Spent the week between Christmas and New Years 2011 in Tulsa, OK. While there I had the great pleasure of training Kim and Wyatt on Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday and Friday I was at Bixby High School.
Wyatt and Kim of "Loving the Game" have a screen printing business and added a Bravo machine so they could control the quality of the items they give to their customers, but also so they control the lead time and hit the due dates that they promise to their customers.
The Bixby FFA department purchased an AMAYA machine several years ago, but it has been sitting idle for the past few years. I got Mr. Nettles and a couple of moms up to speed on operating the machine with the goal of teaching the kids to use the machine while making some money for the club. I'm thinking the Booster Clubs will be throwing some money in their direction!
So, you are probably wondering why I titled this blog "Center of the Universe"... there is an interesting spot in downtown Tulsa called the Center of the Universe and if you stand in the proper spot you can hear your echo, but take one step out of the circle, and nothing. Weird phenomenon! Check it out if you are ever in Tulsa!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Another Video
If you are interested in the BRAVO embroidery machine, here is a video highlighting the machine. If you have any questions about the machine, please give me a call and I would love to talk to you about it!
http://www.youtube.com/BRAVOembroidery
http://www.youtube.com/BRAVOembroidery
Short Video
It has been a long time since I've blogged, but I have returned. As a comeback... I'd like to share with you a video that I made a while back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZe7oe1QFhw
Iris Thread comes from EnMart and it is a great thread at an even better price. If you would like a coupon code to use when opening your account, please give me a call and I will give you one.
If you you a machine from Melco I would recommend ordering the king spools of thread!
Iris Thread comes from EnMart and it is a great thread at an even better price. If you would like a coupon code to use when opening your account, please give me a call and I will give you one.
If you you a machine from Melco I would recommend ordering the king spools of thread!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Embroidery Placements
Shirts:
Shirt with no pocket - Left chest or right chest position
If you are putting the person's name and logo on two sides, the name should go on the right, and the logo should go on the left. Rationale: When you shake hands, your eye naturally falls to the other person's right shoulder/chest area. If the name is on the right, you're more likely to remember it.
Click to learn more about the BRAVO
Shirt with no pocket - Left chest or right chest position
- Find a horizontal line at the center of the armholes, from armpit to shoulder, and then find a vertical line from the neck/shoulder seam. Where the two points meet would be the center of the design. If you place this line too low, the design may go across a woman's breast area.
- Another option is to use the horizontal line at the level of the second button or snap.
- On a v-neck shirt, use the horizontal line even with the bottom of the v as a guide.
- Center of design should go where lines intersect.
- A general guideline is:
- Women's: 7-8" down, 4 to 6" from center of placket
- Men's: 7.5 to 9" down, 4 to 6" from center of placket
If you are putting the person's name and logo on two sides, the name should go on the right, and the logo should go on the left. Rationale: When you shake hands, your eye naturally falls to the other person's right shoulder/chest area. If the name is on the right, you're more likely to remember it.
Click to learn more about the BRAVO
Monday, June 13, 2011
Iris Thread from Enmart
Back in May I had a booth at the DAX show in Chicago. I had the great pleasure of working next to the Enmart booth and getting to meet Tom, Tom and Kristine. Follow this link to watch a short video of the BRAVO running in my booth featuring Iris Thread. Don't forget to set up an account with Enmart while you are there and order some thread - you won't be sorry!
myenmart.com
myenmart.com
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Price Change
As of April 1, 2011 the price of the BRAVO machine is increasing to $8295. For the month of April, I am going to offer free shipping to anyone who purchases a machine. Give me a call when you are ready to order your new machine!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Embroidering on Knit Caps
Many embroiderers avoid knit beanies altogether because they don't know the best way to work with them. The loose knit and nappy surface makes them nervous — which is unfortunate because they are simple to embroider and, especially during this time of year, they sell like hotcakes.
Beanies can boost sales for any embroiderer whose shop is located in cooler climates. They are good “throw-in” items that can be used to generate additional sales after the first order. Just stitch a customer’s logo on a beanie and include it as a freebie with their order. The investment is small, but the payoff can be big. The loose knit leaves a textured surface, so you may want to use a piece of water-soluble topping. Also, because they are knit, beanies require heavy stabilization. Normally on goods this stretchy, you should use a cutaway stabilizer. Because of the nature of beanies, however, you must use heavy tearaway stabilizer.
Most of the care in dealing with beanies is in hooping them.
Because of where the design is placed — typically at the edge of the beanie — the cap will not be hooped completely in the hoop. I hoop beanies about three-quarters of the way in the hoop. The stabilizer, of course, covers the entire hoop. Having it fully framed provides the necessary stability. Once the design begins sewing, the first few underlay stitches secure the cap to the stabilizer and it will not move.
