{ Crafting Equipment }

I once thought golf was an expensive hobby. And then I started crafting.

I am often asked how I make a given craft item. And, after explaining the process, the response is usually, “And why wouldn’t you have that kind of a machine?” I’ve just come to assume that everyone has crafting machinery tucked away in their homes, ready to crank out some fantastic something-or-other at any given second. But, apparently not.

I’m also asked quite often (in fact, twice today alone) by those looking to buy their own as to what particular machines I have. Hopefully this post will answer that and highlight the key machines I rely upon in my Krafty Kade endeavors.

How It All Started

Admittedly, I went about acquiring my crafting equipment a bit haphazardly. Sure, I read reviews and studied features, but I really didn’t know what I needed or wanted for the long-term. I just started buying what people seemed to mention most or that sounded the coolest. Fortunately for me, with one minor exception, I think I made some pretty good choices in the pieces I’ve acquired in the past nine months or so since beginning down the crafting road. You know…the road paved with fabric scraps and glitter.

The one minor exception would be that I wish I’d bought a sewing machine/embroidery machine combo, rather than the two as separate machines. I didn’t realize this was even an option until after buying both separately, but it would’ve saved a lot of money and space. You live and learn though, I reckon, and I do love both of the machines.

In fact, we’ll start off by discussing the sewing machine itself, as that was the first thing I bought.

The Sewing Machine

Don’t ask me why, but I really wanted a sewing machine. I can’t stitch a button onto a shirt for the life of me, but somehow having a sewing machine made sense. I may have had a bit too much time on my hands, as in 2012 I’d taken off the last two weeks of the year from my full-time job to just relax. And, when I have time on my hands, it’s usually spent coming up with something to fill said time. In this case, that something ended up being a Brother CS6000i sewing machine. It’s a very good sewing machine for beginners or the occasional hobbyist. I got mine for a great price off of Amazon.com.

I read the manual from cover-to-cover and then just started sewing. That led to a slight obsession with fabric. And by “slight”, I mean “major”. Oh, how I love me some fabric! Alas, I digress…

The Embroidery Machine

I love monograms. Reese Witherspoon summed it up perfectly when she said, “…My rule is that if it’s not moving, monogram it!” And what better way to monogram than to embroider? Sure, I had no clue what I was doing, but I got the embroidery machine anyway. And I’m very happy that I did. I’ve realllllly enjoyed that thing.

What’s crazy about that is that up until very recently, I wasn’t even very good at using it. But, I still had fun with it. Then I decided to spend a little money on a guide book that walked me through some basics I’d not previously read. So, that was enlightening--and it made all the difference in the world. I just made some monogrammed pillowcases a couple of days ago and the final product was just fantastic compared to previous items I’ve slapped monograms onto.

For me, the Brother PE-500 is the way to go when you’re starting out at embroidering. Sure, I’d love an embroidery hoop larger than 4” x 4”, but doing that can jump greatly in price reallllllly quickly.  So, I figure that a 4” x 4” will do most of what I would want (monogram linens, apparel, etc.) and if there’s an occasional item that I want to have a larger monogram, I’ll just take it to a local embroidery shop. For as rarely as that would be, the cost would be worth it rather than spending a whole lot more up front on a machine with larger capabilities. I was able to get a brand-new, sealed one off of e-bay for a better price than I found anywhere else. And believe me—I looked.

The Vinyl Cutting Machine

While I do think that vinyl wall quotes are overdone in many cases, the concept itself is one I like. And I like being able to do smaller vinyl labels on things around the house. Thus, it made perfect sense to get a vinyl cutter. In my case, I got a Silhouette Cameo. After some digging, I found a bundle deal on Amazon.com that was pretty good, all things considered.

What I wasn’t expecting is to love the Cameo as much as I do. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t buy it thinking I would hate it, but I just didn’t realize how much I’d absolutely adore it. We do occasionally have our spats, me and that machine, but for the most part we get along splendidly. If there is one machine I’d recommend to an aspiring crafter or one wanting to step up their game, it would be the Cameo. With it, I’ve cut fabric monograms; heat transfer vinyl designs for t-shirts & bags; vinyl cut-outs for water bottles and household items; and, it’s also done permanent vinyl cut-outs for artwork. Additionally, I have both a pen and a marker adapter for it, so it can sketch using almost any marker or gel pen I have around. It’s created some great greeting cards that way.

Oh, and what it does for gift wrap is amazing. I can easily cut monograms or some personally significant emblem for the gift recipient using contact paper (yes, as in shelf-liner!) and transfer that to a blank kraft paper bag or kraft wrapping paper. It looks so sharp and really makes for a personalized gift from beginning to end.

The Heat Press

I was having such a great time cutting heat transfer vinyl using my Cameo, but it wasn’t looking as professional as I wanted it to look once I ironed it onto an item. Solution: the PowerPress 15” x 15” Sublimation T-Shirt Heat Press. Again, Amazon.com saved the day with having the best deal. That heat press is pretty fantastic, I have to say.

