Embroidery Machine v Hand Embroidery

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!