Applying the proper settings and using the correct backings or stabilizers are extremely important when you are creating an embroidery design to be sewn onto soft, stretchy fabric such as wicking shirts.

The main issue is trying to keep the embroidery from puckering and pulling.   Soft, stretchy fabric should be treated like a knitted fabric, using a small ballpoint needle.  Never use more than a 70/10 needle for this application.  If the lettering is tiny, you should use a 65/10 ballpoint nee...
Continue reading ...

Dark coloured articles such as towels can be difficult to embroider.

Firstly, it is important to decide whether the design is to be a prominent feature on the article or merely used to break the monotony of the fabric's texture.  If the embroidery is to be a prominent feature, a contrasting colour is recommended eg.a yellow on a dark brown, or a leaf green or gold on black.  A good rule of thumb is to use a warm colour on a cool one or vice versa.

If the embroidery's function is to break the m...
Continue reading ...

Rayon and Polyester are the most common embroidery threads. Always choose a good quality thread to ensure the best results with your embroidery.

Rayon Threads

Rayon is the one of the favoured threads among professional embroiderers.  It is a soft thread, available in great colours and suitable for all forms of machine embroidery.  Rayon thread holds up well with high-speed stitching without breaking or fraying and it also consistently performs well.  It is easily available in many embroidery st...
Continue reading ...

Avoid switching thread types on your machine if you can possibly help it. An example would be to use polyester thread in black on one job and rayon thread in black for another job. The machine tensioners actually get used to one type of thread and like a child, it has fits when you make a change in its habits!

It is better to stick to one thread type. Your tension requirement for polyester is much tighter than for rayon and if you are constantly changing thread types; so is your tension...
Continue reading ...

If you have ever had problems with stitches that come out after you've trimmed thread tails or jump stitches, check the design on screen.

Zoom in and look at your "tie off" or "lock stitches" at the end of the letter, design or colour change. Sometimes they're non-existent, which explains why the raveling is taking place.

Often they are placed one on top of the other, so what you really get is a knotted thread extending from the fabric and design. It's all too easy to clip this off, plus, it d...
Continue reading ...

Many things on an embroidery machine can cause thread breaks, but not all are obvious.

BACKING - Excessive backing material used by inexperienced operators can cause thread breaks. If an operator uses three to four sheets of backing, stiffer embroidery is the result, but it also applies a great deal of friction to the needle, causing thread breaks. Needle drag is when backing is too thick and rigid; it normally is abrasive or adhesive, causing "drag" on the needle. The needle overheats and con...
Continue reading ...

A good way for beginners (or those who knew and forgot) to check their tensions is to look at the back of the embroidery. About 1/3 of the thread - the center third -should be bobbin. If the bobbin thread spreads to the edge, then either your top tension is too tight, or your bobbin tension is too loose. Conversely, if not very much bobbin shows, your top tension is too loose or your bobbin tension is too tight.

If you have more than one needle per head, here is how you can determine which ten...
Continue reading ...

Step 1: Get Known
Once you're producing and are comfortable with your machine, the next step would be to build up a sustaining clientele. 

Firstly, choose a name for your business. 

Then, there are two ways in which you can make yourself known to prospective clients:  to advertise and by word of mouth.  Start by giving only embroidered products as wedding, birthday, baby shower and christening and Christmas gifts. Any requests generated from these gifts, must be charged for.  If you deviate ju...
Continue reading ...

Often embroiderers who also operate their hobby as a business, forget to work in the hidden costs when pricing their product.  The most obvious, such as purchases like thread and fabric, is easy, but when your workplace is in your home, you forget to calculate the hidden costs such as electricity and working space.

Then, there is much controversy amongst embroiderers about digitizing pricing. Never criticize someone else's business model, as a business model is unique to the business that crea...
Continue reading ...

A very accomplished and successful embroiderer has the following story to tell:   Having been in the decorated apparel industry for 21 years has been an incredible journey. However, sometimes it's easy to de-value what we do on a daily basis.  On several occasions we've needed gifts for weddings, anniversaries, etc., and would go to various retail stores and look for an appropriate gift. Sometimes, a gift would be very easy to find and other times we felt as though we'll never find that perfe...
Continue reading ...

