WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:05.839 I've been teaching my daughter how to sew and we've made some really cute creations [music] together, but we 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:10.960 wanted to take it to the next level. So, we decided to look into embroidery machines. [music] I wanted to get 00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:14.559 something that was easy to use, easy to maintain, had a large enough [music] 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:17.440 embroidery area for different types of projects, and the ability to do 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:20.960 different types of fabrics, including hats. She wanted 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:24.400 >> colors. And that's how we ended up with the buy 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:28.160 mirror embroidery machine. [music] It's an entry-level commercial machine. And 00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:31.920 the first question you might have is why commercial? The first reason is that 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:36.000 everything I read online said that you should get the biggest embroidery area 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:40.079 that you can afford. And this can do up to 20 by 14 in. [music] And secondly, I 00:00:38.559 --> 00:00:43.760 wanted to be able to do hats and most small machines that are for at home 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:47.600 hobby use aren't able to do that. The other thing that she wanted was multiple 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:51.039 colors, which meant we needed a multi- needle machine. And lastly, Creator 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:56.320 Warehouse recommended it. It's a no-brainer at that point. They had friends in the embroidery industry who 00:00:53.760 --> 00:01:01.440 said that the buy brand was basically a copy of the Tajima brand, which [music] 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:05.040 is the ultimate embroidery brand, but at a fraction of the cost. And this checked 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:08.479 out. When I went to the local suppliers, I saw Brother brand machines where they 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:12.479 had [music] six needles that were double the cost of the buy mirror machine, 00:01:10.320 --> 00:01:15.200 which has 15 needles. The online ordering process was actually really 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:19.200 simple. [music] I just went online, placed my order, and I actually picked it up at a local warehouse and saved 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:23.920 $800 [music] in shipping, which was amazing. But it 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:27.600 meant that Lionus and two other guys had to finangle this machine out of the back 00:01:25.759 --> 00:01:32.240 of the minivan. Uh, which was not great cuz it [music] weighs about 260 lb just 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:35.920 for the top half. Assembling it was really easy, though. The top half didn't 00:01:34.240 --> 00:01:39.840 require very much assembly. We just had to install these handrails. And then for 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:43.680 the bottom half, it was as simple as a few thumb screws and we added the feet 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:46.479 and the wheels on the bottom so that we can actually move the machine. And it 00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:51.680 also [music] came with all of these accessories that you see here. So, the 00:01:48.399 --> 00:01:53.200 first one was the tool kit, a set of 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:58.560 bobbins that are pre-wound [music] for us, some extra needles, some 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:59.840 stabilizer, some oil and sewing oil, 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:05.360 >> some threads. >> Oh, yeah. It came with four different threads. It also came with some two sets 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:08.399 of hoops. The two sets [music] are exactly the same. And I think the reason 00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:12.080 for that is because when you have something installed and the embroidery machine is working on it, you can be 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:16.720 getting ready to prep [music] the next hoop to use. And it also came with the 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:18.959 hat stations to be able to do hats. We haven't used them yet, but we're excited 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:25.520 to try. >> Now, it's time to turn it on. >> After lots of reading online and 00:02:23.200 --> 00:02:29.599 watching tons of YouTube videos from their website, [music] I finally figured 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:34.959 out how to use this machine. The first step is what Cat did, which was turn it 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:38.560 on. Um, this machine actually uses a regular 120 volt [music] power plug. So, 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:43.280 we didn't have to do anything special for the electrical in here to get it to work, which is amazing considering most 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:47.680 people who buy this machine [music] start with it in their home as kind of a 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:53.120 side hustle business. The next step, >> oiling it. