Completely New - Need Advice Please :)

By sevanpoetry on Apr 07, 2011

Hi,
my dad owns a jewelry repair shop,a nd it has a lot of extra space.
its inside of a mall and i noticed there is no embroidery.

so i want to buy a machine and do hats..maybe t-shirts.

the problem is i know NOTHING about it. i dont know the hoops, needles, what i need, etc.

I want to spend around 10k.

i want it to be easy to learn.

i wish there was a local training somewhere in phoenix.

and i want to do hats, maybe t-shirts.

where can i go to learn? which machine should i buy for that price range and why?

id deeply appreciate your help guys

have a blessed day

karen_1988's picture
By karen_1988 on Apr 17, 2011 - 11:41 PM EDT

Hello,My friend i know something about the embroidery machines and some knowledge about embroidery digitizing.But I don't know exactly what aspect you want to know,just feel free to let me know .I am looking forward to hearing from you. ok?

i am a sunshine girl want to make friends with you!:) [EMAIL=digitizing@autoemb.com]digitizing@autoemb.com[/EMAIL]

By nametags on Apr 8, 2011 - 9:53 AM EDT

WOW!! Good Luck!!
I'm new too, but, my advice,,,,
Phoenix is huge. Take a week and look up t shirt dealers and printers, and embroidery shops, and go in and look around. Buy a few shirts or hats, ask questions about it. You don't have to tell them you're starting a business. Hit any fleamarkets around the area, you'll find some there too.
IMO, for $10k, you'd have to buy used, and also only get one type of machine, either an embroidery machine, DTG printer, or cutter. I wouldn't buy used for your first venture. Go new,,,,they give you free training.
Check into this much further,,,,,do your research,,,,don't rush into anything.

And, the ultimate advice,,,,,salesmen will tell you anyting to get you to buy their machine.

Good Luck.

By Zain on Oct 25, 2011 - 12:54 PM EDT

Hey... My suggestion would be that as a starter forget about hats. they are the hardest object to do embroidery upon and should be stayed away from unless and until you are a total pro at your work.
As a starter get a good machine and a renowned user friendly software. go through the manuals. and keep on experimenting. good luck!

AJST's picture
By AJST on Oct 26, 2011 - 7:43 AM EDT

I agree with nametags - Do some research... You will find a lot of companies that will sell you a new machine in your price range. Before you commit to a machine check and see what kind of reputation the company has. I have seen a lot of customers stuck with a boat anchor because they didnt check out the machine AND THE COMPANY before the buy.

My best advice is to find an independant technician in your area that works on your machine and talk with him about quality and suggestions.

With this advice in consideration, I have seen a lot of people buy an embroidery machine and start a thriving business.

Good luck on your venture.

AJ’s Stitchin’ Time
Dennis Wilson
Embroidery Machine Technician
ajstitch.com Dennis@ajstitch.com
By drdoct on Oct 26, 2011 - 8:48 AM EDT

Also, don't go buy your whole budget in a machine because you're going to need lots of supplies to go with it. A rainbow of thread, rolls of different stabilizer, etc. Also something to consider is that embroidery machines make noise, some more than others but still NOISE. You'll want to make sure the Jewelry side is ok with a constant tapping. Plan on spending lots of time with it too, not only to learn it but also things sometimes go awry and it's not something you really want to ignore while it's running or you could end up buying replacement shirts here and there.