Confused by all the new jargon associated with machine embroidery? Here's an alphabetical glossary of basic definitions to help you "come to terms" with this exciting and evolving technology.

Appliqué: Decoration or trimming cut from one fabric piece and stitched to another to add dimension.

Back Appliqué: A fabric piece used behind a design, where the front fabric will be cut away to reveal the fabric beneath it.

Backing/Stabilizer: Woven or nonwoven material used beneath the embroidered fab...
Continue reading ...

Once you've selected a stabilizer for your project, it's important to hoop the stabilizer and fabric correctly to get the best results. Use a dedicated machine-embroidery hoop or a third-party hoop that will fit easily under your presser foot.

Below are some hooping tips for embroidery. They're aimed at users of machines with built-in hoop control for digitized embroidery with dedicated hoops but can easily be adapted to third-party hoops for free-motion embroidery.

1. Baste the fabric to the stab...

Continue reading ...

There are many beautiful lace designs available for machine embroidery. Although the designs are dense with thread, they do need tulle to hold together. Heavy weight water soluble stabilizer is perfect to keep the tulle stable in the hoop while the design is stitched out. (Please refer to an article on STABILIZERS elsewhere on this blog.)

Here are the materials you will need to machine embroider lace designs.
•    Embroidery machine (embroidery machines can be purchased at a discount price f...
Continue reading ...

There are three basic stitch types that are used for all embroidery:
 
Running stitches
These are also known as walk stitches and are single line stitches which run one stitch between two needle penetration point. A running stitch goes from point A to point B. They are used for very fine detail and also for underlay.
There are different variations of running stitches such as two-ply and bean.
*     A two-ply stitch is a running stitch that goes from point A to point B and then goes back from poin...
Continue reading ...

From improved appliqué to the creation of entirely new fabrics and embellishments, there's hardly a decorative sewing process that hasn't benefited from the explosion of new stabilizers recently ignited by the popularity of machine embroidery. Designed to support, or even replace, fabric under the stress of dense and multi-directional machine stitching, stabilizers can be applied in many ways, but are usually used in conjunction with an embroidery hoop to hold fabric as flat and inflexibly a...
Continue reading ...

I am a somewhat of a procrastinator. Just ask the editors for this column.

“Never put off until tomorrow what you could do today.” That pearl of wisdom is one of Thomas Jefferson’s most famous quotes. The great American writer and humorist Mark Twain gave Jefferson a little twist: “Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow.”

I would like to add yet another variation: “Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid entirely.”

This is particularl...
Continue reading ...

In tough times like these, people look for savings in every way they can. They move cautiously and take fewer risks. Interestingly enough, it also is during economic downturns that many people become self-employed by launching a new business.

I am one of those people. I started my own embroidery business after being laid off.

Embroidery machine sales are impacted by both the cautious approach of current business owners and the concerns of an entrepreneur just starting an embroidery business....
Continue reading ...

Even though machines have been designed and constructed to prevent production problems, thread break will occur and can be a troublesome to many embroiders. There are some simple solutions to keep them to a minimum.

There are actually many elements that can cause thread breaks such as:

For the top thread

• there is a scratch on the hole of the top plate;
• the machine is not threaded correctly;
• the thread is trapped under the spool;
• the wrong needle selection has been made;
• there is oil or dust in the b...

Continue reading ...

My first job in the embroidery industry was as a machine technician. More specifically, I was a phone support (or Help Desk) technician. Some of the toughest calls I would get were from people dealing with thread break issues with their machines.

That sounds like it would be an easy call, but there are so many things that can cause the thread to break that it is tough to narrow it down in just a phone call, especially if the person on the other end hasn’t really paid attention to when it i...
Continue reading ...

There are many embroidery designs and patterns available. You can get them from your favourite embroidery design magazine or download them from embroidery websites available on the Internet. However, it is much more fulfilling if you are the one who created your machine embroidery designs and patterns! CREATIVE DRAWings allows you to do this quite easily and effectively.

Many successful embroiderers, especially those who own embroidery machines, create their own patterns. Aside from the creati...
Continue reading ...