We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dennis Dunning. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dennis below.

Dennis, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

A young lady brought us an intricate design created by her tattoo artist as a wedding present and asked if there was any chance that we could embroider it on the back of the denim jacket she planned to wear at her bachelorette party and on her honeymoon. We asked when she needed it and were told that the bachelorette party was less than two weeks away. We explained that it would be challenging to create an embroidery file of the design and to embroider it on her jacket 9″ tall by 8″ wide in time for her bachelorette party; but we would do our best to get it done. The design we created had more than 68 thousand stitches and 261 elements. The type of stitches, their direction, and color had to be chosen for each element. When we called the young lady two days before the bachelorette party to let her know that she could pick up her jacket, she was very excited. When she saw the jacket, it brought tears to her eyes.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My wife and I create designs for machine embroidery and apply those designs to a variety of products including caps, sports apparel, leather upholstery, and equestrian tack. I work with my wife, who started our embroidery business in 1993. I worked part-time with my wife until 2010, when I retired from my first career and began working with her full-time.

Some clients ask us to develop designs based on a notion they have, and others ask us to convert a design they already have into stitches for embroidery. Developing a design based on a client’s notion can be both challenging and rewarding. What often sets us apart from others is that we listen carefully to our clients and try to create something that gets them excited. Often, we need to educate our clients about what can and cannot be done with thread, which is very different than what can be done with ink.

Most of our clients are repeat customers. Some new clients find us on social media; but most are referred to us. We believe that this is a testimony to quality of our work and that we try to make every client feel special.

We are very adept with the software needed to create embroidery files and use our skill to make the embroidery we produce more attractive, sometimes by blending thread colors and sometimes by applying a variety of stitch patterns. It is very satisfying when we develop a design for a client, have them say they like it, then add a subtle effect, and have them say they really like it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Producing embroidery files often requires being both an artist with a computer and being creative. For me, producing new, unique, and attractive embroidery is, in and of itself, stimulating and exciting. Additionally, if what I produce is valued by someone else and I get paid for it, this is a bonus.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Some people I know, who do work that is less rewarding than mine, and can’t wait to retire. Some of these people ask why I keep doing what I do and don’t retire (I’m 74). I patiently explain that I am fortunate to have the resources that allow me to do something that I find rewarding and then ask what it is that they would like to do that is more rewarding when they retire.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.embroideryd.com
• Instagram: embroiderydesignsny
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embroideryd
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/embroideryd
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/embroidery-designs-poughquag

Image Credits

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