Digitizers: Do you ever digitize anything just for fun?

Here are some pictures of the embroidered art gallery I owned in downtown San Antonio to show some of the items that were digitized just for fun over here. Surely many of you other professional digitizers have done embroidered pieces to help with your creativity as well? To me digitizing and embroidery are two of my passions, not just "a job". How boring THAT would be.

Here are closeups of some of the larger pcs.

SewArtsy, thank you for your comment. Using different thread gauges is important and by digitizing and then sewing something just for fun we learn more about the possibilities.

In machine embroidery we have thicker 30 wt threads (not nearly as thick as your floss, but there are techniques to get a similar look) then our standard 40 wt, thinner 60 wt, even thinner 75 wt and then specialty threads in metallic, super twist, variegated, even fishing line, etc. SO we have a wealth of thread options available, to go with proper needles, machine settings, timing, etc.

The creative thinking that comes from using all these methods to me is an important quality to have for even the most mundane corporate logo... one helps the other. No school for this so if all you are doing is whatever a client gives you, the learning curve is lengthened, the enjoyment is less, and the ability to solve client problems is stunted. IMO

Tis the season down here in San Antonio and the Rio Grand Valley. made this shirt years ago to wear during the parades. "Fiesta" is a 2 week party where all conceivable meats can be found on a stick. I personally like the pork chop/deep fried mashed potato ball/jalapeno on a stick combo. ha.

Sambuca always wanted to climb to the top of the Chrysler Building, ha. Actually she is helping set up a vignette for a YouTube video.

Thanks for posting. I appreciate digitizers that do more than just the regular workload that comes across their desks. Since there is no school for what we do what better way to learn and hone our skills and appreciate our software to its fullest than to work on personal projects?

My thinking is you might get away with "good enough" digitizing for a client, but if you are doing something for a friend that is important to you and them I bet you will go out of your way to make it truly special and as "perfect" as you can. Do enough of them and my theory is the digitizer will carry that same work ethic to their regular clients... a win win. just happens naturally.

BUT, the reverse (to my way of thinking) is that if a digitizer ONLY does corporate designs that come in.. you know the normal stuff we do every day....they get bored and they have no reason to "up their game" so to speak. Does this make sense?

Two projects I have in the works for this year are:
1. An embroidered iron gate with colorful tree frogs all over it in different poses. Hundreds of them on a 40 inch wide gate. For a friend who is crazy about collecting frog stuff

2. An embroidered BaoBab tree from South Africa at 40 inches tall with a watering hole at the base. Then buy as many safari animals as make sense from as many stock design companies as I can find (why re-invent the wheel when there are so many spectacular designs already out there!) For a friend who owns a travel agency that specializes in safaris.

How about a 1 color design.

the exterior of the embroidered dollhouse is completely finished! the copper gutters and rain chains were installed this weekend. So on to ROOM #1.... the attic sewing room... I mean how can you have an embroidered dollhouse without a sewing room to facilitate construction!??

notice the embroidery threads on the front porch. all surfaces are embroidered on pellon. And of course the "V" for Volant. lol.

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[ATTACH]38317[/ATTACH]Zombie thread! Here is a design I digitized and framed.... just looking for a place to hang it for the Holidays. All one color, very few trims as I try to make even personal items sew efficiently.

OH come on now she apparently has a "passion" for this so what is a better way to learn to digitize than by punching things just for fun?!! lol I am being mean but honestly digitizing something for fun really does teach a lot. Most left chest or hat designs are pretty boring so a digitizer never gets to use all the "fancy buttons" they paid good money for in their software overpurchase. For Fun projects allows a digitizer to experiment and not be judged by clients. Let us judge ourselves because a digitizer with "passion" is probably harder on themselves than anyone else could ever be!

I think some of the series has been shown but here is a newer concept with more hand embellishments

Please do!

very nice! but could we do one with chocolate? lol have you ever used fishing line for headlights on a car (or windshield)? I did a jacket back once with little LED lights under the fishing line with battery on the inside of the jacket. (back when they still ordered lots of those satin jackets) are those still a thing?

2020 any new projects in mind?

Faberge eggs for me. Three different sizes and embellished by hand. Crazy, Stupid, I KNOW but is going to happen deal with it. lol

Thank you for the kind words. And if I get to be 77 and still have the ability to digitize I will be pretty excited!

The first time I met Floriani he was teaching a class at what today would be an ISS show. Not sure if they were called that back then. Anywho the owner of the embroidery shop I worked in at the time took me for a "Learn how to digitize on a Digitrac class" Floriani said: "if you see your digitizer seemingly just staring at the artwork to be digitized instead of actually working and doing what you are PAYING him/her to be doing just calm down. Relax and go ask the digitizer if you can get them anything like a can of coke or a cup of coffee because MOST of the "practice" of digitizing is in the PLANNING"

Just pick what you want to embroider and think about it. No need to rush as you will be just fine. Just my opinion.

Update on Dollhouse project.. pictures to follow. Sewing room in attic is nearly complete. It is the first room to be worked on since completing the exterior... going to finish the entire attic before moving into the main house. Sewing room first (since it is an embroidered house), music room next, then attic storage, and then a Boy's room (has to be far away from his Sister)

Found a spot in the garden for the botanical piece. Been over 100 degrees here for a few weeks now, so the plants are suffering a bit. new tomato plants in the front... lemongrass on lower right and malibar spinach climbing the cage... all in front of the art.

Does this count? lol

well you got the "crazy" part right! Wait until you see the dining room!

Shout out to any digitizer that is currently working on projects for fun? Come on now, we cannot all just be doing the daily grind? what is the fun in that??!! You must have a bit of passion to show what you can do other than corporate logos and items for grandchildren? show us please......

Personally I use Wings software. BUT, if I had a do over I would go with Wilcom. I believe them to be the best around today but with the volume of work I have to produce daily I feel too old a dog to learn a new software and be proficient enough to sustain the volume.

My version of a Van Gogh Cypress. Was done back when we were trainers for WinGS software... to show that you don't need to know all the bells and whistles.. this design was done using 1 stitch type... satin serial.

teaser: egg images coming soon!

how about an Altar cloth? early stages but came out really nice all embroidery

EASTER

Here is an embroidery of a stained glass window showing Christ in the Garden. The thick majestic frame to me amplifies the feeling of this piece.

Church said they did not like it and refused to pay. We were only asking for materials to be paid for, not labor. (more of a charitable thing we thought) SO anyways I go to this church and see the finished cloth being ON THE ALTAR.

Special place in "Dante's Inferno" for some people. lol

How about taking images of your work and putting them on Viewmaster rounds to send to prospective clients? Have been doing this for years but thought it fit the "fun" part of this thread.

Sorry in advance for those that do not know what a Viewmaster is/was.

That is Great Uniqueart! but do you have samples to show of images you digitized or embroidered "just for fun" as this is the topic on this thread. You seem to have the ability so do you ever do anything for fun in thread? (I hope you do not ONLY do work that comes in from a client as that could be boring no?)