Thread Tension

"I just did an H test and several of my H's were solid color no bobbin showing on the back. I can't remember if it is too loose or too tight and what to do."

If your bobbin does drop an inch to an inch and a half, then you will need to tighten the tension knobs. Always provide a balance when turning these knobs, in other words if you do find that your bobbin tension is good, then turn the small knob 1 whole turn clockwise, and then do the same for the larger tension knob. Only sew one of the H's that are giving you problems, and then fine turn the tension until you have it good, then make the other knobs of the other threads knobs that are sewing poorly look the same. Then sew out a complete H test.

Troubleshooting Breaking Needles

"Why is my embroidery machine breaking needles? "

There are a couple of possible reasons why you are breaking needles, So if you can see if you can help me better understand.

• Are you sewing Caps or flat goods?
• Are the needles breaking at the eye or further up the shaft of the needle?
• What happened just before this anomaly occurred? Birds nest for example...
• Where is the weird noise coming from? Behind the needle bars, On the sides, is it a grinding noise or a squeaking noise. Is the noise coming from the bobbin area?
• Are you oiling your rotary hook every 4 hours?

You may want to check your hook timing, to do so follow these steps and let me know what you find.

SWF would like to introduce a new concept in used embroidery machines - "Certified Pre-owned"

Pre-owned SWF Embroidery machines now come with a 18 MONTH warranty and are required to pass our "certified Pre-owned" checklist before they are offered to the public.

We only certify machines that have a known history as well as being able to pass our inspection of operating condition and factory tolerances.
We only certify machines that have a known history as well as being able to pass our inspection of operating condition and factory tolerances. Once we have determined the machine can qualify for "Certified Pre-Owned", we make all adjustments, cleaning, parts replacement and test sewing before we give it our final stamp of approval.

Buy with confidence when buying a used embroidery machine from SWF East. Our "Certified Pre-Owned" embroidery machines are almost like buying new… for a lot less money! Check out our inventory of "Certified Pre-Owned" SWF embroidery machines.

Fox Cities Embroidery Inc. has success in small town market

Bev Laabs and Jill Kramer saw a prime opportunity in Hortonville, WI and took a chance by opening a screen printing and embroidery business with no prior industry experience. The reason they saw the need for a shop like theirs is because the Hortonville school district has about 3,000 students and they did not have a school store. Bev and Jill saw the need to have fan apparel and a local business that schools and organizations could come to for their uniform and apparel needs. Both ladies have families that are very involved in athletics; they both grew up in the area and had a lot of contacts within the school district.

They spent approximately 6 months researching different options and franchises. After months of investigating they opted to lease equipment through SWF. They wanted to avoid high royalty fees and strict guidelines with franchises. They opted to have their own advertising plan and just lease the equipment rather than make a huge investment purchasing more equipment than what they really needed. They started with a single head machine and a DTG printer. They spent a few days down in IL training on how to use the machines, and shortly after they were open for business. These two women were able to turn a profit their first year in business, in addition after 16 months in business they rented additional square footage because of how quickly the business grew. They started with approximately 1300 sq. ft, and now have about 1800 sq. ft.

SWF East Now Carries M&R Screen-printing Equipment

SWF EAST is excited to announce a very strategic alignment with The M&R Companies, providing M&R screen printing equipment.  The M&R equipment is the leader in the screen printing sector of the decorated apparel industry.