Sweet Gingerbread Houses by Sandra Fuller

I have not met Sandy in person yet, but hopefully one day I will get the chance to visit her. She lives in the middle of a mango farm in the Philippines, so if I do, I will have to 'pick' the right season! :)

However, what I know about Sandy is that she is very determined, an extremely hard worker, generous, kind and always ready to go the extra mile for her customers. She is praised and adored by the 6,200 members in her Facebook group Just Sew Sandy.

Sandy fought really hard to win the Hatch Valentine's day photo contest (did I mention she is very determined?) and when she did, straight away upgraded her prize to Hatch Embroidery Digitizer. Obviously Sandy does not do anything halfheartedly, but instead throws herself at a challenge with all her might. Having used a competitor's software for over 10 years, she set out to master Hatch and create beautiful designs for her customers and these lovely gingerbread house designs that she offered as free giveaways for our faithful readers. You can access them by clicking the button at the bottom of the article.


I had a chat to Sandy to find out more about her and how she got into embroidery.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself ?

I am originally from Northern California, but I haven't lived in the USA for over 17 years. I moved to Costa Rica in 2001 and lived there for 12 years, up in the mountains raising cattle and pigs, plus doing upholstery and a construction company. I moved to the Philippines with my life partner Willie in 2012.  My children, 2 daughters and a son, are all grown up living in USA .

How long have you been doing machine embroidery?

I have been sewing and doing crafts all my life. My mother always had top of the line sewing machines in the house. I have been doing machine embroidery since Viking came out with the #1 Plus. I used it so much, I completely wore it out and had to have it rebuilt. Three years later I wore it out again, so for my 50th birthday I got the Designer SE. Later on I bought the PR600 II and now I want to upgrade to a Gemsey 12 needle. 

What made you start digitizing?

I got my first digitizing software with my #1 Plus and dabbled with it, then moved to 4D, on to Embird, PE Design (hated it) and now Hatch Embroidery. I was in Costa Rica and a Canadian girlfriend showed me how to digitize in 5 minutes and then I was off and running and haven't stopped since. The same girlfriend encouraged me to start selling designs. I was giving away designs for about 2 years before I started a free website and as my sales grew, I then went to a full website. I also started taking custom orders around 8 years ago and now have customers scattered all around the World.

What inspires you when you create your designs?

Many of my design ideas come from people on my group or I will be surfing the web and something will catch my eye. I have files full of clipart. One of my favorite designs came from a cookie and I also made an ITH corset cellphone case.

What has been your experience with Hatch Embroidery and what are your favorite tools & features in the software?

 
I had been watching Hatch Embroidery for months and seeing what it would do. So when the contest came up, I just had to win. I ended up buying the complete digitizing package. At first it was a little daunting to me, because I had been using another software for so many years, but I have been doing more and more in Hatch since I got it. I have finally got used to right and left clicking and really like it. I am striving to learn new features and pushing myself to learn Hatch to its fullest. I love the support that Hatch has. My favorite features would be Lettering and Outline Offset. I also like Ripple Fill. 

What’s the best advice you can give to fellow embroiderers or people who are just starting out?

Start out slow and build to your confidence and your ability. Push yourself to do something you don't know and search out for the help you may need, being a video, other digitizers or groups. Always broaden your horizons. Don't be afraid to help someone else as it does come back to you. I have helped many people in digitizing and the embroidery world, even if they are my competitors. Most importantly, always follow your dreams.

Please note: You will need to sign in or register a free account to access the Free Designs section.

Once registered, log in and go to Resource Center > FREE Designs.

Once you registered an account, you will have unlimited access to ALL the free designs that are currently on the Hatch Embroidery website and future ones two. You will also automatically receive our newsletter about free projects and designs. You will NOT be requested to download the software. Having an account does not come with any obligations to you at all.

See more of Sandy's designs on her website or join her Facebook group. 

Hatch Embroidery software products are in popular use in over 100 countries. It is time to join the global trend and give Hatch a try! The 30-day Free Trial grants you unlimited use of all the amazing features and the 30-day Money Back Guarantee ensures that there is absolutely no risk involved.

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