Another thing to watch for when hooping a beanie is how much it is stretched during hooping. If it is overstretched, your embroidery will look as if it sank into the cap. If the beanie is too loose, the design will be distorted as it sews. I try not to worry about the stretch too much while I am hooping. I don’t pull it too tight to make it stretch, nor do I try to keep it from stretching while it is being hooped. The normal amount of stretch that occurs during hooping should be adequate for the design to sew correctly. It usually matches the amount of stretch the beanie will go through when it is put on someone’s head.
Another funny thing about beanies is design placement, which is usually near the edge. What makes this tricky is that there are two general types of knit beanies: cuffed and not cuffed.
Cuffed beanies are longer — typically 12 inches or so — and folded over at the bottom, while short beanies (8-9 inches) are not. The shorter (uncuffed) beanies are sewn upside down as the cap is loaded with the bottom of the beanie toward the back of the machine.
The cuffed beanies are sewn right side up. When hooped, they should be turned inside out because the folded edge that shows (when it is being worn) is actually on the inside of the cap. That end of the beanie should be hooped so that it is loaded with the top edge toward the back of the machine. Though it sounds confusing because the cap is inside out, remember that the edge on this type of beanie is actually the top of your design.
Knit beanies can be easy to work with. If the toughest part about embroidering knit beanies is remembering which way you should turn the design, then they shouldn’t be much of a problem at all — and they have the potential to boost your sales when you add them to your product line.
Beanies can boost sales for any embroiderer whose shop is located in cooler climates. They are good “throw-in” items that can be used to generate additional sales after the first order. Just stitch a customer’s logo on a beanie and include it as a freebie with their order. The investment is small, but the payoff can be big. The loose knit leaves a textured surface, so you may want to use a piece of water-soluble topping. Also, because they are knit, beanies require heavy stabilization. Normally on goods this stretchy, you should use a cutaway stabilizer. Because of the nature of beanies, however, you must use heavy tearaway stabilizer.
Most of the care in dealing with beanies is in hooping them.
Because of where the design is placed — typically at the edge of the beanie — the cap will not be hooped completely in the hoop. I hoop beanies about three-quarters of the way in the hoop. The stabilizer, of course, covers the entire hoop. Having it fully framed provides the necessary stability. Once the design begins sewing, the first few underlay stitches secure the cap to the stabilizer and it will not move.
Another thing to watch for when hooping a beanie is how much it is stretched during hooping. If it is overstretched, your embroidery will look as if it sank into the cap. If the beanie is too loose, the design will be distorted as it sews. I try not to worry about the stretch too much while I am hooping. I don’t pull it too tight to make it stretch, nor do I try to keep it from stretching while it is being hooped. The normal amount of stretch that occurs during hooping should be adequate for the design to sew correctly. It usually matches the amount of stretch the beanie will go through when it is put on someone’s head.
Another funny thing about beanies is design placement, which is usually near the edge. What makes this tricky is that there are two general types of knit beanies: cuffed and not cuffed.
Cuffed beanies are longer — typically 12 inches or so — and folded over at the bottom, while short beanies (8-9 inches) are not. The shorter (uncuffed) beanies are sewn upside down as the cap is loaded with the bottom of the beanie toward the back of the machine.
The cuffed beanies are sewn right side up. When hooped, they should be turned inside out because the folded edge that shows (when it is being worn) is actually on the inside of the cap. That end of the beanie should be hooped so that it is loaded with the top edge toward the back of the machine. Though it sounds confusing because the cap is inside out, remember that the edge on this type of beanie is actually the top of your design.
Knit beanies can be easy to work with. If the toughest part about embroidering knit beanies is remembering which way you should turn the design, then they shouldn’t be much of a problem at all — and they have the potential to boost your sales when you add them to your product line.
Time to do your taxes
Have you finished your taxes yet? As a small business owner don't forget that you can write off expenses for your business. From your car to your cell phone, you can deduct these expenses from your profits to reduce your tax base.
Don't worry... I'm not posing as an accountant, but I want you all to take advantage of the tax savings of owning your own business. Ask your tax preparer or you can visit IRS Small Business for additional information.
Don't worry... I'm not posing as an accountant, but I want you all to take advantage of the tax savings of owning your own business. Ask your tax preparer or you can visit IRS Small Business for additional information.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Did You Know...
When monogramming script lettering is generally reserved for women, and items monogrammed for children generally call for their entire first nams rather than initials.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
LEASING OPTIONS
Beacon Funding http://www.beaconfunding.com/ and
Omni Leasing http://www.omnileasing.net
both offer financing for the BRAVO machine.
Today is a great day to start a business or expanding your existing business.
Hooping
Don't grit your teeth and stretch the fabric onto your hoop. This will lead to a puckered mess when you go to un-hoop your design...
