Embroidery Library

Since 1998 Embroidery Library has inspired home embroidery enthusiasts, commercial embroiderers,
and everyone in-between, with a fantastic collection of machine embroidery designs.

Designs are offered in a wide variety of subjects, styles, shapes, and sizes, to suit any project, whether you're looking to freshen up your wardrobe, add embroidery to your home decor, make a new purse or tote bag, stitch up coordinating table linens, towel sets, cozies and covers for the kitchen -- you name it, we've got designs for you and your project. With more than 60,000 designs and packs to choose from, we have something for everyone.

It's always time for embroidery!
70s-style clock created by stitcher Julie.

Every design that you see on the website is drawn, digitized, and test-stitched here in Plymouth, Minnesota. We don't use clip art, and we don't outsource. The images that you see on the website are our sample stitch-outs. We test-sew everything to ensure that you get exceptional quality.

All designs and packs are instantly downloadable. That means that you can be anywhere in the world, and download and stitch at any time, day or night. Designs are priced extremely low -- from only $1 to as little as $7.99.

Dozens of new designs are available for purchase and instant download every week. Visit the New This Week page every Wednesday morning to see the newest designs. Continually adding new designs to the collection means that you can always find up-to-date, fashionable styles for your embroidery projects.

If you're new to the site, give the designs a try! Order the free designs, download and try them today. New free designs are posted each month, so please visit often to add to your design collection

Applique "crabby" t-shirt made
by stitcher Paulanne for her
sweet grandson!

Along with tens of thousands of designs for
you to choose from, Embroidery Library also inspires stitchers with free projects and tutorials. Learn how to make tote bags, wall hangings, table runners, towel toppers, and more. New project instructions are posted every Wednesday, along with the new designs.

The "science" side of embroidery can often be confusing to a new stitcher, so we have dozens of free articles that explain things like choosing stabilizer, placing designs, how to hoop, rules of monogramming, how to work with metallic thread, and how to launder and care for your finished project.

Enjoy Fabrics 101 articles, which give tips on choosing designs and stabilizer for different types of fabric, everything from tulle to Spandex to quilter's cotton to fleece to denim - there are even instructions that show you how to stitch on mesh screen and balsa wood! These articles contain wonderful information for you to stitch successfully on different fabrics, and maximize the life of your embroidered item.

Tina's country-charm Christmas wall-hanging!

You can keep embroidery simple, or you can dive into the many different styles, such as applique, freestanding lace, Sashiko, fringe, embossed, and in-the-hoop projects (like the Christmas stockings in the photo to the left!). Free tutorials give you step-by-step instructions explaining each of the different techniques.

To find great ideas, and to see how others are using the designs, visit the Stitchers Showcase. Every weekday, at 9:03 am, four new project photos are featured. You can see the previous projects, too, by using the calendar to navigate back in time, by using the category links, or by using the search box. But be careful -- you'll be so amazed and inspired by the thousands of projects that time will fly by, and you'll have more ideas than you'll know what to do with!

Christmas in Baghdad! Stockings were
made for the troops by stitcher Margaret.

We'd love to see your work, and feature it in the showcase too! Email pictures and details to stitch@emblibrary.com.

Many people ask us, "How do you do it? How do you get the ideas, how do you make so many designs every week, and keep coming up with new projects?"

Ready for the big secret? Embroidery Library is 100% employee-owned. There are 20 of us that draw, digitize, test stitch, write web pages, dream up designs and sales and promotions, develop new code to keep the site in top-notch shape, answer customer questions, and keep things chugging along. Everyone that works at Embroidery Library is an owner.

We're not owned or funded by a corporation or another company - we're independent. Even though we have customers all over the world, and a large and growing collection of top-notch designs, we're homegrown, and pretty small.

Being employee-owned means that each of us cares about you. That adage about the customer being happy means that the company is happy? Yep, we get it. We live that principle each and every day, and go to the greatest lengths in helping you with your embroidery projects. All of your comments, questions, design requests, and project ideas inspire us to keep creating, and keep crafting.

Blue Willow quilt by stitcher Betty!

As a dynamic, energetic, employee-owned company, we love to try new things and team up with other companies that share our passions. Check out www.UrbanThreads.com, the brainchild of Niamh O'Connor. Niamh's been part of the Embroidery Library team since she was a wee lass in art school. At Urban Threads you'll find a stunning collection of edgy and sassy designs for machine embroidery, and hand embroidery too!

Most quilters know about Thimbleberries, a quilt and fabric design company founded by Lynette Jensen. Thimbleberries is just a short drive west of Embroidery Library, and we love being neighbors. Recently we created machine embroidery designs that coordinate with Lynette's popular (and timeless) fabrics.

Niamh O'Connor, artist at Emblibrary.com and art director for UrbanThreads.com loves to create and craft!

Thank you for taking the time to read about our company. I appreciate your visit, and your time. Please keep scrolling
down the page to meet more members of our team.

We're an Internet company, but we love to "meet" embroiderers. Take a moment to introduce yourself! Send an email to stitch@emblibrary.com and tell us what sort of embroidery interests you, and designs or projects that you'd like to see.

Happy stitching, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Deb

Deb Mundinger
President & CEO

Kenny has been in the embroidery biz since 1994, and he's been part of Embroidery Library since its very beginning. As the leader of the production area, he wears running shoes to work every day. He's never at his desk - instead you'll likely find him working with artists to develop new pieces, talking with digitizers about different stitch and fill choices for various designs, test stitching and quality-checking designs, and developing tutorials and free projects.

Kenny Christopher
Vice President, Production

Anyone who has ever worked in a small business knows that no one sticks to a job description. Everyone needs to wear a lot of different hats.

The marketing team does a lot more than marketing. These energetic and talented folks give you top service when you have questions, too. They copywrite, ooh and aah over Stitchers Showcase photos, scan in test swatches, dream up sales and promotions, and work with our IT folks to make the site run faster and better.

Meet the marketing and customer service team!
From left to right: Karline, Lisa, Kim, and Kelly

The designs that you see on the website are created here in Plymouth, Minnesota. We have a team of four artists and five digitizers. And, because Embroidery Library is employee-owned, the artists and digitizers are owners, too!

Creating unique and original pieces is one of our goals. We want our customers to know that they can get designs at Embroidery Library that can't be found anywhere else. That's why we don't use clip art, and don't make a habit of licensing others' art, either.

Each design begins with a pencil sketch, and is transformed over time and through technology into a piece that's ready for digitizing.

Colman is one of four artists that
create original and unique artwork for Embroidery Library.

Three of our digitizers have been with the Embroidery Library since its inception, and they have previous digitizing experience, too. We use the most modern and top-quality software, but traditional methodology. That's how we're able to achieve the quality, precision, and detail that you see in the designs.

Digitizing used to be known as "punching" based on the method of punching holes into long paper tapes. Technology has made the process faster and more forgiving (make a mistake on a paper tape, and you'd have to start all over), but we've never abandoned the care and precision that each design needs. We want to give you the best, so we don't take shortcuts!

Danielle is one of five digitizers.

Contact Embroidery Library by email: stitch@emblibrary.com

or by mail: 5000 Cheshire Lane North #3; Plymouth, MN 55446

by phone: 763-509-3320, or by fax: 763-509-3334