Dear Friends, Quick update here. As you probably read at the bottom of the home page my father became quite ill and I have gone to Kansas to spend time with my parents. My father has dealt with cancer for many years and we thought that his increasing weakness was due to the cancer or recent chemo that he had started back up on. Along with that though, dad had developed a severe blood infection and it was touch and go for awhile. God is great and dad is slowly improving at a nursing home rehab. I’ve been moving mom into an independent living apartment at same nursing home dad is in right now. Praying dad will soon be able to join her with the assistance of some home health care. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I hope you are enjoying the extra letters I have available at the moment. I will return home after Thanksgiving and the remainder of the banner letters will continue at that time. Blessings, Nancy
If you recall my word or words I should say for the year have been “Forward Strong”. I’ve thought of these words often in many areas of my life throughout this year. These were words that after a difficult 2013 resonated with me and I knew I needed to move forward both bold and strong.
You can find previous blog posts about “Forward Strong” HERE and HERE.
Sometimes we don’t notice all the little movements forward until we step back and look at the bigger picture which is what I did and boy oh boy was I pleased to see what forward movements I have made.
Today I want to share just in the area of my business how I have moved forward. Over the course of 2014 I have:
Started and moving forward with Embroidery JAM – a product line I’m super excited about and that I have big plans for.
I look back and I think wow. I did these things. You have all been so encouraging to me. You have e-mailed me with sweet comments. You have shared my newsletters and my tips with your friends and groups. I appreciate all of you so much and I wouldn’t be where I’m at without YOU! I just can’t thank each and every one of you who reads my words here enough. You are all awesome and amazing and kind beyond words. I literally get tears of joy when I hear from you about how you like something I’ve done or how you shared a tip I gave. It’s like, wow! me. Little ol’ me. What I do and say has made a difference to someone. It’s amazing.
Hi Friends, Over at the Fit 2B Stitched Yahoo Group we have monthly sew-alongs, SAL for short. The digitizers over there take turns in providing a F-R-E-E design for any and all to participate in. Take note though, if you choose to get the free design, you need to do the project 🙂 That should go without saying.
It is so much fun to see how others put their projects together and share with one another. The color choices others select and choices people make with the design are quite inspirational. I stitched this adorable Gobble Til U Wobble and the design was provided by Marlene’s Stitched Designs. You all know I’m a huge fan of in-the-hoop projects. I so enjoyed making this. The letters are all filled designs but they are lightly filled so it’s not a super stiff design. The leaves are free-standing lace and I did those in variegated thread. Marlene’s directions were easy to follow and it all went together smooth and easy. Great fun!
You all know I sell my designs over at Fit 2B Stitched so I hope you will stop by my store over there. Just look for Embroidery It or click on the link HERE. Happy Stitching and Be Creative Daily!
Today I wanted to talk about a few things regarding your table at your craft show. If you are considering doing craft shows, visit a few and make a mental note to look at the vendor’s tables, not what they are selling, but really focus on their displays. What draws your eye to them or what makes you want to move on quickly to the next table.
First and foremost, bring a tablecloth. This is usually not provided by the host of the craft show. Know what size tables the show is providing or what size tables you will be bringing and have cloths to fit. It is nice to have the tablecloth go to within a couple inches of the floor on the front so you can stash boxes and extra items under the table and they still remain out of sight.
Typically I use black for my table cloths, but I’ve been known to throw a Christmas one on from time to time. For a spring show a pastel colored table cloth might be in order. Just be sure it coordinates with what you are selling. For a country or primitive look, go with a natural burlap. It’s beautiful.
Next, since I am a one man show, I have to be able to carry all my own items so I can’t go with anything too heavy meaning I can’t handle a big display with walls and heavy shelving. I do want height to my display so I carry my items in using crates and then use those crates to create height.
For me the next thing I do is I add tulle around the table crates. I just like the texture of it so I have three yards that I bunch up and go around the crates and other containers that I place on the table. If you have electricity at your booth, a string of white Christmas lights under the tulle is very pretty. My tulle color is plum. It looks nice on my black tablecloths and lets my embroidery stand out without taking away from it. White or cream is another pretty choice.