Case in point: Last weekend, Doc (the name by which I shall call my partner of almost five years, as he didn’t sign up to be included in a blog & so I’d like him to be able to retain some anonymity) asked me to make him a couple of t-shirts. The t-shirts were each to have one of two car company logos, as he has an obsession with cars & currently owns a vehicle from each of these two car brands, which shall remain anonymous so that I don’t get sued for what I did next…

I went online and Googled the respective car company logos. I found a couple of good options, saved those to my computer, and then used my Cameo software to trace said logos. By trace, I mean that the software literally creates a trace line around whatever design you’re tracing. That trace line is then used as the cutting guide for the Cameo. In this case, it traced the logos and then I cut them out of heat transfer vinyl (HTV). I popped over to Michael’s and grabbed a couple of blank t-shirts (on sale for $3 each) before coming back home to take the cut logos and affix them using the heat press. If I’d had the t-shirts on-hand already, it would’ve gone even faster, but I still can’t complain—for less than $10 (counting materials and fuel), I produced two high-quality shirts that look like they each cost at least twice that much.

I’ve used the heat press to affix HTV to burlap, baby clothes, maternity tops, t-shirts, and even to socks. It is a glorious machine that takes about 10 minutes to heat up and then it’s game on!

The Inkjet Printer

There’s nothing particularly impressive about my inkjet printer, but I do want to make note that it’s actually a good idea to have one just for crafting. You can get inkjet printers for really cheap when you hit sales or look on Craigslist. As in, for $20-$40, you could have an inkjet printer for crafting. That way, if it gets messed up, it isn’t the end of the world and doesn’t impact your day-to-day printing needs. So, I keep my laserjet printer and one inkjet printer just for day-to-day and work stuff; my other inkjet is specifically for crafting use. It happens to print very nicely onto burlap, in particular. (I’ll cover that process in another post, as it’s really quite fun & fascinating!)

The one I use for crafting is the Brother MFC-J430W version. However, I would actually recommend going with a top-loading style instead. Plus, top-loading ones are typically cheaper. I got mine for a pretty good price (perhaps a little higher than what you’d normally want to pay for a crafting printer, but it wasn’t originally purchased for use as a crafting printer) at OfficeMax during a sale they were having.

The Lamination Machine

This is a very recent addition to the machine line-up, but it’s one I’m really having some fun with. I ended up getting a Scotch Thermal Laminator (TL901) from, you guessed it—Amazon.com. Even with the additional cost of the laminating sheets, it was still a fantastic deal considering that my local OfficeMax charges $1.99 for each laminated sheet. After just 15 or so sheets, the machine has paid for itself. Anything after that is just the cost of the laminating supplies. Not too shabby, I’d say!

The Etching Equipment

I’ve already covered the etching equipment extensively, particularly in { Glass Etching: Part 2 }, so I won’t go into it much here. But, the main piece of equipment that was purchased for this was the Air Eraser from Harbor Freight. It runs alongside the Porter-Cable Air Compressor that I bought Doc last year.

Miscellaneous Stuff

In addition to the electronic machines, I do have a manual Sizzix die cutter that I bought before finding out about the Cameo. Fortunately, I got an amazing deal on the Sizzix through buying a barely-used one through Craigslist. It came with the dies that I was really wanting at the time—the shipping tag-shaped ones so that I could create fun gift tags. I can now do that with the Cameo, but it’s still easier to just use the Sizzix if I’m in a rush and just need a standard-size gift tag.

Additionally, I have a couple of other free-standing die cutters for circles and such. Those are also really helpful, as some materials just should not (or cannot) go into the Cameo. For example, I was working today on making decoupage ornaments using sewing patterns. The pattern paper is way too thin to stick to the Cameo mat without tearing it once I’d try to pull it back off. However, I wanted the paper cut into 2.5” circles for easier layering. So, I pulled out my little hand-held 2.5” circle die cut and used that instead. Worked like a charm.

Planning to Buy?

Of course, almost none of this operates on its own directly out of the box. With each machine comes a significant investment in materials and software. That’s the unfortunate reality. In fact, I think I spent more on supplies for the embroidery machine, for example, than I did on the actual machine itself. It just adds up really quickly. So, if you’re looking to buy a particular machine, don’t forget to budget at least 50-75% of the machine’s cost for additional supplies and materials to get you started. You may have to spend more than that in the long run, but that’s a good place to start estimating budget at least. (Though with the heat press, for example, additional supplies are minimal. I bought a t-square to help with alignment, and a lamp to keep next to the heat press so that the surface area is illuminated when I’m trying to align everything under a 320-degree heat platen…)

To the person looking to buy crafting equipment, I’d suggest doing the exact opposite of what I did. I’d recommend stepping back for a minute to look at what it is you ultimately want to do, what you have time to do, what you have space to do, and what you can afford to do. For me, I wanted to do it all—and I pretty much can now. But, there’s certainly been a price to pay in terms of both monetary cost and storage space. So, definitely be sure to factor all of that in—and then enjoy whatever it is that you buy, as that’s the whole point!