5 Ways to Personalize Your Projects

As creators, we love being inspired by other sewist and quilters, but how do we take their inspiration and personalize it? Today we will discuss five ways to personalize your sewing and quilting projects. From adding lettering to printing on designs, there are so many ways we can find a project and turn it into our style. So follow along and check out what machines and accessories we recommend for your personalization touches.

Adding Lettering

Whether you’re inspired to create a tote bag, or a sweater, adding lettering to your projects can be just the touch of personalization you need! Add your initials with your partners on a sleeve to create the perfect valentines gift, place your child’s name on their new school bag, or gift a quilt with a quote to your loved one using the lettering feature on your creations.

To add this personalization technique, you can use an electric computerized sewing machine that offers lettering, like the Kokochi DX-4000QVP! An electronic computerized sewing machine like the DX-4000QVP offers lettering stitch choices, ranging in different fonts, that will allow you to quickly and easily stitch in your child’s name, favorite quote, or number one sports team name!

Adding lettering is an easy way to personalize your next project and can be done with just a tap of your finger and a stitch!

Adding Embroidery Designs

Using a specialized embroidery machine, you can start adding your designs and bring texture to your projects by adding a touch of your personality! For example, add a cool design to sneakers, pet collars, or even a child’s teddy bear to create a project representing you or the gift receiver.

A machine like the JUKI/Tajima Sai 8 Needle Embroidery Machine is an example of a machine that can offer this feature! With 8 different color options, you can create beautiful flowers, animals, and a scenic view from your last hike. Art is limitless with what you can create on an embroidery machine. Adding embroidery can be an exciting art form when creating personalized projects!

Want to try your hand at embroidering and creating a makeup bag? Learn how to create this makeup bag with our JUKI Ambassador Nicole Moore here!

Designing Your Fabric

Have you found yourself wanting a specific fabric design? Been drawing some designs of your own? Then take the leap and design your own fabric! With a machine like a Direct-To-Garment printer, the options in patterns and designs for your projects are now endless, thanks to the ability to design your own fabrics right from your studio.

The RICOH Ri 100 can help you print your art designs and patterns onto fabric easily and quickly. From canvas fabrics for your tote bags to cotton for your memory quilts, enjoy the freedom of designing and creating anything for your imagination, and enjoy a material that no one else would have!

Try your hand at printing your own fabric with this east mini quilt project! Learn how to create your own with our JUKI Ambassador Nicole Moore here!

Adding in Photos

Whether it’s a family photo or a memory from your favorite trip with friends, adding a memory photo to a project like a t-shirt or a quilt is a great way to personalize your projects! Whether you’re embroidering designs with free motion quilting, using a Direct-To-Garment printer, or using an embroidery machine, there are limitless ways you can get to designing and including your photos in your projects.

Our favorite projects are memory quilts users create with photos! From sweet newborn gifts to anniversaries and holidays, a quilt created with personalized love is an excellent idea for your next gift project! Using a machine like our Direct-To-Garment printer, the RICOH Ri 100 can easily print and place your photos directly onto the fabric you’re creating, letting you put your focus on your quilt block designs.

Want to create your own memory quilt like the one shown for your loved one? Follow along here to learn more here!

Creating a Set

One of the best things about personalization is the freedom to be creative in what we embroider and print on. Personalize your next gift by creating a matching set! Whether it’s a set of make-up bags for traveling, or a matching set of t-shirts for the father and daughter duo, sets can be a fun gift that allows you to try different project ideas.

One of the best ways to create sets is to intermix your work! Print on your fabric, embroider your design and sew it all together to create something unique and different. Whether your project is small, like a glasses case, or large, like a king quilt, adding these touches of personalization will bring the whole idea together!

So the next time you create a project, add your name, embroider a design, or print on a pattern and show your personality when showing off your project!

Want to try your hand at creating a matching set? Check out our Daddy and Daughter duo set project here!

Want to personalize your next project? Then, visit us here today to find your nearest JUKI dealer!

5 Projects You Can Create on Your Embroidery Machine

When you own an embroidery machine, you can accessorize, personalize and decorate just about anything you can get your hands on. So whether it’s the denim jacket you’ve wanted to revamp or personalize your quilt, embroidery is another form of design taken to the next level!

While embroidery machines are not new to the home sewing world, their technology advancement has passed bounds for those who want to start a small business. Starting your small business is easier than ever with the ability to find top-speed and high-quality machines for home use now. Now that the machine is in your grasp, what can you start creating to sell for your small business?

Follow along below for 5 ideas you can bring into your small business that is fun and easy to complete.

Bags and Purses

Perfect for any season, everyone uses some form of carrier. Whether it’s a tote bag for groceries, a beach bag for toys, or a purse for going out, there are so many options when it comes to personalizing bags! You can place fun sayings, eccentric artwork, or beautiful designs and create a new and fun product for bag lovers.

