Many upper end sewing machines have several alphabets built in as decorative stitches, and sewing machines that do embroidery also usually have built in fonts. If you have a sewing machine that embroiders, you can purchase or digitize your own fonts for monogramming.

HTH!

I call monogramming a series if initials related to someone's name. Some monograms may have a frame or design of some sort by the initials. Everything else, I call embroidery whether it is by hand or machine. All has to be done on a taut surface whether it is actually hooped or attached to a hoop by another means such as a sticky stabilizer.

You have yourself in the right direction. Before the invention of the embroidery machine, there was hand embroidery done on fabric in an embroidery hoop using various types of threads, yarns, and stitches.

One of those types of stitches is called a satin stitch that covers the area that is also used for lettering of different styles called monograms.

When the first zig zag machines came out, you could do satin stitch on the sewing machine by setting a narrow stitch length and various widths from narrow to wide and could also do lettering, no small task in those days. Some machines even had a monogramming attachment with letters that worked like a buttonhole attachment.

With technology came the electronic and computerized machines that have designs and lettering styles already programmed into the machines. I have a Kenmore 19365 that has that feature.

As stated above, the embroidery machines usually come with several styles of lettering you can use. You can also download alphabets from the internet to use, transferring those designs by a miriad of methods from computer to machine depending upon the machine manufacturer (more homework for you to research and read).

I am a hand embroiderer that has gone high tech to machine embroidery because these little nimble fingers are getting a bit less nimble with age and a lot of mileage.

The only thing that helped me with machine embroidery was computer experience when it came to machine operation and programming letters and features plus the fact that I have about 40 years experience sewing machine experience, 45 years embroidery and needlework experience (see mileage) and always learning more about sewing in general because of never ending technological updates.

Learning to sew can be a challenging task to learn whether it be hand or machine sewing. The key is doing your research homework, attending classes where you receive support and encouragement plus develop good sewing habits, with accurate, neat stitching that shows in the end product. Self-taught is the rough way to learn where you can easily become discouraged and develop bad sewing and safety habits not knowing any different.