Best Prima 200893 5 by 7-Inch Imprintable Invitation Card Set, Pink Deals

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I loved these! We made birth announcements with these, a wallet sized newborn picture on the front and a message on the back. They were sent out with the picture birth announcing her birthday, height and weight along with some specially picked prints. they turned out simple and beautiful!

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R&L 134-Piece Deluxe Sketching & Drawing Set Reviews

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List Price: $149.99
Sale Price: $115.12
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

I had seen one of these things a while ago in Bath and Body Works, but didn't want to pay whatever jacked up price they had it offered for. I was really excited to find this and for such a good price (better than others on Amazon and for the same product).

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Buy Lacis Ergonomic Handle, For Boye 6402 Steel Crochet Set, Wood

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I was somewhat disappointed with this handle. I had hand surgery to rebuild my thumb joint and I thought this would be more comfortable and relieve some strain on my hand, but it didn't. I think it might be better suited for somebody with small hands. The hole for the hook was drilled off center and it just doesn't feel comfortable in my hand.....Irene

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Works well to help crochet with arthritic hands. I use it often. I think it was well worth the price.

Best Deals for Lacis Ergonomic Handle, For Boye 6402 Steel Crochet Set, Wood

I crochet with thread alot, but recently the constant repetitive motion had become painful and seemed to be causing real damage to my fingers. I feared that I would need to give up my hobby. But the Lacis Ergonomic Handle used along with the Boye 6402 Steel Crochet Set has solved the problem. It is light, easy to use, and changes the way the fingers grasp the hook so that less pressure is needed. Now I crochet for hours without the least problem or pain in my hands. I recommend it to everyone who crochets with thread, whether or not you have begun to have problems from repetitive motion.

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You get what you pay for. I tried to use this handle several times, but each time it kept sliding around. I have put it back in its packaging and there it sits.

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I haven't really used it yet but I have one for the larger hooks and love it. My hands don't cramp and I can crochet longer and more intrigate patterns without hurting my fingers and hands. Very nice product

OOK 50637 ReadyScrew 2 Hole D Ring Hanger Tidy Tins, 8 sets 8 sets Reviews

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List Price: $8.99
Sale Price: $8.72
Today's Bonus: 3% Off

I use these on my 1/2 inch foam gator boards. They do a great job. They might be a bit long for 3/8th of an inch boards.

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These things are great! I use them to hang wood framed bulletin boards and dry erase boards, and they work really well much better than the hardware that the boards come with. With these, I just use a cordless drill to install the hooks, then nail the nail into the wall, and hang. Simple and easy. I highly recommend.

Cheap Plaid PROMOABI Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, Best Selling

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I have had a great experience so far. As the other reviewer said, the product did come in a cardboard box however the box fits the paint set nearly perfectly without much 'headroom' and the way it closes makes it easy to keep the box in good condition to store the paints permanently. None of my paints had leaked, and all were nicely sealed/full to the top. I am using them for nail art, and some of the colors can be a little transparent if I am using them on top of a dark polish. Nothing that a second coat or mixing it with a little of the white paint doesn't fix. I highly recommend the set and will order another with different color variations soon.

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I bought these to paint pumpkins this Halloween but we'll be using them for so much more. Great colors, all came sealed well with no leaks. Good set for the price.

Best Deals for Plaid PROMOABI Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, Best Selling

These paints were a good price and they were fresh. All arrived in perfect condition and the paints were fresh and worked well. I wouldn't use these for fine art, but for kids or crafts and the like these paints are perfect.

They did come out of my kids clothes in the wash, too, so that was a large bonus for me.

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As a woodcrafter, my friend uses acrylic paint to finish off the figures and signs that she completes. This collection is very useful as it gives her a good choice of colours. The brand is good and it was supplied very quickly.

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With out a doubt. one of the best. never disappointed with this product. my whole family use it and before this brand the results were not the same

Beadalon Large Lobster and Tag Nickel Free Silver Plate Grip, Set Review

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These Clasps are good quality. They are A little smaller then I thought they would be (what I pictured in my head)but they work well and look nice for a very good price.

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Manuscript Calligraphy Round Hand Box Set Reviews

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List Price: $17.95
Sale Price: $13.75
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

This is a good beginner set for calligraphy. The only problem I had with it is that the holder doesn't work very well, I prefer the speedball calligraphy pen better, it holds the nibs in place, this one is a bit wobbly.

