What You Should Consider Before Buying Embroidery Online

Buying simply based on the lowest price is a recipe for disaster. The following are all factors in the final price for an embroidered item:

1. The cost of the item being embroidered

2. The cost of the embroidery. This will largely be affected by the complexity and size of your design. Most embroiderers charge by the number of stitches (such as $1.00 per 1,000 stitches)

3. Digitizing is commonly referred to as a one time charge for converting your design into a format usable with embroidery machines. Most shops charge a fee once per design for this conversion. If you pay for digitizing, find out if you will receive a copy of the embroidery file (which may be useable by other embroiderers in the future)

4. Shipping and handling of the goods from the embroiderer to your location

5. The number of items which you are purchasing should affect the price. As you order more, the price should come down. Some companies will require you to order a minimum number of items.

Quality is something that is difficult to assess from an online provider. Unless you have ordered from a company previously or they come highly recommended, how can you determine the quality which a company may produce?

Well, we have a few of recommendations which we suggest you follow when choosing your embroidery provider:

1. Does the provider offer any type of satisfaction guarantee?

2. Does the provider offer any samples?

3. Does the site contain testimonials from previous customers

4. If time permits and the supplier offers no minimum purchase quantities, buy a single item embroidered. This allows you to see quality of the embroidery and garment prior to placing a larger order. It also allows you to see how the sizing is on the garment.

A company with excellent service is something you do not want to be without. You will need to communicate details of your requirements. While web sites are great for gathering information, nothing beats being able to speak with someone or communicate via email your requirements or to get questions answered. Here are things to look for in a company:

1. Can you reach a live person via the telephone? This is important if questions or problems arise during your order process. Ideally the company should have a toll free number.

2. If you email the company with a question or request for quote, how quickly do they respond? Acceptable time frames are generally a response within 24 hours.

3. Make certain that you have the opportunity to view the finalized art work or sample before the job is started

4. Find out the length of time which the job will take to complete. If you have specific time requirements, be certain to communicate this to the embroiderer.

History Of Embroidery

Embroidery is an age old art form that has decorated clothing, bedding, and household goods for hundreds of years. Using colored threads to create patterns has dated back to the time of ancient Egypt, when women sewed metallic threads into clothing for decoration. The trend caught on with Babylonians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews, who all began incorporating embroidered pieces into their clothing.

The oldest embroidered piece in existence is the world famous Bayeux Tapestry, dating from approximately 1066. Although the piece is called a tapestry, it is actually as embroidered composition reaching an astounding 231 feet long. Recalling the Battle of Hastings, the piece still hangs in the town of Bayeux in the province of Normandy in France. This beautiful embroidered piece is though to have been created by over 100 noble women in the town and is speculated to take several years to complete.

European embroidery changed a great deal over the years, but became a highlight of fashion during the 18th Century in France. These elaborate embroidery designs?often made with metallic and silk threads?decorated everything from women?s dresses to men?s breeches. This style soon caught on in popularity with the rest of the continent and soon men, women, and children were wearing heavily embroidered fashion. The decoration also served as a symbol of status and wealth in addition to simply adding glitz and glamour to the garments.

Embroidery continued in popularity and soon became a right of passage for girls to be taught by their mothers the time tested stitches and often completed a lovely sampler to showcase the different stitches and techniques. These samplers were passed down for generations and have been sold at auction for phenomenal amounts. Another popular use of embroidery was to dress up homely clothing. Often, homespun cloth or poor quality purchased cloth was the most a family could afford to outfit the members, so the matron of the house embroidered the clothing to make the outfits look fancier.

The end of the 19th Century saw founding of embroidery shops where scores of women completed the delicate stitches by hand. The year 1880 saw the advent of the first embroidery machine, which further mechanized the embroidery shops and produced even more products. Switzerland soon became the forerunner in embroidery designs and technology, with the United States in second, as shops popped up in New York City and Chicago.

Although the times have changed, the embroidery stitches and techniques have remained the same. Technology has greatly advanced and left the 1880s embroidery machine in the dust. Today?s machines can replicate thousands of pattern by just a simple push of a button. Donna Somerkin specialized in embroidery machines. http://www.embroidery-machines-1.com