Welcome to all of you sparkle lovers and future supporters!
For those of you who are new to the journey, I will start with a quick introduction; my name is Kate, otherwise known as the 'Queen of Sequins' and I'm the passionate hand embroiderer behind KateGwilliam.com .
For years, I've poured my heart and soul into every stitch, crafting unique and beautiful pieces of art that have brought joy to many. I love food, booze and creating pieces that are just so niche, including the individuals who just absolutely have to have a sequinned Marks and Spencer Bread Sauce pot or a bottle of Henderson’s Relish, but I utterly adore making these things for you.
Over the last 7 years I have grown consistently and steadily; from making sequinned avocado hanging ornaments (with somewhat questionable photography) to making hundreds of ornaments for Selfridges and Harrods! This growth has now reached a tipping point and as a one-woman business I only have two hands, well, over the Christmas peak I have the #Mumtern but she would quite like to retire and not spend all summer making sequin ornaments, or probably she would like to get paid, which she currently isn’t (Thank You Mum!)
So, this is the quandary, I can’t afford to have someone full time doing all the things I need to do, plus all the things I want to do moving forward. This is especially true as I continue to expand my ranges to create sparkly, brilliant homeware to bring out at parties and soirées. The only way I can see to solve this currently is to purchase some mechanical (metaphorical) hands.
Selfridges In Person Event 2021
The Fruit and Veg Boxes for Harrods 2021
What You’re Funding
Embroidery isn't just a hobby for me, in fact it has never actually been a hobby; it's my calling. It's a craft that I have been learning since a child and I've dedicated my life to mastering. But as much as I love the tradition of hand embroidery, I've come to realise that in order to grow my business and reach more people, I need to embrace modern technology. I would of course love to employ some amazing embroiderers to create all the work I need to, but this machine will give me an extra set of hands for some of my day to day work, which is the only way I can feasibly expand at the moment
That's why I'm turning to you, you amazing community of sparkle loving supporters to help me take the next step in my journey. I am raising funds to purchase a digital embroidery machine that will allow me to have the extra capacity I desperately need to scale my production without sacrificing the artistry and attention to detail that defines my work.
Here's why your support matters:
- Preserving Tradition: While I am incorporating technology into my process, my commitment to preserving the tradition of hand embroidery remains unwavering. With this machine, I’ll be able to produce the intricate, beautiful designs you love while increasing our output to meet growing demand.
- Expanding Access: Our ultimate goal is to share the beauty of hand embroidery with as many people as possible. With your support, I will be able to expand my reach to more local markets and further online platforms, allowing me to connect with customers around the world and spread the joy of sparkles for everyone
- Creating Opportunities: As a small business owner, I understand the challenges of trying to do it all on your own. With this embroidery machine, I'll be able to create more opportunities to create work for other small businesses too. Collaboration is such an important part of the small business community and I want to share my skills as much as possible
The Machine (which is currently nameless)
I have spent time researching the type of machine I will need to help me move forward with this, I have chosen to get a reconditioned machine. For those of you who want to look it up it is this beauty!
The Brother PR1000E – taken from the Brother Website
I can’t wait to name it and find a place for it in amongst Susie the Singer, the Irish Embroidery machine and Betty my 1960s domestic Singer machine.
The machine has 10 needles which allows me to make multi coloured embroideries easily and efficiently. It will also allow me to have different needles so, if I continue to expand the range to thicker fabrics I will be able to swap projects in and out seamlessly.
Currently any pieces that require this type of embroidery have to be outsourced, which means that I have to decide ahead of time how many of each design I would like and this means that the restocks take a long time. It also means that I can’t offer personalised designs, but with this machine there is now almost endless opportunities to personalise and create all of your niche requests!
The Funding and Rewards
Every contribution, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to my goal. In return for your support, I will be offering a range of rewards, including exclusive embroidered designs, personalised gifts, and of course I will be keeping you up to date with everything going on both during and after the crowdfunding.
The rewards that I am offering are going to be utilising the new machine, for the most part, and will be exclusive to this crowdfunder. That is to say there is either exclusive pricing or exclusive products!
The ins and outs of the rewards is that they will take a few months to leave the studio, but you will get them in time for Christmas 2024!
I am looking to raise £5000 in order to fund this machine purchase and some of the sundries that I need to create, such as stabilising fabrics and threads, which all are needed to make the machine work.
Should I be incredibly lucky and reach my target, the extra money would go towards new photography and a rebrand I am currently halfway through!
Thank you for believing in me so far and I hope together, we can create magic and that you will join me on this journey of creativity and expansion!