Should I Digitize?

Bringing digitizing in-house is a big decision. Here are some of the factors to consider.


Back in 1990, when we purchased our first embroidery machine, I was totally fascinated with the mechanics of the designs that we stitched out, and knew immediately that what I wanted to do was to create the designs. I wanted digitizing software in the worst way, and there was no one who would sell it to me at that time.

The advice given to me was, “Embroider. Watch the machine stitch. Watch good designs run. Watch bad designs run. Determine what works. Determine what doesn’t work. When you know all that, then you are ready to digitize and then you can purchase digitizing software.” Looking back and remembering how frustrated I was at the time, I can smile and think those were some of the sagest words that anyone could have given me.
Digitizing is not a cakewalk, as many sales reps and software trainers would lead you to believe. You might see it that way during a sales demo or a training session where the trainer stands over your shoulder and leads you through every command. However, in the confines of your home or shop, there is much learning to be done to become comfortable and competent with the tools in the digitizing software and what they will accomplish.

Though a trainer or technical help may be just a phone call or e-mail away, they are not always available at the precise moment that one needs them, and it’s extremely frustrating to be stuck. Often you do not know what to do next and you’re taxing your memory to recall the details of the training class that overwhelmed you with information.

Should You Or Should You Not Become A Digitizer?


“To be or not to be, that is the question,” to steal a line from Shakespeare. Herein lies a question that only you can answer. Digitizing is very personal. You can tell that from the many stock design companies from which designs are now available. It’s amazing how many different styles there are and how recognizable each digitizer’s approach is.

What does one need to be a digitizer? First of all, you need the software. There are about as many brands and different levels within each brand of digitizing software these days as there are would-be digitizers. The choice is difficult for a newcomer to the industry, particularly if price is a consideration. Digitizing programs start at about $50, a manageable price on most any income, and go upwards to around $20,000, a price even someone with a substantial income thinks about more than once before laying the money on the table!
Obviously, there are major differences in each of the programs, and one considering digitizing either for fun or profit should seriously analyze what aspects of the programs they need, want, and can afford before making any purchase.

Secondly, the would-be digitizer needs time. I know many people who own digitizing software, purchased at the same time they bought their embroidery machines, who do not digitize for lack of time. Running a business and performing the mechanics of embroidery are in themselves time consuming, and finding the extra minutes or hours required to set up the designs is often impossible.
Third, a digitizer needs experience. It’s kind of like looking in the newspaper for a job. Many jobs look enticing, but often the ad will contain the tag line, “Experience Required.” Just the other day, my son and I were talking about that, and wondering just how you get experience in a job if no one is willing to take a chance on you the first time around.

It’s a bit like that with digitizers. Everyone wants the best, and it’s hard to be the best when you are new to the job. A prudent word of advice…practice! The only way to gain experience is to do the job, again and again and again. You may not be able to sell those first designs, but you will definitely learn a lot with every click of the mouse.
A digitizer needs patience. I always say that digitizing is a lonely job. For me to concentrate on digitizing, while I don’t need total quiet, I do need a space of time without interruptions, particularly if the design is challenging. Some designs take hours, even days, to set up, while others can be done in just a few minutes.

Perfectionism is a good quality for a digitizer to possess, particularly if you enter the realm of custom digitizing. When a design is imperfect, the digitizer will definitely hear about it from a paying customer. The design must be organized, sew well without thread breaks, have as few trims as possible, and look great in the end. That takes a lot of planning, as well as knowledge of embroidery.

And last, but certainly not least, I think a digitizer must be artistic. He or she needs to be able to view a picture and see it in another aspect. He must look at a printed or computerized version of a design and see it in stitches. He must have the ability to think, not just how something will work mechanically, but about how it will look on the finished product. He must be able to take a two-dimensional design and give it life. This is the quality, I believe, that sets the master digitizers apart from the pack.

By: Barbara Geer
Published: February 2007

The Point of the Matter

Needle Points

Needles are characterized by the type of point used. They generally fall into one of three categories: Sharp, Ball and Wedge. The sharp-point needle is preferred for tightly woven fabrics, such as denim, twill, towels, corduroy, etc. As the needle passes through the garment it may actually cut some of the fibers. However, since these types of fabrics are tightly woven, this is not generally a problem. The ball-point needle is preferred for knit goods, fleece and delicate fabrics. The cross fibers which constitute these materials are relatively far apart as compared to those in tightly woven fabrics. When a sharp-point needle encounters one of those fibers while penetrating the fabric, it cuts right through the fiber. This can create a damaging hole in the fabric. The ball-point needle pushes aside the fiber it encounters in penetration and thereby avoids making a permanent hole in the fabric. Sharp-point and ball-point needles are available in different size points: light, medium, etc. The wedge-point needle is used primarily on leather or tough non-woven fabrics. It cuts as it penetrates and reduces friction while piercing the fabric. By: James M. (Jimmy) Lamb Published: November 2004

First Impressions [embroidery]

What does your image say about your business?

Modern life is hectic and fast-paced. Consumers are in an overloaded state, continuously bombarded from all sides with a plethora of media messages seeking a foothold in their weary minds, with the goal of effecting a decision that will translate into a need to make a purchase. In response, most have been forced into a position of making snap judgements based on the limited information that has been presented to them, decisions that right or wrong, will ultimately decide their spending habits.

It’s called “judging a book by its cover” and everyone does it. Therefore, large companies (with deep pockets) spend billions of dollars on image, public relations, marketing, promotions and advertising, with the goal of delivering a positive message that will ultimately result in the transfer of funds from the consumer's pocketbook to the corporate coffers.