Monogrammed products

Never out of style, people love owning and gifting monogrammed pieces! Newlywed couples, or those celebrating an anniversary, can enjoy gifts like monogrammed robes, towels, and more. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy having monogrammed sweaters with their favorite teams to cheer on at the games. Readers can find comfort in monogrammed blankets for nooks! The possibilities on who can enjoy this are endless, being a perfect niche to jump into.

Embroidered Pillows

Embroidered pillows from a small shop are an excellent idea for those who love to spruce up their home with fun and exciting décor pieces! Different from those in stores, think of how your designs can bring personalization into buyers’ homes, letting them share their passions in colors, designs, and more. 

Baseball Caps & Other Apparel

Whether you’re creating hats to support sports teams, your city, or your brand, baseball caps are favorites for many. Think of designing pieces with local area code numbers, fun sayings, silly designs, and more so others can show off their personality with your work! A classic go-to, baseball caps are always in style and can be worn by everyone. T-shirts, sweaters, and other apparel pieces are always popular, a classic to create and work on! Allow your creativity to flow as you create pieces with original designs, fun and sassy quotes, and more. Look into different types of clothing like jean jackets, uniform shirts, and more to get a better idea of what you want to create.

Pet Accessories

Pets are like family, so it’s no secret why creating for pets is a fun niche to jump into! Create pieces like pet beds, clothing, food mats and so much more for those furry friends. Simply embroidering pet names can be a big selling point for those who want personalized pieces, and a way to express their style in their homes. Not sure what to create? Check out our business page here for ideas!

What Will You Create?

There are so many things you can customize and create with your embroidery machine. From pieces, we talked about to other exciting ideas like jewelry, ornaments, and more, the possibility of what you can create is up to you! So keep up with JUKI as we share our project ideas through the year that you can create on an embroidery machine and others. What project would you be most excited to create on an embroidery machine?

How to Start Your Embroidery Business         

A hobby where the community is ever-growing, embroidery is forever growing in popularity around the world. Due to this, it’s no surprise so many have begun their own business in embroidery projects ranging from fashion to accessories to home décor. Thankfully it’s never been easier to set up your own embroidery business! So whether you’re starting from a corner in your room or a more extensive scale location, we’re here to explore things you need to know before starting.

What Skills Will I Need?

Before starting any business, it’s essential to understand what skills you need to know first. If you don’t know a skill, that doesn’t mean you can’t start a business; it only means it’s time to pick up a new skill! Don’t forget that you can also reach out to friends and family you want to work with who already have those skills you need.

Machine Operation:

Handling an embroidery machine is exciting, and while it comes with a small learning hill, once these machines are set up, they’re an exciting new thing to use! An embroidery machine like the Tajima Sai is perfect for businesses and hobbyists who want to upgrade. Its software, Tajima Writers Plus, converts text to embroidery data or creates embroidery data by combining registered designs and text. It’s easy to switch thread color, set embroidery positions, make adjustments, and more using its digital screen, helping new users handle the machine easier.

Design Software and Creating Art:

When opening up an embroidery business, the vital thing to keep in mind is that you don’t need to be artistic, just creative! Like the Tajima Sai, some machines come installed with their Writer Plus Software used for digitizing, editing, and font software and are accessible on its LED screen. Finding a machine with built-in software is one the best ways to start an embroidery business, as this will keep you from having to purchase another part for your machine separately.

When it comes to creating artwork, you need your PC and machine. For example, computerized embroidery machines require vector images. This can be accomplished through software like Adobe Illustrator. By designing art on Adobe Illustrator, a popular application with many guides and how-to-use references on the internet, you can create your artwork. Once it comes to downloading these new artworks onto the machine, it’s dependent on what form of software you have.

An Illustrator Embroidery Plugin is plugin software that converts a vector image into an embroidery pattern. You can also choose Embroidery Software, such as Tajima Sai Writer Plus Software, which can import your Adobe Illustrator vector image and transform it into a pattern used by an embroidery machine. Keep in mind that these programs are likely to work on the machine they’re created for and not others in choosing Embroidery Software.

What Equipment Will I Need?

The Machine: 

While this will depend on the size of your business looking to set up, you’re going to need to start with one machine. There are many different options on the market, and this will be your most valuable asset. When choosing a suitable machine it should be able to keep up with productivity (think of machine speed and consistency) and easy to operate. The Tajima Sai, for example, was created with small businesses in mind. This means it’s compact, easy to use for beginners, comes with the programs you need, and includes the accessories you need for embroidery. Finding the right package when purchasing a machine can also save money in the long run, as this will keep you from needing to buy accessories or extra programs at a later date.

Embroidery Merchandise:

There are two options you can follow when starting your business, made to order or order to be made. The concept behind these is that you can choose to have constant inventory or keep a list and only create when an order is placed. While these two things can be changed, it’s best to always have stock of items you’re going to embroider on ready to be used.

Some popular items we recommend are:

  • T-shirts
  • Polo Shirts
  • Home Décor
  • Handbags
  • Sweaters
  • Caps

When you start choosing items for your shop, think of who you’re selling to and focus on what type of items customers in your niche are purchasing embroidered.

