A problem shared is a problem halved and the experts at thread specialists Madeira UK have come to the rescue with some tips to help you overcome some of the most common embroidery problems…

Q: What is the difference between polyester and rayon thread? Which type should I be using?

A: Polyneon, the brand name of Madeira's high sheen polyester thread, is recommended when you need a yarn which will be heavily stressed, for embroideries on industrial textiles or any that are to be washed extremely frequently. It also has high resistance to chlorine, bleaches and artificial whiteners this is why it is often recommended on work wear.

A dream-come true technology, Embroidery i2 for CorelDRAW®, is a software plug in for CorelDRAW® that creates embroidery inside the graphics program. No need for a separate embroidery software application, no need to learn any new programs or interfaces.

Having recently seen a huge demand for consumables in recent times, Ralawise are delighted to announce stocks of Royal Threads and Madeira Embroidery Threads are now available.

Ralawise customers now have access to two of the industry’s leading thread ranges, offering the complete package to equip businesses with all they need to decorate garments for the end user.

RSK NetShirt proves there’s more than a grain of truth in the old adage that a stitch in time saves nine. Campbell Cameron, sales and marketing director with RSK Tech explains why.

More and more these days, your website is the first thing your customers will see of your company and your wares, and as we all know first impressions count for everything.

It's been a busy few months for Europe's biggest embroiderer, Slick Stitch.

eBOS – the new electronic ordering system has been an outstanding success both customers and internal account managers, with positive feedback from all users.

YES Ltd offer the full package when it comes to embroidery from machinery to software as well as a full range of consumables.

The SWF range of machines includes unique products such as the amazing Dual Function models and, as with most things in life, it is very often support for the process and not the machine that is needed. This is where YES Ltd have excelled over the years.

Thanks to Tajima ingenuity - and your own capabilities - you can do more with less. More profit that is, and less room needed in your crowded shop or family room.

That's because Tajima has stepped up the game with new, versatile applications built specifically for its industry-leading line of single head embroidery machines.

Budget has to be the first port of call as, without some clear guidelines here, both you and your prospective supplier are going to struggle. Deciding your spend though might not be as straight forward as you may first think as it will depend on the market you are aiming at. It is no good setting a budget that will restrict you to a single head machine when to fulfil your orders you need a 4 head.

Embroidered badges are not just for the big guys, who produce thousands per day from wide rolls of fabrics. For medium and small embroiderers the advantages of producing badges will give a boost to generate more business.

As part of its commitment to customers and a policy of sourcing new, value adding, garment decorating equipment AJS has added GEMfix, a range of high tech, fully automatic rhinestone setting machines, to its product line up.

Hereford based trade supplier Lewis Print Ltd has seen demand for its embroidery services expand during the first part of the year as director Jimmy Lewis-Humbert explains.

Melco have recently introduced a new model into their range of Amaya embroidery machines, the Amaya Bravo.

At Brother, our sales team deals with quite a few companies who've had requests for embroidered products from their customers and are investigating entering the market. They want to go further than offering a selection of template designs and they need to be able to complete jobs quickly and effectively. They can't take the risk of investing large amounts in heavy-duty equipment and they need some straightforward methodology that will enable them to master this new skill set quickly and enable them to produce impressive results.

Many embroiderers have talked about the issue of customers requesting print files for an embroidery design they have created. Here's a story about how the latest Wilcom software can not only do this, but will give you more business opportunities as well.

Embroidery has long held an aura of mystique and intrigue, a rare craft practiced in a far away land that is both cloistered and impenetrable, cut off from the world of lesser mortals and the uninitiated.

According to Darwin's theory of evolution, only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive, while those less adapted tend to be eliminated.

Leather has always been an important fabric in clothing but it does present its own set of problems. This month we will look at some of them and try to offer some guidance.

Removing oil stains and other marks:

Even though modern machines operate in a cleaner way than the older models there is still a chance that you may get the odd splash of oil on a garment especially just after lubricating your machine. If this happens then you have the choice of throwing that garment away and starting again which, of course, costs you money or cleaning the garment.