But that desire isn’t limited to large corporate empires. It exists at every level of business and should be just as strong in your mind as that of a Fortune 500 CEO’s. You are in business to make money and everything that you do or say, should be carefully crafted to project a positive image and encourage a sale. Does that mean you must approach everyone on the street and cry out “buy from me, I’m the best!” No, of course not. What it means, is that you must examine yourself and your business from top to bottom to see what kind of message you are delivering to others when they do come in contact with you, as First Impressions are critical.

Research has shown that people make up their minds about other people, businesses, products, services, etc. in 3-7 seconds, (even though television commercials average 30 seconds). That doesn’t leave much time to work with, so it’s imperative that you don’t make any mistakes.

When it comes to image, there is a tendency to focus on big things with the intent of making a big splash. In reality, it’s the little things that can make the most difference and these are the things that are most overlooked by you. For example, suppose someone opened a fancy new electronics store complete with fireworks, food, movie stars and giveaways. You go to the Grand Opening expecting great things. The owner is at the door greeting you. He opens his mouth to say welcome and out flows this wave of nauseous fumes smack into your face, the fetid odor of his partially-digested lunch almost knocking you to your knees. What is your impression now? This guy made a huge splash, but overlooked one small detail: fresh breath – or lack thereof. It will leave a lasting impression all right.

As an Embroidery Entrepreneur, you probably have very little budget for huge marketing campaigns, so for the most part you have written off the whole subject as your promotional tools are limited to yourself and some business cards. That’s fine. But no matter how small these details may seem to you, they are still the details that shape the impressions you make on potential clients, so take a hard look at how you come across.

Start with your business card. The first thing a potential customer will see is your company name. What does it say about your business? What does it need to say about your business? A name like Jane’s Monogramming invokes an image of a lady bent over a sewing machine adding three letter monograms to a set of towels. If that’s what you do and what you want others to think, then great. However, if you wish to pursue the corporate marketplace, this name is going to hold you back. Business names can be a real challenge. Think about it from the customer's perspective, not your own. It should generate an appropriate image that grabs the attention of the clients you wish to reach. The name should also be memorable, meaning that it sticks in your mind.

Below the company name is your business address. What message does it give? A post office box instead of a street address is a dangerous thing, as it screams out: DANGER, there is no business location! In turn, this says you don’t want people to be able to find you, thus you may not be a legitimate operation, thus doing business with you is a potentially risky proposition.

More than likely you are a home-based operation, but don’t wish to allude to that fact by listing a residential address, so the post office box seemed a good way to hide it. But it’s a bad idea. As a business owner you will learn this the hard way, when you do business with clients who also only list a P.O. Box. That doesn’t mean everyone with this type of business address is a crook, but you will find that when they don’t pay their bill, you will have no way to find them. (Voice of experience.) I suggest that you list an address, even if it's residential. By the way, P.O. Boxes are okay when they are listed in conjunction with a physical address.

With our first business location, we had the same concerns about listing our residential address, as we had some corporate clients reject us because of the fact that we were home-based. Our address made that obvious: 16 Lakewood Road. (Doesn’t sound too commercial does it?) So we got creative. The business was actually in a separate building behind our house, so we modified our address to look like this: 16 Lakewood Road, Suite B. That presents a totally different picture, doesn’t it?

Okay, the next item on your business card is your email address. Believe it or not, it speaks volumes about your company as well. There are a lot of “free” email services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and Juno. When you sign up with them, you end up with something like jimmy123@hotmail.com. Such an email address is the equivalent to a P.O. Box for a physical address. Since the services are free, many of their users bounce around from one account to another, meaning a lack of permanence. Also, because they are free, it implies you aren’t serious about your business, especially when you see something like jimmy123 in the email address. Ideally, you want to purchase a domain name (not that expensive) and put together a website, as most website services offer email boxes, so your address can look like jimmy@CapeFearEmbroideryWorks.com. This is a much better first impression than jimmy123@hotmail.com.

As an alternative to having your own domain name, at least do something like CapeFearEmbroideryWorks@ec.rr.com which shows that you are serious enough about your business to invest in a legitimate email address. By the way, I’m not a big fan of many of the big internet services like AOL, as they have traditionally been difficult to deal with when it comes to sending files to their customers. Plus, there is a perception that many of their customers are still on dial-up, which is another negative image item as it implies you are not up to speed with modern technology.

The final image factor with your business card is the overall look of the card. Is it easy to read? Is it exciting or dull? Too much information can make it difficult to read, but if it's only basic text on a solid color background, it may not illicit much information. If a potential client collects a stack of business cards, then sits down to review them, will yours stand out? This is where the services of a professional print shop can pay off.

Over the years we experimented with several different business card layouts. One of my favorites was a dark blue background (somewhere between royal and navy) with metallic gold (not yellow) print. The problem was, you couldn’t write any notes on the back, because the pen ink didn’t show up against the background and we were always writing something (prices, product numbers, etc) on the back when handing to a customer. So eventually, we went to a different look with a lighter background.

Finally, what first impression do you make on the potential customer? (Do you have your breath mints handy?) If you hand over the perfect business card, but have dirty fingernails, that might just negate all the positive aspects of the card. You must condition yourself to understand that every person you encounter is a potential customer, thus you should strive to maintain a professional appearance at all times when in public. And if you find yourself in a compromising position, you may want to keep quiet about being a business owner, so that such a situation won’t count as your first impression.

