Interview with Pat of Hound Street Arts

How did you get started with digitizing and embroidery?
When traveling with my kids, I would bring home the embroidered sweatshirts as souvenirs of our travels. So when I needed a new sewing machine, I of course chose an embroidery/sewing combination. I didn't really research the different machines available - it was an impulse purchase. I didn't know at the time what was involved in digitizing a design, but that was my goal - to make my own designs. After discovering the "customizer" that came with my machine did not have the features to digitize the designs I wanted, I began a more thorough search for the software needed to digitize designs and lessons to learn digitizing. During this search for information, I answered an e-mail from "Sketch" (Stephanie Potts - Thread Sketches), who was looking for design testers. Watching her designs stitch out taught me a lot about how I wanted my designs to stitch.

Has your business changed since you started digitizing?
Originally my designs were all digitized for my own personal use, but now others have made suggestions for designs they want. I also continue to read all I can about digitizing and I hope my designs will continue to improve.

What types of future projects are in the works?
I have "western" appliqué designs that I have used for personal projects -- I want to "polish" the digitizing a little, but will soon have these designs up. My horse crazy, artistic daughters have drawn some horse designs for me to digitize.

What personal information would you like to share?
My family lives on a farm in Minnesota, where we raise corn, soybeans, peas and hay. I grew up in town and thought summer was "leisure time" but not on a farm! I had always wanted a pony as a child, so I happily supplied my kids with horses which they show and care for.