Machine Embroidery With Confidence: A Beginner's Guide Paperback – August 10, 2005

With a brand new Janome 350e waiting for me to break it in, this book has me drooling with excitement ! She makes everything look so easy, and with the little bit of training I got from my local quilt shop where I bought my machine, I am absolutely chomping at the bit to get started! Half of the book is what all you need to do good, professional looking embroidery, which is great advice ~ my dear sweet hubby didn't dole out the money for a cheap machine, so I don't want to do cheap looking work! The other half of other book is WHAT YOUR MACHINE CAN DO FOR YOU, and O M GOSH ~ it appears to be endless !! It's like quilting or painting or beading, and I've tried those things .. it's mind-boggling, the things you can create!This book is worth the purchase, whether you are experienced or a beginner .. keep it handy, as the others have stated. I got it in the mail and just flipped through it to make sure it was in good condition and next thing I knew several hours had passed! I couldn't put it down .. every page had something on it I NEEDED to know and WANTED to know. Very Happy with this Purchase. Highly Recommended. :)

This is one of the better machine embroidery books available for beginners. It goes through everything from machine types, stabilizers, threads, hoops and plenty more. The only negative is that it is a little outdated in the Design section when it talks about floppy disks...there's no mention of using a USB drive. But it really is only a minor thing. Another book worth purchasing for beginners is Embroidery Machine Basics - With over 100 Machine Embroidery Tips & Hints for the Complete Beginner. It's not as detailed as this book in that it doesn't cover machine types or include projects but it is a excellent starter book for beginner embroidery machine enthusiasts.

I've been a fan of Nancy Zieman for over 30 years. This book is another magnificent example of her outstanding contribution and legacy to the crafting world. I totally enjoy this purchase, as with my other purchases by Nancy Zieman

A lot of good info if you are new to machine embroidery. I disregarded the section about using a CD since it's very dated but the other information was good. I took it and had it spiral bound for ease of use.

I borrowed it from a friend when I first started embroidery, returned it to her and borrowed it again and returned it, borrowed it, marked it up and just kept it. Finally bought her a new one. The section on stabilizers is invaluable, which I think is every embroiderer's hurdle. It's very basic stuff, but "stuff" that you need every time you turn that embroidery machine on. I would definitely recommend this for everyone starting, regardless of machine brand.

While this book isn't that old, it continuously references floppy disks. It does contain useful information. I will look to it often for reminders on stabilizer. I am very disappointed that the link she lists for free embroidery patterns is no longer there. There are no free embroidery patterns on her site for you to test out. There are however many free downloadable patterns online though for you to get practice, just google it. She also recommends a lot of things that you really don't need. I would suggest checking it out from your library before purchasing. Wish I had and then I could have just copied the pages on stabilizer and saved myself a lot of money. I will be keeping my book, but I cannot recommend it to a new embroiderer. I can't offer a better option as I haven't found anything yet that is more useful than Youtube. All the information you need can be found online and machine specific. One other thing, most of the examples shown in the book are from handmade items and would be difficult if not impossible to do on pre made garments. Would have been nice if she offered the embroidery patterns for the items she shows in the book.

I’m new to machine embroidery and this book is so helpful. Every aspect is addressed. Stabilizers, thread, in the hoop... I have so much to learn and this book is a godsend.

Thank you for this resource! I recently purchased an embroidery machine and was learning to use it on my own. This book tells you the simple things a friend would tell you, and there are a lot of "if this happens...this is what to do to fix it". I am so thankful to have this as a second resource over my manual.