Embroidery Tips for YOUR Boating Gear

You just bought a new boat and gave it an awesome name. Now you want to outfit the crew with personalized hats and shirts embroidered with your boat name. No problem, but there are some things you should know about the embroidery process before jumping in. Before you get ready to rock your personalized boating gear at the Lake of the Ozarks, see the tips provided below!

What to Embroider?

Think about what you have or need on the boat: hats, shirts, hand towels, bar towels, beach towels, floor mats, tote bags and fender covers can all be embroidered and make great boating swag. Our motto at Stern Memories is “start with quality, end with quality.” If you buy cheaply made goods, they will not withstand marine conditions and your money will have been wasted.

Boat name artwork

The embroidery process starts with your boat name artwork. If you bought a new boat or changed the name on a used boat, you likely worked with a vinyl sign shop to create the boat name graphic. Go back to them and ask for the “vector art” file for your boat name. (Note: Before you decide to do business with a sign shop, get an agreement up front that whatever image they create for you, you get a copy of the vector image files.)  If you bought a used boat and are keeping the name, then you have a couple options. If the boat name is simple lettering against a white background, the embroiderer might be able to work from a JPEG image of the boat name. Use a good camera to take the picture straight on, in good light, and send the picture in its largest size saved in JPEG format.  Another alternative is to have the boat name redrawn.  At Stern Memories we specialize in redrawing boat names from pictures. The end result is a near perfect match to your boat name and you get a copy of the vector art file.  Redrawing a name can run $50 or more, but if you plan on doing more things with your boat name, it is a worthwhile investment.

Digitization

Digitization - what does it mean?  So you’ve talked to an embroidery company and they want to charge you fees to convert or digitize your boat name.  Modern embroidery machines are basically computers with needles, sometimes lots of them, 12 or 15 each with different color thread.  When your boat name is digitized a computer program is created that directs each individual stitch. It’s truly an amazing process.

How much should digitization cost?

Most shops charge a fee per 1000 stitches to digitize a logo. The challenge is that the total number of stitches is not known until the digitization process is complete. Other factors impact the number of stitches, such as the size of the embroidery area and the complexity of the design. For example, outlining letters and drop shadows and other details will drive up the digitization and stitching cost. Often you can receive an estimate based on similar work that the embroiderer has done, but the final number is typically not given until after digitization.  Many shops charge around $1.50 per 1000 stitches, but again that is meaningless until you know the stitch count.

Stitching cost

What, now there is a stitching cost?  Yes. Once the design has been digitized there is an added cost to stitch the design onto each hat or garment. Again, the more complex and larger the design, the greater the stitching cost.  Often the embroiderer will quote just a bundled cost for the item which includes stitching, but buried in there is an allotment of time on the sewing machine.

Selecting an Embroiderer

Embroidery in the US is a multi-billion dollar industry. Many shops are home-based, others operate from small store fronts and yet others operate large scale plants. If you ask around or use Google, you will be sure to find an embroiderer nearby, but do they know boating? Are they boaters?  Stern Memoires was founded by boaters (Lake of the Ozarks) and specializes in working with boaters and their unique needs. Our goal is to build a lifelong relationship with each boating customer with the goal of providing multiple fun and useful items. Once we have your artwork and digitized files, we can put it on just about anything, offering a true one-stop personalized boating gear experience.

Tips to save money

One of the best ways to save money is to use pre-digitized fonts. Digitization software is pre-load with many fonts. Boat name are often created using standard fonts and many of those are pre-digitized. You may still have digitization fees, but they will be less.  Eliminating excessive details is another way to save money.  By focusing on the core boat name and not the surrounding graphics, will help cut down on stitched and thus save money.  Plus, when it comes to embroidery less is more.

At Stern Memories, we love to see boaters display their boating passion through boat name embroidered items. There’s nothing like docking your boat and walking off, displaying your boat name proudly. Ready to create your personalized boating gifts?  Contact Stern Memories today!

THE MOST UNIQUE BOATING GIFT YOUR WILL EVER GIVE OR RECEIVE!

www.SternMemories.com

314.403.2142

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