Finally, fill your table and use coordinating items. I have 8 black wire baskets that I bought on clearance at Walmart years ago that work for me to group and hold items together. It’s not a hodge podge of display items, everything coordinates and is easy on the eye so my embroidery stands out. If you have too much empty table space, do put everything in a basket, lay a few things out individually. It’s ok to have some blank space. Go for a nice balance.
Practice setting up your table at home and when you get it the way you like, take a digital picture of it. Then when you get to your show and you are rushed in setting up, just look at your picture to remember what you want and where.
Have a wonderful week preparing your table display and remember…
What a wonderful week it has been. The weekend had me on the other side of the state at the Michigan Embroidery Fest where I had two days of fun and inspiration. Gosh, seeing what everyone is working on was wonderful. You just can’t beat a room full of machine embroiderers. They are the best people ever. The Michigan embroiderers meet twice a year, in the spring and fall to share, learn and have a great time.
Here in the photo above we are having lunch.
I did a demo on Friday night. I showed my canning jar lids and matching tags with a bonus, an adorable Post-It Note cover. There were three demos on Saturday along with lots of door prizes, raffles, and shopping. I won a beautiful yard of Christmas fabric as a door prize! The Saturday demos consisted of free-standing lace presented by a local fabric/sewing shop. The second demo was how to make a customized iPad and laptop case presented by Bonnie, the leader of the group. The third demo on Saturday was a beautiful faux chenille technique presented by Michelle, my personal friend of Needle Little Embroidery.
My latest Mason jar design is perfect for using to cover a pack of Post-It notes. I will post a tutorial on making the cover this week.
Also my Gingerbread canning lids and tags are available. Both are on sale now in my Etsy shop.
I love the look of metallic thread in my embroidery projects but gosh darn that stuff is wirey and has a mind of its own. I also have some thread with two colors twisted together. It is so pretty but it twists between the spool and my machine and will catch on all sorts of stuff. That leads to jammed machines, broken needles and ruined projects. Yes, truly all three of those things have happened to me just from using difficult thread.
I have a couple of tips to hopefully help out and cause less grief when using this beautiful thread.
Don’t leave your machine’s side. Don’t go get a drink, run to the bathroom, nothing. Stay right there while it stitches and keep an eye on it.
Thread it through a sewing needle and then thread it through a packing peanut. You can see it in the picture. This gets loops out before the loop goes into the machine. It cost me $139.oo one time when a loop got hooked up in my machine and jammed it up requiring a couple new parts. Ugh!
The metal piece you see just above my thread is my bobbin tension when winding a bobbin. Brother machine inventors, if you are listening to me, that was NOT a smart place to have that as I have had thread, not just metallic thread catch on it and when it does, it pulls that thread tight and I end up with a broken needle. What you don’t see in the photo is I have a small square of Glad Press and Seal, you know the stuff you use to cover food in the refrigerator, and I put that square of Press and Seal over the metal tension disk to keep thread from catching on it.
Cover your thread with a piece of thread netting. That also helps keep the thread coming off the spool smoother.
Slow your machine speed down. Again, this helps the thread come off the spool smoother.
Don’t leave your machine’s side. Oh wait, I said that before! Yes I did, because it is that important when working with difficult thread that you babysit your machine. If you don’t do any of the other tips, DO THIS ONE!!
Metallic thread gives your machine embroidery an incredible look so I don’t want to scare anyone away from using it. Just know that using it requires a little more attention and care.
Embroidery cards are a popular selling item at craft shows
Hi Friends,
I had a question come to me about where to find craft shows that don’t cost $300 to $500 to sell at. Those shows that cost hundreds of dollars spend big money on advertising which is why this person probably hears about them more than the shows that are of a more reasonable cost to get into.
So, where to find those lesser expensive shows. My family has moved often and one of the first things I will do is google “craft shows….my city”. You will find a wealth of information with this one search. From there, start making phone calls and just asking what the cost and requirements are to get into the various shows you find on your google search. Some shows have a set entrance fee, some will take a percentage of sales. You need to look at all your costs involved to see what the numbers will add up to and if you are willing to let go of that amount of money.
Craft shows are a popular fund raising item for churches and schools. I have called larger churches and high schools and just asked if they do craft shows in the fall. They will get me in touch with who is in charge of running them at their location and if they don’t do them, often times they know of a church or school who is doing craft shows and will give me contact information for the other location. Once you get into doing a few, ask the other vendors what other shows they are doing this season and take note of them.
