Taoknitter Arts

Purchasing and using Taoknitter Arts Designs

FYI: All digitized design file sales are for single use on solo dresses to be sold, or unlimited use for personal purposes not involving re-sale. If designs are for team dresses, multiple OTR solo dresses, or other retail items, the unlimited use license is 3 times the file price.  Files cannot be re-sold; violators will be prosecuted. 

It is important that all clients, from the beginning embroiderer to the professional, are happy.  We are here to fix files, trouble-shoot stitch-outs, answer questions, etc.   All questions, problems, & comments can be sent to taoknitter@gmail.com. Please be aware that because of the digital nature of purchases made from me, there are no refunds.  However, I will do everything in my power to make sure your files work beautifully.

All of the Taoknitter Arts Irish Dance Dress Embroidery Designs are digitized and ready for you to use on your own embroidery machine.  All embroidery formats are supported.  Embroidery services are also available for those without embroidery capabilities or if your hoops are too small for a specific design.  All designs can be split, revised and/or re-sized for you needs.

You can see all of the currently available designs on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/taoknitter/).  There are some newer ones that are still in the process of being digitized, but if you want something that I have not finished yet, I will finish it for you.  The full design sets (with all of the individual pieces) are only visible to Flickr contacts that have been designated “friends,” so if you would like to see everything, create a Flickr account for yourself and then add me as a contact and friend.  I will designate you as a friend when I am either notified by Flickr or you.

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Re-sizing, Revising, Splitting 

These charges are in addition to the initial cost of the designs.

1. Simple re-sizing: Free
2. Design revision: $5-$50 (depends on complexity of revisions)
3. Splitting: $7-10 per split file (depends on complexity of the splitting).

Custom Designs & Custom Digitizing

If you just do not see what you want in the Taoknitter Arts collection, we can start from scratch! We are available to discuss your dress ideas, to work with your concepts or create one for you, to answer questions about achieving great looking embroidery, to troubleshoot stitch-outs if necessary, etc. We can also do your embroidery for you.  As accomplished dressmakers and embroiderers, we are here to support the Irish Dance Dressmaker/Embroiderer whether you are a newbie or an experienced professional. Please contact Ann at taoknitter@gmail.com to get started.

Also, if you want to design your own unique dress, we can help you do that! Custom, one-off designs that you provide me can be digitized from jpeg, bmp, png, vector graphics, etc.  I do not use the auto digitize feature as it always fails to produce a neat product, especially when dealing with the complicated overs and unders of Celtic knots.  Digitizing prices range from $3/1000 stitches (if digitizing from clear, symmetrical, and proportioned graphics) to $4.50/1000 stitches (if working from hand drawn design “ideas” that require more attention).

Let me explain the pricing range: while hand-drawn designs can be clearly presented, there is usually added time to interpret and work through the whole design to ensure that correct line widths are being used consistently and that the correct symmetry applies where needed.   The only way to cut that down and reduce cost is to send me clear vector graphics with the lines already drawn to the correct widths and all elements presented symmetrically; however unless you can do that yourself, that will cost you as much or more than the stitch digitizing!  I do have several clients who send designs to me that way which means I can quickly give a more accurate estimate (which is again something hard to do with hand drawn designs), and eliminates the additional cost, but I also know they do that work themselves. I do not require vector graphics as I am experienced working with hand drawn designs, but it does cost more in terms of time and labor.

The total cost of digitizing your own design can range anywhere from $25 to $1000 depending upon the complexity of the work and the final stitch count. The final design and embroidery files belong to you after payment is made, and will not be re-used or sold by Taoknitter Arts. Please email taoknitter@gmail.com to start the process.

Embroidery

Any design can be stitched onto fabric you have interfaced, stabilized, and marked accordingly (see directions here: https://taoknitterarts.com/2011/04/21/pursuing-the-perfect-embroidery-stitch-out/)

If your dress is done, appliques are your best option (for more information, please click here: Custom Appliques), but if it is not, embroidering directly onto your pieces is more economical.  The cost for this can range from $75-700 depending on the design and total number of stitches.There is of course the cost of the designs to add to that.  Keep in mind that even if you want an element stitched onto the skirt 20 times, you only pay for that design once.

Embroidery costs are:

1. $1.00/1000 stitches using rayon or polyester thread plus the cost of thread
2. $1.50/1000 stitches using metallics (no super-twist) plus the cost of thread
3. $2.00 per 1000 stitches for applique designs plus the cost of thread

These prices include extra stabilizers used with the hoops. If I cannot do your embroidery for you, I have contacts, but they have their own pricing.  Please email taoknitter@gmail.com for more information.