Instead smooth the fabric and stabilizer across your bottom hoop frame, ease your inner hoop into the bottom and hold with the heel of your hand and gently pull out any sags or wrinkles and then push your inner hoop a tad further into the outer frame using a circular motion to give your fabric a smooth and relaxed spread in the hoop.
Instead smooth the fabric and stabilizer across your bottom hoop frame, ease your inner hoop into the bottom and hold with the heel of your hand and gently pull out any sags or wrinkles and then push your inner hoop a tad further into the outer frame using a circular motion to give your fabric a smooth and relaxed spread in the hoop.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Pricing Tips
Of all of the skills necessary to start and grow any embroidery business, the one that most people have trouble with is establishing equitable pricing for their services. Here are a few tips to help:
- Build a price sheet to establish credibility in your pricing. Customers are less likely to negotiate with published prices than those quoted verbally off the top of your head.
- Deliver the price with confidence.
- Offer options, not just one price. Offering a less expensive product or suggesting using fewer stitches or a smaller design are all ways of reducing the cost of an item without cutting into your profit margin.
- You can use discounts to attract first-time buyers, but selling at cost is only effective if used on a short-term basis only.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Puff Embroidery
Sewing 3d puff embroidery is a simple process that generates incredible results. In most cases a design must be specially digitized for 3d puff embroidery. These instructions do not cover the steps for digitizing a 3d puff design, only the application of the embroidery.
To sew a 3d puff embroidery you will need only two additional items over regular embroidery. First you will need a sew file that has been created for 3d puff embroidery. Whether this is a stock design or a custom-digitized design it must be specially created for 3d applications. Second, you will need 3d embroidery foam. This foam comes in two degrees of thickness, 2mm and 3mm.
Step one is to hoop the garment as you would for regular embroidery. This includes using the correct backing for the type of garment you are sewing.
In Amaya OS load your design. When you go into Color Sequence to select your thread colors add Applique or Pause after just before the color that will be sewing the puff portion of the design.
Load the hooped item into the embroidery machine and sew the first color.
Next cut a piece of embroidery foam large enough to cover the design you are sewing. The foam color you use should be as close to the color of the thread you will be stitching over it as possible. Foam comes only in basic colors. Therefore it is impossible to match all possible thread colors. Some people use only two basic colors: white foam on all light colors and black foam on all dark colors.
When your machine pauses, change the Acti-Feed to standard and increase the Acti-Feed to 25 points (you can play with this number - if you are using thicker foam, you can go up to 35). At the machine place the foam over the spot that will be embroidered - you can use tape to hold the foam in place. Before starting your machine - adjust the presser-foot up to keep it from pushing down on the foam.
The thread and needle will cut the foam and you will be able to pull away the excess foam when the design is complete.
Once the excess foam has been removed, the job is nearly complete. The last thing to do is to remove any small pieces of foam that still remain. Loose pieces of foam can be brushed away using a soft brush, cloth or tweezers. There may still be small pieces of foam poking through the foam. You can use a sharp object, like a pin, to poke those piece back up into the stitches. Once you poke them back into the stitches, the stitches will move over the pieces to cover them. Another way to remove small pieces of foam is to use a heat source, like a hair dryer, to heat the embroidery. The heat will shrink the small fragments of foam making them disappear under the embroidery. ALWAYS test the heat source on a sample before trying it on a garment.
Voila
To sew a 3d puff embroidery you will need only two additional items over regular embroidery. First you will need a sew file that has been created for 3d puff embroidery. Whether this is a stock design or a custom-digitized design it must be specially created for 3d applications. Second, you will need 3d embroidery foam. This foam comes in two degrees of thickness, 2mm and 3mm.
Step one is to hoop the garment as you would for regular embroidery. This includes using the correct backing for the type of garment you are sewing.
In Amaya OS load your design. When you go into Color Sequence to select your thread colors add Applique or Pause after just before the color that will be sewing the puff portion of the design.
Load the hooped item into the embroidery machine and sew the first color.
Next cut a piece of embroidery foam large enough to cover the design you are sewing. The foam color you use should be as close to the color of the thread you will be stitching over it as possible. Foam comes only in basic colors. Therefore it is impossible to match all possible thread colors. Some people use only two basic colors: white foam on all light colors and black foam on all dark colors.
When your machine pauses, change the Acti-Feed to standard and increase the Acti-Feed to 25 points (you can play with this number - if you are using thicker foam, you can go up to 35). At the machine place the foam over the spot that will be embroidered - you can use tape to hold the foam in place. Before starting your machine - adjust the presser-foot up to keep it from pushing down on the foam.
The thread and needle will cut the foam and you will be able to pull away the excess foam when the design is complete.
