A little bit of embroidery can go a long way to making an ordinary present become a treasured personal item. By simply adding an embroidered name or initial a bag, towel or apron becomes a special gift specifically intended for the recipient. For me, as the person doing the embroidery, these items are usually one-offs. A certain product for a special occasion – initials on a handkerchief or a name and date on a baptismal dress.

But sometimes embroidery can be the perfect enhancement to make a group feel closer. Names on almost anything help people feel like a group and better identify with the common cause. In the embroidery sector this is called ‘spirit wear’ because it gives the group a sense of team spirit. Some of the items I have embroidered that could be considered spirit wear are the shirts of band members or polo shirts for a bowling team, names on swimming trunks and logos on polo shirts for a small company.

This time around the special request was to embroider names on a number of felt pencil cases. Although you cannot wear the pencil cases, I would still classify this as spirit wear since the pencil cases were meant as a thank-you for the members of a church choir.

After initially assessing whether I would be able to embroider the pencil cases – it is important that I have access to enough space on the back of the textile to frame it – I offered three different font options and a choice of colors. The choir members quickly chose their font and then settled on a choice of three colors (based on emojis!) After that it was up to me and my Bernina Artista 730 embroidery machine to do the rest. I have to say I am very pleased with how the pencil cases turned out and have heard that the choir members are, too. For more information about getting something embroidered for yourself or a group you are a member of, don’t hesitate to contact me.