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Cheap Judikins IMG-01 Mica Gloss Pigment Ink, 0.47-Ounce, Old Gold

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The product works as advertized but seriously people get on the Prime bandwagon. If I wasn't buying this product for a friend I would have never bought this item.

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Van Gogh 24 Oil Pastel Set Reviews

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I ordered 3 sets of Van Gogh 24 oil pastel (all different colors as offered thru Amazon for $7.17 per set. I was so disappointed when I received my order today. I opened the box and what School Specialty sent me was 3 containers each with 6 white pastels in each container . So now I have 18 white Van Gogh oil pastels sticks . I am very upset as this is not what is listed on Amazon. I certainly don't need and didn't order 18 white oil pastel sticks ...that's not what is being listed. Hopefully they will honor my order and get rhese three sets to me as soon as possible.

I did email the company, but unfortunately they are only opened monday thru friday, and I really needed these this upcoming week. I am an art student and needed to get started on a huge project that is due by Thanksgiving. Please School Specialty ...come thru for me!

Good news everyone! I received an email today with an apology regarding the order mix-up. Not only are they sending me my correct order at no charge, but they stated I can keep the extra 18 Van Gogh white pastel sticks also!!!! It will put me a bit behind in my project, but it more than made up for the error! Thank you for your integrity, School Specialty!!!

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Jacquard Products Procion Four Color MX Dye Set with Soda Ash Review

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List Price: $17.99
Sale Price: $12.44
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

I bought this to tub dye a pair of jeans a very dark blue color. Needless to say, this was pretty much the best option I could have chose. Procion dyes are not a quick deal, however. But dyeing clothes in general is a fairly labor-intensive process.

Unlike the grocery store brands, like Rit, you can't dye in the washing machine. These dyes require soda ash to fixate the pigments into the fibers of the fabrics. But, the results are much, much better. These dyes are also very colorfast. I can wash the jeans that I've used these dyes on, (which are almost black), with the rest of my clothes without worrying about staining everything else I put in with them.

Overall, the quality of these dyes can't really be beat. I have found yet another new product to be a fan of!

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I've never tie-dyed before, but with the instructions on the labels that was not an issue for me. The dyes were vibrant and could overlap for a variety of colors. I used this to make t-shirts and everyone was really happy with how they turned out.

Best Deals for Jacquard Products Procion Four Color MX Dye Set with Soda Ash

These dyes work well. Follow the instructionsyou MUST use soda ash if you want good results.

My advice is to use less dye than they have written on the instructions. The color is very dark and bold if you follow the instructionsI would have liked it better to use 1/3rd less dye in the ratio of dye to water. I wanted colors that were a bit more soft and pleasant. The turquoise is so dark if you use the ratio written on the instructionsif you want a nice aqua color then use less dye.

Honest reviews on Jacquard Products Procion Four Color MX Dye Set with Soda Ash

This kit made plenty of shirts for my daughter's birthday party. Each teaspoon makes four ounces and we already had the bottles from other kits, so we got about 4-6 4 ounce bottles from each color. We tye-dyed about 8 shirts and 8 pillowcases and had about four bottles left over. Jacquard is a great product and if you follow the direction on the website (non are included) you get a great result. I soaked the t-shirts in 3 gallons of water to fit them all in one time, but the soda ash was only for two gallons, one cup per gallon, so our shirts were not as bright as some I have done in the past, but still looked great. The colors are very vibrant. I would definitely recommend this kit.

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Exactly what I had expected. Didn't make quite as much dye as I had hoped but hey, I can always order more!

Review of Art Advantage 8-Inch Triangle Set

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I ordered these to use as a straightedge when sketching details for our drafting department. ACAD got strong about 5 years after I got out of college, so I didn't adapt to it like some the younger generationi.Triangle is a little rough at the edge, but nothing that can't be fixed with a knife or sand paper.

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I haven't heard from my granddaughter in CA yet; she is in Architecture at Cal Poly. I assume she likes it, but is busy in classes.

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Bought this for an art class to make grids. The instructor insisted we purchase these. Love the way it comes in its own cover. Very nice product.

