Ann The Gran Community

Shirley,

For those little boys, try embroidering lizards, snakes, iguanas, dragons, horses and cowboys.  My 10 and 11 year old grandsons love them on pillows for their beds and for t-shirts. There always sports things too.  Once they see you are doing ''guy'' things, they'll be hang over your shoulder on the computer looking for new design for their stuff. 

We will have to get a Baldwin county embroidery group going.  Looking forward to more from you.

Judy in Robertsdale.

Good Gracious!  I started this thread looking for a couple of people from Alabama and was so pleased when Nancy (in Coker), Kathy (a "used to was" Alabamian who now lives in Tennessee), and Mary who is just up the road a bit in Talladega.  Then this past week  while I was working my fool head off staining and waterproofing both the pier AND the deck on my hands and knees...(no lie 4 full days of 10-12 hours in the sun with a paint brush) a whole mess of you showed up!  So......a big warm welcome (as only a Southerner can give) to:

Pam in Vinemont

Norma (formerly from Australia) now in Guntersville

Lisa in Killen (near Florence)

Ellen in Linden

Jerri in Cottondale

Judy in Robertsdale

Shirley in Silverhill

and Pat (a wannabe Alabamian).

Can't wait to re-read every one of y'all's posts.  I might even embroidery something when I can lift my arms again.

 Rita

 Hi Rita, my name is Cindy and I live in Dothan.  I got my first machine 4 years ago which was a Babylock Ellageo.  I had never sewn before (except in home ec years ago) but it looked like fun.  I started a business here at home and worked part-time outside the home as well.  I was kind of limited on some of the things I could embroider, so a year later I bought an Inbro 12 needle machine.  I use the Janome Digitizer Pro software.  Last January I quit my job and have been doing this full time.  I really love it and am so glad I stopped and watched the demonstration 4 years ago. 

Cindy

Cindy:

What a wonderful story (and testimony...love your tag).  Welcome to the Alabama "bunch."  I was beginning to think everybody here on ATG lived in Florida except for Pat (San Diego) and me.  Maybe we can get enough of us chatting here on the Alabama thread to organize a luncheon get together (like the Florida folks did) somewhere in the middle of all of us? 

You'll have to tell us the progression of how your hobby turned into a business and what kinds of things you embroider.  12 needles!   Some of the ladies who post on ATG forums will certainly check in here and offer both encouragement, advice, and kudos when you share your work with us by pictures or descriptions.

I'm still new to ME, although I've had my Brother PE180-D for a couple of years.  Except for one major project (phrases on throw blankets for all my g'kids two years ago) and monogramed towels for a gift, I didn't touch it again until a few months ago.  Have learned lots and lots here on ATG, have found lots of free designs (here and elsewhere), bought bunches of neat "stuff," and have made some new friends...and I've done more than a dozen projects in the past few weeks, including t-shirts, burp cloths, and hand towels (with tennis designs) for some of us who play. 

Great group here on the forums.  Have you checked out the blogs yet?  Pat especially does a really good job.  She's a good teacher.  Cathy does a blog and is brand new to ME so she has lots of questions for everyone to comment on.

Again...welcome.  Can't wait to hear more about you and what all you do with embroidery.

Rita

 Thanks Rita,

I've been reading the different blogs but never participated until I saw the request for ME'ers from Alabama. I have been downloading designs from ATG ever since I started.  I am another one that is addicted to designs.  I can't tell you how many I have.   I started out doing towels, shirts, and purses on my Babylock.  Then I got a customer that is a commercial AC company and wanted hats.  Well the Babylock didn't do hats unless you bought an attachment & the dealer said it didn't work very well.  So that is why I started looking into buying something bigger.  The AC company is my biggest customer & have done hundreds of hats & shirts for them.  Now I embroider anything that will fit my machine.  I have embroidered the back of a folding lawn chair (the type that folds up & goes in it's own bag).  I had to hold it the whole time it sewed.  Boy was that fun. :)  People ask me to do some crazy things.  I had one guy (a close friend) that had a favorite golf shirt with holes in it.  He asked me to embroider something on all the holes.  It actually didn't look half bad when I finished. :)  I used thread that almost matched the color of the shirt, so they didn't stand out.  He was pleased and that is all that matters.  I love to make my customers happy.  All of my business contacts have been word of mouth.  So I have to keep my advertisers happy. :)  I have also had some disasters, but I'll save that for another day. :)  Thanks for the welcome!  

Hats, huh?  We had quite a discussion about hats and visors here on ATG.  I looked into the attachment for my machine, but it costs more than $100, so I'm reluctant to buy it when there are still a lot of things I can't do with what I have.  For example, I bought the repositional hoop last month and haven't used it yet.

Someone asked me how much I would charge to do 30 t-shirts (various sizes) with the name of their company...no logo right now,  just the name.  I told him I couldn't even guess until I saw what I had to pay for t-shirts.  He wants to go for quality, so I expect they won't be cheap.  I have looked and found several places that sell them wholesale, but can't know the quality.  So there's a store in the area that does screen printing, and  I called and asked who their vendor was and whether they were satisfied with the quality.  They did call me back, asked if I had a tax ID, etc, then told me they don't "share their sources"  with "competitors,"  but that they would be glad to sell me as many as I needed.  Like as if.  Laughed out loud at both those comments.  Can't say more than that without being unkind, so I'll let it rest.  But competition?  I doubt that.  I don't want to start a huge business; I'd just like to offset some of the expense of my ME addiction. 

