When you say "split design' is that one where the machine does part of it & then you re-hoop or move the hoop for the next part?

I don't know that (for me) it's brand loyalty so much as a desire for consistency.  All of my machines are by Brother.  Controls are similar as is foot pedal sensitivity. This was a big factor in my choice. 

My first Singer sewed just fine, but if I barely pressed on the pedal, it was off like a racer.  With my Brother machines, a similarly light press on the pedal can yield a single stitch, when I need it to.

Also, with embroidery machines, should you upgrade or own more than one, it makes sense to have ones that use the same file extension.  For instance, Brother and Baby Lock both take .pes files.

I posted in another thread about making a wrist rest for my laptop.  I made it from some scrap flannel, which is A)a little small, due to the size of the scrap I had and B)still a good learning experience.

So next, I want to make a better one from leather. I ordered a piece (soft, pliable stuff, not thick saddle leather) that is the right size. I have also acquired leather needles, feet and suitable thread for my sewing machine.

I did some practice on some scrap leather. Here is what seems to work;
1)Set my stitch length to 5.
2)Sew slowly. As soon as I picked up much speed, thread loops formed. None did, when I went slowly.
3)My machine will tie off the thread (with a push of a button) but with such heavy thread, it leaves a noticeable bump.  So I do it the old-fashioned way and lock it down with some back-stitches. 

I would love to hear any insights from those of you who have more experience with this.

I rarely pre-wash pre-cut pieces, but fat quarters or larger pieces usually do get pre-washed for shrinkage and color run.  I generally press seams to one side.

@Gernella I suppose it could make a very interesting padded bra. 

Not sure where to post this; I hope this is oK.  As I think I've mentioned recently, I bought a new laptop last week- a MacBook Air.  I wanted a wrist rest for it but didn't see any that I liked; most were just way too big. Then I remembered that I'm me and could make one. It took 2 attempts but I got it right on the second try.

 It's basically a long, skinny pillow. I made it too wide the first time. I also over filled it. So I unpicked, emptied out the little plastic beads (the kind you use to fill a Beanie Baby) and then cut an inch & a half off each  side. Re-sewed & filled it with much less and got something workable. I also used some 2-sided fusible interfacing to adhere a non-slip pad (made from shelf liner) to the bottom. My final measurements are 11.5" long X 4"wide. I filled it with about half a pound of plastic beads. The fabric is flannel.
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Many on-line plans suggest filling with rice or beans. I really don't like using anything organic for this, as the potential for problems is foreseeable, should you get it wet.

Nothing too elaborate, but I wanted to make a bag for the quilt rulers I will keep with my portable machine (in its travel bag.). I had a chance to use the embroidery machine for the first time in a while.

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