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The Art Advantage 8-inch triangle is a quality product used for work. Arrived on time and in good condition. We would recommend this product

Discount Plaid One Stroke Brush Set, Number 2 Script, Number 12 Flat

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List Price: $14.59
Sale Price: $10.17
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

Item as described. Only observation would be the excessive S&H charge. I would think that, as small and light as these items were, the S&H per item would be less for a quantity of (8), than a quantity of (1). After this excessive shipping is factored in, I am better off purchasing these brushes at my local crafts store.

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Cheap SET OF TWO Silicone HELLO KITTY candy and dessert molds Pans

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The pictures don't do the mold justice. A nice deep mold. I use the mold to make soap. If you make soap or use it as a dessert or candy mold, you won't be disappointed. Its a sturdy mold.

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Good quality molds, only a little large. Made chocolates for the dessert table and these were more than one bite. Would have liked them a little smaller. That is the only reason I gave them 4 stars.

Best Deals for SET OF TWO Silicone HELLO KITTY candy and dessert molds Pans

In my opinion, this was a good deal. Liked the price and the chocolates that I made whit them. I am 38 and I can't get over Hello Kitty... I am happy that I got these.

Reviews of Brother Designio Series DZ820E Embroidery Only Machine

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List Price: $1,199.00
Sale Price: $699.99
Today's Bonus: 42% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program As far as I can tell by browsing here on Amazon, this machine itself is exactly the same as the Brother PE-770 except with a different color and a lot more accessories and supplies included with it. The price is a hundred bucks higher, which may be some consideration if you are trying to get a second embroidery machine cheap and already own all the supplies you will be needing. But if you are a person, say a guy who does not know the first thing about embroidery machines, who is looking to buy as a gift a first embroidery machine for some special person who does not yet have one but you think would enjoy one, then this package here is just what you need... and actually a great bargain. Except for cloth, I believe it contains every single item needed to get started actually embroidering, without waiting for craft or sewing stores to re-open after Christmas.

Included with the machine is a small accessory bag that is probably also included with the PE-770. This has a small pair of scissors, 3 bobbins for the under-thread, a seam ripper, a few spare needles, etc. And then there is a large embroidery hoop or frame that also would come with the PE-770. But with this package you also get medium and small hoops, along with their alignment templates. Then there is six 600 yard spools of different colored embroidery thread, and a 1000 meter spool of under-thread, plus 10 bobbins pre-loaded with under thread, plus 10 more empty bobbins, plus a pair of very pointy snippers for precisely trimming unwanted threads off your workpieces, plus another full pack of spare needles, plus 2 types of some backing or stabilizer sheets that you use to back up the fabric sometimes, I guess. There is also a CD that contains 200 embroidery designs, which is in addition to the ones built into the machine itself. We thought many of the designs on the CD were quite lame, but there are many good ones too. As the two extra hoops alone are worth $50 or more, and the guidance in selecting supplies could be considered priceless for some of us, this package is a great deal.

The strong points of this machine itself, as I see them, are:

It is easy to use. My wife and I have just a little experience with an old Brother PE-150 machine that we bought used last month, but we easily got this thing up and going in an hour or so, including transferring a design off the CD by USB drive.

It has a nice sized work area, 5 by 7 inches. This is well over double the square inches of 4 by 4 machines like our old one.

It has both the slot for the relatively oddball Brother memory cards, AND the much more useful USB drive port. Many people probably have design collections on the old cards, or maybe they could be picked up cheap at garage sales, but the going price on fleaBay is about $50 each for EMPTY cards. USB is the way to go for sure, for most purposes. There are tons of designs available for purchase individually out there on the internet, but tons being given away for free too. It is a tremendous advantage to be able to transfer designs freely without freak cards or costly "magic box" gizmos. Well maybe all the newer machines have the USB port now, I wouldn't know. A recent change in software allows the machine to locate design files stored in named folders on the USB drive, whereas just slightly older Brother machines apparently required the design files to be stored "right there" in the USB, without folders to organize them. This is certainly a huge improvement.

The machine seems quite sturdy.

