Digitized Letterman Jacket Back Designs

[KIDSPORT]

Hi guys & gals,

Letterman Jackets have become a huge part of our business. The average jacket retails between $250 -$500 each as have kept our Amayas humming! I am lucky enough to have hired some quality people with great digitizing skills to aid in our success. If you like, check out our website. http://www.KidsportAthletic.com to view some of our work. The main reason the kids love our shop is our custom back designs. We can do pretty much anything they can dream up. It has become almost a competition in our area! Each student trying to outdo the next. (Which is good news for my cash register!)
If you do jackets or if you're thinking about doing them, we are currently working on a new website that will focus exclusively on Jacket Back designs. In fact, that's what its called. JacketBack.com Currently we have a "Coming Soon" page with a couple of examples, but plans are underway for something much bigger. Basically, we will be catering to embroidery shops outside of our immediate area with fully customized and Digitized design files that you can download and send to your Amaya!
All comments and Inquiries welcome!

Thanks for the read!
Chris

[Dorothy Compton]

I'm very interested in your new website. I did notice that you use a couple of Build Your Jacket designs but the others look really nice. I think there is a huge untapped market for sports/mascot related jacket back designs. I hope I can be classified as being out of your area (I'm in Rancho Cordova, just east of Sacramento). Good luck and I look forward to your new website. Let us know when it's up and ready for business!

Dorothy Compton, Owner
Bee Embroidered
www.BeeEmbroidered.com
(916) 635-7467

[Sandra Walker]

Hi Chris,
Congratulations! What a great idea.

I own an embroidery business in Montgomery, Texas and have been on your
site, looking at your fabulous jackets. I have a couple of questions:
1. I'm interested in your design program for other embroidery shops.
Couldn't find any info on the your website. Can you email or call me with
details? (If you call, please note: I'm in the Central time zone, which is
2 hours ahead of you.)

2. Are you using Carhart jackets? I'm concerned about embroidering on
them b/c of the difficulty with hooping that I've read other folks have. Do
you open the lining to get to the jacket back?

I'm excited about this and look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks so much.
Sandra Walker
A&E Clothing and Embroidery
936-588-1015
Montgomery, Texas
Member, Greater Conroe/Lake Conroe Area Chamber of Commerce
and Montgomery County Professionals
www.companycasuals.com/aeclothing
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 7:00 PM
Subject: [amayausers.com] Re: Digitized Letterman Jacket Back Designs


> This message was posted by KIDSPORT on AmayaUsers.com. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY
> VIA EMAIL. Instead, respond to the thread on the WEBSITE by clicking here:
> http://www.amayausers.com/boards/ult...opic/6/61.html
>
> Hi guys & gals,
>
> Letterman Jackets have become a huge part of our business. The average
> jacket retails between $250 -$500 each as have kept our Amayas humming! I
> am lucky enough to have hired some quality people with great digitizing
> skills to aid in our success. If you like, check out our website.
> http://www.KidsportAthletic.com to view some of our work. The main reason
> the kids love our shop is our custom back designs. We can do pretty much
> anything they can dream up. It has become almost a competition in our
> area! Each student trying to outdo the next. (Which is good news for my
> cash register!)
> If you do jackets or if you're thinking about doing them, we are currently
> working on a new website that will focus exclusively on Jacket Back
> designs. In fact, that's what its called. JacketBack.com Currently we have
> a "Coming Soon" page with a couple of examples, but plans are underway for
> something much bigger. Basically, we will be catering to embroidery shops
> outside of our immediate area with fully customized and Digitized design
> files that you can download and send to your Amaya!
> All comments and Inquiries welcome!
>
> Thanks for the read!
> Chris

[signman]

Sandra, check out the heavy workjackets from Sanmar-I embroider them all the time. Just as good and heavy as the Carhardts but a lot cheaper wholesale, AND they have built in 'port pockets'-hidden zippers, to get all the way up in the back and some of the front. NO center seam on the back either.
Now in 3 colors

Roland

[Debbie Rinehart]

Roland, I got a question about using the pocket ports. I did some Sanmar jackets that had the port along side the front zipper, just on the under side of the lapel. I had a real problem getting the design straight since I had to turn the design sideways (cuz the sewing arm goes into the hole along the zipper-so it's going into the jacket sideways)...am I making any sense here? It took me forever and still wasn't the straightest. I sort of moan whenever I see them!
Debbie in Indiana

[signman]

The port pocket is only on the left side...would be nice to have it on BOTH sides to add a name, but noooooo, that would be too easy.
We take the jackets and use seamstress chalk to make a straight line where the image goes, with a vertical line for centering on the front of the jacket. Then I think the 5" hoop is the only one that will fit in there, slide that in and put the 'top' hoop on and turn it until it lines up with the chalk lines. Push the hoop together and reach inside to snug the screw down.
Now pull the liner down and keep your hand in it-to guide it over the 'nose cone' bobbin area and it should work. I haven't done them for awhile-got one in now to do tomorrow-but if you have to, turn the design 90 degrees and turn the hoop to line up that way. Once you figure out which way works for the design/hoop you have-it's easy. But we always chalk them...and never have it off center or crooked.
Too expensive to practice on!
Roland

[Debbie Rinehart]

Thanks signman!!! I'll get better at it I'm sure, but there just never seems to be enough time to take it slow (which I still am at doing this)!! Has all your snow melted yet? Debbie

[Carolyn]

Signman, do you think it would be possible for you to do a video of how you do your lettermans jacket. I would love to see how the process works.

Carolyn

[signman]

I've never done a letterman jacket...they are no longer 'cool' around here and what few are done as 'awards' for the football team come from a catalog-current sports/athletic directors outright refuse to do any business locally-have their heads stuck up their @$$&$ I mean their noses stuck in catalogs. Even teeshirts-they happily pay TWICE what I would charge because they think they get better deals from a catalog!
So the only jackets I do are Sanmar, the work jackets, Challenger, Competitor, and once in awhile one of the 'coaches' jackets as a lightweight work jacket. Not one school or sport order yet!
As for making a video-I have a Sony camcorder and not a clue how to transfer the 'tapes' to anything else-no idea how to edit, crop, dub over for voice....not my thing. Already taped over the last birthday party when a local building burnt down...forgot to check the tape!
I can plug it into our tv system and then it takes me half an hour to find the right buttons to get SOUND and VIEW anything...so I'd burn out my brain if anyone wanted it on Youtube.
Sorry!

[Juli in Kona]

I have an idea! Get your grand kid to do it. Or the kid down the block. Or call the hight school (OR the Jr high) And see if you can get one of the teachers to suggest one of the students to tape a session. They might even get credit for it. And don't forget, if you are going to be IN the movie, you can't be filming it.

It is soooo easy to give advice to other people!

Juli in Kona where our volcano (90 miles away) is blowing its brains out and looks like a nuclear explosion. Pretty amazing!

[signman]

My grandson is 29 months...and he probably COULD run a camera and transfer to a computer....LOL...
I've been trying to get a beta version of a graphic program to run on at least ONE computer today and so far, tried 4...not one will accept the program. Techs from the company that want me to test it said it WOULD work....so I'm happily proving them wrong-again!
But not getting anything else done.
think I'll call it a day and give up for the weekend.
More snow overnite!

[Sandra Walker]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my post about Letterman jackets; I appreciate the input!
Roland, I'll have a look at the Sanmar work jackets too.

Happy Sewing
Sandra Walker