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:59.280 >> We see like a little knob in here. You pull on it and pull out the bobin. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:05.440 Here's the bobin. Thread's low. You should note [music] that. And then you 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:07.680 put three to five drops of sewing oil in 00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:15.560 the bobin area. And we can pop it back in there and push till it clicks. Next, 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:15.560 we have to oil this part. ldstore.com. 00:03:16.640 --> 00:03:22.080 Voila. One thing that I find really annoying is that [music] this plate 00:03:20.480 --> 00:03:24.879 doesn't have pre-made holes in it so that you don't have to unscrew it and 00:03:23.519 --> 00:03:30.920 screw it back on every single time you oil it. I've seen [music] lots of people make their own and there's just pre-done 00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:30.920 holes. 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:42.000 See that hole? And you put three to five drops in that little hole. Then oil all 00:03:39.200 --> 00:03:45.200 along the edge. >> She's in charge of servicing the 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:49.252 machine. As you can tell, [laughter] I don't do that part. The next step was 00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:52.720 installing our different threads, but we [music] also had to program the 00:03:50.480 --> 00:03:55.599 different colors in here so that it knew which ones we were selecting when we 00:03:54.080 --> 00:04:01.599 were changing it on the screen. >> I select number one. So now I get to 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:05.040 choose out of all these 18 pages of 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:06.799 colors which color matches the most to 00:04:05.040 --> 00:04:10.439 my number one. And then when you're done, click save. 00:04:10.799 --> 00:04:17.199 We had to do that for all 15 colors. And you can see that the machine is numbered 00:04:15.452 --> 00:04:20.692 [music] here so that you can see which needle belongs to which one. As well as 00:04:19.440 --> 00:04:25.440 in the back here when you're installing [music] so that you can know which one 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:29.600 back here corresponds to here cuz I lose track of all the different threads. The 00:04:27.840 --> 00:04:33.199 next step after that was connecting it to Wi-Fi [music] so that we could upload 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:36.880 patterns. It did come with a little USB stick, but it just seemed way simpler to 00:04:35.758 --> 00:04:42.560 [music] connect it to Wi-Fi and get started. This is the online software. It's very, very basic, but it works. You 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:46.080 just click upload pattern and then you drag and drop into here [music] or you 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:50.320 can click here and open whatever file it is that you've got. They're also working 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:55.360 on their own digitizing software but it is extremely [music] basic right now. Um 00:04:52.320 --> 00:04:57.120 but mostly what I do is I get patterns 00:04:55.360 --> 00:05:01.600 from [music] online websites and then I upload it here to combine them all 00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:04.479 because this one here is too basic to really do anything. It does say that 00:05:03.280 --> 00:05:08.479 it's in beta [music] right now. So hopefully in the future there will be way more functions. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:11.600 >> So the next step is to choose what pattern you want to use. You have to do 00:05:10.080 --> 00:05:16.320 a tension test to make sure that the threads [music] on the top and the bobbin are at the right tension so you 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:19.280 get nice clean lines. Now that the machine is all set up, we have to 00:05:17.520 --> 00:05:23.039 actually get the fabric all set up to put inside the machine. One thing that's 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:26.720 really nice about these frames is that the sizes are written right on the frame 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:31.680 and that corresponds with the machine. So, it's really easy to make sure that you've picked the right one. 00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:34.400 >> So, you'll need two pieces of stabilizer that fit in the hoop. 00:05:32.880 --> 00:05:39.280 >> The reason you need stabilizer is because it makes the fabric more stable when the machine is going back and forth 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:42.960 through the fabric. Grab your stabilizer >> and then you put the fabric on top and 00:05:41.280 --> 00:05:48.800 then you put the front one on and then you press. >> You tighten the back of the hoop, the 00:05:46.479 --> 00:05:53.039 little notches here. They slide under the little things on the handlebars and 00:05:50.880 --> 00:05:57.520 you push it forward until it clicks into place on the little rectangle-shaped 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:02.720 holes. Then if you have like a whole bunch of drapey extra like this, you 00:05:59.840 --> 00:06:07.759 just slide it over this little bar here. So then it doesn't get dirty if your 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:09.039 floor is not the cleanest like ours. