Who writes the guidesMeet our editors
Three people write and edit everything on Embroidery Edit. We haven't stitched on the machines we write about, and we don't pretend otherwise. The work is reading listings, manuals, stitch-field tables, backing charts, warranty terms and owner reviews, lining models up side by side, and updating the rankings when prices or models change. Every guide names the person who wrote it and the person who edited it.
Senior editor
Colleen is the senior editor of Embroidery Edit. She decides which machines make each ranking, checks every field-size claim against the millimetre figures in the manual, and reads owner reviews for the complaints that keep coming back. Her pet subject is the gap between the hoop named on the box and the area the needle can actually reach.
- Stitch field vs hoop size (4x4, 5x7 and up)
- Design files: PES, DST, JEF and getting them to the machine
- Starter budgets: what the machine price leaves out
- Keeping the rankings current
Sewing & serger writer
Hector writes the Embroidery Edit guides on sewing machines, sergers and coverstitch machines. He reads motor and needle specs, presser-foot clearance and the warranty pages most people skip, and he sorts owner reviews by the fabric people were sewing when things went wrong. He has little patience for a "heavy duty" label the spec sheet can't back up.
- Sergers vs coverstitch machines
- Heavy-duty machines for denim and canvas
- Brand lineups: Brother, Janome, SINGER
- Combo machines: what the sewing side gives up
Stabilizer & care editor
Rachel writes and edits the Embroidery Edit guides on stabilizer, placement, puckering, setup and care. She reads the backing charts that manufacturers publish and the care pages of each manual line by line, and she spends a lot of time in owner reviews, where a rippled stitch-out usually has a story behind it. She likes a checklist that fits on one page.
- Stabilizers: cut-away, tear-away, wash-away
- Puckering: fabric, backing and hooping
- Placement on shirts, towels and tote bags
- First-day setup and routine care