There are many sites that just give freebies,(- unlike the professional designers that offer freebies so one can test the quality of work, and then hopefully go back and make a purchase -)

I've had mixed luck with designs I've bought and had wonderful luck with some of the free designs I've stitched out which didn't show any stitch outs.

I will repeat the one word of wisdom here that has been posted again and again..test stitch before putting on the final product. If the freebie or even purchased design doesn't stitch out well, then you will not ruin your good project.

Thank you marjialexa my thoughts were not directed at cuties who give their own designs here - but the hugh number of site such as those you mention. My comments were in protection of new machine embroiderers, we have after all been at one time and another. I have found this site an amazing place to ask questions that other places would have had no truck for and prehaps class as silly. There can be no such thing as silly questions, if we don't ask about what we don't know we will never learn.

Again with the kindests of intentions.

jjjj

1 comment

by marjialexa 31 May 2009

Yes, our digitizers here should be encouraged & thanked for what they give us for free! I've watched some go from being embroidery newbies to being good digitizers with websites, and I applaud their efforts! Hooray for Women!! Hugs, Marji

Precisely why a lot of us members of "longer standing" object so vehemently to the posting of so many freebies.
Besides which, it is often not safe as there are many web sites that contain viruses.
I've said more than enough on this subject in previous posts, but you just can't tell "some" people that most of the freebies they collect just aren't worth collecting.
Thanks for posting.
Hugs n roses, Meganne

When I first started this "hobby", I downloaded just about every freebie I saw. Now I check out bookmarks, but rarely download them--but I do look at them. It urks me when the same things are posted over and over again. I'm getting better at recognizing a better design, but still stitch a "lemon" every now and then.

1 comment

by daisy530 31 May 2009

Forgot to mention--I see you posted this 6 days ago, but I'm sure I didn't read it just because the title was "Freebies". :)

To the top again. I just truly believe we should recommend only freebies that we know are good. Not everyone has software to look at designs, or is experienced enough to even know what to look for in a good design. If I had not had the good teachers I had at my dealer, and I downloaded one of the Siviglia free sets, loaded it into the machine and expected to get a pretty design, I might never have embroidered again. These are badly done, sorry, no redeeming value. They post pictures of cute artwork, but no pictures of sew outs. I downloaded some cats from them, just to see, and they were badly auto digitized. I would have been embarassed to wear a t-shirt with that design and admit I made it. Newbies need our help, not just tons of freebies that then they might not be able to use. Please, please consider what you do, and WHY you are posting these things. How can it possibly be "helpful" when it is a horribly digitized design? Thanks, Marji

There has been a lot of new sites developed from all the trial freebies that are posted by cuties and befor i use any design i do a trial run. and if it is ok i use it and if not first i check to see that i have hooped properly and used the right stabilzer also we learn from one another and if an effort to produce a design that has not came out quite right then we can comment and give advice to the cutie that has posted that design. We all have room to learn and we can do it here. being able to post or to download is an inderviduals do as they please. Also people gain confidence by posting there designs. I just feel sad when they have moved on to having their own sites that they don't vist with us as much as they use to and that is understandable as well and i also feel proud that they have reached there potential and it is all thanks to veronika for being so generous with her site. my love to all. and many a cutie does test what they do and if not they do tell us and we can see some of ther designs in projects as well.

3 comments

by marjialexa 31 May 2009

As I understand it, this question is directed toward posting every freebie found on the internet, whether good or not. It is NOT directed to our digitizers who post in Designs by Cuties. There are sites like EmbroideryFree set or Tommyfreeset that are nothing but auto-digitized garbage, and if you don't have digitizing software to look at the design beforehand, you would not know that. I think posting these poor sites does a disservice to new embroiderers. Hugs, M

by camylow 31 May 2009

thanks for that tidbit....Your advice is to not do these then....

by marjialexa 31 May 2009

Not designs by Siviglia, whatever the website. They may mean well to give free designs, but the designs are so poorly done they're really doing no one a favor. Unless you have the software & time to fix the designs, don't bother. If someone has different experience with these, please enlighten me, because the ones I've downloaded are awful. Hugs, Marji

TTT for the cuties that missed this post,i think it has given me somthing to think about as i am new to embroidery,......too late when you have messed up your project*

I partly agree it is up to the individual on this I think. *4u all

I partly agree ... but I think that every person is able to see if the design is good or not ... everyone is free to choose whether to download a freebie or not...

For my part, I put links to freebies that I download for me. With Embird, I see quickly if they are well designed or not. This has happened to me there to buy designs on sites known and be very disappointed (with very bad design)!

about the harvest of flowers, I am not sure this is an important point: they don't give us any "bonus" and nobody is obliged to give a!

Thanks and * to you

I quite agree, I think only GOOD freebies should be posted, or collected. I see so many that are posted for free sets, and they are just horrible. I would be very sorry for someone who put one of these designs into their machine and expected to sew it out with no trouble. If you have software to look at the designs first, you will see some that are very poorly auto-digitized, with jump stitches all over the place. I would never never bother with designs that do not show an actual sew out, and even then think about what you might want it for. I would only personally recommend designs from places I know have good sew outs. Thanks for bringing it up. I do wonder if it isn't being done to collect flowers, for whatever that gains anyone. Hugs, Marji

As a rule I download ONLY when there's a picture of an actual stitch-out. Some site only have drawings or clipart, not even computer generated embroideries. Why? Don't they test their designs? What's the use of collecting them if you have no indication of the quality. It's rather naive to assume they stitch out OK because they are offered to the public.

Thank you for the ...none offense taken on it either from my part....I think with all the freebies given we aren't doing as much on our machines...since I am still learning, yes it would be better for me if others posted designs they knew were good quality so I would know what to expect....I too do not have all that much money to invest in this hobby and have to be very careful how I do things....THANKS