Another location to consider are boutiques. What I’ve seen are people opening their homes and turning them into a Christmas wonderland where vendors set up in different rooms of their home. I’ve personally not sold at a boutique like this. I have seen booth space range at boutiques from $25 to $100. I’ve seen some with lots of customers and some where the crickets are chirping with zero traffic. If you choose doing a boutique, do your research and ask about number of customers, how they advertise etc. If you can get references from previous vendors get it and start calling them.
I’ve done shows at high schools. My booth cost at schools has run $75 to $125. I’ve found that they have great traffic, but there are many booths, 200 to 300+ booths, so its more competition and harder to stand out at these shows. That said, they have brought me some truly loyal customers which have brought me repeat business. So that has paid off in the long run.
I’ve done shows at churches. My booth or table cost at the churches has run $10 to $25. These bring in the fewest number of customers. What I like about these shows is that my work stands head and shoulders above many of the others. At these shows I will find people doing crafts that were popular back in 1980’s and those crafters are wondering why their items aren’t selling. Machine embroidery looks very professional so customers will stop at my booth and spend more time with me whereas I see them walking past many other tables. My sales do well at churches.
One more thing to note…I offer a variety of prices. At the schools, my most popular selling items run $8 to $12. At churches, my most popular selling items are $5 and under. It is a different group of customers at both places. At the schools it is many middle aged and younger moms with children. In the churches it is older women who typically shop.
I hope this helps you find craft shows that are in your budget and encourages you to give doing craft shows a try!
Do I have a great tip for you today. I want to share with you a little tool that has saved me from pulling out my hair.
Do you get the occasional bird’s nest on the back of your embroidery where the hoop becomes nearly attached to the throat plate of your machine? I did, and all too often. Now it is very rare I experience that. It used to be my #1 frustration with doing embroidery.
Teflon bobbin washers came to my rescue! They are paper thin washers made of Teflon that sit in your bobbin case. They work for two reasons, the Teflon aids the bobbin in moving smoothly, but more importantly, they create just enough of a shim, raising the bobbin ever so slightly that there is not the room for the bobbin to jiggle and cause the catching of thread which causes the bird’s nest.
So…rewind several years when at my sewing dealer everyone was talking about these Teflon bobbin washers and how wonderful they were. These tiny little things cost about $1 apiece. I purchased one and promptly lost it between the store and home. Sad face here. Bought a second one and it worked wonderfully until I lost it again. Picture trying to find a dropped contact lens is what it is like to find these things.
Next I had my ah-ha moment….Make my own!!!!!
Yes friends, you can make your own bobbin washers from a Teflon pressing sheet that you can get at any store that sells fabric. So for a few dollars for the pressing sheet you can now make, oh…a bazillion!
Just trace around a bobbin on the pressing sheet and cut out. Drop that thin washer you made in your bobbin case. I promise you will be a happy camper! Happy face now!!
Now that it is fall, that means it is fund raising time for schools, churches, sports teams and more. I’m going to give you a tip to bring the hit of the sale. It’s all in the packaging my friends.
Wrap your baked good in some clear cellophane and tie with a pretty grosgrain ribbon. Then, attach one of the items from the Embroidery JAM Fall Set to the ribbon and you have a delicious and beautiful package that will catch the eye of everyone at the sale. Your items will sell first!
One more thing, for those of you wanting to sell your ready made machine embroidery items, this is a great way to advertise. People will want to know who made the muffins or cookies etc. They will get told that you did and will ask about the embroidery. BINGO! The word is getting out that you do machine embroidery and it will be the start of your business. These are quick and easy forms of advertisement. Embroidery JAM Fall Set can be found in my Etsy store HERE.
The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are turning the most gorgeous shades of reds, yellows and oranges. It is breath taking outside right now. Fall is certainly here and let me tell you why I think fall is the best season to do machine embroidery.
1. The kids have gone back to school. Now that the children are back in school and have been for a bit, we moms are getting back into our school routines and that means more mom time during the day. More time for us to get out our fabric stashes and sew while it the house is peacefully quiet.
