First Time Sharing Your ITH Work? Here's Some Tips

Taking the leap and sharing your finished machine embroidery creations – whether it be a mug rug or a quilt – can be intimidating at first. But once you do, you’ll find it incredibly rewarding! Sharing your work not only encourages you to continue, but also provides genuine appreciation and connects you with a supportive community of like-minded people, helping you grow and develop your skills.

But how do you overcome the anxiety of what people may think? It takes practice with any new skill - below are some strategies to help get started!

Show off Small

Start off by showing your work to friends, family, or people you trust - essentially people who will genuinely appreciate your creativity and offer their encouragement.

Post your work in private online communities that align with your values and interests. Researching community groups first to see what their community environments are like will help ensure you don’t join a toxic community. You can also join local in-person groups (i.e. hoop groups or sewing groups) and participate in meet ups.

Set Boundaries

It’s very important to set boundaries, especially with other people. Let them know that you’re open to constructive feedback and thoughtful observations, not simply negative or troll comments (a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages).

As our worlds are becoming more involved online, there will always be that group of ‘people’ who are negative with whatever. Keep reminding yourself that what people say are just their opinions and they don’t define the quality of your work!  

Create For Yourself and Focus on the Process

This is one of the most important aspects of being a creative - you create for yourself, not to impress others. Connecting with your creativity begins with recognising that your primary motivation is your own joy, exploration, and expression, even if you’re making a project for someone else. 

Focus on appreciating and acknowledging the steps you’ve taken to make your project and how you’ve developed your skills and refined your work. It takes a lot of work, time and dedication to create something handmade, which I think we take for granted sometimes!

It's Never Too Late

Starting something like our Block of the Week but everyone else has already made half the quilt? You don't need to worry - there's plenty of time and no bad time to get started! Just hop in and get started, everyone will support you along the way.

Filter the Feedback

A valuable skill to learn is to filter the feedback. This is a tricky skill to learn, as I think as humans we tend to focus on negative comments. Skim through the comments and only acknowledge the ones who give you constructive feedback and support.

The Why

Why did you start creating? Ask yourself this question whenever in self-doubt. Reconnecting to the reason why you started creating helps reassure your      

Unlimitedly, sharing your work is a personably choice and takes some courage, but it can be amazingly worthwhile. Using these steps can help you develop skills to be proactive with how you show your work and safeguard yourself. 

Good luck and happy stitching!