As far as negatives go, we did have a little trouble at first with the automatic needle threader. When you work the lever, the gizmo slides down to a stopping point, then the parts rotate to thread the needle. The problem we were having was the downward motion was binding a bit, which fooled the mechanism into thinking it was time to rotate way before it really was. I put a bit of sewing machine oil on the 2 vertical shafts, as far up as I could using the tip of my pinky. Especially the left-hand shaft. Then I worked the threader lever through its full cycle, without any thread, about 50 times, starting slow and careful and finally working it fairly quick and snappy. This loosened things up a bit, and now it works perfect every time. It is sure a good feature to have, because my old eyes can't for the life of me see how the thread actually gets through the eye of the needle and I know it would be hell trying to thread it manually over and over for different color threads. I should mention the EXTREME IMPORTANCE of raising the needle to the top position, so that the line on the hand-wheel is dead on top, before attempting any needle-threading. Whatever stuffs or pulls the thread through that tiny eye must be pretty darn delicate... don't beat it against the part of the needle that has no hole!

Another minor negative, from a design standpoint, is that whereas our old PE-150 had the "hoop-mover" to the right of the needle, this new machine now has it to the left of the needle. Although the maximum left-to-right movement capacity of the old PE-150 is around 4.3 inches, there are reversible double-wide hoops available that allow you to embroider up to 8 inches wide in one hooping... by working inward 4 inches from each side. Being wide open to the left of the needle, the PE-150 could accept a hoop of any width. But now with the "hoop-mover" on the left, and the machine column blocking things on the right, this DZ820E cannot accept a hoop significantly wider than the biggest one that comes with it. Oh well, this won't affect most people much, it is just a theoretical "what could have been" thing.

Anyway, my wife is just crazy happy with this machine and how it works. She is a real expert seamstress, by the way, a professional actually with years of experience in repairs, alterations, and sewing up complete garments. But she never had an embroidery machine until last month, and now she has both her old good one and this new great one!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I've been doing basic machine sewing and hand-embroidery for years, but this is my first time trying an embroidery machine. So, this review is from a beginner's perspective, without any previous machines for comparison.

The good news is, for beginners, this may look intimidating when you pull it out of the box but is relatively easy to set up! If you've never used a horizontally-set upper thread spool, that may be a small learning curve; it's awkward at first but not complicated. Because the awesome little bonus-pack included some pre-wound bobbins, I skipped over the bobbin winding instructions for now. I did not know that machine embroidery requires a different type of bobbin thread! It includes a larger spool of white bobbin thread to get you started, even without the pre-wound ones. Threading the bobbin is a piece of cake, just like my regular Brother it's a quick drop-in just make sure the thread is going the right direction (there are diagrams on the machine, don't worry!). The Quick Reference Guide for Upper Threading is pretty confusing though, because it begins step 1 with connecting the carriage, turning it on, opening the cover, etc. So, by the time you get to actually threading the machine, the book is #10 while the corresponding numbers on the machine start with #1. Not insurmountable, but a little confusing. It has a few more steps than threading a regular sewing machine, but it's not very different.

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EDITED FROM ORIGINAL REVIEW: It took me quite a while to figure out the automatic threader, I broke a lot of threads and a couple of nails trying to get it to work. After about 30 little projects (with multiple colors of thread in each), I think I've got it! You have to make sure the thread has securely gone through the little "snap" next to the needle to hold it in place, thread it around the side (there's a diagram) and hold it LOOSELY as you pull the lever. I don't have good luck with the little thread cutter on the side, that seems to hold it too tightly for effective threading. It needs enough slack to push the thread through the needle eye, then you can manually pull it the rest of the way through. For some reason it seems to work better for me with the presser foot in the UP position don't know why because this doesn't affect needle position, but it works for me. Now back to your regularly scheduled review!

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Assembling the stabilizer & fabric into a hoop is easy and the instructions are clear. Please note that the bonus set includes extra hoops, but has stabilizer sheets for the 1x2.5 and 4x4 hoop ONLY, it does not include stabilizer for the 5x7 hoop, so you'll want to pick some up (cut sheets or a roll) before testing that hoop out. The hoops fasten securely to the carriage, though they require a little maneuvering to get them under the presser foot. Once you've got your fabric & hoop set up, your needle & bobbin threaded, the little LED screen takes over! It's very easy to navigate, pretty much walks you through the process I had no idea you could customize the design position and size so much! It has an option to check on what colors are needed before you start, and shows you which parts of the design are used for each color. Maybe this is normal for embroidery machines but I liked it! I'm a little rebel when it comes to color charts, so I like to know which parts I can swap for a different shade. The pixelated designs are nearly impossible to see on the tiny screen, so you'll want to use the included book for reference. Choose a design and hit go! Watch the design magically appear!