2. The colors outdoors are inspirational. I will confess spring is my favorite season, but fall comes in second. I love the colors of fall, so much so, walls in my home are painted the beautiful rusty red color that maple leaves turn this time of year. I am drawn to the colors of autumn when I shop for clothing. I think there is such a depth and richness to those colors.
3. You can embroider outside. Yes you can! Do any of you do that? If the weather is not humid or windy I love to take my embroidery machine outside to sew where I can listen to the chatter of the birds and chipmunks. The back border of our property is a stream that makes the most peaceful sound. Dear will walk oh 50 feet or so away and turkey will strut by. Oh my gosh I’m so glad to be out of the city and living in the country now.
4. There are so many beautiful fall embroidery designs that you can decorate your home with. Don’t forget my Embroidery JAM Fall Set. You can add machine embroidery accents to a beautiful fall wreath, or to a fireplace mantel. Fall embroidery decorations can be hung from door knobs or attached to the backs of chairs. There is no limit as to what you can decorate with machine embroidery.
5. Most importantly, Christmas is just around the corner and now is the time to prepare in advance for gift giving. Embroider some hand towels and have them on hand to give to holiday guests as they stop by. Embroider on Christmas stockings and make Christmas ornaments. The holiday season will be here before we know it.
These are my reasons why I love to do machine embroidery in the fall. How about you? What is your favorite season to embroider and why?
Here in Michigan it is apple picking time. Oh they are so good. Right now the delicious Honey Crisp are just right for pickin’ and eating!
This also means I’m making apple butter here in the kitchen. I wish I could invite you all over for a slice of homemade bread with the apple butter slathered on top. Not only does it taste good my kitchen smells incredibly yummy. Mmmmmm….
To go with the apple butter I’m making, I’ve designed some canning jar lids and tags with sweet apples on them. I hope you enjoy! They are digitized to stitch on cardstock but they could be done on fabric just as easily. The apple, stem, and leaf are all applique with felt. All designs fit in the 4 x 4 hoop.
Next in the Embroidery JAM series is my fall set made to coordinate with the Embroidery JAM alphabet and future Embroidery JAM releases. It consists of an Acorn, Pumpkin, Oak Leaf and Maple Leaf.
As you know, Embroidery JAM is an entire system of mix and match designs that allows you to grow and change your project to fit any mood, style, season or event. It is the perfect way to build your won unique items for home, school, dorms, business, your camper and more!
The fall set comes in three sizes with approximate sizes being 2 1/2″, 3 3/4″ and 5″. A 4 x 4 hoop accommodates both the small and medium sizes of all designs.
Blessings everyone and remember….Be Creative Daily!
I’m beyond excited as I’ve been working so hard on this project. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed creating it. I’ve decided to call it Embroidery JAM, name explanation below. You will be seeing a lot more of Embroidery JAM in the future, but today I’m just going to share the alphabet with you.
Many Blessings Everyone
~Nancy~
Embroidery JAMAlphabet
Embroidery JAM is a fresh and innovative way to create decorative items using machine embroidery. It is an entire system of mix and match designs that allows you to grow and change your design to fit any mood, style, season or event.
Embroidery JAM came about because I was searching for embroidery designs that I could change and rearrange according to events and activities that were going on at any given time. I didn’t want to be limited in my creativity. JAM is an acronym for Just A Mix. In cooking terms, jam is a sweet mixture and that is exactly what it is here. It is a creative sweet mixture of letters and objects combined to build your own unique items for home, school, dorms, business, your camper and more.
The system consists of starting with the basic alphabet. The alphabet has the ability to both string other objects as well as be strung from through the optional use of eyelets. The stringing allows your project to build upon and grow with both letters and objects. With the system, there is no end to your creativity. Embroidery JAM items come in two or three sizes and are designed and sized to coordinate perfectly with one another.
There are unlimited ways to use Embroidery JAM. It’s your complete machine embroidery decorating system!
Currently the alphabet is available on my Etsy site and I have designs that are super close to being ready to add. You can see my fall collection and snowflake collection in the photos.
In the alphabet set, you are getting Letters A to Z in three sizes: small, med and large with approximate sizes of the letters being: 2 ½”, 3 ¾” and 5”. A 4 x 4 hoop accommodates both the small and medium sizes of all letters.