Certain lifestyle traits can really have an influence, such as smoking. If you are a smoker and so is the customer, then great, you can have a cigarette together. But today, there are many more non-smokers than smokers, and every time you light up it leaves behind an odor on your skin and clothes which is noticeable and even offensive to non-smokers. You yourself probably can’t detect it, but it can overwhelm others. Along those lines, perfumes and colognes can work against you. So can body odor and bad breath. Messy hair, sloppy clothes, excessive make-up, etc. all make an impact on first impressions.

Bottomline, it’s the little things that can make the most impact on a first impression. The moment you introduce yourself, the clock starts ticking and you have only 3-7 seconds to generate a positive result, so pay attention to the details!

By: James M. (Jimmy) Lamb
Published: August 2006

Static Attack [embroidery]

Protect yourself and your embroidery equipment from static charges.

You’re hard at work at the dining room table, finishing up some last minute paperwork. From behind you comes the sound of tiny feet shuffling through the carpet, as one of your “darling” children approaches your chair. You start to turn in your chair, expecting a warm embrace, when all of a sudden you hear ZZZZZZAP, and feel a stinging pain in your arm! Through the waves of shocking pain you hear a tiny voice saying “gotcha!” Static Shock! No, not the kind that you get from an irate customer -- the electrical type. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate it. (Both kinds.) In fact, it makes me paranoid. All winter long, when the potential for such occurrences is greatest, I take great pains to avoid contacting anything metallic. Instead of touching a steel door knob, I will patiently wait for someone else to open the door, and then follow him through. Static shock, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

So what causes static electricity? Tough question. It’s a fairly complex process, so I will attempt to give you a brief, watered-down version that you can hopefully understand. Basically, each element in nature has an equal number of positive and negative electrical charges. Under certain conditions, when two different elements come in contact with each other, and then rapidly separate, one of the elements will transfer some of its electrical charges to the other one. This leaves both elements with a charge imbalance. Now, when one of those elements comes in contact with a normally charged element, there will be a transfer of electrical charge, which will result in a quick flow of current. It’s this flow of current that we refer to as Static Electricity.

How much current can be produced by this process? You may be shocked, I mean surprised, by the answer. It takes a static charge of approximately 5000 volts for it to be felt. To see it, you must produce about 10,000 volts! And believe it or not, humans routinely develop static charges as high as 50,000 volts. How can we come in contact with this type of current and live to tell about? I’ll reserve that for another article, it’s even more technical. Just suffice it to say, that all voltage is not created equally.

So what does this have to do with embroidery? As far as the sewing process, very little, but in relationship to your equipment, this can be an important lesson. While static charges are little more than a nuisance to humans, they can easily destroy sensitive electronic components contained in computers and embroidery machines. As long as these items are securely mounted within your equipment, they are relatively safe from any static charges. However, if you have to physically handle such parts, you can inadvertently transfer static current from yourself to these components. This can in turn cause irreparable damage.

The key to safe “handling” is to “ground” yourself, which will ensure that any static charges are safely neutralized. How do you do this? Simply touch a metallic object or appliance that is tied to “earth ground”. So how do you know when something is connected to “earth ground”? Look for some type of equipment that has a metal case or cover and a three-prong electrical plug. If it meets this criteria, and is actually plugged into a three-prong wall outlet, then you can pretty much bet that it’s tied to “earth ground” and will allow you to safely dissipate any buildup of static electricity within your body.

Should you have the opportunity to change-out one of the circuit boards in your computer and/or machine, it is highly recommended that you ground yourself before starting work. The best method is to purchase a grounding strap (Radio Shack has them) which is a device that is typically attached to your wrist via a special bracelet. Extending out from the bracelet is an electrical wire with an alligator clip on the other end. The clip is attached to a grounded surface. This ensures that you are grounded and stay grounded when working with sensitive electronic components.

There is another phenomenon associated with static electricity, commonly referred to as “static cling”. It’s created the same way as static current, but the result is a little different. The electrical charge imbalance causes elements to either be attracted or repelled - thus the “cling” affect. When you see the threads on your embroidery machine trying to “stick” to the casing, you are seeing static cling at work. Well now that you have a faint inkling as to what this static business is all about, how can you prevent it? First of all, avoid having carpet in your work area if at all possible. Carpet is a notorious source for the generation of static. If you do have carpet, then consider spraying it down with an anti-static solution, available from most office equipment stores.

Concrete floors, especially painted ones, are another source of static electricity. Once again, consider an anti-static spray, or you may try a solution of water and fabric softener. Just be careful to keep it off of your equipment. Perhaps the best all-around cure for static problems is humidity. (Notice that static is least predominant during the warm, moist months of summer.) Moisture tends to absorb static charges and reduce or eliminate their affects. So consider using a humidifier to introduce moisture into the air. Be careful not to produce a high level of dampness, since this may cause additional problems for your equipment and supplies.

That about does it for Static Electricity. It may not be possible to totally eliminate it, but you should be able to at least reduce the affects. Now about that other type of static, the one you get from that irritating customer............. By: James M. (Jimmy) Lamb Published: February 2007

More Power To You [embroidery]

Connect that new embroidery machine with confidence that you can survive any potential electrical problem.

Your new embroidery machine has just arrived and you can hardly wait to get it going. Carefully, you uncrate it and move it into position. Looks like it’s ready to try out, so all that’s left is to plug it in and turn it on. HOLD IT! Do you know what lurks behind that receptacle in the wall? Before you plug any electronic equipment into an outlet, it’s best to do a little bit of investigating into the world of electricity.

