Our grosgrain wedding gown labels come with a “pinked” (zig-zagged) edge to prevent fraying. Most people tuck in these edges and apply it to the gown as shown.

Once pinned in location, you can press the edge with your finger or a warm (not hot) iron before doing a whip stitch to sew it into place. In doing the stitching, take a little bite of the lining fabric of the dress (being careful not to catch the front dress fabric in the stitch) and then catch a bite of the label itself. Do this along the edge of the label on both sides. It does not take a lot of stitches to hold the label firmly in place.

A commericial embroidery machine runs at anywhere between 600 and 1500 stitches per minute.  They are designed to be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Home embroidery machines will not hold up to that kind of use.

When I first formed my company in 1999, I felt very comfortable with the sewing aspect of what I was about to launch.  But I had a lot to learn about the business end and certainly a lot more to learn about the tech aspects. 

Very early in the process, I contacted Sherri from Cuddlebug about blankets to embroider and she encouraged me to join Digital Women for resources and links to talented women.  It was through Digital Women that I acquired my merchant account and skilled Digital Women have helped me through a variety of computer crises over the years.

For the first few years, I was a “free” member but it became apparent to me that the benefit I had received from Digital Women was well worth the one time fee to be a paying member.

Belonging to Digital Women was one of my first business decisions and one of my best.

A Beginner’s Guide to Fabrics
You’re surrounded by it, from the moment you dress in the morning to the time you rest your head on your pillow at night. How much do you know about the fabrics that surround you? Whether you are buying or selling fabrics, the more you know, the better choices you’ll make.

Selecting Fabrics
We all know that certain fabrics are more suitable for some projects than others. Do you know where fabrics come from, or how to care for them? This little chart will help you make your selections.

Natural Fabrics
Up until the 1900s, our choices for fabrics were limited to those which came from natural sources. Since then, a variety of man-made fabrics have been created, but many people still prefer the textures and feel of natural fabrics.
Here’s a summary of the four main types of natural fabrics:
Cotton - comes from cotton boll (plant). Can be woven, pressed by heat into flannel, or used as knits. Good for almost all purposes, such as Apparel, Crafts, Quilting, Baby and Children’s accessories. As a natural fiber, cotton “breathes” which makes it comfortable to wear. For quilters, cotton is the fabric of choice– it handles and sews easily. Care: machine washable.
Linen - comes from flax (plant). Real linen wrinkles easily, but is cool, and like cotton, linen “breathes”– making it a good choice for summer apparel. Linen is also great for table top accessories. To maintain its crispness, linen is often dry cleaned. For a softer look, many linens can be hand-washed. Read your labels carefully.
Silk - comes from silk worms. The collection process is intricate and explains why silk is often expensive. Silk can have either a smooth finish or a nubby finish (raw silk). Care: usually dry clean, but many new silks may be hand washed. Read label carefully.
Wool - comes from animal coats (the animal is not harmed!) known for its warmth, wool is often blended with man-made fibers. Good for apparel, especially outer wear. Care: usually dry clean, although some wools may be hand-washed. Read labels carefully.

Man-Made Fibers
Polyester - When it was first introduced, polyester became a favorite fabric for apparel. It is easy to care for (mostly machine washable - read labels carefully) and keeps its shape and color well. The disadvantage of polyester is that it does not “breathe,” which means it retains body heat and moisture and its not as comfortable as some of the natural fibers. Depending on the manufacturer, polyester fabrics have different names, many of which you will recognize - Dacron, Fortrel, Kodel and Trevira are among the many. Polyester may be offered in the form of knits, jerseys or cotton and silk-like fabrics.
Rayon - Considered the most “natural” of the man-made fabrics, rayon is most often used for apparel. Depending on its construction, it has a soft draping quality, or can be made to look like linen. Rayon, too, has brand names such as Avril or Enka. It is more absorbent than polyester and usually is best dry-cleaned.
Nylon - New types are being developed yearly! Sometimes Nylon is mixed with other fibers for apparel. Some Nylon brand names are Antron and Viviana. Nylon is often a major fiber in knits, nylon tricot (underwear) nylon velvet and stretch swim wear. Machine washable.
Acrylic - (Brand names include Acrilan, Creslan, Orlon) is often used as a substitute for wool, in sweaters, fleece wear and other outer wear. (You’ll also find acrylic-wool blends.) Like wool, acrylic is warm and wrinkle resistant. One of its advantages is that it is usually machine washable.

Fabric Types and Designs
Now you know the basic categories of fabrics. Within those categories, there are different types of fabrics, that are identified by their construction (how the fibers are woven together, or by their design). Here’s a brief list of some of the terms you might come across when looking at fabrics.

