Save money on all colors of Permacore thread only in July from The Embroidery Store. This matte-finish polyester thread is ideal for high speeds and has greater durability than cotton-wrapped thread.

No Show backing is specifically designed for show-through fabrics. Made of soft, sheer nylon, this backing feels soft against the skin and you do not see an ugly square of backing when wearing the shirt. It's on sale for only $14.99 this month.

Each month, the Embroidery Store offers some great deals on the supplies you need most on its Web site at www.embstore.com. It's a wonderful opportunity to stock up on things you use everyday at bargain prices. To order, call (800) 504-9757. These are available for the month of July only so don't delay.

Permacore Thread
6,000-yard spool, all colors on sale
Regular Price: $7.75 | Sale Price: $6.00

Heavyweight Water Soluble Topping
40-inch by 25-yard roll
Regular Price: $35.00 | Sale Price: $11.99
# B524025

Peggy's Stitch Eraser 3
Regular Price: $79.95 | Sale Price: $69.00
# B11030

No Show Cutaway Backing
Regular Price: $24.35 | Sale Price: $14.99
# B31577

Havel's Applique Scissors
Regular Price: $17.45 | Sale Price: $9.99
# B11049

Medium-Weight Cutaway Backing
7 1/2-inch by 8-inch perforated sheets
100 yards per roll
Regular Price: $35.12 | Sale Price: $21.00

Make hooping awkward items like Christmas stockings, larger tote bags, blankets, and jacket backs easier with the new Slim Line Clamp II offered by The Embroidery Store.

Embroidery Store Offers New Slim Line II Clamp

Slim Line clamps, manufactured by EMS/Hoop Tech and distributed by The Embroidery Store, are specifically designed to assist in embroidering on hard-to-hoop items on Meistergram and other low-profile embroidery machines. They feature a spring-loaded clamping device with interchangeable windows that easily slide in and out depending on the item you need to embroider.

The first series of clamps were designed to work with smaller images such as pockets. Now a new larger series is available to embroider on bigger items such as Christmas stockings, larger tote bags, blankets, and jacket backs. The Slim Line II clamps come in five sizes: 4.5 x 9 inches, 8 x 8 inches, 9 x 9 inches, 12 x 5 inches, and 12 x 9 inches.

The Slim Line II fits onto your embroidery machine the same as an ordinary embroidery hoop. Once installed, you simply open the clamping window by rotating the handle down, insert your item, and release the clamp. In addition to Meistergram machines, the clamps also will work on the Brother, PR600-C, a six-needle singlehead embroidery machine.

The Embroidery Store stocks more than 10,000 parts and supplies and offers the top brands in the industry. It also is a resource for custom digitizing via the Internet at www.embdigitize.com. All parts and supply orders placed on the Internet, fax, or phone by 3 p.m. EST Monday through Friday are shipped the same day. Check the Web site often at www.embstore.com for new products and specials. For more information, contact The Embroidery Store at (800) 504-9757 or e-mail info@embstore.com.

Many stock designs are created with a column outline as the last color to define the detail. In this day of budget-conscious customers, the outline design has gained popularity as a way to obtain a large design with a low stitch count.

This stock design is a good example of an image that could be easily dissected to create a new customized design. Either just the baby or just the teddy bear could be cut and pasted and used to create a new combination.

Exploring The Options Of Dissecting Stock Designs

By Barb Geer

If you have editing software, you'll find it's easy to pick and choose parts of your embroidery stock designs to create a unique new one. As long as you don't write over your original design, no matter what happens, you can always start over. Today's editing and digitizing programs are so versatile and easy to use, you can make changes with a mouse click.

Layer Off The Colors
One of the easiest features to use in the editing software is the option to turn colors on and off, which is possible depending on the method of digitizing used. You also can move points within the design to clean up edges left open by the layering process.

Layering off the colors is a useful technique when a customer chooses a logo that is too stitch intensive for his project or doesn't fit his budget. It also can be used to grab only the outline of a design. Quilters can eliminate the fill and turn any walking stitch outline into a redwork or bluework pattern. When the outline is too thin, you can change it to a bean stitch to make it work.

Click and Drag
The click-and-drag feature allows you to change the basic shape of your design with a click of the mouse. As long as the entire design is selected, all parts move proportionally. There are many options here from changing the size of the entire design to moving just one side or the other to completely distort the original. Change short and fat to tall and thin or vice versa.