Step-by-step instructions with photos are included.
I tried my hand at selling my embroidery at craft shows. When I digitize, I test all my designs and therefore create many things, and my home can only hold so much!!!!
I thought it would be fun to compile a list of why I like to sell machine embroidery at craft shows.1. It is light weight. That means it is easy to carry to and from the car. I feel for some crafters transporting heavy ceramics.
2. It is easy to pack in tubs. Unlike paper crafting or glass that you have to be very careful to transport, fabric is much more forgiving.
3. Machine embroidery displays beautifully. Items with machine embroidery show an elegant touch and they look so professional.
4. Machine embroidery is popular. It seems that some of the most popular items are those which are monogrammed.
5. People like machine embroidery for themselves and also for gift giving.
6. Machine embroidery is a skill that not everyone can do. Not everyone owns an embroidery machine therefore you won’t see machine embroidery being sold at every booth unlike jewelry. If the craft shows you’ve been to are like the one I attended, jewelry was being sold at every other booth.
I considered taking my embroidery machine to personalize some items. I’ve seen this done in the past and it seems to be a popular thing to do. I decided not to do that just because I was running the booth myself and I didn’t want to be distracted away from customers while hooping and stitching items. If I had an extra pair of hands at the booth, this is something I would have done.
One more tip if you are selling machine embroidery at craft shows, I personally like to sell at church bazaars. I feel I’m offering a product that stands a head and shoulders above many items from other sellers. What I mean by this is at church bazaars, there are many women who have made things that were popular back in the 80’s or 90’s. Perhaps they’ve been bringing those items to the craft show ever since that time! I know they put hard work in those items but what they are selling is dated. That just helps my sales as people want something more trending. Also church craft shows are usually the least expensive to rent a table space as often times I can get one for $10 to $25. Can’t beat that!
I’ve never tried to selling at an art show so I don’t have any real advice here. When I was weaving baskets, some of my fellow basketweaving friends would sell their amazing work at art shows and the entrance fee would be several hundred dollars. That alone cuts me out. I have seen some amazing quilters though at art shows who have done very well. Maybe someday I will get to show and sell my work at an art show, but for now, I’m quite content with the local craft shows.
I’m just so excited to share with you my latest mason jar or canning jar lid with matching tag.
Here I attached the tag to the recipe card. They stitch up so quick and easy so you can make several and attach them to the jars as well.
Just a quick note on how I attached the tag to the card. I took a hole punch and punched 2 holes through both the tag and the recipe card. Then I fed the twine through the holes and made a bow. Country charm at it’s best! I’ve digitized these to stitch well on paper but they stitch just as nicely on fabric. The pumpkins are done with pieces of scrap felt. I just love the way it makes a great presentation by jazzing up the canning jars.
The digital files are available in my Etsy store right now.
I’ve posted the letter J at the bottom of the home page. It will be available for one week. Please grab it while it is available.
A quick reminder–Please be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get reminded of when the new banner letters are released. That way you are sure not to miss them. I only send one newsletter a week so I won’t spam your in-box and I will NEVER sell or release your contact information to anyone. It drives me nuts when websites sell my e-mail. Friends, I will only treat you the way I want to be treated and giving or selling contact information is not cool. I have never and will never do that. I respect and appreciate each of you.
On another note; the weather is certainly turning cooler here. I can tell it won’t be long and the trees will be showing all their glory in deep rich colors. My favorite season is spring, but my second favorite is fall. Beauty at it’s best!
In today’s video I show you just how easy it is to make the toppers for canning jars. I love using mason jars for gift giving and just a touch of machine embroidery is like the cherry on a sundae. Perfect. These toppers are super quick so you can stitch up a dozen in no time.
My youngest, Tim is a senior in high school. Where did the time go? Sad mama here. But happy mama that he is a good boy who although a tad on the lazy side and plays too many video games, loves Jesus and tries hard.
Tim asked for muffins for breakfast so he could just grab and go. I had to throw in blueberries, some shredded carrot and pecans to help give him some brain food.
Now that the house is quiet as Mike is off to work, it is a clean the house day. What are all of you doing today?
1. It is light weight. That means it is easy to carry to and from the car. I feel for some crafters transporting heavy ceramics.