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:17.199 >> Oh, we forgot to select all the different colors. Do you want to show them that? >> What I like to do is just go one, two, 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:19.280 three, four, all the way up. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:23.680 >> And the reason she has to do this is because it doesn't actually highlight 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:27.919 which area you're changing. So it's really difficult to know. So we we we 00:06:26.080 --> 00:06:32.240 this is our workound for color coding it. You make sure that this says AA if 00:06:31.039 --> 00:06:40.080 you're doing a test. >> Do you know what AA is? >> Yeah, it's like [music] automatically 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:43.199 automatic. And then we click ready. 00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:45.199 >> Sometimes it's handy to run a trace. And 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:49.919 the reason you run a trace is to make sure that your embroidery is within the 00:06:47.919 --> 00:06:53.280 hoop. The last thing you want to do is have a needle hit the edge of the hoop 00:06:51.520 --> 00:06:56.560 and for your design not to fit. >> Then you press the green button. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:00.800 >> Oh, wait. Before we hit that button, let's talk about our sponsor. than true. 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:08.000 Capture every angle with their Nexus 4 Pros dash cam. It has a 4K front, 2 and 00:07:04.080 --> 00:07:10.479 1/2K rear, and 1080p interior camera, 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:15.280 all in HDR. Their night vision system combines a Sony Starvis 2 sensor, plate 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:20.319 pix license plate enhancement, and interior infrared LEDs for low light 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:24.880 situations. The rear camera has an IP67 waterproof rating, and bringing the 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:29.759 package together is 5.8 8 GHz Wi-Fi, GPS logging, and 24/7 motion triggered 00:07:27.280 --> 00:07:33.840 recording that records before and after an incident. Check out the Vanrew N4S 00:07:31.840 --> 00:07:39.599 dash cam using our link in the video description. >> There it goes. 00:07:37.919 --> 00:07:43.520 >> One thing that I forgot to mention is the tension test isn't [music] just a 00:07:41.599 --> 00:07:47.199 oneandone thing. You actually have to run a tension test every time you do a 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:51.120 new fabric. We're not going to fish finish that one on camera because [music] it takes too long to do, but we 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:55.535 can show you some of the ones we did in the past. You're supposed to have a third of white in the middle and then a 00:07:53.759 --> 00:08:00.879 third of the color on either end. [music] And that's how you know you've got the right tension. This one here is 00:07:58.960 --> 00:08:06.080 probably perfect. After thinking that we got the tension [music] right, it was time to start our first stuffy. Uh we 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:08.639 tried this one, but you can see that we still didn't get it quite right. [music] 00:08:07.599 --> 00:08:13.680 And there were a lot of things we learned along the way. >> So like when I go to select the color, I 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:19.599 find four. That's the insides of the ears. I want to turn that pink. So now 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.680 the insides of the ears are pink. Should we hoop it and get it ready to 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:26.879 embroider? >> Sure. There's actually three different types of stabilizers. So, the one that 00:08:24.960 --> 00:08:30.400 came with the machine is the tear away stabilizer. [music] When you're done the embroidery, you 00:08:28.960 --> 00:08:34.399 turn it around and to remove the stabilizer, you just tear it off. Uh 00:08:32.560 --> 00:08:39.599 there's also cutaway stabilizer, which is actually more stiff, and in order to 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:44.080 take that apart, you have to cut it. There's also washable stabilizer, which 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:50.240 some people use to put [music] on top of a design, and then to get rid of it, you 00:08:46.560 --> 00:08:50.240 wash it away with water. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:56.959 So, I haven't actually [music] looked at this pattern, and you said something about how there's applique. Mhm. 00:08:54.880 --> 00:09:01.440 >> Applique is [music] when you put another piece of fabric on top and embroider 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:06.160 that piece to the original piece. >> This is like green fabric [music] and we 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:10.320 added brown on top. >> You could theoretically just embroider 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:13.680 brown, but the reason we did it with the fabric is because we like the [music] 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:16.959 material and the feel of it, and also because it saves a lot of thread because 00:09:15.040 --> 00:09:20.560 it's such a big space. >> Exactly. Do you want to run a [music] 00:09:18.160 --> 00:09:25.920 trace to make sure it's going to fit? >> Sure. 00:09:22.959 --> 00:09:29.800 And it's like going around and looking see if it's well traced. 