Ideally, the electrical power that is generated at a power plant is very dependable and reliable. However, as it travels from the generating station to your home or business, it can be affected by many variables, which can ultimately affect your equipment. While a modern embroidery machine may appear to be a heavy-duty piece of machinery, it does contain delicate electronic circuits which can be damaged by electrical variations. Your equipment depends on a steady supply of voltage to function properly: 110 volts AC for the smaller machines, 220 volts AC for the larger ones. (These values are for the United States, and may be different for other countries.) As long as the current stays consistent, everything runs great. Unfortunately, voltage fluctuations occur quite often, and may eventually damage your equipment. Let’s take a look at some of the more common power problems and the devices that are used to lessen their effects.

Too Much Voltage This typically occurs in two forms, surges and spikes. A surge is a small, short-lived (fraction of a second) increase in voltage. It is commonly caused when a nearby electrical device such as an air conditioner, well pump, or even a refrigerator compressor, turns off. When this happens, there is a sudden excess of power that must be dissipated. This increase in current will create a wave of extra voltage that will travel throughout the immediate electrical system and into every device that is connected to it. The best way to protect against surges is to install a surge-suppressor between your equipment and the wall outlet.

Spikes are similar to surges, but much more powerful. One significant electrical spike can literally “burn-up” sensitive electronics. Spikes are usually caused by lightning striking a nearby power line or telephone line. In fact, electrical spikes are just as common in phone lines as power lines, and can even damage equipment that isn’t connected to a phone line. How does that happen? If a spike comes into a device, such as a fax, via the phone lines, it can travel through that device and then out the power cord into the wall socket. From that point, the electrical spike can make its way into any other device that is plugged into a power receptacle. This is not a frequent occurrence, but it does happen. A good quality surge suppressor can protect against the effects of a mild spike. Unfortunately there is very little protection against a direct lightning strike. The best protection for this situation is to unplug your equipment and phones during a thunderstorm.

Too Little Voltage There are two common causes for under-voltage. The first is referred to as “start-up” demands. As mentioned before, large energy-consuming devices such as air conditioners can cause surges when they shut off. But they also demand a large amount of power to turn on, which causes a momentary “dip” in the available voltage to surrounding devices. Other items guilty of causing under-voltage include refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, well pumps, and power saws.

The second source of under-voltage is known as a “brown-out”. When there is excessive consumer demand for electrical power, it sometimes results in a voltage reduction throughout a local community. This can be evidenced by a dimming (constant) of your lights. Most electrical equipment will continue to operate under these conditions, but it can be detrimental to some devices, especially electric motors. And of course, embroidery machines have drive motors.

So how do you protect yourself from “too little voltage”? UPS. (No, not the guys in the brown trucks.) UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply. This device is essentially a large battery that will maintain uninterrupted power to the equipment plugged into it. When the supply voltage dips below normal levels, the UPS kicks in to make up the difference. This ensures a continuous feed of current at the proper voltage.

Blackouts Of course we all know what these are. Unfortunately, they are quite unpredictable, both in frequency and duration. As with under-voltage problems, the best line of defense with blackouts is a UPS. When the power goes out, the UPS will take over instantaneously. However, it does have a limited output time, usually only a few minutes. So it is imperative that you finish all tasks immediately, and then turn your equipment off, before the UPS battery drains down.

When shopping for a UPS, ensure that it is large enough to support your needs. Look for the Electrical Specification plate on your machine. It will list the power requirements for that model. (Make a special note of the wattage.) When shopping for a UPS, make sure the unit you are considering will supply the required wattage of the embroidery machine. And make sure you know how long the UPS can supply it. Models with longer output times cost more, but may be worth the price.

Dirty Voltage This problem is often referred to as “noise”. You can’t hear it, but sometimes you can see it. Have you ever noticed fuzzy lines on your television or computer monitor when a power tool is running? This is the result of tiny voltage fluctuations caused by the equipment during operation. These variations feed back into the electrical supply and travel to other devices (such as the TV). Noise should not be confused with surges and spikes. It is not nearly as serious. However, it can cause error signals to be introduced into the circuit cards that control your embroidery machine.

To combat this problem you may want to consider a Power Conditioner or an Isolated Filter Bank. However, most Surge Suppressors and UPS’s have built-in noise filters, so you may not need a separate device. Okay, so what do you really need to protect your equipment from power problems? Ideally, you should purchase a top-of-the-line surge suppressor, with built-in noise filters. Then add in a UPS. Plug the UPS into the output of the surge suppressor. Then plug your embroidery machine into the UPS. This configuration will ensure maximum protection for your equipment. (Don’t forget to protect your computer the same way.)

Okay, now that we are getting the best voltage possible, there is one other potential problem to address. If your business is based in your home, you need to be aware of GFI circuits. GFI or GFIC stands for Ground Fault Interrupter Circuit. If your house is less than fifteen years old, you probably have some of these protection devices. Their purpose is to quickly “trip” when they sense an excessive electrical surge, therefore preventing potential electrocutions. Example: You are taking a bath and the blow dryer (which is plugged in) falls in with you. Theoretically, a GFI circuit will “trip” before you can even feel an electrical shock, therefore preventing a potential tragedy. A conventional circuit breaker may or may not “trip” in the same situation, certainly not quick enough to prevent some current from flowing through your body.

There are two types of GFI circuits. One is an actual circuit breaker located in your breaker panel. It can service several receptacles located throughout your home. These receptacles will have no identification that they are GFI protected. The second type of GFI circuit is an electrical outlet box with the circuit built in. These are commonly found in bathrooms and are easily identified by the “T” and “R” pushbuttons located on the outlet. This type of GFI can also feed several other unidentified receptacles located throughout your house.