Trouble-shooting: the screen actually tells you what is wrong, for the most part, which is REALLY nice. I often don't realize that my presser foot is in the wrong position but it tells me what to do before moving the carriage. I had one project where I broke a needle (my fault totally inappropriate fabric choice) and it stopped immediately and beeped for help. I was able to change the needle and rethread it, hit the button and it was off and running again, mid-design. I also had some thread jam up and break (same fabric, haha) and same thing: it stopped work and let me fix it before continuing. It wound up missing a few stitches on the final design, but it actually didn't look bad and I was very impressed! One thing it did NOT tell me was when I had the machine too close to the wall, rookie mistake! It continued working away, just overlapping the stitch area where it had wanted to move the hoop around but bumped into the wall instead. So, learn from me and scoot that guy away from the wall! I also screwed up and layered my fabric under the hoop once; thankfully just a scrap for testing. It chowed right through it like a champ. Bad news for that fabric, but good news for thicker projects!

It comes with over 100 pre-installed small embroidery motifs, including several alphabet styles. Most of them are pretty basic, granny-looking stuff lottttts of flowers. The *bonus* pack with this machine includes a CD-ROM of even more designs, but mostly the same kind of thing: cute, but I don't want to make anything with them. I wanted to try anyway to see how transferring designs via the USB port would work, and after a little confusion, it worked great! I don't know if it's because I'm on a Mac, but I can't see any of the designs or even the PDF on my computer screen. Fortunately, the PDF printed fine and included thumbnails of every design on the CD, with a corresponding number so they're easy to look up. Click and drag the ones you want onto your USB stick, move it over to the embroidery machine, follow the instructions (super easy, mostly on-screen), and off you go! I also tried downloading a few designs off the internet to see if that would work. It can read either .DFT or .PES files, though .PES files give you a little pixel-preview on the LED screen and .DFT just shows you a file name. I still can't see a preview of any designs on my laptop after downloading, but the click-and-drag method works with the USB regardless! Works so well, in fact, that I downloaded many many new designs on my first night and have already used several! Renaming the files doesn't affect their functionality, so I renamed them all to file them by description.

The bonus pack also includes 6 spools of basic colors: black, white, red, green, black, and yellow. You'll need a lot more for most designs but this will get you started! Other than the threader issue, the included thread worked perfectly and smoothly. I also had a few other brands of embroidery thread on hand from a recent shopping spree (I had no embroidery machine at the time but they were pretty! don't judge!) and they worked perfectly too! The only breakage was due to a weird fabric I decided to play with (extremely tight weave); the thread was not at fault and neither was the machine. The machine itself comes with one hoop, one spool of bobbin thread, and all the other little necessities that every machine includes for operation (1 bobbin, little brush, mini screwdriver, etc). The bonus pack includes 2 more hoops, 2 sizes of stabilizer, the 6-pack of thread, a package of pre-wound bobbins AND a bag of empty bobbins, a pack of needles, the CD-ROM of extra designs, and a little curved snipper that REALLY helps you get up close to the design to snip off any stray threads! LOVE those snippers! Oh, and more good news: it uses regular standard needles and the same basic bobbins that all my other Brother machines have used, so no extra expense on that front!

Maybe I'm simply dazzled because I've never had an embroidery machine before, but the things this toy can do are absolutely amazing to me! I'm very impressed at how easy it was for a beginner to get started I went from opening the box to making little red & green cherries on cotton in less than 45 minutes. It has done everything I asked it to do, from downloading designs to integrating metallic thread. I made a few silly rookie mistakes but they were easy to fix and the machine helped me along. I have the sense that I've barely scratched the surface of the incredible things this machine will do, and the fact that getting started was so easy makes me excited to learn more. I almost deducted 1 star for the automatic-threader problem, but I'm very glad I didn't because that turned out to be user error too! I LOVE IT. It is my new boyfriend and we are going to live happily ever after together!

