Meet the Team: Ellie, Personalisation Manager

At Surprizeshop, our personalisation department brings custom team kits, club logo embroideries, and individual gifts to life. In this "Meet the Team" spotlight, Ellie, our Personalisation Manager, takes us behind the scenes to share how a simple logo design goes from a digital file to a beautifully embroidered garment.

Meet the Team: Ellie, Personalisation Manager

I am responsible for overseeing everything we personalise, from the initial design stage right through to final production. Because we are a small family-run business, you may have even met me before at one of our Pop-Up events, in our on-site shop, or had the pleasure of receiving a call from me to double-check the spelling on a personalisation request!

When people think about embroidery, they often picture a logo being stitched onto a garment, possibly even by hand, but there is a lot that happens before a product reaches the embroidery machine.

We work with both individual customers looking to add a personal touch to their garments and accessories, as well as prestigious golf clubs and businesses across the UK requiring larger branded orders. This means no two days are ever the same. Whether it's a single personalised item or a large club order, every project follows a carefully managed process.

What Does the Embroidery Process Look Like?

• 1. Order Is Placed: Every project begins when a customer places an order, whether for a personalised garment or accessory, team kit, or club logo products.
• 2. Design Creation: A DST embroidery file is either supplied by the customer or created from their logo or artwork by the digitising specialists we work closely with. This file tells our embroidery machine exactly how the design should be stitched.
• 3. Sample Production: Before moving forward, a sample is produced to ensure the design stitches correctly and achieves the best possible quality.
• 4. Approval Process (Logos Only): A proof is sent to the customer, including suggested thread colourways and placement options where required. This allows us to ensure the finished product meets expectations before production begins.
• 5. Production Scheduling: Once approval has been received, the order is scheduled into our production calendar and allocated machine time.
• 6. Embroidery & Quality Control: The garments are embroidered using our specialist machinery and thoroughly checked throughout the process to ensure every stitch meets our quality standards.

More Than Just Embroidery

My role isn't just about processing orders. I'm also responsible for keeping our embroidery machines running smoothly by carrying out routine maintenance, managing supplies, troubleshooting issues, and making sure the department operates as efficiently as possible.

I'm guilty of building a bit of an empire of thread colours! Our personalisation room is home to more than 80 different shades, and yes, I can usually tell you exactly where to find each one!

We're always looking for new ways to develop the department and expand what we can offer. Alongside embroidery, we can produce badges for garments, and apply heat-pressed DTF (Direct to Film) transfers!

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is seeing the finished product. Whether it's a golfer receiving a personalised garment or a prestigious golf club taking delivery of a large embroidered order, it's incredibly satisfying knowing I've been involved in every stage of the process.

Working in a family business means being involved in many different areas, but it's this variety that makes the role enjoyable. From helping customers choose the perfect thread colours to producing large-scale club orders, my role combines creativity, organisation, and technical expertise to bring each project to life.

💡 Fun Fact: DST stands for Data Stitch Tajima and is the file format an embroidery machine uses to read a design. It was developed by embroidery manufacturer Tajima in the late 1980s and remains the industry standard for commercial embroidery.

🧵 Fun Fact: All of our threads are identified by four-digit colour codes—and I have every single one memorised!