There are limits but you will be able to tell by looking at the screen during the process if you are moving a piece too far. When a digitizer places the original points in the design, he is using commands that will stitch smoothly and flow evenly around corners and curves, and make certain that fills match the outlines. By zooming in on a section, you can check to see that you have maintained that flow. If not and you are experienced at editing, grab the points and move them to the proper position to regain proper stitch directions.

Create An Outline Design
Many stock designs are created with a column outline as the last color to define the detail. In this day of budget-conscious customers, the outline design has gained popularity as a way to obtain a large design with a low stitch count.

When using an outline from a stock design to create a new design, be sure to check whether or not there is underlay under the column. If not, there is yet another great feature in your editing software where you can turn the underlay on and off. Turn it on, select the type of underlay you desire, and you have another design that you can use in a variety of ways.

Create An Appliqué
Once you have an outline, another easy process is to create an appliqué. You already know that an appliqué needs an outline to show you where to place the fabric, a tackdown to hold the fabric in place, and an outline to finish off the edges.

If the design is simple, when you add an underlay, choose the edge walk pattern at 75% of the original width. This gives you two lines, one toward the outer edge of the column and one toward the inner edge. Move through your design and add a color change on the inner walk line. I also would suggest duplicating the second line to give the tackdown more stability for cutting away excess fabric. If your pieces are precut, duplicating the line will add more stitches without serving any purpose.

If the outline design is not just a simple shape, you will need to be more specific as to where you place the outline and the tackdown for the appliqué. You only want those stitches at the edge of the shape. You can place your own points around the edge. You will have to read your manual, but I assure you that if you have advanced software, you can add and delete points readily.

These are just a few examples of ways you can get more mileage out of your stock designs. Using an editing program, you will find you can customize a wide range of stock designs to create new logos for clients, designs to be sold at retail, or create new looks with the same designs. Always make sure before you begin, that the owner of the original stock designs allows altering of the original.

Barbara Geer, president, Grand Slam Designs, an embroidery stock design and contract digitizing operation, has been in the decorated apparel industry since 1990. She is a popular speaker at commercial decorated apparel and home embroidery events. She also is a frequent contributor to commercial and home embroidery publications such as EMB, Stitches, and Printwear. You may reach Barbara at 800-569-8138; 218-222-3501; e-mail barb@grandslamdesigns.com or visit her Web site at www.grandslamdesigns.com.

Don and Hilda Allen
Alpine Graphic Apparel Inc
2118 North Centennial St.
High Point, North Carolina, 27262
336-884-6035
Fax 336-884-6036
Dallen@alpinegraphicapparel.com

Since Alpine Graphic Apparel moved into its new 2,000 square foot facility, it had space for a showroom and a conference area. "We started enjoying more and better business almost instantly with the bigger facility," says Don Allen, co-owner.

Alpine Apparel Graphics has a four-head and a single-head machine, but anticipates adding eight more heads in the next year as work from the franchise customer increases.

One advantage the Allens have when selling decorated apparel is their textile backgrounds. Both came from the textile industry and are very knowledgeable about fabrics. This information is used in sales presentations and according to co-owner Don Allen, has helped them close deals.

Alpine Graphic Apparel Climbs Its Way to Success

North Carolina decorator scales decorated apparel industry's heights with a focus on national customers and aggressive networking.

By Deborah Sexton

Don Allen found his biggest customer by chance, but it wasn't luck that landed the job – it was determination.

Allen's company, Alpine Graphic Apparel Inc., High Point, N.C., gets about half of its annual sales from a global franchise with hundreds of locations, a big-time job it landed a year ago after a local franchisee came into the shop. "The local person wanted some embroidery for a high school, not for the franchise. He said, 'By the way, we're opening a local store for a global franchise and need logo apparel. Our franchise is part of a global operation,' " Allen says.

The franchisee was on a vendor's committee, trying to choose an apparel supplier for all of the stores worldwide. Allen pitched the company on his decorating services, relying on his and his wife Hilda's backgrounds in textiles to help the corporate office pick an apparel decorator. "We talked about which dyes to use, which blends to consider, which finishes to get," Allen says. "It was a technical sale. We were very aggressive."

