Make Money With Embroidery

Author: Doug Mahopac

People are all ages are looking to make extra money. Whether you are planning to supplement your current income or looking to replace an income totally, consider using a hobby like embroidery to make some fast cash. Embroidered items are always popular with all types of shoppers, and you can easily begin an embroidery company with a low overhead for those short of start up funds.

When you decide to start a business based on selling embroidered products, you should first consider how you will make the items. Are you planning to purchase pre-made items like shirts, handbags, hats, blankets, or towels or do you plan to make the items yourself? If you plan to purchase items, do you have a source that will supply you with the correct amount you need in a variety of colors or styles? How do you plan to embroider the items? Do you plan to hand embroider the products or are you going to invest in an embroidery machine? If you plan on making many products for sale, consider using machine embroidery to save your fingers and your sanity.

Once you have identified what items you plan to make and sell, begin working on the business logistics of the plan. Where do you plan to sell your items? How are you going to advertise your goods and get the word out about your fabulous items? Many men and women who start embroidery businesses first start at craft shows. These shows are an excellent way to start your fledgling business, since the money needed to participate is generally low, and you are able to show your items to a great deal of people.

Look to the World Wide Web for selling your wares. Popular online auction sites like Ebay or Yahoo! Auctions are a great place to start, since you can create virtual storefronts while gaining access to the site's customers. Owning your own internet business is very inexpensive and often a great choice for individuals who are just starting out or who do not have the resources to rent, buy, or run a traditional store of their own.

Finally, take the old fashioned route and sell your items in a traditional store. If you do not have the resources to open your own shop, ask local store owners about potentially using their space to sell your goods for a cut of the profits. Also, antique stores or shops that showcase goods from local crafters often allow individuals to rent a small space in their store instead of going out on their own.

About the author: Doug Mahopac specialized in embroidery machines.

http://www.u-embroidery-machines.com

Beginning crochet

Author: Kris Perry

Many people enjoy crochet for its relaxing qualities and satisfying results. It appeals to a wide number of people, as most of the materials still remain inexpensive and easy to obtain. Young children are often taught crochet to increase their fine motor skills, to help in their learning to count and follow instructions and to bolster their self-confidence. Amongst older people crochet is popular as a social activity and to help keep arthritic symptoms in check.

Many people find that crochet can reduce stress levels. It's an easily portable craft and can provide inexpensive and original gifts. Crochet can help with dexterity; help with eye-hand coordination; help develop concentration and can be incorporated as part of other crafts.

Crochet means hook in French and this is the name given to the craft amongst French, Italians and Spanish speakers. It's known as haken in Holland, haekling in Denmark, hekling in Norway and virkning in Sweden. Although other forms of handwork can be dated far back in time, owing to archaeological finds no one is quite sure when and where crochet began.

Crochet is a series of interlocking loops of thread onto a chain using a thin rod with a hook at the end. A chain of loops is created, with each new loop catching the thread and pulling it through the previous loop. After the chain is completed, the thread is then turned to start a second chain. There are a large variety of patterns and stitches. Some of the more common stitches are chain, single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, popcorn crochet, and cluster crochet.

In the past it was very common to work directly from a picture of finished work or from a sample. This is why in early patterns many of the directions seem to be missing. Women in the nineteenth century were familiar with crochet and therefore instructions that we need today were unnecessary at that time.

The story of crochet continues. By referring to old books, magazines and brochures, people find techniques that have been forgotten. Often crocheters think they have invented new crochet stitches, when they are actually reinventing stitches that have been around for over a hundred and fifty years.

Copyright http://www.officialguidetocrochet.com

About the author: Providing Tips and Help with Crochet for the beginner and more experienced.

Left Handed Crochet

How To Create Easy Crochet Picture Afghans

Author: A Graf

Creating picture afghans are made most of the time using a Tunisian Simple stitch. You can find Tunisian crochet tutorials at http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=40 With a published graph or a few simple graph-making tools, yarn in a variety of colors, and easy Tunisian crochet hooks, you'll be on your way to making gorgeous, colorful afghans with images of anything your heart desires! If you prefer to follow written instructions, graphs can easily be converted to text. To do this, write down how many stitches of each color are needed for each row.

Many types of images and photos can be converted into graphs. Cross stitch graphs may be used as well as you own photos placed onto graph paper. There are software programs available for cross-stitch that are very helpful in creating designs for easy Tunisian crochet. PC Stitch or Instant Stitch 2.0 are good programs to use and easy to learn.

Easy graphs are best for the beginner you can use a spreadsheet program such as Excel to set a row and and width in order to create a square block gride, then use the color pallete to select the colors for your design. Graph paper also works by drawing your image on the paper and using a photocopy machine to get the size you need.

The Internet is a great source for graphs also. Search for free cross-stitch graphs, patterns, tunisian crochet graphs, free graph paper maker, cross-stitch freeware, and graph freeware.

For more free crochet patterns visit... http://www.craftdrawer.com/Misc/freepatterns.htm http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php or search your favorite search engine for Tunisian crochet patterns

About the author: Author is a published writer of several articles and books and a successful self-employed writer and crafter.