http://www.countryneedle.net

And now, the interview...

Q: Before we start with the interview, please tell us a little about yourself. Are you single? Married? Children? Where do you live and do you best remember Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles, U2 or Ricky Martin?

A: I live in the very Northwest corner of New Mexico- the beautiful Land of Enchantment, with my husband of 24 years. We have 4 awesome kids! Ryan is married and he and his wife have blessed us with two beautiful grandkids.

As far as music goes, I love music of all kinds except rap and some heavy metal. Of the music artists listed above, I would have to say Elvis is who I remember best growing up. I remember watching all of the Elvis movies and when we helped my Mom clean house every Saturday, she would put in an Elvis 8-track for us to listen to.

Q: When did you first get started in machine embroidery and why?

A: Well I started out as a free-lance graphic artist and when customers started wanting logos embroidered on wearables and other promotional items, I was out-sourcing for both digitizing service and embroidery. Wanting to save both my customers and myself some money, it was just natural to purchase a home embroidery machine as a way to expand my business. I taught myself to digitize and have since phased out graphic design and now concentrate solely on creating embroidery designs for the home embroidery machine enthusiast.

Q: What software did you start digitizing with and what software are you using now?

A: I started out using PEDesign and still use it for a lot of my redwork designs. I even purchased Corel DRAWings Pro because I had the ability to use my vector artwork with this program. However after using it, I discovered that it was an auto-digitizing program and you had no real control of your work. So that program is buried deep in a box somewhere, never to be touched again.

I now use Artista’s Designer Plus and love using it. It has wonderful tools and even the ability to edit designs while in “Real” view. I learn more and more every day about how powerful this software is!

Q: Who are some of the digitizers that you learned from along the way? Are there any whose work you admire?

A: There are so many. I love Criswell’s Lace. LOL- I want to to do lace like that someday!

Q: What inspired you to turn "Pro" or was that your plan from the start?

A: It wasn’t my intention to turn “Pro” as far as creating and selling designs on a website. But I did want to offer my current customers another service, so expanded into learning how to digitize and embroider. After I took the “plunge” into digitizing, I was so rewarded by the experience that I made it the focus of my business.

Q: Where do you sell your designs today? Do you have a website of your own or do you sell from a mall?

A: I have my own website, www.countryneedle.net and also offer a subscription club called The Country Needle’s Embroidery Barn at https://www.countryneedle.net/members/

I also own two Yahoo Groups, a News Only Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CountryNeedleNews/ and an Announcement/Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecountryneedle/

Q: What do you think are the most significant trends you have seen lately in embroidery?

A: Trends will come and go. But I do see a trend with free-standing lace that I think will stick around, especially with FSL angels. As we discovered when The Country Needle Yahoo Group members came together to send over 5,000 angels to Virginia Tech, people love making and giving them to others. Sending prayers and good wishes on the wings of lace angels seems to bring hope and cheer to everyone that receives one. A lot of our group members, myself included, still send out angels and I can’t think of a more uplifting way to start or even end my day, than to have someone write to me telling of how they’ve used my lace angels and what joy it brought to both the giver and the receiver.

Q: Where do you see machine embroidery going in the future?

A: I see embroidery machines becoming more affordable for all and with the “techie” generation that we’re in, I hope to see more of the younger people getting involved with embroidery.

Q: What advice would you give to a beginner that is just starting their career as a digitizer?

A: Be patient and learn to manually digitize first. Don’t expect to learn your software over night. There is a learning curve to all software and you need to take your time and have fun with it. Find Yahoo groups geared specifically to the software you’re using. There are several that even offer free tutorials and online classes.

Plan on testing your very first designs several times, and occasionally more, before thinking they are marketable. After you have done a few, find some experienced people to test them and give you feedback. Listen to their suggestions. You don’t need to implement all suggestions, but experienced testers can give you very valuable feedback and they are representative to your potential & future customers.

If you’re truly serious about digitizing, then the key is to NEVER give up and learn one step at a time. Master one step before going on to the next and there will be less frustration. If digitizing is for you, then you’ll find it very rewarding in the end.

Q: Is there anything I forgot to ask you that I should be asking about?

A: I don't think so. I think Digitizers World is a great opportunity for all of us and I'm very excited to be a part of it.