Last 6 Winners!

ARREST ME RED #1838
Cynthia Magyar, owner of Cruise Kids in Hillsdale, NY, prides herself on this family owned and operated business. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Cynthia, is the designer, graphics and marketing person with an endless source of ideas from her 35 years of experience. Operating a three-head Brother machine, she has a strong commitment to excellent customer service. Other team members include Ken, Beverly, Gerry and David. Grandchildren Lou and Nikolas, Rachel and Cianna provide her products with a true wear test that allows Cruise Kids to guarantee that its products will hold up to lots of wear and tear. “I love Madeira thread colors! They don’t fade and they blend beautifully. Nothing harms Madeira thread -- moms can wash it, pre-treat it, and it still holds its color.” When asked how she came up with Arrest Me Red for Polyneon color #1838, Cynthia explains, “the color just stands out. For the car enthusiasts, it means going fast, hence Arrest Me Red. When they come in and ask for the color, Arrest Me Red, I know exactly what they want!” You can reach Cruise Kids at 518 325-4980 or at www.CruiseKids.com.

RASPBERRY CREAM #1681
Carole Fair, owner of Amazing Monograms in Mechanicsburg, PA, chose Raspberry Cream for Polyneon color #1681. “We carry some unique quilt throws. One in particular is a yellow chenille quilt with raspberry appliqué flowers and some butterflies. We add a name or monogram to this quilt using what looked to me like raspberry cream thread, and it makes for a striking finished product.” Husband Don does all their digitizing and creates many of their own designs. Amazing Monograms runs on two machines: a Toyota Pantogram and a Brother 8500 home machine. Carole had retired from the medical profession and Don from the computer industry as an electrical engineer. Eleven years ago they decided to combine their talents and desire to be entrepreneurs by starting Amazing Monograms. According to Carole, “We are doing very well right now; in fact, this is the best first quarter we have ever had.” Articles written by Carole appear in Stitches magazine. You can reach Amazing Monograms at 717 737-0624 or at www.amazingmonograms.com.


IRISH ENVY #1650
Terry Black and Dan Ezell operate Magic Dove in Cocoa, FL. At first, they opened up a magic shop and had some extra space so they decided to add embroidery with a Tajima single-head machine. Dan points out that “We do a lot of individual pieces for customers and they love that! Not having to meet a minimum order makes it possible for customers to have items customized affordably. We have been very successful with this process.” Dan believes that they are in the “Smile Business” because customers leave satisfied with the quality work that Terry and Dan deliver. When asked about how they came up with the name Irish Envy for Polyneon color #1650, he explains, “Well, when I got the e-mail about the Name Your Favorite Color contest, I was looking at the green Madeira threads … the Kelly green brought Irish into my mind and I thought to myself, wow, wouldn’t it be nice if they liked Irish Envy, because that name would be a great fit for Polyneon color # 1650.” You can reach Magic Dove at 321 433-1130.

SWEET GEORGIA BROWN #1659
Nancy Elkins out of Madison, MS, with It’s Mine Monograms came up with Sweet Georgia Brown for Polyneon color #1659. When asked about how she came up with such a sweet name, she explains, “At first, I came up with 10 names for threads and then I realized that only one could be submitted. I took a look at all of the names and picked the one that I thought would be a winner! I decided to go with my favorite brown, the one I use the most on baby and children’s wear. Sweet Georgia Brown just fit my favorite brown really well.” Running her business on a single-head Melco machine, “50% of my business is customized gifts for babies and youngsters,” she explains. “This type of work makes me really happy because I can be a part of something new.” Nancy also does promotional items for businesses around the area. You can reach It’s Mine Monograms at 601 953-7287 or at www.itsminemonograms.com.

SOLAR FLARE #1965
Leon Tailoring Company out of Indianapolis, IN, has been a family owned and operated business for 104 years. Norman Ettinger explains that Leon Tailoring Company specializes in the tailor making of men’s and women’s clothing. They run a single-head BabyLock machine. When asked how he came up with his winning name, Norman explains, “I have a Science degree and the color of Polyneon #1965 just reminds me of the universe and the amazing pictures I have seen throughout my studies.” You can reach Norman Ettinger with Leon Tailoring Company at 317 634-8559.

PEACOCK FANTASY #1246
Kate O’Connell with It’s Personal out of Naples, FL came up with the name Peacock Fantasy for Classic Rayon color #1246. “That color has always been one of my favorites,” she explains, “and every time I look at it I envision a peacock, so the name just kind of came to me.” She began embroidering in 1983 and then left the field about six years ago. Today, Kate has a fulltime job in another field, but when she comes home, she goes to work on her single-head Melco machine. “I am just getting back into the embroidery business and have not figured out what I want to specialize in as of yet.” Kate also plans to get into digitizing and is planning on taking graphic art classes in the near future. You can reach It’s Personal at 239 331-8741.