Kansas Juvenile Correction Complex (KJCC)

Ok, so I got dispatched to the KJCC in Topeka today to do a training.  As it's name implies... it's a jail for juvies.  The walk through the halls of the high security side of the facility was a bit intimidating, but when I got to the work study building I was welcomed into a program with a hard working bunch of kids.  The work study program purchased a used Melco Amaya XT machine to replace a 3 head Brother machine for use in the textiles program. 

Of course we set to work on making sure that the facilitators and students alike got familiar with their new embroidery machine - which actually was easy work for me!  The kids were drawn to the ease of opening designs in AMAYA OS and selecting colors to stitch ~ their enthusiasm was infectious.  They were familiar with the ins and outs of embroidery, so moving from the Brother to the AMAYA was like upgrading from DOS to Windows! 

As we sat and waited for the designs to stitch I had the opportunity to see the other things that were going on in the program.  These kids are learning how to be creative and make stadium seats, draw string back packs, regular back packs, duffle bags, computer bags, eReader cases and more.  As a non-sewer myself I made a comment to one of the boys that I was working with that I was impressed with a bag that another student was making.  He replied with "yah, but after the first couple it gets boring" however, the young man working on the bag said "no, it never get's boring because you just need to keep coming up with new ideas for the bags".  This is so true - the young man had designed many bags and his pride in them showed through.

Now, these kids are in juvie for a reason (I don't know the reason and the reason is really insignificant to me) but they are using their time in the correctional facility to learn a skill, which I admire.  They are making anywhere from $.25 to $1.25 per hour, so they may not come away with a lot of money, but I hope that they come away with the skill and pride to make something of themselves one day. 

Who knew embroidery could be so inspiring?

Layette

If you are in the Dallas area and have need some high end monogrammed kids gifts be sure to stop by Layette!

After the first day of training I went to dinner with Ailsa and her 5 year old son Cam.  What a cutie that boy is!  I just have to say that Ailsa is doing a great job raising a respectful and outgoing son.  While at the restaurant I was impressed when Cam told the waitress what he would like for dinner (a challenging enough thing for a young person to do).  What I was more impress with is how Ailsa is instilling in Cam the importance of making eye contact with people when he speaks to them - I think the waitress was impressed with Cam as well.  Kudos to you Ailsa!


I met Ailsa (the founder and owner of Layette) at the ISS Show in Fort Worth in October 2011 while demonstrating the BRAVO embroidery machine in the EnMart booth.   Ailsa decided to purchase her machine from me because she didn't know anything about embroidery and wanted the two days of on-site training that I offer when I sell a machine.

I wish Ailsa and her great friends the best of luck in their new endeavor!

All work and no play...

After not near enough training I went to Florida to run the Disney World Half Marathon. My goal this year was not to beat my time from last year, but to enjoy the run and to meet new people, and I did... both. Early in the run (maybe mile 2) I saw the back of a shirt that said "I run for mental health" - so I started a conversation with the young lady by saying "I run for mental health too". I of course meant stress relief, but it turns out that Rachel, Rob, Daniel and Hannah have created a team to raise money for the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. They are such a nice family and I ended up seeing them off and on throughout the race. I am going to follow the family on Facebook and might just look into becoming part of their team! For more information on the family check out their website at

I ended up finishing in 2 hours and 29 minutes. 7 minutes slower than last year, but like I said, I didn't really train much this year and I had a great time.

While in Florida I also had a chance to enjoy a slice of key lime pie at Bahama Breeze, pigged out on some rock shrimp and checked out some alligators in the wild.

Center of the Universe

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!

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

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!

Embroidery Placements

Shirts:
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

Hints/Tips:
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