Types of Cottons
Batiste - very fine, soft, usually sheer cottons, often used for handkerchiefs, nightwear and children’s dresses.
Broadcloth - closely woven fabric. If you look closely, you’ll see tiny crosswise ribs.
Calico - plain woven cotton, usually printed with tiny floral designs.
Cambric - tightly woven cotton, usually in solid colors, such as cambric blue. Used in apparel, especially casual shirts.
Canvas - heavyweight cotton, used for items that require strength, such as tote bags, knapsacks, and slipcovers.
Chambray - finely woven cotton, usually with white and another color. The white is very subtle, used in the crosswise (warp) yarns. A chambray shirt, for instance is usually pale blue, but if you look closely you will see the white yarn.
Chino - popularized by the GAP! This is cotton twill that has been pre-shrunk and mercerized. Most often used for sports pants and other sports wear.
Chintz - highly glazed cotton with a rich glossy finish. At Cranston, we call this “Cransheen finish.” Chintz adds a decorator touch to home furnishings, and is also great for dressier apparel.
Corduroy - cotton pile that has been cut and woven with wide or narrow ribs.
Denim - the workhorse of cottons! Very strong, and similar to Chambray, in that it is often made with white filling.
Duck - another strong, durable cotton, used for projects that are meant to last, i.e. travel accessories, slipcovers, awnings, etc.
Flannel - very soft cotton, usually with a nap. Used often in baby wear. For children and baby apparel, make sure it is flame retardant.
Gabardine - can be cotton or wool. This is the twilled fabric that spans the seasons, and is often used in jackets, skirts and pants.
Gingham - yarn-dyed woven cotton, usually seen in the form of checks.
Khaki - another strong cotton weave - used in uniforms and other items that require strength.
Lawn - cotton lawn is a fine, crisp, combed cotton fabric, used in children’s wear, nightwear and traditional quilting.
Madras - originally from India. Real madras is hand-loomed and dyed with vegetable dyes. Patterns are usually stripes or plaids.
Muslin - very basic plain woven fabrics. Depending on the type, muslin can be coarse or fine, dyed or unbleached. The unbleached variety is often used for pattern making or test garments.
Percale - finely woven cotton, often used for sheets. The higher the thread count, the softer the hand.
Piqué - cotton that has been woven with a raised, cord or weld effect. Also called dobby weave.
Poplin - usually heavier weight cotton that has a very fine rib running from selvege to selvege.
Sateen - cotton that has been woven with a satin weave.
Seersucker - crinkly cotton fabric, most often used in summer sports wear.
Terry - woven on knitted cotton pile with loops on one or both sides. Because of its absorbency it is very often used for toweling.
Voile - crisp, sheer, lightweight cotton, used for formal wear.

Types of Silk
Chiffon - very transparent, sheer fabric, often used in evening wear.
China Silk - plain weave silk, usually used for linings of garments.
Crepe - textured silk- sometimes pebbled or crinkled.
Crepe de Chine - smooth, plain-surfaced silk crepe, luxurious hand and look - often used in evening or bridal wear.
Georgette - heavier form of chiffon with pebbly texture. This very sheer fabric is often used for blouses and dresses.
Organza - Very fine, sheer fabric used for formal wear for women and girls.
Peau de Soie - (”skin of silk”) Silk woven in a satin weave. This term now also applies to synthetics with this look.
Pongee - Natural, nubby silk, usually with tan color.
Shantung - Originally shantung was hand-loomed Chinese silk. Now refers to a plain weave silk with hand-loomed textured look.

Types of Wool
Challis - Soft, draping fabric often with a floral pattern. Used for scarves, skirts, etc. May also be rayon or cotton challis.
Crepe - see silk
Flannel - very soft plain-weave with a nap on one or both sides. Used in outer wear, menswear, etc.
Gabardine - see cotton
Jersey - a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk and used especially for clothing
Melton - heavy wool without glossing or pressing. Extremely warm, used in outer wear.
Merino - very fine wool, used in sweaters, vests, etc.
Tweed - Fiber-dyed yarns, rough textured wool in a variety of subtle color combinations. One well known tweed is Harris Tweed - handwoven in Scotland.

From start to finish I plan, embroider and package for shipment your Initial Impressions embroidery project in this room.

I start my day receiving orders through the website. I am always so excited at this point, I love to see the creative ideas my customers come up with. After carefully reviewing your order I begin fulfillment. Here is a simplified overview, the process goes like this:

First I pull up the embroidery design you selected in the embroidery software program. I add the personalization information in the lettering style you prefer. Usually this is a name and sometimes a date, but as you can see, it could be anything! The item to be embroidered is placed in the correctly sized embroidery hoop to keep it taut while it is being sewn. Sometimes the size of your embroidery is limited slightly by the size of the hoops the manufacturers provide. This is rarely the case because I have 5 hoops of all different sizes! The hoop is then inserted into the embroidery machine for the duration of the sewing process.

One thing that many people do not know is that it is the hoop that moves on these professional-grade embroidery machines. When embroidery designs are created the artist must consider how the thread will lie on the surface of the object and plan the stitches accordingly. It is a problem most people never even consider. I’m glad I don’t have to solve that one. Moving along…

… to thread!

We offer a nice selection of thread colors on the website, but as you can see here, the truth is that we have about 800 spools of thread - many more than can possibly be listed on the website.

Part of the fun artistic end of the embroidery project is choosing just the right thread for your particular project. Sometimes I feel like a painter standing in front of my palette. This is a joy I’m happy to share, if you have a particular shade in mind for your custom project don’t hesitate to contact me and we can match your paint chip, dress swatch, sample, or just a fond color memory.
As for the actual embroidery, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to almost an hour to finish the embroidery project depending on how much embroidery there is to do.

My machine is a Melco EP1B and can sew 600 stitches per minute, but many of the more elaborate designs can contain more than 12,000 stitches!

There is also a question of thread changes. The machine knows to wait for me to change the thread to a new color. It will stop stitching and wait until I’m done and hit “start”. A trick I learned to keep the machine threaded correctly: tie the old color to the new color and snip the old thread. Pull it though the thread guides and it will guide the new color through. Some embroidery machines offer “multi-head” configuration. This means that each head has its own needle and thread color. But I prefer the more traditional machine and have found that my method of changing thread color is just as efficient as threading multiple needles.

For quality assurance I then personally inspect each item, trim any stray threads, and attach my own seal of approval: the Initial Impressions card.

Every item is carefully packed in tissue paper to ensure that it gets to you in the same condition I intended.

If you have elected to have your item gift wrapped I get to visit my selection of wraps. You can see I have a good collection and my wrapping paper choices change often.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have a particular event, I will do my best to coordinate the wrapping of your gift to your occasion.