00:09:30.560 --> 00:09:34.720 >> Right now it's just doing like a little trace of the part that we're going to 00:09:33.680 --> 00:09:41.839 applique. >> Now we have the white that we're going to use. A somewhat largeish piece just 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:47.000 in case. So you just like place it on top of the red shape and make sure nap 00:09:43.839 --> 00:09:47.000 is right. 00:09:52.959 --> 00:09:58.000 We haven't um there's actually an applique feature on here, but we haven't 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.920 figured out how to use that either. So I just stick my hand in here and I try to 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:08.279 cut it. >> You shouldn't. >> I know. [music] Sorry. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:08.279 Now go. 00:10:09.920 --> 00:10:15.880 >> The little screen shows what it's done so far. 00:10:17.760 --> 00:10:23.279 Oh, we got an error. Tension break. So, when a tension break happens, it doesn't 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:29.519 actually tell you what's wrong. [music] So, you kind of have to figure out yourself. Um, my guess, because we 00:10:28.152 --> 00:10:33.680 [music] noticed that the bobbin was low earlier, was that we ran out of thread 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:36.920 on the bottom. Tada. >> Thank you. 00:10:38.800 --> 00:10:45.120 This machine does have the ability to actually go backwards or forwards in 00:10:42.959 --> 00:10:49.600 stitches and retrace an area that got missed. Theoretically, you should be 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:52.399 able to put the hoop in, set it to go, and just take off and do something else 00:10:50.880 --> 00:10:56.320 for a bit and then come back later to a finished design. Um, one thing that I do 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:59.680 recommend is just making sure you're nearby. You can be doing something else, 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:04.079 but the minute you hear an error like that, it's nice to be able to come back right away and deal with it. Otherwise, 00:11:02.560 --> 00:11:08.160 you'll come back 2 hours later expecting it to be done and then it's not done because you have to deal with the error. 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:11.200 >> Does it give you a time estimate? >> It does not give you a time estimate, 00:11:09.760 --> 00:11:14.640 but theoretically, you can figure that out because it tells you the number of 00:11:13.040 --> 00:11:18.079 stitches this design is and then it tells you how many stitches per minute 00:11:16.160 --> 00:11:22.399 you're going or you're running at. So, this design is about 5,000 stitches. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:26.000 Right now, we're running it at 700 stitches per minute. So, about 7 00:11:23.839 --> 00:11:29.279 minutes. I know that you I say you can go away and do something else, but 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:32.560 honestly, it's mesmerizing to just sit here and watch. We've had to do a little 00:11:31.040 --> 00:11:36.480 bit more complicated troubleshooting before. For example, we couldn't get our 00:11:34.160 --> 00:11:40.079 laser to start working, but watching the online videos, and honestly, the 00:11:38.800 --> 00:11:44.079 Facebook community [music] has been amazing. Uh there have been a couple 00:11:42.160 --> 00:11:48.240 times where I've reached out to the support team on WhatsApp, and they were 00:11:46.800 --> 00:11:53.839 in a different time zone, so it took a little bit longer to respond to me, but when they did respond to me, it was back 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:58.000 and forth really fast. Some machines do have local suppliers and technicians 00:11:55.920 --> 00:12:01.120 that can help repair, but I think this machine, their intention is that it's 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:04.880 all DIY [music] and you figure it out yourself. Um, but what happens if a part 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:08.480 breaks? That's the part that I'm not sure. Do they ship it to me? Uh, how 00:12:06.959 --> 00:12:12.240 long is that going to take? Is it going to be easy for me to figure out? So far, 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:16.240 I haven't had any of those issues. Everything has been really simple 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:20.813 day-to-day operation issues. But if a part inside here breaks, what do we do? 