Barbara’s Embroidered Bags

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I came across Barbara’s beautiful embroidered bags in the Hatch Facebook Group. Their uniqueness, the obvious use of the various tools of Hatch Embroidery Digitizer and the great quality of the photography made them really stand out and pop.

It made me curious to find out more about their maker, so I got in touch with Barbara. I asked her a number of questions to find out more about her as a person and also as an embroiderer.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

I am a retired RN. I had been gathering embroidery machines and other embroidery items, including Hatch Digitizer 3, so when I retired, I would have a hobby/income. I have always loved embroidery designs and I have a multi needle machine. My goal has always been to create my own embroidery designs. I’m finally getting there. I love making purses/handbags! I have been making them for years and am learning to do in the hoop designs. To me a purse is not complete without an embroidery design. I am in the process of creating my own website to sell my designs.

What made you want to embroider bags?

I used to make purses from different shades of denim and hand embroider on them. I love thread art and the machine embroidery is mesmerizing to watch. The technology for embroidery has come a long way and I love the way it looks on purses. When I started embroidering on purses, I could not find an embroidered bag I liked, so I started designing my own.

Do you make the bags yourself?

Yes, I make the bag. Most of the time I embroider a piece of material and then decide what I want the bag to look like. I create my own patterns. I love the challenge of figuring out what I want the purse to look like.

Could you share a bit about your creative process?

I fall in love with a piece of art, then I visualize it as embroidery. I digitize the embroidery design. I find just the right fabric for the design and embroider it onto the fabric. Once the design is on the fabric, I may lay it aside and look at it for several days or even weeks. Then the design comes to life in my mind, and I put it together. Most of the time my bags are one of a kind or size unless I digitize an in-the-hoop design. In that case I will make several of the same bag just with different embroidery designs.

What inspires you when you create your designs?

Everything! When I see something I like, I think of embroidery. I visualize how the art, design, or real item would look like as an embroidery design. Sometimes what I originally had in my mind is not what I wind up with. One thing always leads to another. There is still so much I need to learn, and I will.

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

I love Hatch!!! As I have already mentioned I am completely satisfied. I love its ease of use, the ability to duplicate, rearrange colors and sections of my designs. When I digitize, I am sometimes random with each section so having the ability to create and then go back and organize is good for me. I love the digitize holes, which I have just started using, weld, creating layouts tool, the knife is amazing and everything else. It is really hard to have a favorite tool because all the tools are what make this program so unique. I am a trial-and-error kind of person. What I mean by that is I learn and remember better when I just dive in and do something. I love the challenge of figuring things out.

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

Do not be afraid to try! Every person/designer has their own style and likes. There is room for all of us in the embroidery world. What you see may be different from what I see. Your creative style will be amazing with Hatch! I appreciated that I was able to do the free trial. I was sold after just a week of it.

Anything else you might want to share?

I may see a purse someone else has created and it gives me ideas for a new creation of my own. It is ok to be inspired by others. This collaboration brings life to your own unique designs. Sometimes I watch videos on something I need to learn, and that will also inspire what I have been working on to completion. When I first started making my own purses, they were cute, but my quality and design capability has definitely improved over the years. Creativity is a part of me. I forget about everything else when I am designing something, so it is my mental outlet.

I am in the process of creating my own website. My goal has always been to sell my own purse patterns and digitized designs. My website will be Keonaskreations.com. It may be a few months before I’m ready to publish the site for everyone to see.

Barbara kindly created a lovely FSL doily design for our faithful readers. Click the button below to access the design.

Hatch Embroidery software products are in popular use in over 120 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.