When I was attending Indiana State University for my undergraduate degree, I remember frequent events held around the fountain by credit card companies. They were simply trying to get us to sign up for their credit cards.

They were fun events that made us want to participate…that was if we had time on our way to class! Sometimes we signed up just because we would receive a cool promotional product with the ISU logo on it!

According to a press release from the White House, the new law states that credit card companies are no longer allowed to give gifts or any promotional items in order to entice students, or anyone else, to sign up for a credit card. Wow! Did you know this has changed? So much for hanging out at the fountain on the campus of Indiana State University!

Labels: College, Indiana State University, Promotional Products

I try to keep this blog business related but every once in awhile I add a couple personal notes. Today in particular I want to do just that.......Happy 7th Birthday Nathan!! My little boy turns 7 today! He is very excited and I hope he has a wonderful day!

March 3 is a very special day to have a birthday. Not only is Nathan's birthday 03-03-03 but he was born on his mom's birthday as well!

Happy Birthday to my special boy, Nathan!

Labels: Happy Birthday, personal

How do we get the shirt to stay in the machine while it is embroidering? Well the simple answer to this question is by hoops. And there is not just one hoop. There are several different types and sizes of hoops. There are a few that are the most common though.

We also have our favorite sized hoop. This is because most of the embroidery we do fits into this hoop. In fact, we have more of this sized hoop than any other sized hoop. This allows us to be the most productive with this sized hoop because we can have multiple shirts hooped and ready to go as soon as the others are finished!

Have you ever seen a logo that is just way too large for the shirt or maybe even the person wearing it? There may be several reasons this was done but one the most common reason is because the logo was created the wrong size therefore the wrong hoop was used. When creating a logo, you have to think about what sized shirt the logo will be going on.

We do have a unique hoop that we use when we embroider flat items such as monogram sheets or material that will later be made into a stocking, quilt or garment bag. This hoop can be a challenge though because we have to totally change the machine around and move the ‘table’ part of the machine. This is the hoop that allows us to embroider the largest design.

If we have a large design that we want to embroider on an item that is not flat then we do have another large hoop that we can use. Because this hoop is so large, it is flimsy and we can not put thick material into it.

Some of our hoops don’t even look like hoops at all. They are basically flat metal pieces that we use to stick the material to.

Believe it or not, we have special hoops that are used for hats and yet other hoops that we use for simply the back of the hat! Who knew there were so many different sized and styles of hoops!

Labels: embroidered logo, embroidery machine, hoops, Kristie's Kreations

March is a great month! There are so many fun holidays that fall in this month that I just love! Not only is my birthday, and my son's birthday, in March but there is an awesome and very fun holiday……St. Patrick's Day!

What a fun time to celebrate and pass out handouts to your friends and clients. This is not your typical gift giving holiday which makes it an even better day to give a memorable gift to someone! There actually are some really fun items that are designated just for St. Patrick's Day. Everyone knows that on St. Patrick’s Day you must wear green or you will get pinched! Don’t come around me on St. Patrick’s Day not wearing green! If you do, you can expect to get pinched! St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays! Last year I wore a green boa from my first meeting at 7:30 up until dinner with my family! What a fun day! If you want to be remembered on this fun and unique day then there is still time to get your items ordered and delivered on time!

Not only are there wonderful events in March but it also means that Spring is right around the corner! Welcome Spring! I am ready for you to get here!

Labels: holiday gifts, March, Promotional Products, St. Patrick's Day

Embroidery is great! When done well, it looks very professional and neat! There are some limits to embroidery though.

One limit, which many of you have heard me say, is if I can get it into my machine then I will embroider on it. This means that if I can’t make it fit into my machine then I am limited and cannot embroider on it. The embroidery machine is similar to a sewing machine in that it has a needle (15 in fact) and a bobbin. The item that is being embroidered on has to go between these two objects. It also has to fit in the area, go into a hoop and move around once in the area.

Sometimes we embroider on large items such as golf suitcases, bat bags, suitcases and other large, awkward sized items. Often times we have to find a hoop that will work for the design and then hold the item the entire time the machine is embroidering. This can be a limit though if we can not make the hoop work or there is not enough room for the item to move around.

Other limits to embroidery which I will talk more about in the future are hoops, backing and small fonts.

Labels: embroidery machine, hoops, Kristie's Kreations, Logo Embroidery