Introducing Ashli Scalzo

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I saw the Jack Sparrow design you will find as you scroll further down, in the Hatch Facebook Group. I loved the detail in it and it was obvious to me that it was created by someone who has mastered Hatch Embroidery Digitizer.

I wanted to find out more about the digitizer and person behind the design, so I contacted Ashli and asked her a number of questions.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Hi! I am a lifelong artist and obtained a fine arts degree with my main focus being in collage work. Creating is my passion and purpose! I love making people smile with the things I create. I’m also a mother to my 16 year old son Logan who is very creative as well. My husband Brandon and I are big animal enthusiasts and we are parents to seven cats and two dogs. We’ve finally reached maximum capacity with our recent adoption of a puppy named Piper who is a real wild child!

How long have you been doing machine embroidery?

I have been doing machine embroidery for about twenty years. While in college I was hired at a sewing shop and had to learn in order to sell machines and merchandise.

What made you start digitizing?

I started digitizing because I thought it would be great fun if I could turn my drawings into designs that I could put into clothing and accessories. I had no idea at the time that I was getting into something that took so much technique and skill.

What inspires you when you create your designs?

I would say I’m inspired by colors and the way they interact together as well as things that make me happy. Bright colors and whimsical designs will always bring a smile to my face!

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

Hatch software has literally helped change my life, and although I’ve had the opportunity to work with other softwares nothing else compares to Hatch in my book. I started by doing personal projects, but now I work full time between digitizing custom items for customers, creating merchandise, and making downloadable designs for people to purchase.

There’s always more to learn and more ways I can hone my skills as a digitizer, but I love the solidarity and dependability of figuring out a certain technique and being able to reproduce similar results on any project with speed and accuracy. My favorite feature that I use so often is the gradient tool box. It’s perfect for getting shading right on portraits. You can really customize a multitude of shading layers by using the sliders to vary widths within your work.

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

The best advice I can offer is to become a student again. While I was learning, I got out a spiral notebook and took notes as I watched the tutorials. I dedicated myself to one full hour of learning in this way per day until I felt I had graduated. If there’s anything you want to do, you must have patience, be willing to learn, and be willing to make a lot of awful looking designs. In my spiral notebook I stapled in my stitch outs so I could see my progress day by day. Eventually, I have gotten to the point where I do not need a multitude of trial and error runs, it comes out perfect almost every time!

Check out Ashli’s designs in her Etsy shop or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.

Ashli kindly created a lovely autumn themed free 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.