Best Deals for Brother Designio Series DZ820E Embroidery Only Machine

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Brother DZ820E is an embroidery-only machine (it does not function as a regular sewing machine) designed for the home embroiderer. I confirmed with Brother that this is indeed the PE770 with an updated exterior trim, an included starter kit that contains everything you need to begin embroidering the minute you open the box and 2 additional hoops. Otherwise, it's exactly the same fine machine.

It features a monochrome, LCD touch screen, a USB port and a Brother Embroidery Card slot, an automatic needle threader, a really bright LED light, a low bobbin thread indicator and on-screen help and tutorials. There are 136 built-in designs that include 6 alphabets with special characters. The USB port allows you to embroider unlimited designs you can buy or find free on the internet.

Brother has included an excellent users manual and a separate manual for using the USB port to transfer your designs to your machine. There's also a quick reference guide which covers threading, basic set up of the machine and color illustrations of all the built-in designs, fonts and frames. It includes the size and thread color charts for each design and a thread color conversion chart for different brands of embroidery thread.

The accessories that come with both the PE770 and the DZ820E are a seam ripper, 5 bobbins, three needles, a lint cleaning brush, 2 screw drivers, 2 spool caps, a spool net, scissors, an accessory bag, dust cover and one 5" x 7" embroidery hoop.

The extras that come ONLY with the DZ820E include a cd with 200 additional embroidery designs, a set of 6 different colors of Brother brand 40 wt. polyester embroidery thread, a spool of bobbin thread, a package of 10 reusable, pre-wound bobbins, a package of 10 SA156 empty Brother bobbins, curved-blade thread snips, and 12 sheets of tear-away stabilizer as well as the 4" x 4" and the 2.5" x 1" embroidery hoops. (You can also use standard Class 15 bobbins and standard sewing machine needles.)

These extras are well worth the approximately $100 difference in price between the PE770 and the DZ820E if you are new to machine embroidery and don't have any supplies or accessories. The extra hoops alone cost $25+ each! If you are upgrading from say the Brother SE400, the 4" x 4" hoop from that machine will fit this one and you probably have thread and bobbins and stabilizer so the PE770 might be a better choice since it is the same machine.

BTW, the smaller hoops are essential for embroidering on most infant clothing and for monogramming shirt pockets, cuffs and lapels. You can turn a plain, inexpensive shirt, infant onesie or baby blanket into a favorite, treasured garment by personalizing with a name or monogram! I probably monogram more than anything else because everyone is delighted with a personalized gift. Personalized top sheets and pillowcases or a towel set make a fantastic wedding or house warming gift. Children adore a personalized blanket or book bag. You can spend less money on gifts and increase the wow factor this way.

If you are experienced with machine embroidery, you will find this machine a pleasure to use. It's easy to thread and stitches beautifully. The biggest difference between this machine and a high end machine that costs thousands of dollars is the LCD screen. This screen is rather low resolution, as well as being monochrome and fairly small, so you really need to view and make major edits to designs on your computer screen rather than on the LCD screen before you transfer the designs to your thumb drive to load on your machine. You really can't see any detail on this LCD screen. But the stitch quality is every bit as good with this machine!

If you are brand new to machine embroidery, Brother has made it easy to get started right away. They've included quality designs, alphabets and frames, plus everything you need to embroider right out of the box. If you've never done machine embroidery, take some time to quickly read through the manual so you can avoid some of the more common difficulties. The two main problems that new embroiderers face, in my experience, are improper threading, thread delivery issues and poor hooping.

My advice to new embroiderers is to thread and re-thread the machine a few times, use a thread net on your upper spool of thread and then watch some of the many YouTube videos about how to properly hoop an item for embroidery. Choose a scrap piece of smooth, tightly woven, cotton fabric for a test monogram or design. You can embroider on all sorts of fabrics even knits but they are more challenging to hoop. Getting some experience with hooping woven cotton fabric will help you.

As you embroider more, keep your user manual close because it has the answer to all sorts of issues you'll confront. Like what to do when your thread breaks in the middle of stitching a design, for example. Seriously, it's an excellent manual and can help you troubleshoot almost any problem you may have.