Finding blanks has turned out to be a real challenge because, as I said, you can't tell quality by looking online.  Oh... just remembered Zoey's blanks has a special on onesies until the end of the month.  Like $1.29 each?  Don't remember how many you have to buy.  But you might want to check it out. 

I'm headed to bed.  Any advice from y'all about where to get quality t-shirts (collared as well as collar-less) for a decent price would be appreciated.  Honest...I'm not competition.  (still grinning about that)

Rita 

 Rita I will be glad to share any of my sources.  One company you might try is TSC Apparel.  Their website is www.tscapparel.com.  They have name brand tshirts that are great in quality.  I usually buy Gildan 50/50, but have also bought some of their 100% cotton.  Jerzee and Hanes are two more good quality name brands.  It's been so long since I started ordering from them I can't remember what exactly you need.  Probably a business name and maybe a tax id number, I'm sorry I just can't remember.  But if you go to their website, it will tell you what you need to buy wholesale.  I have a lot of other companies I buy from as well, wholesale.  Most of them do require a tax id number, but it doesn't cost anything to get one.  Let me know how you do with the tshirts.  I was given some hankies today for an upcoming wedding.  I have never sewn any, so I am a little leery of messing them up.  They are so thin.  If anyone has ever done any before, I would appreciate some advice.  The customer is going to let me wash them first so that will be a big help.  At least they won't shrink after they are embroidered.  Good Luck on the shirts!!  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  

About hooping thin fabric, there is a product called Hoop It All. It's a felt ring that goes between the fabric and the hoop so you don't need stabalizer. It seemed a little too pricey for as many hoops as I have, so I cut my own out of white felt. I cut a ring about 1 inch smaller and 1 inch larger than each of my hoops. I sometimes use spray statch on the fabric before hooping. I have used this to emb. on fabric as thin as voille and there is no picking stabalizer from the backside.

 Hope that helps you. Jeri

I am not sure what machine you have but I have the Viking SE and I use the mini hoop for hankies it is just 40 mm round and is just right for hankies I also use it for signature blocks fondly called siggies..the center of those are 3" square...and there is a site called tiny little stitches she has the most tiny designs that anyone has...a tiny cross would be lovely for a wedding and I think there are about 3 different ones...and I use H20 gone and it just washes out...hope this helps ...God Bless

Unlike the other answers given, I worked the linen bridal hankie outside the hoop.  I utilized Place n' Stitch software to get my proper placement.  I do handkerchiefs on the bottom corner.  I, too, wash and dry the hankie and also apply a little lavendar spray starch before heading to the machine.  I hoop the stabilizer and sit the hankie on top of the stabilizer outside the hoop.  A little 505 temporary adhesive spray will keep in place.  Since you are doing a group for others; you may want to do a trial run on scrap for "look-see".  Good Luck!

Joan/NJ

I did a google search for the web site (tiny little stitches) and couldn't find it.  Will you post it for us?  I'd like to take a look at what she has. 

 Thanx

Rita

I am so sorry for any inconvienence ...it was not tiny it was perfect little stitches...here is the home website...

http://perfectlittlestitches.com   God Bless...Norma

If you would like to see my resource, it is Broder Bros, their quality is very good.  They are free to join and I think they have a warehouse in Alabama, but I am not sure.

Naturally, price and quality always have a relationship. 

Pat

Pat,

Thanks for all the good tips on your blogs! I really appreciate your time and talent.

I do have one question. I went to the Broder Bros. site and I can't seem to find the hankies you were talking about.

Thanks for assist....Kath :o)

I was thinking of general embroidery blanks rather than specifically hankies. 

Did you notice that ATG has 2 different hankie designs for ladies?  I particularly liked this pineapple design that my mother crocheted many times.   The simple lace design is excellent as well.

Wedding hankies are very special, embroidery adds just the right touch.  I hope you have an opportunity to photograph them for us to see. 

Best wishes to the bride and groom and you and yours, Pat

Kathlene,

Go to Embroiderthis.com.  They have several hankies.

Thank you so much..I appreciate it. :o)  Also..your picture looks suspicially like a frog!!! LOL   Cute.

Kath :o)

We also carry a line of hankies, which get very good reviews. You can find them at:

http://www.annthegran.com/Search.aspx?q=hankie

BB

Thank you so much...I forget to check Ann's site first!!

Kath :o)

Hi Rita,

I live in Notasulga, Alabama and have just began embroidering in ernest although I have had my machine for 2 years.  I have a Janome 9700 and like it very much although I have to save my designs on my computer then move to a card to insert into my machine for use.  I am lucky that the folks at Opelika Sewing are so good and helpful! I was just in today with questions.  It is good to know there are other beginners in Alabama!

Billie