I'm off to Stitch

I love creating with machine embroidery. When she was a seamstress, my mother purchased a used embroidery machine, handed me the manual, and said, “You can do this.” Neither of us had any idea how much I would love it.

About thirty years ago my mother, who was a seamstress, enjoyed when my sister and I were involved in her small business. One day she purchased a used embroidery machine. She had no idea how to use it but knew we could somehow incorporate it into her tailor shop to add value to the business. She handed me the manual and had faith that I would be able to learn and run this machine. I instantly fell in love. I started with making personalized shower favors for my sister’s bridal shower. From there, we started offering personalized favors to the brides that brought their wedding gowns in for alterations. That soon led into custom handkerchiefs and towels, etc.

In no time at all, I quickly grew out of that used machine and ventured out into purchasing a new machine with larger hoops and more capabilities. Oh my, now the possibilities really were endless. I delved into different patterns, a multitude of projects and being able to personalize and create so many one-of-a-kind items. I started participated in craft fairs and expos. I would create everything from simple key fobs to elaborate designs on pillows, blankets, bags and more. It was during this time that I genuinely appreciated the value of quality tools of the trade. Having the right quality stabilizer, thread and scissors really allowed me to excel and create works of art. As a matter of fact, I still have the first pair of Fiskars scissors my mother let me “borrow” from her tailor shop. I have been using Fiskars scissors for more than 20 years. They are the only scissors I use. Notice I said “I” use. No one else is allowed to use them. Every pair I own is for a specific use. I have my fabric scissors, my vinyl cutting scissors, my paper cutting scissors, etc. and they are all labeled as such. Do not, I repeat, do not even attempt to touch my fabric scissors. Seriously, I even told my husband, early on in our relationship, “These are my fabric scissors. Don’t look at them, don’t touch them, and if you cut paper with them thinking I won’t know, I will know”. Even when I had a pair that went a little wonky on me, I contacted Fiskars and they send me a new pair.

You may think that machine embroidery is just loading a design into your machine, threading the needle, and pressing “go”. No, it is so much more than that. It is deciding what design you will use and what the design will go on. What fabrics you will use. Should you choose cotton or maybe it would look better with felt. How about vinyl or faux leather? Then there is the endless array of colors of thread to choose from. Oh, the colors! You want to use purple? But what kind of purple? A deep, dark, menacing purple? Or should it be a warm, inviting magenta under toned purple? But then you see the sweet, gentle hue of lavender and think, that is it. So, lavender it is. So I decided on a design, the style, the textiles, the thread colors, and . . . . begin.

As I mentioned before, quality tools of the trade mean a lot and sometimes you learn that the hard way. In order not to waste time, money, materials, and sanity, you really need to invest in quality. What is funny is, it is not only what you think is quality, but also what your machine likes. Take thread, for instance, you can buy a quality thread like Brand A. But your machine does not like Brand A and doesn’t stitch at it’s best with Brand A. So, then you try Brand B. Nope, it is not Brand B that your machine likes, nor is it C or D. Finally, when you bring home Brand E and you assure your machine that this will be the one, it finally stitches through the pattern with ease and shows you how much it appreciates Brand E. Ugh, that was an expensive learning experience.

Now, back to our project. As the machine purrs to life stitching your design, you can see it take shape and see your color combinations coming to life. It is so exciting seeing a creation you envision in your head take shape and come to fruition. I find it easy to get upset when I envision something, and it does not quite turn out as I planned. Maybe the color combo is off, maybe I cut the applique too close or maybe the machine needs to be cleaned so it decided to eat my project. But, when something turns out as I envisioned or, sometime, better then I could have imagined, I take a step back and say thank you. I don’t always know who I am thanking. Maybe sometimes it is my machine for not consuming my project, maybe sometimes it is my mom for showing me that “I can do this” or maybe it’s myself for sticking with it and not letting those mishaps get me down and discouraging me from starting again. It doesn’t matter who I am thanking, what matters is that I am thankful, and I continue on.

Over the years I have continued creating and have been blessed with being able to sell a lot of my crafts at craft shows and vendor fairs. This has enabled me to be able to upgrade machines to be able to make larger and occasionally more complicated projects. Even though I have upgrade machines, I have continued to use my Fiskars scissors. Those I cannot do without. Now that I think about it, not only did she introduce me to my love of machine embroidery, but she also introduced me to the Fiskars brand and cultivated my love for them too.

Because my mother was the catalyst for me learning and falling in love with machine embroidery, I make sure to honor her every year by making and donating items in her name. You see, in September 2014 my mother passed away from metastatic breast cancer. Every January (her birth month) I make and donate items to different people or organizations, in her memory. It is my way of honoring her and thanking her for giving me an outlet for my creativity and sharing it with others. Whether I make something specific for someone who can really use a “pick me up”, dozens of “kick cancer’s butt” blankets for those going through chemo or personalized bookmarks for children doing distanced learning, I feel good being able to share my craft, creativity, and love of machine embroidery with others.

Now, all this writing about embroidery has taken me away from my machines. I must be off now to thread, cut and stitch a little more colorful happiness in my life. Feel free to check out my latest creations at www.etsy.com/shop/LinkEmbroidery. So now, pardon me, but I’m off to stitch.