Mаkе Money Wіtһ Embroidery

Has the embroidery machine bug bitten you yet? Do you want to get into machine embroidery, but just don’t know where to start? Do you wonder if the investment is worth it?

My Embroidery Story

Hello, my name is Kat. About four years ago, I purchased my first embroidery machine, and I’ve been hooked on the art ever since. I’ve slowly built a library of designs and learned how to hoop, stabilize, and choose the right thread!

I started by researching the vast array of embroidery machines available, many of which also do standard sewing. Machines are priced anywhere from $400 up to many thousands. But trust me, if you are just starting, you don’t need a $2000 machine. Search the Internet and then go to a local fabric store for a demonstration. You want to search online first because you want to get a feel for the pricing that way you can tell if your local store is charging too much. If that is the case, you can return online for your purchase after seeing how well the machine works in person.

To tell the truth, I felt weird about using machine embroidery at first. I wanted to be the designer and I didn’t want to depend upon someone else’s creativity to make my work look beautiful. Then, I discovered that I had lots of choices and I couldn’t resist the designs that are available. I found quilt embroideries that you can use to quilt blocks in the hoop and get better results than using a free-motion or a long arm machine. I found all sorts of vintage looks in redwork, bluework, and even lace that you embroider right on a dissolvable stabilizer in the thread color that matches your project best. Of course there are many modern detailed designs in every theme from babies and kids to holidays and weddings.

Embroidery designs are “digitized” from artwork. While most sites sell artwork that can be picked up by many digitizers, some sites selling machine embroidery files such as “SWAK Embroidery” and “You Can Make This” also have designs from original hand-drawn art. This means that those designs can only be purchased from those sites and therefore, you won’t see them just anywhere.

Embroidery Designs

One great thing about embroidery designs is that they have a color palette selected for you in advance, but you can also adjust the colors to your specifications by choosing from color families and tones. Filled designs are those made up of all embroidered stitches. Appliqué designs allow you to choose fun fabrics to add your own artistic expression to the finished product. If you make some cute cropped pants, but need a matching shirt, find an appliqué design for a tee shirt and use the fabric from the pants in the appliqué to add just the right matching touch.

Some designs are really versatile in that a change of thread color can make the design work for any occasion. Take a balloon design and use thread in your child’s favorite colors. Make realistic looking oak leaves in any color-palette from spring yellows and greens to fall reds, browns, and oranges. Change the colors in a cute cheerleader design or collegiate alphabet to match your school colors. Even merge two designs or add lettering to a design to make it yours, using your embroidery machine or digitizing software.

Is it worth the investment? Definitely! What could be better than to be able to make a professional looking embroidery design either on ready-to-wear or hand sewn clothing, quilts, or other projects. Even create a small business for yourself by creating embroidered items for others or selling them at craft shows to support the hobby.

Getting Started with Embroidery

Embroidery is an age old art form using a needle and thread to create elaborate designs on a piece of cloth. Whether you choose to break out a needle and embroidery floss to work on a design by hand or use the latest technology to create a design using an embroidery machine, the result is guaranteed to be spectacular.

If you are interested in learning to embroider either as a hobby or as a business, consider looking into taking a class at your local craft store or community center. Most of these places offer beginner classes that will teach you all the necessary stitches and start you on the road to understanding this historic art form.

Another way get started with embroidery is to visit your local library or neighborhood bookstore to find a great tutorial on embroidery. There are several book series in publication that walk you through this needlecraft step by step and showcase each stitch in clear images. These books are excellent for individuals who need to work on their own time and not be rushed through difficult stitches. Also, these books allow a crafter to return again and again to look at stitches or techniques.

There are several television channels devoted especially to crafting and needlework that have specials or weekly shows about embroidery techniques. Also, visit your local video store to find a visual instruction series on DVD that you can stop, play, and pause at your own whim. Many individuals find they learn the stitches and techniques quicker if they are shown visually and walked through the process. If you find yourself to be a visual learner and an in-person session is out of the question, use a recorded lesson to teach you everything you need to know about embroidery.

For those technical savvy crafters or individuals who want to produce high quality embroidery quickly and easily without ever lifting a needle, be sure to check out the embroidery machines at your local sewing shop or sewing machine store. These embroidery machines can create complex creations and use an internal computer to download and select from thousands of designs the perfect one for your project. The embroidery produced using an embroidery machine is of high quality and much more durable than embroidery completed by hand. Additionally, you can embroider difficult materials, including plush towels or slippery satins quickly without a great deal of fuss.

Once you have started to learn how to embroider, the sky is the limit! Look at pre-made patterns or create your own using a computer program or a hand drawn pattern. Any fabric is up for grabs when you begin embroidering and crafters even embroider stitches or patterns on paper and use the designs for popular scrap booking or card making ideas. Whether you choose to embroider ready-made products or make your own items, you will enjoy art of embroidery.

Many crafters enjoy embroidering so much that they begin their own business. Customized or personalized embroidery is a lucrative business that can quickly work to replace an income or add to an existing income. Many crafters attend craft shows with their wares or set up shop on the internet for just pennies. Turn your hobby into a lucrative business by taking special orders to customize or personalize all types of items, including decorative pillow shams, aprons, shirts, jackets, hats, baby items, or anything else under the sun that can be embroidered. Another reason why many embroiders start their own business is to offset the cost of purchasing a new embroidery machine. If this is your plan, be sure to start your search online to find the best deals on embroidery machines.