So what does this have to do with a home-based embroidery business? If your equipment is located in a garage or basement, it probably is plugged into a GFI circuit that also feeds several other receptacles in the house. This means that any sudden surge of current from, say a blow dryer in the bathroom or maybe a power saw plugged into an outside socket, could “trip” the GFI circuit, causing a loss of power to your embroidery equipment. In addition, if there is an outdoor receptacle tied into this GFI circuit, a rain shower can sometimes cause the circuit to “trip”. So be aware of where you connect up your machine and/or computer. If in doubt, contact a local electrician. Better yet, have an independent circuit installed for all of your business equipment.

Now that you have been introduced to the “villains” of electricity, you can arm yourself with the necessary weapons to defend yourself from their wrath. Go ahead and connect up that new embroidery machine with confidence that you can survive any potential electrical problem. Throw the switch and start making money.

By: James M. (Jimmy) Lamb
Published: January 2007

Achieve Quality with Punching Sense

"Punching sense" is that digitizing knowledge that can't be acquired by depending entirely on software.

Today’s digitizing software is somewhat bittersweet to some of us old dogs who once punched a design without the use of any type of software. I recall days of cursing and hair pulling caused by problems that no longer occur thanks to various tools of my high-tech digitizing system. That’s the sweet.

But when it comes to witnessing what’s now produced on that software and accepted as quality, or arguing various points to improve quality – like why a high quality design is impossible to create in minutes simply by scanning an image, or why automatic functions should never be used without being guided by an educated hand, or why all work can’t be considered final until the sew-out results in quality – well, that’s the bitter.

I’ll dare to guess that quality results achieved by punching manually teeters on the brink of extinction. Ironically, the very same software I once claimed to be a miraculous invention appears to be the reason. Many embroiderers are beginning to accept machine troubles caused by poor digitizing more so than they did in years past, simply because it’s the only type of digitizing they’re able to find. And it’s not unusual to find novice digitizers who struggle for quality results, believing failures are caused by their lack of computer skills, unaware they may only require a little manual education. It’s that knowledge – punching sense, if you will – that can’t be acquired by depending entirely on software. Certainly a change of methods must be accepted as the world moves forward with technology, and software has indeed become a necessity for digitizers, but keeping up with the times does not mean that high quality has to be compromised!

The Challenge Perhaps you’ve experienced frustration when long hours of diligent effort to create that perfect design fails. You know your intentions are possible, because you’ve seen others accomplish the same goal, so you begin the search for answers. Note: they will not be found in a software manual! Neither will answers be found by purchasing antique equipment used by veterans. Instead, simply set the act of learning in reverse. Veterans who created designs by either punching holes in strips of paper tape or beeping signals to a diskette, while simultaneously viewing the machine sew, had a dickens of a time when they turned on that first computer. On the other side, new digitizers might be proficient at manipulating software functions, but by the time a design is sewn, they’ve no idea what action created particular results. It was necessary for the veteran to learn how to use software, and now the new digitizer must learn how to punch.

When high-tech madness began, today’s veterans wanted tools to increase digitizing speed with the ability to correct errors or make modifications to what was already punched. For example - deleting one color change, moving one stitch, or accurately resizing without spending hours cutting and splicing tape or redigitizing one small design for yet another week. So, for the sake of gaining speed they met the challenge by facing their fear of destroying that expensive new computer if the wrong button was pushed. (Yes, newbies, that really did scare the heck out of us!) In the reverse manner, the new digitizer must accept the sacrifice of speed, spending time to study what will create results immediately upon action. Punching sense evolves only from repeated observation of immediate reaction to action, hands-on experimentation, and a respect for old rules that will never change no matter how high technology flies.

The Reality of Automation

Without punching sense, today’s digitizing software is just an expensive graphics program sufficient to produce onscreen images. Automatic tools found on most systems make digitizing seem easier, so the novice is discouraged when assumed results fail. Perhaps their high expectation is due to a blurry sales pitch they received when buying their software, or their own unrealistic presumptions that the software will “do it all.” Whatever the reason, when the reality sets in, their dream develops into a frustrating nightmare. They are able to generate the software functions and may even be well-acquainted with embroidery, but creating a quality design becomes a cobweb of confusion leading to dead-ends.

