Blue Pointe Bistro

Today's featured client spotlight is a personal favorite of ours, Blue Pointe Bistro. We love the small Italian bistro presence in our Weymouth neighborhood. The food is great, too!

This client came to us with their logo, "Blue Point Bistro" inside of their trademarked blue-white box. We hand-digitized their logo for a left front chest custom embroidery, and threw in free hat to see how the logo would look on that, as well.

The logo was hand traced using our state of the art embroidery software. Then there is the thread order when running the embroidered shirts themselves to consider: we stiched the white block first, then the blue block, outline and lettering, and then finished the whole design off with the white lettering. Since the client's font is so unique, we had to trace each individual letter - except in the exciting case when we could simply copy and paste a letter "E" :)

The last request of this job was to incorporate this graphic of an aqua and royal blue flame somewhere on the black shirt. We made the flames in two sizes, and embroidered one right beneath the back collar on one shirt, then on the right sleeve on the other. We dropped off the samples to the client, and are awaiting on a decision for the final order!

This is just one of the many client project that exemplifies our embroidery services capabilities at Dock This Way. Let us know what you think!

Personalized Gifts

We thought that now would be the great time to remind you of our specialized custom gifts. This piece was made for the lunch lady as a gift from the graduating class from my daughter's school. The custom embroidery design was done in the Curlz font, (one of our girly-font favorites) and embroidered on a white tote bag in hot pink.

This is a great example of Dock This Way's extensive embroidery service capabilities - not to mention a great gift idea if you're stumped!

Now's also the time to embroider garments and accessories like towels and blankets for your packing college student - not only will the custom monogram help your student identify and protect what's theirs, but also serves as a great going-away present and a memoir of home :)

Contact us for more information, or to talk about your project!

Yacht Club Custom Embroidery

I thought I would do a client spotlight on one of our oldest and most loyal clients, The South Shore Yacht Club. This is where we keep our boat, where we can be seen sporting nearly every weekend, or when a summer day becomes too unbearable :)

Yacht Clubs typically have a flag that symbolizes their clubs. Members sport this flag, or burgee, on their boats, and it represents loyal membership wherever it waves - it can also be honored in a ceremony at the beginning of the boating season - in our case, Opening Day, which is close to Memorial Day and involves a cake at the end.

We designed this wavy burgee for South Shore Yacht Club merchandise. We also have a simple triangle flag, which we use for club officers like the Commodore's hats and polo shirts. The great thing about embroidered shirts or sweatshirts from your Yacht Club is that you can easily customize any garment with your own boat logo and boat name. For example, we had a customer recently who owns a motorboat named "Bon Bini", and we selected his exact boat type from the hundreds available in our Dakota designs. Then we matched the font on the back of his boat and embroidered light jean jackets and sweatshirts for him to sport on those cool Massachusetts summer nights.

Does your yacht club or similar organization have a custom embroidery design to show pride for your membership when you wear it? Or do you just have a favorite jacket that seems a little too plain? No job too small - let us design your logo and we know that you'll love your result, and probably want much more than one! Hope to hear from you soon :)

(Stay tuned - Related to boats and Yacht Clubs, my husband also does custom marine canvas upholstery work.)

The Wizard of Oz

A few weeks ago, my youngest daughter debuted her acting career as the lead role in her 8th Grade play, The Wizard of Oz held at a long-term client of ours, Saint Jerome Elementary School. (We provide embroidery services for uniforms!)

We bought a Dorothy dress and her grandmother tailored it to fit her perfectly - she added some fringe to the bottom. We also made the ruby red slippers ourselves - bought some low back heels at payless (She wears an 11!), brushed on some glue and dipped in red glitter. They looked perfect!

After all was said and done with a stunning performance behind us, we had the cast party to do. So I decided to make green custom t shirts for the entire cast! I collaborated with my team to create an original Wizard of Oz design, simple in black, to silkscreen across the front. As you can see (modeled by my daughter - she never takes this off) they came out great!

Do you have a special project, like a cast party that you'd like to commemorate? We can take on and work with any idea or concept, and guarantee quick turn around for special event silkscreen jobs! Just look at these amazing shirts :)






Contact us today to see how we can get the ball rolling on your project, albeit a play or the end of a sporting season, and how to we can make your special event unique!

New Jobs, Upcoming Possibilities!

Just wanted to share some exciting, upcoming jobs and projects we have slated over the next couple of weeks.

We've spoken to The Venetian restaurant in Weymouth, which is a fantastic local eatery if you haven't swung by. They are going to have 2010 Tide Shirts available for sale in their bar!

We've reached out to a client we have not heard from in a while, and as a result we are now talking with the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth for monogrammed aprons.

With these jobs and one more old customer requesting 25 shirts in-process, we are excited to officially kick off our summer business season! Remember, this is the time to get your 2010 Tide Shirts, company shirts for corporate events, or monograms for gifts or for your departing college students!

Soon we will be putting together a company newsletter to keep you in touch with us - you'll never know when you'll have the need for a personalized gift :) We're planning to feature blog posts, featured clients, product giveaways and other exciting promotions!

Our Embroidery Shop

Here at Dock This Way Embroidery and Design, we operate out of our family home. This assures personal, one-on-one attention to each job and quick turnaround time for embroidery services and silkscreen tshirts or other clothing.

So we'd figure that we would give you a quick peek at our workspace! We have one large ten needle machine, a Melco (And looking to invest in one more, potentially a tabletop Amaya). This is great for designs with a ton of color changes. Some embroidery machines are one - needle: which is a pain because you need to stop the machine when a different color thread comes through, run the new thread through the machine and the needle, and start it again. Yeah. Time-consuming.