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:25.279 We have to learn how to digitize. So, [music] right now we are just buying 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:28.639 embroidery files and >> done. Yes, it is done. Um, yeah, right 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:34.160 now we're just buying embroidery files and [music] they cost maybe like $3 to $5 each time, but that's still $3 to $5 00:12:32.160 --> 00:12:37.839 each time. Uh, so recently I downloaded a free software called Inkscape [music] 00:12:35.920 --> 00:12:42.560 and Ink Stitch and I've been trying to do my own files, but it's been it's been 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:46.800 a really tough learning curve. >> Let's tear the terror away. So, you grab 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:50.720 it [screaming] pretty much. I feel like every time we 00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:54.320 use the machine, we're learning something new. Whether it's learning a 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:58.480 new fabric or learning a new design where it sews itself together, which is 00:12:56.079 --> 00:13:01.519 cool, or learning how to applique. What else have we learned? 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:04.720 >> Well, we learned how to hoop the fabric. >> Yep. I feel like that's a constant 00:13:02.959 --> 00:13:10.240 learning process. So, the end goal for us here is to a learn something new 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:15.839 together and b start a side hustle so I can teach her about business. She's had 00:13:12.079 --> 00:13:18.639 people request animals or people before. 00:13:15.839 --> 00:13:23.200 And so if we can turn her sewing hobby and embroidery hobby into something that 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:25.920 funds her next hobby, that's a plus in my books. In order to run the side 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:30.560 hustle though, there's stuff that we have to figure out. Consumables, like where do I get blank hats? Maybe 00:13:28.959 --> 00:13:34.959 ltstore.com. Um, and blank shirts or sweaters. I also 00:13:32.959 --> 00:13:38.399 have to figure out where to buy stabilizer, all the different types of 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:42.399 stabilizer that we talked about earlier. Uh, I might need to look into getting 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:45.920 better hoops. If it takes this long every single time to hoop something, 00:13:43.920 --> 00:13:50.000 that's not very efficient. But I feel like all of that is to come later once 00:13:47.839 --> 00:13:53.519 we get the basics going. And part of the basic that we need to figure out is 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:57.120 pricing. There are tons and tons of guides out there, including from buy 00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:00.160 itself or from Maggie Frames, one of the magnetic hoop manufacturers. And there's 00:13:58.800 --> 00:14:03.279 lots of online posts in the Facebook embroidery chat that go back and forth 00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:09.600 about, hey, how do you price for this or how do you price for that? I've seen people say that they charge about $15 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:14.399 for 5,000 stitches if we're running at 800 stitches per minute. That's 00:14:11.199 --> 00:14:15.600 approximately $140 an hour. Now, that 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:21.760 sounds like a lot, but we haven't factored in any of the consumables and my time yet or the cost of the machine 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:27.229 or rent if you're renting a space. So, lots to figure out still, but it sounds 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:29.920 like it could be something really good. [laughter] 00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:36.800 I mean, look how far we've come so far from doing little felt eyes to doing 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:41.360 little embroidered eyes. So, I think we'll get there. So, how much does it 00:14:38.160 --> 00:14:43.440 all cost? Well, it was about $5,400, but 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:48.560 I saved $800 because I picked it up. So, it was about $4,600. Um, and that sounds 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:52.320 like a lot, and it is a lot, but when you consider some of the other machines 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:59.120 that were capable of doing the same things, they were literally about 20 to 00:14:55.760 --> 00:15:01.839 $40,000. So, it's a huge savings from 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:06.560 that perspective. Um, even the athome machines were about $800 to start and 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:09.680 they only did a single color, which meant that every single time you wanted 00:15:07.920 --> 00:15:13.199 to change a color, you have to change the thread, which is extremely 00:15:11.839 --> 00:15:18.160 timeconuming, especially if you're actually trying to turn this into a side hustle. So, I'm hoping once we figure 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:20.959 out the next learning curve for this side hustle thing and pricing and all 00:15:19.680 --> 00:15:28.000 that, we'll actually be able to help recoup some of that cost. >> And here's the finished product. Now I'm 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:31.760 going to fill it up with stuffing. And then I get a needle and thread and I 00:15:29.839 --> 00:15:36.240 just sew close the hole. >> That is so cute. 00:15:35.199 --> 00:15:42.760 Okay, >> thanks for watching. Make sure to check out lttstore.com. 00:15:39.760 --> 00:15:42.760 Bye.