Impressions - August 2015 - 52

Embroidery Production
Sew appliquéd words one letter at a time rather than trying to
put the placement line down for all the letters at once.

Don't forget to use
topping when embroidering on
today's fleecewear. It assists the
design's underlay in preventing
the stitches from sinking into
the fabric.

TOP IT OFF
Because of fleece's texture, it's
a good idea to use some sort of topping
material. This product assists the design's
underlay in preventing the stitches from
sinking into the fabric. Fleece garments
tend to have fuzzy surfaces. Topping helps
keep this under control by holding the
surface down until the underlay and top
stitches make it flat.

DON'T WANDER TOO FAR
Whenever you are creating large
designs, such as those that would typically go on sweat shirts, it is best to work

in sections rather than sewing the entire
design at one time. This may mean outlining a section or letter first. This approach
is particularly useful on stretchy materials.
Over a large area, a slight shift or stretch
will mean your outline may not be aligned
in certain areas.
This also is true for appliqués. For instance, you should sew appliquéd words
one letter at a time rather than trying to
put the placement line down for all the letters at once. Using the latter method, the
chances of the registration being off by the
end of the word would be a lot higher because you would be attempting to cover a
large area.

To do raw-edge appliqué, sew the
placement line as you would with normal
appliqué. But remember to cut the material
slightly larger than the placement line to leave
the edges exposed.
52

Impressions | August 2015

MAKE IT MATCH
With all the emphasis on newer
fleecewear styles, it makes sense to match
the embroidery style with the garment.
Today's fleecewear tends to have a weathered look. Putting a crisp, high-tech-looking
design on a garment could present a stark
contrast and out-of-place look.
Using tone-on-tone thread colors,
or even creating a retro-looking design,
would be a better option. On bigger items,
consider raw-edge appliqué, which requires less precision than regular appliqué,
and you can use an existing design.
To do raw-edge appliqué, simply sew
the placement line as you would with a
normal appliqué. The difference is that
you then cut the material slightly larger
than the placement line. In many cases, you

don't need to do a full satin-stitch border
on the appliqué material, just a runningstitch tack down. The exposed edge of the
fabric will fray over time (you can aid in
the process if you would like), creating the
weathered look that matches the garment.
Time marches on and so do styles. Our
job as apparel decorators is to keep up and
adapt with what we offer. Going beyond
that to enhance the garments can create
an even more positive outcome for our
customers, and that's what keeps them
coming back.
Steven Batts, a consultant with more
than 20 years experience in the embroidery
industry, owns Righteous Threads, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery and machine maintenance services. He
regularly leads seminars at ISS shows and is
an industry speaker and consultant. For more
information or to comment on this article,
email Steven at righteousthreads@gmail.com.

Suggested

Reading

Like this article? Read these and
other embroidery articles at
impressionsmag.com:
* "How to Embroider on Denim"
* "Needle Knowledge Enables
Easier Embroidery"
* "Tips for Easy Embroidery on
Thick Items"
impressionsmag.com

http://www.impressionsmag.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Impressions - August 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - August 2015