We have all different sized hoops to accommodate different design sizes, from embroidered gloves to scarves and regular tshirt logos. We also have a great selection of threads available, and if we can't match the exact color you are looking for, we can order the perfect color in less than 3 days!

We keep our threads according to color and protected from light and damage in plastic bins - it's important to keep the threads wrapped up and to not bang them around: if you do, they'll become weak and be likely to break while running a design.

I actually snapped a shot while the machine was running. We got an order for a custom sail wallet, and I'm embroidering a piece of sail canvas with a green number. I then sew the pieces together to create a very customized gift :)

Got a logo idea? Just want to try us out? Contact us and let us know what we can do for you!

How does silk-screening work?

At Dock This Way Embroidery and Design, we also specialize in silk screening services, as exemplified by our famous Tide Shirts. We’ve done everything from sports team shirts, to company tee’s to hand out at a corporate event. We work with artists to make sure that the artwork you want gets translated into your vision: but how does it work?

We have access to large machines that enable us to turn around quick orders. However, it is possible to DIY and silk screen from home using store-bought materials. My daughter took a screen printing class in Florence, and went through the whole process herself. (Here is one of her more complex pieces)

1.) Get your image, establish your colors. Once you have a design or drawing that you’d like to silk screen on a garment, pick the colors you’d like to use. Remember, you’ll need a different screen for each color, so you may want to start off simple.

2.) Trace your design onto mylar or tracing paper. Your design has to go on completely transparent paper, and you have to paint the areas that you want to receive color, and do not define the negative spaces to prevent color from bleeding through.

3.) Get a screen. A screen is typically a wooden frame with cloth (ideally silk = silk screen, get it?) stretched around it.

4.) Coat your screen. You can buy screen emulsion at many craft stores, like Blick. Coat the screen evenly, and in a low-light area, as it is sensitive to light like photo-film.

5.) Place your design on your screen, then take outside. If you don’t have access to a large exposing light, simply place your image on the outside (not where the frame is exposed) and leave in the sun. This will expose the areas around your design, and “cut” through the screen. Bring inside, remove your drawing, then wash, and you’ll have a negative of your design.

6.) Secure the garment, clamp the screen. Pin down your garment onto a table, then clamp your screen drum-side down (using everyday clamps that can be bought at a hardware store) where you’d like the design to appear on your item.

7.) Pull the ink. Blot some ink on a squeegee, and hand pull over the screen 3-4 times. This will assure the ink goes through all holes and looks crisper.

8.) Let dry. Remove the screen straight-up, set aside to dry. Repeat if your design has other layers or colors after the first garment is dry. Start with the lightest color and move up to the darkest.

Contact us to get your own silk screen job done, and check out some hand-pulled Italian works done abroad!

Boat is in the Water!

Our boat is in the water.

This is always my favorite time of year, and there is still lots of work that needs to be done - in due time :) The important thing is that once it is in the water, all it takes is a phone call to friends, "Hey! Come meet me at the boat for cocktails and appetizers".


I find this time of the year to be great for re-connecting with people, and enjoying the most simple things in life. It also means people are ready to order STUFF! For example, upside down tide shirts: you don't have to stress about what time to go swimming or boating, you just read your shirt!

Our aim is to simplify your life!
No worries!
Enjoy the weather!
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

My Daughter's Commencement, 2010

On September 22,1987, I was handed this amazingly beautiful and calm baby girl and I thought...it doesn't get any better than this. Guess what? It does.

We left the house this morning at 7:30 and arrived at TUFTS UNIVERSITY to watch that incredible young lady walk amongst the best and brightest to receive her well deserved degree, then we went to the School of Museum of Fine Arts and had her receive the other part of her degree. How did I end up to be such a lucky person?

Thank you Ashley for making me so proud of you, always, but today specifically: you inspire me at this late stage of life. To strive for things I thought not possible - that you have already achieved at such a young age. Congrats and all my love for a job well done!!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!

<3 Mom

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The Boat - and a Little Business :)

This is my favorite time of year: being a boat, beach, and summer lover. Love it from the hustle and bustle of people getting their boats ready to launch, to the launch date itself - stocking up the boat with supplies. I love to start talking about potential trips we'll go on, whether we'll get a slip or pull up a mooring. I love this time of the year because EVERYTHING REALLY SMELLS GREAT! Sunscreen, the ocean, cut grass, barbecues, and the first cheeseburger always rocks! This is the one time of the year when the pace changes. No one is in a hurry to get anywhere, because mostly you are going no where to do absolutely NOTHING! Everyone is happy, they look good - I LOVE IT!!!

I was first attracted to embroidery because I liked that you could quietly display what was closest to your heart, like the name of your kids school, or the sport that they loved, what your favorite hobbies were, the Yacht club you belonged to, or the organizations you believed in and supported and silly things that made people comment on your shirt or jacket.

If you look at it from a business standpoint it's an easy sell, what better way to reward your employees with a quality piece of clothing that advertises your business at the same time? It's a win-win opportunity.

If you have worked in corporate America, and got sick of making other people a lot of money, and then had the opportunity to do what you love, with people you care about - what's there to decide? So, add together experience, creativity, a concept you believe in, and I think that's a recipe for success.

And just a thought: it is much easier to sell beautiful merchandise, when the sun is shining and people are in a good mood.

My goal is to be the head Flip-Flop of my own successful company, and to answer a phone "Hello this is Jayne, Head Flip-Flop, how may I help you?"

I like that I am creative, but I envy the talents of my daughters, one a creative genius and her younger sister, with the most amazing voice. I always wanted to be on Broadway.

My goal is to find one thing that I will be remembered for, a concept an item, something that blows people away. I believe that I'll get there one day :)