I am a big fan of embellishing. For a while, I did some hand embroidered patches that I turned into hair clips. Some even considered them big enough to be called fascinators. I cut a little slit on the black felt backing, slipped the clip in and hand stitched it to the embroidered image. Templates that I designed, I might add.
But, as an accessory for my kids' clothing business, most people couldn't appreciate the time and effort it took to make these. Translation: Nobody wanted to buy them for the asking price. Which I can't remember now. I was really bummed. Aren't these cute? I would wear these, if my kids could handle things is their hair, they would wear these. What I realized was that most people really don't understand the time and effort it takes to produce hand crafted items. Why buy something at a premium price, when you could head down to the local Walmart and buy it for next to nothing?
I am really passionate about creating things that are special and unique. It's what makes designing clothes and accessories fun. I also love the tedious work for hand embroidery. It's almost meditative. No thinking about the laundry, dishes, nothing but the project in front of me. When I'm done. I feel a real sense of pride. The only really nagging thing is.. Is it worth it?That's when I really started investigating the possibilities of owning an embroidery machine. Like everything, there are pros and cons.
The most important feature for an embroidery machine for me was that I didn't have to babysit it. You know, sit by the machine wait to change threads, adjust thingamajigs, who knows. I just didn't want to do that. The only machine I could find that didn't require any of those things was the BL6. That is Babylock 6 needle. The real deal. The kind of machine used commercially. Do I invest or dream about it? A friend once told me that at some point during my business journey, I will come to a crossroad. Sounds dramatic, but, she's right. To be successful, I'm either all in or wishing I'm all in. I decided with the help of my husband, all in. Since my purchase, about 2 months ago, I've done some small embroidery jobs. But, since yesterday, I have my first major client. A chain laundry cleaners on the Hawaiian Islands! It's a challenge. I am nervous as hell. But, this will certainly lead to greater things. It doesn't hurt that I still get to make cute things.
I found this rad pattern on www.urbanthreads.com. Another reason why I was so amped to get an embroidery machine! On a side note, I did end up selling those hand embroidered lovely hair clips, at a reduced price. Hey, I gotta make a little money!
