For the Business of Apparel Decorating
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20 1 4 M ay Printwear | 5 9 5 8 | Printwear M ay 20 1 4 Hart of EmbroidEry by Helen Hart MoMsen Helen Hart Momsen has been a member of the embroidery industry for more than three decades. She is the owner of Virginia-based Hart Enter- prises. Widely published in the industry's trade press, Momsen is a monthly columnist and feature writer for NBM's Printwear magazine. Momsen found- ed the Embroidery Line, an Internet forum where embroiderers can share ideas and offer assistance and encouragement to newbies and veterans alike (www.EmbroideryLine.net). She developed and sells the Hart Form, a business ordering aide used by many professional embroiderers. Momsen is also the author of two embroidery-related books: Professional Embroidery: Business by Design and Professional Embroi- dery: Stitching by Design, available on the Web at www.HelenHart.com. | | | | I am lucky enough to interact with embroiderers every day through my Embroidery Line (www. embroideryline.net), and I recently posed some questions to members about their triumphs and regrets in the decoration industry. Some of the an- swers were selected to share here in my column, in the hopes that someone considering entering the world of embroidery might find their way a little bet- ter paved and their experience a little more positive, thanks to the retrospective thoughts of some very fine artists. Here is a breakdown of that discussion, all an- swers having been provided by E-liners. You can bet your best hoop that another embroiderer has found themselves in the same stitch you may be in! Training Education topped the charts on most of the comments. Expressions of regret for opportunities and training missed, and praise for decisions to make that training a reality, were prevalent. • I never had the proper training for any of my embroidery programs. It was over the phone—it should have been one-on-one training. • I never cared to learn how to digitize, but really should have taken advantage of all the features on my programs, including learning to edit better. • I wish I had hired a coach in the begin- ning to teach me the ins and outs and the little things that make a difference in the quality of one's work. My machine manufacturer offered free lessons, which I took, but I had to travel and spend Lessons Learned a collection of experiences, tips, and advice (all images courtesy erich Campbell, black Duck Inc.) PW_MAY14.indd 58 4/17/14 9:48 AM