IGS DESIGNS
NMSBA found the perfect person who understood and met my needs. Entrepreneurs often have a fear of the unknown, and NMSBA is there to help allay many of those fears.
In 2002, Beth Miller established iGs Designs to help Christian authors with
publication design and layout. The Valencia County business slowly gravitated
toward Miller’s childhood love of sewing. Today, it offers tools, patterns, and
lessons for anyone interested in the craft.
In 2014, Miller purchased an embroidery machine. She was disappointed
with it because thread would often knot under the needle. After performing
some research, Miller engineered a handcrafted tool with an expanding and
contracting thread guide to ensure thread flows effortlessly through the
machine. Named Pins n’ Threads – on the go, the tool holds four spools of
thread and uses a swiveling pincushion that self-sharpens the pins.
Although Miller’s tool worked really well, she wanted to make sure it was
durable and adaptable to various types of sewing machines, so she contacted
NMSBA, which connected her with Pierrette Gorman at Sandia National
Laboratories. An engineer, Gorman also happens to be a seamstress, so the two
connected immediately. Gorman evaluated and tested the tool for durability,
portability, adaptability to various types of sewing and embroidery machines,
and overall ease of use.
Sandia Labs’ report gave Miller the confidence she needed to sell her tool and
perhaps someday mass-produce it. The tool is now available at the iGs website,
where more than 450 have sold. Miller recently sold 100 tools to a vendor in
Oklahoma City. She has also hired staff to help with assembling, and is selling
the tool to vendors as close as Texas and as far away as Canada.