Design Guild showing the built-in quilting designs on the VR that are just crying out made the star of a quilting project. Figures 2 and 3 below show just a couple of the designs available for...