After months and months of efforts, Allen finally won the account in August 2005, a job that includes running two online company stores. Alpine already has done logo embroidery for about 200 of the franchisees. Orders are about $225 on average up to $1,300 for the franchise. It does the work on five heads (a four-head and a singlehead), and it may add eight more later this year as business climbs. "We can turn things so quickly," Allen says. "Our goal is five- to nine-day shipping. We'll continue to ramp up business with the franchise."

Alpine's Clients
About half of Alpine's business is local, and the other half is national. Its client base is made up of government and universities, and the franchise. Most of the university work comes from specialty medical areas such as physical therapy. "Medical schools are often looking for specialized logos," Allen says.

Local work includes schools, restaurants, prisons, and landscapers, but Allen sees the local jobs as a stepping-stone to national ones. "We get in with national accounts on the local level and ask them who to talk to," he explains. "A good example is Time Warner Telecom. We did local business for them, and leveraged that when our local contact moved. Now we do half of Texas and half of North Carolina for them."

Alpine also does work for another international company: the Kabul golf club in Afghanistan. "Paul McNeil, chief of administrative services for the United Nations, is an avid golfer," Allen explains. "He came into our shop, and we never let him go."

Alpine worked with McNeil to set up a Web site (www.kabulgolfclub.com), and it now stocks the club's pro shop. "It's mainly military families ordering," Allen says. "Normally the people playing at the course are contractors, military. It's for Americans."

Alpine's History
Allen's wife was a technical designer for a large knitting company. But when she was laid off in 2001, they two looked for a decorating company to purchase. They found one in Colorado that had a national client database, allowing them to purchase the shop and seamlessly relocate it to North Carolina.

About two years ago, Allen joined the shop full-time, leaving behind the security of a steady paycheck. (Now Allen's wife and an employee run the machines while he does shipping and administration. The shop also has two part-time sales representatives.) "We said, 'The best thing we can do is carve out something where we don't have to worry about a paycheck,' " Allen recalls. "We juggled some finances and fought out way through not making huge money. Now, we're making more than we ever made."

The company started in a small store front but moved into a 2,000-square-foot facility with a showroom that's "great for meeting with clients," Allen says. The facility has its production area walled off, and it has a conference area and office area. "We started enjoying more and better business almost instantly with the bigger facility," he adds. "Suddenly people could see what we do. It was a good move."

Another important move for the business was hiring industry consultant Mark Venit three years ago. Allen says that although Venit's client roster was already filled up, he was interested in offering his services after hearing Allen list some of his shop's accomplishments. "His antennae went up," Allen recalls. "Once we started working with him, we really began to make some changes."

Some tips Allen learned from Venit include the value of establishing one-on-one relationships, being listed first in the Yellow Pages, and the importance of good phone skills. "We never let customers off the phone. They never call No. 2 in the Yellow Pages," Allen says. "We give good phone."

Venit also suggested the company change its name, which was originally Adventures in Embroidery. "The Alpine name gave us more corporate appeal," Allen says. "Mark helped us get our heads screwed on right. I give him a lot of credit."

Marketing Efforts
Allen does a lot of networking in the business community and belongs to a local Chamber of Commerce and to Business Network Intl. (BNI), a business and professional networking organization.

"We also formed a consortium of eight graphics companies, including signs and banners, an advertising agency, etc. called Visual Connection" Allen says. "It's a tremendous opportunity. We can use it as a resource base if we go after another big company like a franchise. When I'm talking to a new client about apparel, I can say, 'We also offer these additional services.' "

Allen is active in organizations such as local builders' groups, advertising clubs, and apartment associations. "It's not that expensive to join, relative to the extensive networking it allows you to do," he says. "You have to find lucrative markets and develop them."

Alpine also sends direct e-mail blasts to its national franchise and prison clients, and it has done some local direct mail to existing clients. "We don't send blindly because it's not targeted," Allen says. "I want companies with 10 to 100 employees."

Allen says he partners with a promotional products distributor to offer ad specialty items when customers request them. "I don't have time to research and dig up stuff, so for a percentage of the profits, he handles the orders, and we drop ship them," he explains.

Although business is doing well, Allen says he's aiming for growth of up to $500,000 in annual sales. "We're looking for the next franchise. Then it becomes a question of how big we really want to be," he says. "We'll continue to grow, but right now we have good solid accounts that can sustain us for the next 20 years."

Embroidering on towels is not hard if you know a few simple tricks to keep the loops laying flat. Helen Momsen recommends using underlay that mats down the loops and creates loft for the embroidery at the same time.