How Do I Market My Business?

The first thing to do when marketing your new small business is to determine what your goals are. What do you want to achieve? Is it a revenue goal or a profit goal? How many sales per month do you need to generate that revenue? Having a clear idea of what success is to you will help you to define a budget.

Website:

The first thing we recommend having is a shop base like a website or Etsy shop. Think of this as the public face for your online or at-home business. Here you’ll be able to share your company message, introduce yourself to buyers, and showcase your products and services in a way that’s unique to your brand. Keep in mind ‘Key Words’ (In terms of Search Engine Optimization, better known as SEO, they’re the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also called “search queries.”) Using the right keywords on your website for your product will help you show up in higher ranking on search engines.

Advertising:

Once you have your budget think of where your audience is based. Free marketing you can start with is creating social media accounts that you’re audience uses. For example, if your audience is between the ages of 30-55, you’ll have a high chance of finding sales on Facebook. If your audience is mothers, you can post on Pinterest and Instagram. Ways to be found on social media rely on hashtags, geo-location (when you tag a city or spot), and getting others to put your name out there.

Paid advertising differs, but it’s still important to keep in mind what websites and google searches your audience is doing to promote correctly. Startup businesses can look into programs like Google ads, Yahoo Ads, and paid Facebook and Instagram Ads.  

Opening up Shop

Once you have your machine, products, and website up, it’s time to start putting yourself out there! Take advantage of social media sites and use these as a platform to reach and interact with your audiences. So many people enjoy finding new items to buy on their social pages, and getting yourself on there is a great way to reach customers.

There’s a reason why embroidery businesses do well. Whether it’s the fun in personalization that’s available, or the opportunity to purchase from a small business something unique and in their interest, the market is always welcoming new ideas. To keep your company successful, focus on what you can control and make sure you choose the right equipment and programs. With these being the foundation to a long-lasting business, it’s essential to choose suitable materials.

We hope this helps give a glimpse into the beginning of opening your own embroidery business! Visit here to check out JUKI’s Tajima Sai embroidery machine to learn more about its Writer plus Software, the machine’s speed, features, and more!

10 Reasons to Start an Embroidery Business

Starting an embroidery business is an exciting and growing venture. If you’re interested in starting an at-home business, embroidery is a great option, especially for those with creative ideas that others would love in their niches.

Below, we will give you ten reasons why the embroidery business could be the best idea for your new venture with a machine like the JUKI Tajima Sai.

Keep Your Space

When you start an at-home business, you may not have the space available for a large machine and equipment. So finding a single head embroidery machine like the Tajima Sai or similar is a great idea because they’re for compact spaces.

Minimal Set Up Cost

Starting a new business, we want to create something low-cost to create to achieve a profit. Therefore, the initial money you put into an embroidery business doesn’t require a considerable amount. For example, the Tajima Sai can be found for under 12K with software and supplies included. Many machines will also have training videos or resources for starting users.

Supply Cost is Low

When it comes to buying supplies for a business, you want to make sure that it will be a profitable outcome. For example, a 5000-meter cone of embroidery thread is under $7.00, and the line will last for many projects.

Creative Freedom

Creating merchandise can be a great experience! If you have many ideas, owning a business that allows you to create is perfect. You can find yourself in many niches, whether it be creating for hobbies you enjoy, TV shows or movies you follow, and more; there is a customer base for everything.

Flexible Work Hours

When you own a business, you’re able to create work hours for yourself. This can be a great side business for many after their workdays, at night, or on weekends and special events. The ability to choose when and how you work is a pro for many owners.

Profitable Business

It makes sense that when you start an at-home business, you want something that will be low cost with high profit. The great thing about embroidery is the low cost of supplies. Remember that you will never receive 100% profit on an item you create, but hitting 10% profit is average and hitting 20% profit is good!

Customer Demand

Small businesses are currently experiencing a boom! With social media and the online network at your disposal, small businesses are constantly growing and creating audience bases. However, while there are many in the game, there is never someone who creates the same way you create, and you should keep this in mind when choosing to enter into the embroidery market.

Resources are Everywhere

Embroidery is not a new thing! However, one of the best things about the embroidery world is the number of resources available to new and advanced users. Whether it be training videos, attending workshops, or other programs, embroidery offers the chance to learn a new product and new project with much help.

Easy Expansion

When it’s time to upgrade your small business, it’s easy to expand. Certain machines can easily link together, allowing you to create your own production ‘floor’ right in your home. With the ability to easily grow your business when you need it, knowing the possibility is always there is good.

Product Choices

Designing and creating a new product to sell should be fun, even if there is work to do. The possibilities with an embroidery machine allow you to focus on different niches! With accessories available to embroider socks, hats, bags, t-shirts, jackets, and more, a pro for this machine is the ability to be multi-dimensional in your merchandise.

Whether this pushes you to open that embroidery business you’ve been thinking about or not, we hope this helps you see the prod of opening your own small business! So, what questions do you have about embroidery? Let us know down below!