My only complaint about this machine is the horizontal thread spool pin. It only accommodates regular size spools of thread, like the ones included. Most people who embroider a lot like to use King and mini-King cones of thread, which will not fit or feed properly on this thread spool. The answer is a separate thread stand like one of these. They work well and allow you much more flexibility in thread choices. Single Cone Thread Stand With Metal Base Shoppers Rule The 10 Spool Thread Stand-Grey A thread stand and a spool net will eliminate almost every thread delivery problem (knotting and thread breakage) you can have.

Some purchases you will probably want to make are some different stabilizers (maybe some soft knit stabilizers for embroidering knits), a selection of different colored embroidery threads, some water soluble stabilizer for embroidering towels, velvets or other items with a nap, a thread stand, and a USB thumb drive for transferring embroidery designs to your machine.

Included in the box are polyester threads, but you can also use rayon embroidery threads. Rayon threads are generally more vibrant in color and more lustrous, but the don't hold up as well to regular machine washing as polyester threads do. I use polyester threads for children's clothing and towels, bedding and other items that need to be washed frequently. I use rayon thread for items embroidering things like bags, scarves and clothing that will be dry cleaned.

Bobbin thread is finer and thinner and comes in black and white. Using it makes your embroidered area less thick, however you can use regular embroidery thread in your bobbin, too, and I do when the back side of the design or monogram will show as in towels and blankets.

You'll also likely purchase some of the thousands of embroidery designs and alphabets that are available for sale on the internet and maybe some of the Brother Embroidery Cards that are available. I own quite a few of the Brother cards from my 15 year old embroidery machine and I'm pleased to be able to use them on this machine.

You may also become interested in learning to digitize your own embroidery designs one day! I enjoy digitizing my childrens' drawings and stitching them out on their T-shirts. You will need to purchase digitizing software as none comes with this machine. There are many different digitizing programs available and they range greatly in price and functionality. My advice is to join a machine embroidery forum on the internet and get some recommendations for which program would suit your needs the best.

Machine embroidery is loads of fun and this mid range machine is splendid. It's the best 5" x 7" embroidery area machine available for the money, IMO, and I can recommend it without hesitation.

Honest reviews on Brother Designio Series DZ820E Embroidery Only Machine

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Brother Designio Series DZ820E machine is, as other reviewers have already pointed out, the twin sister to the popular PE770 -it just comes bundled with a few extra accessories that you would not find in the PE770 box, such as two smaller hoops (4x4 and 2.5x1), a CD containing 200 embroidery designs, 8 spools of polyester thread in primary colors, nice embroidery scissors, a dozen sheets of tear away and cut away stabilizer, a package of 10 pre-wound bobbins and some empty ones.

My biggest gripe is that as of now the DZ820E package costs a full two hundred smackeroos extra, and although it's certainly worth it, I'd rather spend that money on accessories and supplies of my choosing. For instance, although the 4x4 hoop is extremely useful and most people should probably get it, the 2.5x1 is much less of a necessity. The starter thread set's 8 colors is very limiting, and it's poly; you'd be better off with a large selection of rayon thread like this box of 80. Extra bobbins, even pre-wound ones, are inexpensive; try a box of 144 and share with your friends. The 12 sheets of stabilizer are enough to get you started, but the kit does not include any wash-away stabilizer. You will also need spray adhesive.

I've been using a Brother SE400 for a few months and was quite excited to move up to the next model; although the SE400 is an exceptional performer, its limitation to a 4x4 hoop can sometimes be a little constraining; also, it needs to be connected to a computer with a USB cable in order to transfer designs. The PE770/DZ820E is extremely similar to the SE400; if you're used to the SE400 the switch is absolutely painless; the machine is virtually the same as its smaller sibling, just with a bigger hoop -and no regular sewing capabilities.

On the right hand side, you will still find the Brother embroidery card slot, but instead of the SE400's USB cable connector there is a USB socket for a memory stick.

The LED work area lighting is brighter and more powerful than on the SE400. The auto threader is almost the same, and works amazingly well as long as you follow instructions: press the button and the needle is threaded, it's magic!

There are some changes under the hood that are not immediately apparent yet very important: the PE770 has persistent memory in which you can store a few designs and doesn't disappear if you switch off or unplug the machine; and unlike the SE400, which only lets you rotate the designs by 90 degree increments, the PE770 allows 1 degree increments, a great feature. Finally, the maximum stitching speed is over 50% faster (650 stitches per minute instead of 400) although in practice it doesn't appear to translate into faster work.

