History of GrandSlamDesigns

She and a partner purchased their first embroidery equipment to get started. The next logical step was to purchase digitizing equipment because it was extremely difficult to find digitizers. This was decided after an entire year of searching for digitizers! Once the digitizing equipment was mastered custom digitizing for customers of her graphics company, Grand Central Graphics, was the first order of business. For a couple of years, the digitizing and embroidery occupied most of her time.

Eventually, Barb was approached to set up a design catalog, running the business from the Grand Central Graphics location. Always ready for a challenge, she agreed and the first Grand Slam Designs catalog was published in 1995. For two years, Barb worked with a partner, but when the two disagreed on the vision of the company, Barb went on her own in the summer of 1997, and continued to design and market Grand Slam Designs.

While Grand Slam Designs started out as a secondary business for Barb, it soon became the primary business for the team of experts located in Middle River, Minnesota.
Through the years, the collection grew and Grand Slam Designs became a household word in the embroidery industry.

Proudly displayed on each subsequent catalog was the following motto: "Tucked away in the North Woods of Minnesota, Grand Slam Designs specializes in stock designs. If you're hunting for an eye-catching original look for the crew, team, school or company, Grand Slam designs can provide it for you... whatever your customer designs."

• Setting new standards for customer pleasing selection
• Special designs for customizing your look
• Unbeatable sewing quality
• Friendly, professional service... all focused on meeting your unique needs

Barb's focus in digitizing has been to provide designs with minimal stitch count while maintaining artistic integrity. Her many years as an embroiderer made her realize that stitch-intensive designs are often unsightly after laundering, no matter how beautiful they were when they were stitched out. Reducing the stitch count to eliminate those problems became uppermost in the creation of new designs.

Grand Slam Designs is now located in Antioch Illinois, and proud to have continued working with Barb as the sole digitizer of all designs added to the collection as well as supporting the entire collection.