This article is a repost of one of our customers’ personal blog posts.
A couple of years ago, my mom gifted me her old Brother SE400 embroidery machine, and embroidery became one of my favorite hobbies. Suddenly, everything around me- T-shirts, hoodies, and even everyday clothes became canvases to decorate.
Soon, I realized the ideas I had in mind couldn’t be fulfilled with the pack of embroidery designs I inherited with the machine from my mom.
When I first started looking for machine embroidery designs, I thought the difficult part would be finding a design I liked.
It turned out that was the easy part.
Once I started looking at actual embroidery files, I discovered that there was much more to consider before clicking “Buy”.
What am I actually getting for the price shown next to the Buy button? What size is included? Does it fit my hoop? Which files are included, and can my machine use them? Do I have to buy several sizes when I only need one? And what happens if I have a question after purchasing?
Over the years, I bought embroidery designs from different places, and I noticed that the experience can really differ.
The first question: What size am I actually buying?
This was one of the first things that surprised me.
You might find a beautiful embroidery design and think it is a great deal. Then you discover that the download contains several sizes — perhaps 4×4, 5×7, and 6×10.
At first, that sounds like a great offer. Three sizes are certainly better than one — until you realize that your embroidery machine might only use one of them.
With my Brother SE400, the 4×4 size is the one I can actually use. So why would I need to pay for 5×7 or 6×10 versions?
Even if several sizes fit the hoop on a different machine, I’ve found that keeping all those files “just in case” isn’t always as useful as it sounds. There is a good chance I will never use the other sizes. And if I need the same design again years later, finding that particular file on my computer might take longer than simply buying it again.
That’s why I started paying much more attention to how designs are sold.
Can I choose the size I need, or am I automatically buying a bundle of sizes?
But what if I need the opposite?
What if I actually need several sizes because I’m planning to make a bunch of family T-shirts for kids and parents? Is there a good deal when all the necessary sizes are bought together?
This is where I started appreciating having a choice.
Some embroidery shops offer a design in a range of sizes, while some individual marketplace sellers offer only a few. For me, the useful option is being able to choose between buying the exact size I need and getting a bundle when I actually need several sizes.
And then there are the file formats
If you’re new to machine embroidery, the list of file formats can look confusing:
PES, DST, JEF, EXP, HUS, VP3…
At first, it looks like getting more formats is automatically better. But your embroidery machine may use only one or two of them. The variety is there because different machines on the market use different formats.
For my Brother, PES is the format I need.
And if the file format your machine supports isn’t included in the download, converting the design can become a real headache — especially if you don’t know how to check whether the converted file will stitch correctly.
So when I buy an embroidery design, I don’t just look at the picture anymore. I check the actual file formats included with the purchase.
A beautiful design isn’t very useful if you can’t load it into your embroidery machine.
Comparing where to buy embroidery designs
This is where things became more interesting.
There isn’t really one standard way to sell embroidery files.
On marketplaces such as Etsy, you can find an enormous variety of machine embroidery designs. But because you’re buying from individual sellers, the way files are packaged can vary. One seller may include several sizes and formats, while another may structure the listing completely differently.
Over the years, embroidery enthusiasts have also built up their own collections of embroidery stores where they regularly buy files.
My mom bought most of her files from EmbroideryDesigns, while many of the designs I personally wanted to use came from EmbroideryEmbroidery.com.
And that’s another thing I learned: sometimes finding a store you trust is just as valuable as finding an individual design.
Personal contact: the part I didn’t expect to care about
This was probably one of the biggest lessons for me.
Sometimes I may have a question about an embroidery file before I buy it, and the communication can actually become a dealbreaker.
At some places, you write a request and…
And then… silence.
No answer.
I waited, checked again, and eventually realized that getting an answer wasn’t as easy as I had expected.
Especially if you’re a beginner and you’re not sure whether a particular file will work with your machine, or if something doesn’t look right when you try to use it, being able to contact a real person is important.
That’s why my experience with EmbroideryEmbroidery.com was especially positive. The support I received was fast, professional, and genuinely useful.
For me, the best embroidery shop isn’t necessarily the one that gives me the biggest pile of files.
It’s the one that makes it easy to get the right file, in the right size, in the right format — and gives me somewhere to turn if I need help.
Find your store where you’ll trust for your creations!