I don't have any experience with other brands of embroidery machines, so I can't position this relative to its competition; all I can say is that it's a machine that is extremely easy to use and very reliable.

If you've been frustrated by the 4x4 limitations of your SE400, this machine is a no-brainer upgrade: reasonably priced, and most of all zero learning curve since the interface is virtually identical. Plus, all your existing designs are compatible.

Very highly recommended; this combo has everything you need to get started. If you don't mind doing a little pre-purchase research, check out the PE770 and complement it with your own goodie package instead; it may be a better deal.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Brother Designio Series DZ820E Embroidery Only Machine

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I will start by saying that I am a complete beginner when it comes to embroidery. I sew, but had never even attempted embroidery until I got this machine. I actually bought Brother PE500 4x4 Embroidery Machine With 70 Built-in Designs and 5 Fonts and was so intimidated that I gave it to my friend without ever even trying it. So, this shows up at my door and I immediately get it out and set up. It was extremely easy to set up and the instruction manual was super easy to follow. Threading the machine was even easy. You just pay close attention to the instructions on where the thread goes. The arrows guide you the entire way. The needle threader works flawlessly, just make sure you put your presser foot down before threading the needle. I speak from experience when I say it won't work unless you lower it. This machine doesn't like 40 Spools Polyester Embroidery Machine Thread. I tried several different colors and they kept getting knotted up and would eventually break. I was worried it was the machine, but switched back to the Brother thread included with the machine and it ran flawlessly, but that thread is hard to find, so I ended up buying Floriani thread from a local sewing shop after a friend recommended it and it has ran flawlessly with it.

This machine comes with every single thing you need to get started besides the fabric. I loved that because I didn't know if I'd prefer tear away stabilizer or cut away. Different people prefer different things. I learned that I prefer tear away because it's one less step I have to mess with, but it's really just my preference. It comes with quite a few prewound bobbins for the bottom thread and several extra bobbins as well. It also comes with some amazing little scissors. They are so sharp and the perfect angle for trimming applique designs after you stitch the basting stitch.

It has many preloaded designs, but most of those really aren't my style, so I was eager to use my flash drive to transfer designs. From what I read in the book, you can't have more than 200 designs on the flash drive you are plugging into the machine or else it won't read and you can only have PES files on it. So, I made sure the flash drive I used was empty then just added the designs I had ordered from a website. I could view them once I plugged the flash drive into the machine. It's grainy looking, but still easy to make out and tell which design you are choosing. I did several appliques as well as just plain embroidery designs. I'm still trying to master how to get everything perfectly centered and straight, but I'm sure I will get better with time. I've uploaded several pictures of what I've been working on since receiving this machine.

I highly recommend this machine to anyone looking at getting into embroidery. It's a great entry level machine, but still nice enough for people that have been doing this a long time. I'm just thrilled with the results. Don't be intimidated. If you can thread a sewing machine, you can do this. I did have a hard time finding information about this machine on the internet, so I just used tutorials I had found for the Brother PE770 5 inch x7 inch Embroidery-only machine with built-in memory, USB port, 6 lettering fonts and 136 built-in designs. From what I can tell, they are the same exact machine, this may just be a newer version. All of the tutorials I watched applied to this machine as well, so if you find yourself stuck, look that one up.

*Update*

Since writing this review and doing a ton of research, I found a much less expensive embroidery software that works like a dream for me. It's called Sew What Pro and is highly recommended in the embroidery world. It can be downloaded straight from the internet with a simple search. They even offer a free 30 day trial which allows you to do 50+ designs just to make sure you like it before purchasing. I just couldn't see buying the Brother software for my little hobby. I hope this helps other hobbyist like myself, because I was so excited to find it. It works like a dream with this machine.

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I use these in my planner and notebooks! Perfect! These are precut and better than I had anticipated. Highly Recommended!

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Packaged nicely and arrived promptly. Love these strips of Washi. There are many patterns, and then there are strips of different sizes in each color and pattern. I've used these on a paper layout, on cards and on a 3d box I made to hold my clear stamps. Nice!