The ’Bird’ Behind the Birds plus FREE Cockatoo Design

Why are you so passionate about Facebook?

It is a great platform for us to directly interact with our customers and other machine embroidery enthusiasts. It is really special to get to know them personally and inspiring to see their amazing embroidery creations. Their passion is very infectious. I love giving away free designs, because people appreciate them so much. That is how my machine embroidery journey really kicked off. I just wanted to make our Facebook family happy by giving them beautiful designs and something inspirational that they can see themselves able to create in Hatch Embroidery.

Have you always been interested in arts & crafts?

One of my grandfathers was a painter and both of my grandmas enjoyed handcraft. One of them taught me how to knit and sew, and the other to hand embroider. Creativity runs in both sides of my family.

Did you do any machine embroidery before you joined Wilcom?

No, never. And to be honest, while one part of me was curious about it, the other had slight reservations at first. I was so used to embroidering by hand, I felt that in a way I would lose control. So for a while I was just doing my job, learning more and more about machine embroidery, watching Kim's videos, talking to my colleagues, but not really using the software much. But the more I saw, the more intrigued I became. 

How did you start?

I only really started digitizing in March this year, when I wanted to give away a free shamrock design on Facebook for St Patrick's Day. It was a last minute idea and none of the digitizers were available, so I decided to throw myself in at the deep end and do it myself. I was really surprised at how easy it was to work with Hatch Embroidery! I felt like a new world opened up for me! The bonus was that people really loved the design, so I felt encouraged to do more. Then I digitized the poppy flower for Anzac Day / Memorial Day and I posted it in various Facebook groups as a free design too. I couldn't believe how popular it was! People loved it.

Why birds?

I absolutely love nature and animals, so I was naturally drawn to floral and animal themes. I am fascinated by the variety of species, the different shapes and colors. We are very spoiled here in Australia, because we have such unique flora and fauna. The reception and success of the shamrock and the poppy flower really triggered my desire to digitize more complicated designs. So when I was looking for a topic, I decided to do a series on the stunningly colorful Australian birds. I learnt so much from that project! Even as I was working on the birds, I was learning so much, that by the time I finished the last one I felt I had to go back to the first ones to make improvements to them. It was really interesting and exciting!

What advice would you give to other people who want to start doing machine embroidery?

Having the right software is just as important as having the right machine. Do your research, compare software, and if you can, trial them. Of course, I would recommend Hatch Embroidery, because I found it really easy to use and the learning part was, and still is, so much fun, but everyone has to have the software that suits their creative needs best. Also remember not to just look at a list of features that the software claims to have, but actually spend time using it to find out whether they are easy enough to use and more importantly, what the quality of the stitch out is.

I would also say you should aim high in terms of goals. Manual digitizing is not hard to learn and it is so rewarding stitching out your own creations! You can start off with a really simple design and progress bit by bit. Watching videos, going on machine embroidery forums and joining Facebook groups are all very helpful. There is plenty of support around, so don't be shy to ask questions and don't be afraid to experiment. You cannot go wrong! You will learn from others as well as from the mistakes you make.

All five designs of the wonderfully colorful Australian bird series are now available as FREE Designs. When you click the button above, you will be taken to the Resource Center.

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.