I won’t deny auto-functions do have a significant use. They’re big timesavers for those who have learned how to accomplish quality results using manual techniques, such as (but not limited to): How a machine reacts to a particular command What parameters to apply for various substrates What adjustments are required when using auto-functions What to manually do when a function refuses to cooperate When each auto-function should be employed, if at all. Granted, auto-functions are wonderful tools for the skilled digitizer who knows what high quality is and how it is achieved. However, without this knowledge, automatic digitizing tools are just that – tools. Tricks of the Old Dogs To create high quality, you must first be able to recognize it. Research and study finished embroidery – and not only what is commonly found on the discount rack. However, this is possibly the best place to start your research, because the easiest way to recognize the good is to know what’s considered poor. Investigate both sides of the embroidery, double checking the bobbin to eliminate any causes from the machine and make note of the visible materials used. If it appears the embroidery was completed with the appropriate materials, it’s quite possible fault resides somewhere in the digitizing. Investigate for errors such as: Columns that seem too narrow and tight Holes in the garment Gaps where borders should meet An underlay stitch outside of the topstitching Distortion of the design’s shapes, Puckering fabric Clarity of detail Or anything that appears to need improvement and can’t be improved &nbspby using different needles, stabilizers or threads. When you’ve become familiar with poor quality, investigate the works of well-skilled digitizers known to produce quality designs. Buy a few of their designs, examine them in your software, and sew them at the slowest speed on different types of fabric with keen attention. Jot notes of what you believe to be working well and question why something was done or why another thing was not. If you believe it could have been done differently without affecting quality or suspect you could improve the quality, try duplicating a similar situation using your ideas. Experimentation is a part of the game! You’ll likely find the answer as to why the digitizer chose to do what was done, or perhaps, you’ll indeed find a better way. No matter what the result, you’ll have made a discovery, and that’s the key to acquiring punching sense! The Learning Continues Keep in mind, a digitizer never, ever graduates! Education continues on a daily basis, while punching sense matures. Continue to question the unknown and find the time to study by observation. Whether it’s your own or another’s work, there is nothing more beneficial than watching a design sew with your nose to the hoop. Test designs using a variety of materials and when possible, use different types of machines set at various speeds. Study how the machine reacts as commands are implemented and how particular stitch types sew and appear in different situations. Decide where changes, additions, eliminations or compensation in digitizing is necessary to meet the needs of quality. If modifications cannot be done by adjusting automatic settings, use manual methods. Personally, I’ve found it is nearly impossible to achieve what I desire using automatic functions without the aid of a bit of manual manipulation. Don’t forget about training – and not just for your software! It’s important to learn how to use the freehand tools that all commercial software includes, and most beneficial to seek why and when to use them. Save time, avoid frustration and absorb precious tried-and-true tips offered by veteran digitizers via workshops, tutorials or texts. As you continue to gather information from those who have been down the path, and critique sewing results while considering how it was punched, it becomes natural to predict a probable outcome as a design is being digitized. Eventually, you’ll actually see sewing results in your mind’s eye with accuracy while each stitch is digitized. This is punching sense! By: Bonnie Landsberger Published: October 2006

Maximizing Minimums

Avoid losing money on small orders by charging for the entire length of the job.

How many times has someone come into your shop wanting just one or two pieces to be embroidered? What did you charge them - your standard rate? Hopefully, you had a minimum charge that guaranteed you were making money on the deal. If not, then you probably ended up losing money on the job.

I’m not a fan of stitch count pricing, as it doesn’t take into account how much time it takes to produce something. Certainly more stitches means more time to sew, but that doesn’t cover all the other stuff like setup time and cleanup time (at the end of the job). In fact, with small orders the setup time can easily exceed the sewing time. Thus, I prefer using a method that takes into account the entire length of the job, from beginning to end. It’s more accurate, and when done correctly can really open your eyes to the true cost of production. You will begin the process by calculating your hourly cost of operation, something that I have covered many times before. For the purposes of this article, we are going to assume an hourly overhead of $30.00, which equates to $0.50 per minute. (This is not a standard figure - rather, it’s an assumed figure for the purposes of discussion). It should be noted that when I calculate hourly overhead, it also includes your salary, which ensures you are getting paid!

Suppose someone came into your shop with one polo shirt in his hand, wanting to get a stock design and a business name sewn on it. You spend time with him finding the right image, and determining the best font and layout. This is the sales process, which can range from five minutes to an hour. (Hopefully you are adept at keeping it at the lower end of the scale.) To make a long story short, the design comes out to 5000 stitches and six colors. If you were to charge $1.50/1000, the price would be $7.50.

Now you enter the production phase of the job. The first step is to set up the design on your computer. Assuming you already have the stock design and don’t have to download it from the internet, you will still need to open it, possibly resize it, possibly change the colors, and then add in the text. By the time you are done setting it up, ten minutes has passed. Hooping now takes center stage. Assume at least three minutes to prepare backing, mark the placement of the design and hoop the shirt (maybe longer).

The next step is to set up the design to run on the machine. That entails transferring it either by disk, flash, or network, printing out a copy of the color change sequence, installing the proper threads, setting up the color sequence at the control panel, centering the design, tracing it, etc. This will probably run a good three minutes. Finally you are ready to sew, after spending at least fifteen minutes getting the job set up. Once you hit the start button, it will take at least 6.25 minutes to run the job at a constant speed of 800spm. But since the design has six colors, the machine will have to stop at least six times to perform a color change, which can easily add another minute to the total run time. Factor in speed changes, since machines never run at a constant speed, thread trims and maybe even a thread break or two, and you have a more realistic production time of 8 minutes, not 6.25 minutes.

Once the embroidery process comes to an end, you have to unhoop the garment, remove excess backing, trim extra threads, inspect the design, possibly remove topping, and fold. Another three minutes for final cleanup. So how much time do you have wrapped up in this job? Not including the time spent working with the customer, your investment looks like this: Job Setup Design Setup: 10 minutes Hooping: 3 minutes Machine Setup: 3 minutes Total =16 minutes Sewing Time One Run: 8 minutes Cleanup Time Trimming, Folding: 3 minutes Grand Total= 27 minutes If your hourly overhead was $30.00, which is $0.50/minute, then this job cost you $13.50 to produce. But if you had used a stitch count charge of $1.50/1000 based on 5000 stitches, you would have only charged the customer $7.50, which means you lost $6.00 on this job. On the other hand, if the customer brought five shirts that got the same design, you would have spent 16 minutes setting up the job, then 8 minutes for each of the five runs. In the course of one hour, you would have produced five shirts at $7.50 each, which equals $37.50. This exceeds your hourly overhead, meaning you made a profit on the job. (When doing multiple runs, you would be expected to hoop and trim while the runs were in progress.) The fact of the matter is, you will always have an extensive amount of setup time, that in the case of small jobs will most likely exceed the sewing time, whereas, with larger jobs the setup time becomes a much smaller percentage of the overall production process. To ensure that you make a profit on small jobs, you should establish a minimum charge for doing anything. A good rule of thumb is to charge at least 50% of your hourly cost of operation as your minimum charge. In this case it would have been $15.00. It may sound steep, but in this business, time is money. Sure, if sales are slow, you are probably happy to get anything at all, but you must establish policies that ensure you are making a reasonable amount of money on small jobs, rather than settling for less just because things are slow. Minimum charges are the key to avoiding this common business error. Establish them, stick with them and reap the benefits. Or lose money routinely. The choice is yours. By: James M. (Jimmy) Lamb Published: January 2007