Once the excess foam has been removed, the job is nearly complete. The last thing to do is to remove any small pieces of foam that still remain. Loose pieces of foam can be brushed away using a soft brush, cloth or tweezers. There may still be small pieces of foam poking through the foam. You can use a sharp object, like a pin, to poke those piece back up into the stitches. Once you poke them back into the stitches, the stitches will move over the pieces to cover them. Another way to remove small pieces of foam is to use a heat source, like a hair dryer, to heat the embroidery. The heat will shrink the small fragments of foam making them disappear under the embroidery. ALWAYS test the heat source on a sample before trying it on a garment.
Voila
Saturday, January 29, 2011
More potential customers...
Elementary, middle and high schools, colleges and the clubs are organizations associated with them have long been known to want embroidered apparel.
Athletic bags, embroidered shirts, athletic bags, team uniforms, backpacks and sweatshirts are just a few items that I have provided to schools.
Have you been asked to do anything unusual for a school or organization?
When to replace a needle
While working on an embroidery job this weekend the thread started to break frequently. Before getting frustrated I checked my needle. Sure enough, that was the issue. My embroidery needle had become dull. With a quick change I was back in action, but it got me thinking: I should remind each of you that if you start having an unusual amount of thread breaks you should check your needles.
Melco recommends inserting a new needle after about eight hours of sewing. Also, be sure to change your needle whenever it becomes bent, dull or develops a burr.
Damaged or worn needles result in:
• Broken or shredded threads
• Skipped stitches
• Puckered fabrics
• Damaged fabrics
• Uneven threads
• Hearing the needle hit the machine’s needle plate or hook
Remember, replacing your needle is an inexpensive way to prevent potential stitching problems and lots of frustration.
Before starting sewing again - check the needle orientation to make sure you got it put in properly.
Melco recommends inserting a new needle after about eight hours of sewing. Also, be sure to change your needle whenever it becomes bent, dull or develops a burr.
Damaged or worn needles result in:
• Broken or shredded threads
• Skipped stitches
• Puckered fabrics
• Damaged fabrics
• Uneven threads
• Hearing the needle hit the machine’s needle plate or hook
Remember, replacing your needle is an inexpensive way to prevent potential stitching problems and lots of frustration.
Before starting sewing again - check the needle orientation to make sure you got it put in properly.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
More potential customers...
Members of clubs and civic organizations snap up embroidered clothing such as shirts and jackets to show pride in their clubs.
Shriner Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Optimist Clubs and the Knights of Columbus are just a few. There are more organizations out there... can you add to the list?
Shriner Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Optimist Clubs and the Knights of Columbus are just a few. There are more organizations out there... can you add to the list?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Potential Customers
Over the next several days I will suggest a type of business and some businesses that fit within that category. Feel free to add your own ideas!
Consider the opportunitities that exist...
SERVICE BUSINESSES such as restaurants, hair salons, auto service stations, pest control companies and real estate office, are potential customers for logoed, monogrammed or personalized clothing and other items featuring embroidery.
Consider the opportunitities that exist...
SERVICE BUSINESSES such as restaurants, hair salons, auto service stations, pest control companies and real estate office, are potential customers for logoed, monogrammed or personalized clothing and other items featuring embroidery.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
LEASING OPTIONS
Beacon Funding http://www.beaconfunding.com/ and Omni Leasing http://www.omnileasing.net both offer financing for the BRAVO machine.
Today is a great day to start a business or expanding your existing business.
Today is a great day to start a business or expanding your existing business.
MAGIC SIZING
Magic Sizing can be found in the laundry isle at your local super market or big box store or at your local Dollar General.
THE BRAVO
Starting an embroidery business is a great way to make some extra money, while working from home and setting your own schedule. The Bravo line of machines from Melco is an affordable, high speed, machine that is easy to learn and can give you amazing stitch quality.
The Bravo has 16 needles and sews at 1000 stitches per minute. In addition to adding logos to shirts for businesses or civic organizations, it is easy to make money creating jackets and caps for sporting teams, gifts for babies, graduates, weddings, and so many other occasions.
If you'd like more information on starting your own embroidery business give me a call at 402-890-2742 to discover how you can start your own business today!
The Bravo has 16 needles and sews at 1000 stitches per minute. In addition to adding logos to shirts for businesses or civic organizations, it is easy to make money creating jackets and caps for sporting teams, gifts for babies, graduates, weddings, and so many other occasions.
If you'd like more information on starting your own embroidery business give me a call at 402-890-2742 to discover how you can start your own business today!
A little about me...
In addition to making my customers happy with their embroidered goods, I find myself traveling the mid-west meeting others who share my passion for needles and thread and the Melco lines of embroidery machines. I own five Melco machines (1 EMT, 1 standard Amaya, 2 Amaya XT and 1 Bravo) am a Melco certified trainer and technician and sell the Bravo line of machines.
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