Impressions - April 2015 - 57

download. And the illusion of plaid can be
created with a font style that uses a few
colors and a light, airy ﬁll pattern. The
light density makes it practical to place
this playful font in a large size on a wide
variety of fabrics. Playing with the colors
is half the fun.

MONOGRAM ETIQUETTE
For three-letter monograms, the tradition is for the last name to be represented
by the initial in the center. For an individual, the initial of the ﬁrst name appears
to the left and the middle initial appears
to the right. For couples combining their
initials into a single monogram, tradition dictates that the gentleman's initial is
placed to the right and the lady's to the left.
When it comes to embellishing the
monogram, I like to offer the option of
adding an accent design to any personalization. To keep this process simple, I
preselect about six simple designs containing no more than three or four colors. I
stitch these out with a sample name or initials and place them in my selection book.
This way, the time spent selecting an accent is minimal and I don't need to charge
the customer a separate setup fee.

MAKING MONEY
It's worth noting that personalization
also is popular in media other than embroidery. Glassware, wood, metal and all kinds of
materials also are ideal for monograms. Even
in apparel, embroidery isn't the only means
of applying monograms; heat-applied vinyl
also provides a suitable method.
Even though they are one-offs, monograms can be a very proﬁtable aspect of
your business. Most specialty stores, such
as children's shops, bed and bath shops,
and even dry cleaners, need monogramming services. Be prepared before you
pitch. Take samples of stitched designs,
order forms and your price list with you
to call on a specialty store or dry cleaner.
impressionsmag.com

A popular specialty font is Plaid. Using a few colors and a light, airy ﬁll pattern, the illusion of
plaid is created. Samples courtesy of Georgia R. Neame, Your Embroidery Place, Dallas

Offer a discount of about 30% from
your retail price for monogramming to
keep pricing simple. Only offer speciﬁc
styles and colors to keep the process easy
for the store staff.
This regular, proﬁtable work can help
ﬁll in some idle time on your machines
and spread the joy of monograms to customers beyond your own.
Deborah Jones is a commercial and
home embroiderer with more than 30 years
experience in the computerized embroidery
ﬁeld. She runs myembroiderymentor.com
and regularly speaks at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS). For more information or
to comment on this article, email Deborah
at djones@myembroiderymentor.com.

Hear Deborah speak on embroidery topics at the Imprinted Sportswear
Shows (ISS). Individual seminars are just
$25 if you pre-register.

Suggested

Reading

Like this article? Read these and
other embroidery articles at impressionsmag.com:
* "Use Software Settings for
More Quality Embroidery"
* "Commercial vs. Crossover:
A Machine Comparison"
* "How to Choose the Correct
Bobbin Type"
April/May 2015 | Impressions

http://www.impressionsmag.com http://www.impressionsmag.com http://www.myembroiderymentor.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Impressions - April 2015

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