Curb Appeal

Looks can be everything in the embroidery industry.

Curb Appeal is a common term within the real estate industry. It’s a well known fact among realtors that if the exterior of a home is a turn-off to a prospective buyer, they are pretty much wasting their time trying to get that person to step foot through the door for a look inside. (Having spent time in the backseat of an agent’s car, I can attest to this fact!) Thus, they encourage the home seller to make every effort to enhance the outside areas of their property before putting it on the market, in order to improve their chances of enticing potential buyers. This is a crucial first step in the home-selling process.

The same concept carries over to embroidery, or should I say, the embroidery selling process. How do you present your products for sale? Are you one who focuses on just pitching embroidery, or do you promote the whole package? Unless you are a contract shop, you should be tuned in to the concept of selling products, rather than embroidery. After all, in most cases you are producing goods that feature embroidery as a part of the package, but not the only part. For example, a polo shirt embroidered with a company logo should be marketed as a unique method of advertising and branding for that particular business entity. And that means the total shirt, not just the logo, should be used to deliver the message. Too many times, you get caught in the crossfire between listening to the customer (most of whom have no idea what they want) and coming up with the lowest price, with creativity taking a back seat. Unfortunately, lack of product excitement can lead to lack of profits.

Step back for a minute and look at what you are offering and how you present it. Are you approaching your customers with bland, everyday concepts or exciting and inspiring product packages? For example, maybe you had a school who wanted their mascot on a royal blue cap, so you gave them a sample of just that, without anything extra. They looked at it and said “hmmm.” But what if you had taken a different approach? What if you had researched the school a little bit more and found that their colors were royal and gold? Then you did some product research and found a really cool royal blue cap with gold and white trim. Then you took the time to sew their mascot using thread colors that tied into the colors of the cap. Upon delivery of this sample (in place of the ordinary blue cap), chances are the customer would have reacted with an “oh wow” instead of a “hmmm.” Exciting product presentations can make a real difference.

Curb appeal can open a lot of doors and generate a lot of interest when approaching new customers, but don’t let it end there. Make it your signature. Regardless of whether it’s a potential customer or an existing account, continue to promote curb appeal on a daily basis. As a real-life example, several years ago my wife noticed that the staff at our eye doctor’s office was wearing bland nurse’s uniforms with one tiny bright spot – the clinic’s logo embroidered on the left chest. But the overall presentation was rather lifeless – white uniforms and dull embroidery. She came home with all kinds of ideas spinning in her head and began digging through the mounds of apparel catalogs that we routinely ordered for unique product ideas. Rather quickly, she came across a company that specialized in medical uniforms with a fashion flair – bright colors, prints, etc. She ordered some samples of printed tops with matching solid color bottoms. We then set up their logo using thread that tied into the colors of the tops. We kept the basic logo colors, but took some liberties with certain elements in order to tie into the colors in the clothing. The results were truly awe-inspiring compared to what the staff was currently wearing.

As expected, the “package” made a huge impact on the customer and led to a sizeable order. But we didn’t let it end there. My wife continued to create more product ideas and presented them to the customer on a regular basis. To make a long story short, they ordered five sets of uniforms for each staff member four times per year (at each change of the seasons). This developed into a profitable account (40 plus staff members) that all started with curb appeal. Though there may be some risk, we made it a standard practice to vary logo colors on a routine basis in order to match embroidery thread colors to garment colors and thus achieve the look we were after. The key is not to alter critical parts of the design, but just tie it in as needed. In the photo you can see a fishing tournament logo. The yellow text was originally done in red, but we really liked this jacket and it was only available with a yellow panel, so we knew that yellow had to be a prominent part of the embroidery in order to make this product/logo combination work. Thus, we applied a bit of artistic liberty to the job and changed the line of text to yellow. It achieved the results we were after and the rest is history. Curb appeal won out again! Curb appeal can certainly make a difference in the sales process, but in the real world, you don’t win every account. Though it would be ideal to create innovative product packages for each potential customer, in reality it would be an expensive endeavor, since you would be forking out your money in speculation of seeing a quick return on your investment. In reality, it just doesn’t happen that way. As an alternative, you can create a blank (non-logo’d items) apparel sample kit that steers clear of the ordinary, with a focus on the extraordinary. Use it to show the customer ideas rather than finished products. If you are really enterprising and have an auto-digitizing system, you might create a quick rendition of their design with appropriate thread colors and print it out on a clear sheet of acetate (overhead projector transparency). You can then overlay this transparent print-out over any existing garment in your collection, generating a reasonable facsimile of what the end product might look like without investing the time and money to digitize and sew-out the design on the garment. (NOTE: I’m not a big fan of auto-digitizing systems for generating production-quality designs, but some of them work well enough to create visual concepts for sales presentations.) If you don’t have auto-digitizing capabilities, but have access to an art or drawing program, you might be able to take a copy of the prospective client’s logo off the internet (or scan it from printed material). Then change any colors necessary to match the logo to the garments you plan to show, and print it out on clear acetate as well. The only real difference in the two methods is that one will be flat while the other appears to be stitched. Either way, your investment will be virtually zero, but the results have the potential to be so much more. Curb Appeal! It’s what can set your shop apart from all the rest. Let’s face it, any embroiderer can deliver a white polo with a logo, but not every embroiderer is willing to go above and beyond. And if all you have to offer is the “same old, same old,” then the only edge you will have over the competition is price, which is definitely not the position you want to be in. The end result may find you very busy sewing boring garments, but not making much money in the process. Curb appeal, on the other hand, might be just the ticket to win over customers, without sacrificing on price. By: James M. (Jimmy) Lamb Published: December 2007