Embroidering On Towels

Find out how to soak up profits with great-looking designs on towels.

By Deborah Sexton

Does the thought of embroidering on towels have you feeling a little loopy? Don't be intimidated. Here, embroidery veteran Helen Hart Momsen offers some time-proven techniques and tips for tackling towels with ease.

This way up. For consistency in the design's appearance, always embroider towels from the same end, Momsen suggests – the end opposite of the permanent tag. "If the stitch goes in different directions, it creates mesmerism [when a color shifts shades depending on the kind of light that is hitting it.]," she explains.

An abundance of underlay. Momsen suggests using underlay, which takes a bit longer to stitch out but produces "absolutely gorgeous" results, she says. "Underlay mats down loops, stabilizes stitching, and creates loft," she adds. "For example, if you're doing a leaf design, you could deliberately put down extra underlay in the center to create loft. The light hitting that thread creates the dimension, and by raising the design's dimension in certain areas, the light hits those areas differently."

Put it there. Strive for consistent design placement on towels, Momsen urges. "Most towels have a band or decorative border, and my hoop always hits the outside edge of that band," she explains. "I do everyone's towels the same way so I don't get interrupted and then come back and say, 'How was I doing these?' "

Bath towels: Momsen usually centers designs, depending on their size, leaving an inch or 1.5 inches between the border and hem. Hand towels: She also centers designs, although customers who fold them in thirds may want monograms on the left or right side.

Wash cloths: Momsen usually centers the design on the bottom. "The dobby border is usually only on one end of wash cloths, so you don't have a lot of choice. I put it above the border because it then matches the towels," she explains.

Golf towels: "I like to put the design halfway up or a little more on the side, so that when the golfer dries his hands, he isn't ruining the embroidery," she says. "Put it away from the bottom of the towel; otherwise, the thread just wears out.

Kitchen towels: Try putting the design about two inches from the bottom of the hem, Momsen suggests.

Font facts. Most designs on towels are monograms, Momsen says. "People are still old-fashioned and want their spouse's initials on towels," she explains." Watch out for initials that spell words such as LSD or WAR, she advises. In those cases, you may want to gently suggest an alternate initial arrangement or a different embroidery design altogether.

If you buy lettering instead of digitizing it, consider doubling up your underlay, Momsen says. Also, try using circular, curvy fonts on towels, she advises. "They look beautiful."

Thread thoughts. Polyester thread is "customer proof," Momsen says, while rayon isn't as hardy or bleach proof. Also, for larger letters on towels, do a fill stitch or a drop satin, where it drops the stitch in the middle, Momsen says, to prevent snagging.

Appliqué looks awesome. "Sometimes it's fun to do appliqué on towels. You just put it on the towel, outline it, and press it," Momsen says.

Needle know-how. Momsen uses a 75/11 star-point needle on towels, usually without topping.

Wind it up. Momsen says that if you're doing lots of embroidery on towels; consider winding bobbin thread to match. "Even though the letters are backwards on the other side, it still looks nice if it's the same color as the towel," she explains. "It's easy to do; most machines have a bobbin winder on top, and it's not a problem to find the right color. Finding thread that's colorfast and the same color as cotton is usually easy."

Soaking up profits. Big markets and customers for towels include weddings, golf, babies, and high school and college graduations. Also, customers like their towels "as fluffy as possible," Momsen says, and she's happy to allow them to bring in their own items. Finally, consider presenting the towels in a way that justifies higher prices. "I know a digitizer who takes three towels, folds them properly, wraps them in a satin ribbon and ties them with a bow, and tucks her business card inside," she says. "It makes the customer feel like she's getting a present. I started doing this, too, and the customers really appreciate it."

Helen Hart Momsen has been in embroidery industry for more than 20 years. In addition to running her home-based embroidery and digitizing company, she is a regular contributor to industry trade magazines and a speaker at industry events. She also owns the Embroidery Line www.EmbroideryLine.net, which offers professional and aspiring embroiderers with a free, uncensored forum for education and idea sharing.

Momsen has written a book on embroidery and will have another one coming out soon. "Professional Embroidery: Business by Design" (Binnacle Publishers, 2003), covers a wide range of topics of interest to any embroiderer getting started. For more information, go to www.HelenHart.com or e-mail her at Hart@HelenHart.com.