Introducing Georgia Nelson aka Fierce Kittenz

Post Views: 707

I came across one of Georgia’s videos on YouTube where she was showing people how to digitize with Hatch Embroidery Digitizer. I really loved her engaging friendly style and the easy-to-understand way she was explaining how she uses the various tools. Her passion for our software was shining through.

I wanted to get to know Georgia better, so I contacted her and we had a chat.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

By day I am a Principal Software Engineer, solving lots of really tough programming problems in the game industry. By night I flex my creative muscles with lots of sewing, machine embroidery, and laser work! While I love programming, I do like to get a little more hands-on creative as a way to wind down at the end of the day. I am a mom of two beautiful daughters – oh! and four cats! I’ve been sewing and crafting since I was about 10 years old, only taking a little time off after starting a family. I picked it back up again in 2003, which is around the time I started Fierce Kitten Studio. I fell in love with making handbags, specifically handbags with machine embroidered embellishments! I only had a 100mm x 100mm work area at the time, but I made it work. I didn’t even dip my toes into multi-needle machine embroidery until late-2020!

How long have you been doing machine embroidery?

I started machine embroidery back in 2003 when I bought my first sewing/embroidery combination machine. It was the Husqvarna Viking Rose. I often regret trading it in for another machine as they don’t really make them as well as they used to. I had no clue how to digitize until 2015 when I upgraded to a slightly bigger combination machine and again used the software provided by the dealer. It was in 2016 when I got my hands on the Wilcom software that was made for Janome. That was when I really started to figure things out. It was so intuitive and gave me the confidence to make more complex designs! When I saw the announcements for Hatch, I threw money at the monitor SO FAST.

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. I’m someone who likes to be somewhat self-sufficient. I wanted very specific designs that were custom to me and my business, but getting designs digitized was quite costly. I understand why, but I am also experienced with several art mediums and digital art software suites. I knew I could learn it if I applied myself.

What inspires you when you create your designs?

Most of the time it’s my kids who help me think of the designs! Then other times it’s members of my Twitch and YouTube community (a.k.a “Sewhalla”) that give me the funniest ideas. In general, my designs tend to be whimsical and fun.

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

I mentioned earlier how I was a very early adopter of Hatch. My experience has been extraordinary! I love how easy it is to pick up and learn as opposed to other digitizing software packages. Certain actions just felt “natural” and not forced. The user interface shows me all of the information, is fast/responsive, and not terribly overwhelming. Let’s also not forget to mention the plethora of video tutorials and content available from which to learn! My FAVORITE tool is the Player. I like to optimize the stitch path as best as possible, so I spend a lot of time in the Player scrubbing the timeline back and forth to make sure I don’t insert too many unnecessary jumps or start/stop in the wrong location.

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

Don’t bite off more than you can chew at first! Learn the basics and make simple designs to figure out the toolset. Don’t be afraid to experiment as you find your comfort zone with the tooling and seek out help when you aren’t quite sure what to do next! I know how exciting it can be to get your hands on software that opens up a world of opportunity, but you have to walk before you can run.

Georgia kindly created a cute set of gingerbread cookies for our faithful readers. Click the button below to access the free design. Watch the video where she shows you the process of testing out her design making sure all elements stitch out perfectly. It is very entertaining and informative.

Check out Georgia’s designs on her website and videos on her YouTube channel.

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.