Cross Stitching – Creative and Decorative

Cross stitching book helps you to create beautiful decorative pieces and utilize your leisure time in a more innovative way.

If you are a person who loves arts and have an artistic hand then craft book is very useful for you. A craft book is a book that provides some sort of information about any specific art. This may include painting, knitting, stitching, candle making, doll making or any other form of craft work. You can easily spend your leisure time creatively and make some useful thing for your home and family. Craft work not only gives you pleasure but also save lot of money if wisely done.

Cross stitch book is a craft book that helps you in making beautiful decorative pieces along with fun all the way. There are some guidelines that you need to follow for cross stitching which is given in a cross stitch book.

Things you require for cross stitching
A graph that you wish to draw, even fabric for cross stitching, a tapestry needle of 24 or 26, embroidery thread or floss, embroidery hoop and scissors.

Steps for cross stitching
1. You need to separate the cotton strands which are usually in six strands in correct number for stitching. There will be a color key that will show the cotton color you have to use for each symbol in the chart. You should start the cross stitch design from the middle in such a way that the stitching you made fits in the fabric without going off from one side. You can find it easily by folding the fabric in four and thus you will find the center but remember that this point coincides with the center of the chart that is normally marked with arrows from top, bottom and sides.

2. Begin stitching by threading your needle and then bring it up to your fabric but leave a short end of cotton in the back and work over this with your first few stitches to secure it. After making enough stitches in place you can start a new color by running it through back of existing stitches. Finish the color by running the cotton under the stitches at the back so that it is secured.

3. You can make single cross stitch, row of cross stitches, half cross stitch, back stitch, part stitches which really looks great when you have finished.

Visit our recommended website craft-books.net

By Olivia Andrews
Published: 6/10/2006

Embroidery Sewing Machines - Which One is Best for Your Projects?

The variety of embroidery sewing machines is amazing. There is no stitch or pattern that sophisticated modern machines can't perform. But how do you find a sewing machine that is best for you? Let's look at what is currently available on the market and compare best embroidery sewing machines.

Mechanical embroidery sewing machines - the simplest style

You can get a mechanical, electronic or computerized embroidery machine. The first sewing machines were mechanical controlled by a rotary wheel. Actually they have been on the market for almost 200 years. Some people still prefer to use a mechanical machine and their antique sewing machines like Singer or Brother work for them very well.

Mechanical embroidery machines have a limited selection of stitches, but they are inexpensive. They are not as easy to operate as electronic ones, but with a little bit of practice you can create beautiful embroidery.

Most respected sewing machine manufacturers still produce mechanical embroidery machines. Some of the more popular examples are Kenmore 11101, Elna 2005, Bernina 1008, Singer 6038 and Kenmore 15212

Electronic embroidery machines - easy and convenient

Even though mechanical machines work fine, most people prefer electronic ones. They are much simpler to operate, so you can concentrate on the creative part of your embroidery project. Electronic embroidery sewing machines are also lighter and more portable. There are hundreds of models available, since most modern sewing machines are electronic. You can find machines by Brother, Singer, Janome, Kenmore and Viking to suit any budget.

Not all electronic machines offer you the same features. Look at the number of stitches, and additional features available to see if particular model will suit your needs.

Computerized embroidery machines - most sophisticated technology

Computerized sewing machines use the most advanced technology to help you create beautiful embroidery easy and fast. They are basically the same as electronic embroidery machines, but with much more features. The machine uses a microprocessor, so you can load different patterns on a card and your machine reads the information from a card and creates a pattern all by itself. This allows you to create very sophisticated embroidery.

A computerized sewing machine can have many features. Here are some - automatic needle threader, multiple needle positions, mirror imaging, more the a hundred stitch functions, needle positions, a screen displaying stitch length, stitch patterns and width adjustment.

The only disadvantage of a computerized embroidery machine is its price - you will have to pay from $ 400 to $2000 for a good quality unit. The price depends on additional features and how much your machine can actually do. Popular models of computerized embroidery sewing machines are Brother SE270D, Singer CE-200 Quantum Futura and Singer Quantum XL-6000.

If you decide to go with the top technology machine with a microprocessor it makes sense to compare prices for the same model at several retailers. You can check your local craft and sewing supply shops, but you are more likely to find a better price online. There are many online shops that offer a great variety of different sewing and embroidery machines.

Visit Embroidery Sewing Machine Reviews for reviews of machines by different brands. We provide information about all types of sewing machines as well as sewing and embroidery tutorials and free sewing patterns.

By Tanya Turner
Published: 6/9/2007