DJ... they are awesome....!!!! What a great idea.... And they came out so nice.... Gorgeous looking..I love them.........

DJ, they are beautiful. may consider doing that myself.

Thank you ladies! The poinsettias are easy to do. I combined several blossoms in each hooping. I'm making more for myself and for some friends.

Love the poinsettias they are beautiful!!!

Those poinsettias are awesome! Right now I'm embroidering names on the cuff of 22 stockings. Then I'll go back and do a design on the front of each one that suits each person. My 5 yr old GD wants a skeleton nutcracker on hers lol. Then doing some embroidery and applique on 9 onesies and I'm finished with Christmas gifts.

Cari

It looks like Santa might bring me a Brother® LB-6800THRD for making simple quilt labels. I realize it has a smaller hoop and I do have a very good DSM so I do not need it for regular sewing. Will I soon regret not holding out for a Brother PE770 Embroidery Machine or something similar with a larger hoop? The Brother LB-6800THRD is from Costco and it has a good deal right now for $339 while the Brother PE770 is almost double the cost. I would definitely have to wait to get the more expensive one. I am looking to make mostly labels for my quilt. I guess I wonder if I will soon regret getting the machine with the smaller hoop. Will I want to do a lot more embroidery once I have a machine and then feel limited?

That's a question only you can answer. Some people are very happy with a 4x4 hoop and never feel the need to go bigger, but I think most machine embroiderers who start small quickly outgrow the small machine. I started with a Janome 200e with a 5.5" square as its largest hoop( I did my first quilt labels on it-they came out beautiful) and it was only 2 months before I bought another janome(350e) with a 5x7 hoop. That lasted me two years until the 500e came out with the 8x11" hoop. I also have 2 Brother machines that use a 4x4 hoop but those were bought specifically for the built in designs.
All that being said, I find that I rarely use the largest hoops. I do so much embroidery for the little ones and babies in the family that the 2", 3", and 4" hoops get the most use. But it's nice to have the bigger hoops when I need them.
oh, and another thing - the Brother PE770 was on an Amazon flash sale a week or so ago for almost what that Costco machine is selling for. I'd watch Amazon every day from now til after Christmas because prices change daily and there's another Brother machine that is the twin to the 770 that may go on sale. It's the Designio 820. It comes with 3 hoops and enough thread and stabilizers so you can start embroidering right out of the box. It's every bit the work horse machine as the 770.

Cari

DJ....add me to your friends list....LOL...your friends are really lucky....family of course as well...

Cari....thanks for posting.....its a clear description of what an avarage embroider needs....LOL...I have the Janome350e
And was wondering if to get the 500.... Thanks for posting....

What Cari said..I use my 4x4 more than my 5x7...but today I pulled out my largest hoop- 6.25 X11 I think..making handle covers for my fridge/ freezer doors. My hubby has a bad habit of not realizing he has banana (eats them all the time!) on his fingers and it dries a mess. The covers will be washable . Will post pix when finished..about .75% finished.