This is a question from me as Caroline and not as a moderator. How many of you collect free designs still? I remember 20 years ago when new to machine embroidery I collected every free design that I could get. I have deleted many of these designs over the years. As time has gone on collection freebies has decreased to about zilch. Thanks for replying and do add how long you have been doing machine embroidery

I have become very picky about collecting freebie designs. I find I hardly collect them anymore. I do the occasional alphabet sets and such. I do collect from the designers that I have bought from and stitched out

I still collect free designs. I remember that a year before I bought my first machine, I started collecting every free design. Over the years I have deleted many of these motifs. Now I only save freebies from companies I buy from and appreciate the quality of the designs. I have been doing machine embroidery for about eight years.

I did the same - at the beginning I got everything I could get my hands on - now, not so much. If it is from a designer I really like (and shop with too) or something very unique I will collect - otherwise I skip. I have enough designs now for a zillion lifetimes - but I still shop!

I have been collecting since about 2006. I often dump designs during the unzipping and organizing process when I determine that a design has been poorly digitized or one that I don't believe I would use it. With that being said, I still have many, many more designs (both free and purchased) that I will never use.

I have been embroidering for 12 yrs. I don't collect as i use to I'm more selective now.

My embroidery machine is only 4 years old and cannot express how much I enjoy watching a design being stitched. In those 4 years, I have already collected over 30,000 designs, more free designs than purchased. A person would think that is enough, but I still check a few sites daily but have become very selective. When I first started, Aunt Annie was very helpful with a list of sites to go to for designs to purchase and free. Three years ago, I purchased a program to give key words to designs so they can be found easily, I try to keep up daily, with the key words as the designs are collected daily. Keep in mind I try to keep up, at this time, I have over a thousand designs without key words, but I am making headway.

I only collect freebies and purchase from my favourite designers whom I trust and respect their work, I do not participate in hunts either ( not enough hours in the day lol ).. if I like a design I purchase it.( except look alikies I have no interest in these types of designs). I do enjoy digitizing myself .. so I am in awe of my favourite designers and their amazing talents :-) my favourite types of designs are heirloom anything tone on tone lacy ...
I began this journey when my last child was born she is sweet 16 now
big hugs from London
Maria

I am in total agreement with you. I have so many designs I have collected since I started in 1998 that I sometimes have a hard time finding what I am looking for. I have gotten VERY selective in collecting and even buying new designs. Hugs. Nan

I support many digitizers (way too many), and love embroidery. I still collect the free gifts, and I have been embroidering for 20 years. I love it more every day. I started with Viking Iris, traded in for Designer 1, traded in for Designer SE, which I still have and also own Babylock Destiny and Solaris. Embroidery is my passion.

I haven't collected free designs for 2-3 years now. I have far too many well digitized designs to keep track as it is now. I also have my favorite digitizers that I know I can trust for quality designs. I just prefer to support them now. I bought my first embroidery machine in 2005 and have loved learning and stitching and still have plenty to keep me busy.

I have bought memberships, designs and I collect free ones that digitizers bless us with. My machine is ULT2003 Brother. Yes it is outdated uses floppys (which I have a hard time getting now) but it works good so far for me. I just need to be busy sewing some out. LVu

Hi, I have been embroidering 17 yrs. I don't collect as many as I use to as I'm more selective than I used to be.

Hi all, doing machine embroidery for 15 years now, don't collect freebies any more, have too many now!!! I do have them divided by subject so I can go directly to what I'm thinking to use!

Don't collect freebies anymore. Did for quite a while, need to do some culling. I started machine embroidery 14 years ago.

Don't collect freebies anymore, haven't for many years. Have been embroidering for about 25 to 30 years.

I stopped some time ago. I still collect the ones from Miss Veronika's sites

I still collect free designs but I am a little more selective these days. Like you I have deleted many of the very early designs as they were not very good. My first embroidery machine was a Brother with a 4x4 hoop with cards I thought I was in heaven with that machine. I still have a Brother embroidery machine and still love embroidery. The very first digitisers were very generous and I will be forever grateful to them. It was a very expensive exercise starting out all those years ago so a freebie be it a good one or not I was happy to collect all I could, as I could not really afford to pay the price of the really good digitisers. My thanks to those early ladies and gents who gave so generously.

Hi Caroline, I don't collect any free ones. I prefer to pay for the work that our digitisers do, they've earned it!! Love Chris

P.S. Been embroidery for over 30 years!!

My machine hasn't been turned on in 3 years. I was going to do some mending on it the other day and now it's so angry with me, it refuses to turn on. I did my mending on another machine, but I guess eventually I'll take it into the shop. SO, I hardly ever collect free designs except from here. I just love these and don't want to miss anything!

Still collecting most, since 2009. I have a librarian mindset. Say there's a really ugly Halloween skull design. Now, I would never stitch that out for me, but I want to have it in the library of choices for that rare customer who wants a skull with flowers alongside, or whatever. Because I sure don't want to PAY for an ugly design like that to use it maybe once. I have hundreds of pumpkins, Christmas trees and wreaths, cats, dogs, elephants, crosses and on and on. Get my drift? I also try to file them like a librarian. Although I never was a librarian, I did study English lit. and language in school and work in the library as part of my scholarships and grants requirements. I have deleted a few that were horribly digitized.

I collect very few now.

I still collect the new designs that I like Caroline

2 comments

by asterixsew 10 Mar 2022

Welcome to Cute

by jrob 10 Mar 2022

Hey Joolz. I'm glad you're here!