Teaching isn’t just the best way to learn the subject you’re teaching, it’s the best way to find out how much you still have to learn. I’ve recently concluded my first series of seminars on machine embroidery for the fantastic people at the Decorated Apparel Expo (affectionately known as DAX). I taught at shows in . . . Read More
As someone who occasionally creates stock designs for embroidery, it’s always fun to see the projects that embroiderers create based on your designs.; This week, I was absolutely amazed at the work shared by my long-time friend in the industry, Jane Swanzy. Jane is the proprietor of Swan Threads in Houston, Texas, and has won . . . Read More
What you may not know about the little Albuquerque-based company for which I work, is that we have done a ton of decoration for the flourishing local film and TV business in New Mexico. From Albuquerque’s most recognizable shows, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, to AMC’s Preacher, to NBC’s the Night Shift, to countless . . . Read More
Though I attempt to keep most of my content here to posts that have their own content to spare, there are times when it’s entirely worthwhile to re-blog a piece I’ve done elsewhere. For me, it’s this embroidery glossary from the one and only Make: Magazine. In this installment of ‘Learn the Lingo’, maker extraordinaire Caleb . . . Read More
Embroidery is a textural art, but the texture of the substrate sometimes interferes. The texture of embroidery, in short, its ability to play with light and shadow is one of its greatest assets. Sadly, when the fabric on which you embroider is excessively textured, you may find your embroidery obscured and sunken into the material. . . . Read More
Crunch time doesn’t last forever. What could you do with your ‘down time’ to make your business more successful? At the end of the year, embroiderers and apparel decorators of all sorts are busily turning over production, fulfilling gift orders, personalizing everything that a needle will punch through or a print will stick to. In the . . . Read More
Aside from your willingness to work, there is nothing more important to your performance than focus. If I’ve learned one thing in talking shop with hundreds upon hundreds of apparel decorators, it’s that the largest hurdle they face usually isn’t a technical problem or a lack of skill. Even when they do have decorating techniques . . . Read More
It’s November, and there’s no time like the present to rev up your business for the gift-giving season! In this month’s Printwear Magazine, I’ve prepared a Seasonal Survival Guide to help you manage the incoming storm of embroidery orders while you maintain readiness for all of the wacky seasonal specialties your shop must decorate between . . . Read More
What are Dad Hats? Put very simply, they are unstructured, curved-bill caps with fabric strap, buckle closures that feature simple decorations, like small iconic images or lines of text, centered on the front panels. Put in context, Dad Hats are a reaction to everything that recently made hats cool. Dad hats fly in the face . . . Read More
I recently had an interesting conversation with promotional products master and skilled interviewer Mark Graham in concert with industry consultant and expert blogger extroidinaire Marshall Atkinson on episode 104 of the Promokitchen Podcast. We covered so much ground from my history, to embroidery, to eCommerce, to design that it’s hard to adequately summarize or categorize the post. These two offered focused . . . Read More
