I have had a lot of inquiry about embroidery, how I got started, how hard is it, what all I needed to get started and what the first steps were. So, I thought I would use this second blog post to talk about my business and embroidery for those who have inquired and maybe for those who are too shy to inquire.
I’ve always been a hustler. When I was in college I worked 3 jobs at one point. I enjoy being busy, I enjoy chaos, I wait till the very last minute to do things often because I thrive under pressure. So starting a business while working fulltime, being a mom and a wife, while trying to go back to school for my masters is just so beyond on brand for me, while most would think I’m insane. But, before having my daughter I always scoffed at the thought of being a stay at home mom. That was never me, I’ve always made sure I survive. That was never me…..or so I thought. I would never be “just” a housewife, and I certainly would never depend on anyone to make money for me to survive. However, when I had my daughter all of that changed, and being a stay at home mom, or as close to a stay at home mom as I could be, was the ideal situation to be in. I began trying to think of how I could spend every possible second with my daughter. So, I started thinking of what kind of business I could start that would allow me to be with my daughter and still make my own money. I didn’t want to start a business to just start a business though. I have to be passionate about what I’m doing or I give up on it. I’m an all or nothing type of person.
So I racked my brain constantly trying to come up with a business. When finally, my idea came to me, something I could be passionate about. Custom, embroidered, children’s clothing. At the time my daughter was in 9 month clothing and I was starting to think about her first birthday and her birthday pictures. I always want special moments to be big and memorable so I really wanted a lot of custom things that I couldn’t find in her size. The Etsy market really lacked sizing for infants, you could find plenty of custom tops or outfits starting in 2T, but nothing smaller. Then there’s vinyl shirts, but they don’t really hold up and start to fall apart after a few wears and washes and just about everyone has a cricut business anyway. So, I didn’t want to follow the masses and do what everyone else was doing, which brought me to embroidery. My grandma hand embroidered baby blankets for us and I had seen a little bit of what went into that. So, I started researching embroidery, I watched so many videos for beginners, spent so many hours researching the different machines on the market and who made the best one and of course, what all you could do with embroidery. I found help groups on facebook that I joined where other people talked embroidery, ideas, troubleshooting, ie.
Finally, June 26, 2022, after months of researching and going back and forth on if I should start doing embroidery or not, I finally bit the bullet and ordered my machine and the supplies I would need to get started. I registered my business so I would have an EIN for wholesale purposes. And I signed up for my Etsy shop. I found a great wholesaler for infant sizing and was able to order free merchandise to get started, I think they gave me a $200 credit to get started with which was hugely helpful. My machine finally arrived, and I was beyond thrilled to get started. My mindset since getting started is, if I’m not successful at the very least I am able to make myself and my daughter custom clothes whenever we want. Which has helped me to not put as much pressure on myself and just enjoy where the journey takes me.
My machine finally arrived, my shirts were here, and all my supplies came in. I got everything setup and went to do my first test embroidery….it went absolutely horrible, the thread kept coming undone from the needle and the machine kept throwing an error message. After about 5 attempts I was so discouraged because the machine wasn’t threading properly, and I started regretting my entire decision to begin this. I never saw myself as the crafty type, what could I possibly have been thinking about starting a business I know absolutely zero about. Lucky enough for me, I have the best husband in the entire world, he is the polar opposite of me most days and everything I need when I dramatically think everything is coming crashing down, he thinks far more level headed than I do and within seconds of looking at the machine and looking at the manual he found the disconnect and we successfully stitched out the letter “B” for my test design. Truth be told my husband was excited for all the ideas he thought up about what he would like to have embroidered. Which led to him being eager to help me get started, but hey, he was helpful, so I’ll take it.
Starting out wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t great, I did a lot of trial and error. I made things for my daughter for test items. I had to learn how to center things properly, how to make sure they were level, how to secure items so designs didn’t shift, how to get rid of hoop burn, there’s quite a bit that goes into it. I started my business with a 4×4 brother machine (I’ll have plenty of links at the end of this for everyone). When I started my business, I intended on just doing children’s tops, since that is what inspired me to get started anyway, so the small machine seemed perfect for the tiny tops I would be doing. However, as news got out about my business, I began getting requests for adult tops, tops with a need for a bigger design and branded business items. So, I quickly realized that I wanted to branch out and do more because I was having to turn down a lot of business because of the size restrictions, so I would need a bigger machine. So, a 4×4 machine wasn’t going to be a great option for long, however, it was a really great learning machine for me to get started with. After three months my Etsy shop took off, and I was able to upgrade to a 5×7 machine which has been transformative for my business and allowed me to do so much more. I have learned how to rehoop designs to allow for bigger designs. My biggest project I’ve completed recently was a memorial blanket for my parents that took 8 hours because of all the rehooping I had to do to complete the vision I had. So worth it in the end though. I’ve also started doing hand towels for a boutique I sell items to. I think those are my favorite to create because they allow me to be creative and come up with endless designs.
I spend every free second I have focusing on my business. Marketing ideas, design ideas, new techniques I can try, and enhancing my skills to try more challenging concepts. I am constantly updating my website and Etsy shop to change my rotation of designs for new and fresh ideas. I am always scrolling Facebook and Pinterest for inspiration as well. You never stop learning, you only advance more. I used to always be on my husband about how much he was on his phone for work, then I started my own business and quickly had to apologize. When you own a business there are no days off. You’re constantly thinking about it and how you can make it successful. Having my daughter certainly throws a fun curveball in the mix too, I have to take advantage of naptimes and bedtimes and the small windows where I can get her to sit still and watch Ms Rachel so I can complete one simple order. Time is of the essence and every single minute counts, especially when you’re a parent.
I have been doing embroidery for about ten months now. I have learned sooo much along this journey. I have wasted plenty of money and time getting started, with messing up shirts with stupid mistakes that I had to learn from. Huge learning curves have been thrown my way with being self taught. I have had many days where I want to quit and throw in the towel from the mistakes I’ve made. But then I think back to where I started and look at where I am now, 100+ sales on Etsy, items that sell extremely well in a local boutique, many requests for people with personal items they need embroidered, and I launching a website. I have many days where I feel like I am losing my mind because I say yes to every opportunity thrown my way and some days it bites me in the ass trying to get everyones orders complete in time. But I am here to say, that if I, a fulltime working mom with zero experience in embroidery or crafting for that matter can do it, then anyone can. Hopefully in 10 more months I can expand again and get an even bigger multi needle machine to allow me to be more efficient with designs as well as time, and expand to be able to offer hats. I’m so thankful for the friends and family I have had along this journey, they are truly the backbone of my business and how I have been so successful thus far. Thank you for every share, like and follow, it truly means the world to me and my small business.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
Items to Get You Started:
Brother 4×4 machine: https://amzn.to/3M66k7D
Brother 5×7 machine: https://amzn.to/3pftSxu
Water soluble stabilizer: https://amzn.to/3AVBojV
Stabilizer for 4×4 machine: https://amzn.to/417yTFV
Stabilizer for 5×7 machine: https://amzn.to/426Kt5t
Thread Starter Set: https://amzn.to/3Lyyhn0
Bobbins: https://amzn.to/3HDnxSU
Needles: https://amzn.to/3nxgbK2