The 411 on Embroidery (aka the facts people are clueless about)

I thought I’d take a little time to share with you a little behind the scene of embroidery. This info is not an embroidery tutorial. (That is a future page on the blog.)  This is the 411 that not everyone realizes about the world of embroidery.  I know a lot of people want to start embroidering which I think is a great thing…..all embroiders welcome here!   With all of the affordable in home embroidery machines on the market, I encourage those interested  to research prior to purchasing because there is a lot to learn about it.   I share a little of the reality of the expense of it below.  I also share with you a page link on how most embroiders come about their pricing.  Please know that I have been embroidering since 2007.  I am NOT claiming to be an expert by any means. This is just a few basic facts and pricing information that I have discovered along the way.

My first machine was a Brother PE770 (If I remember correctly? I’ve passed it down to my niece.) It was a single needle machine, and we spent many of long hours together. It cost me right under $1,000.00. After the purchase of the machine, I had to purchase software for the computer to be able to use the machine. It was good to me and taught me a lot.

My second machine is a Brother PR-650.  It has six needles, four hoops, two-cylinder hoops and a stand.  It cost me right under $10,000.00 but it included about a $1,000.00 in software and a lot of other goodies such as stabilizers, needles and bobbins.  I also have about $300.00 dollars in what is called fast frames.

Thread and bobbins are a must on all machines.  Every embroider needs a variety of threads.  These can range from $4.00-$10.00 depending on brand and spool size.
Every embroidery job needs stabilizer.  Depending on the type of blank (item to be embroidered), I may need to use two stabilizers; one on top and one on the bottom.  If the embroidery design is an applique (stitches as well as material), it will require material/fabric.  A good applique will have Heat n Bond Lite used under the material/fabric so this adds to my cost as well as my time but it also adds to the quality of the appliqué.

Most all of my embroidery designs are purchased from the web from very talented digitizers. This includes a lot of the fonts I use for names and monograms. {Did you know that a monogram is an initial or set of initials? Most people refer to any type of embroidery design as a monogram when it’s just an initial or set of initials.} The cost of a design or a font is a one time fee. I can use the purchased design an endless amount of times for my personal use or for embroidery jobs. I can not resell the design, share the design, nor claim it to be my own design. Designs can range from under 1.00-25.00. Fonts usually start at 8.99. If I’m lucky and smart, I purchase the fonts on sale as well as the design.

Over the course of seven years, I have purchased quite a collection of embroidery designs and fonts. I like to think that I have something for everyone, but that’s not always the case. If someone has a special request, I am happy to split the cost of the design with them. Which brings me to pricing.

Please click here for a pricing guideline.