Impressions - November/December 2009 - (Page 66)

EMBROIDERY >> HANDS ON Production EMBROIDERY HANDS ON DIGITAL DECORATING HANDS ON ITAL DECORATING >> HANDS ON CREEN PRINTING HANDS ON Embroidering on Bags and >> Producing Patches SCREEN PRINTING HANDS ON TECH TIPS Emblems and nonwearables like purses and backpacks can be proﬁTECH if you know table TIPS HANDS ON >> margins in these niche markets. HANDS ON how to maximize Use spring-loaded clamps or adhesive backing to help hold awkward bags in place during the embroidery process. There is no one set way to embroider a bag, and no one way to create an embroidered patch. Each presents its challenges, but if you ﬁnd a smooth workﬂow for each, bags and patches can be nice niche markets. Let’s start with embroidering bags. Some bags, such as drawstring backpacks and totes, are relatively easy to work with. Others, like gym bags and regular backpacks, can be quite challenging to embroider, especially by conventional means. When using conventional hoops on these kinds of bags, tight places and stiff materials make them difﬁcult to get into the frame, and it’s even harder to make them stay framed. The hoops tend to pop apart. It is bad enough when this happens right after you get it framed, but it is disastrous when it happens in the middle of sewing. 66 Impressions >> November/December 2009 One trick to prevent this is the use of spring-loaded clamps to help hold a framed bag. Available at any homeimprovement store, you can use these small squeeze clamps around the edge of the hoop to keep it together. Of course, if the only innovation in framing bags was spring clamps, we would be in bad shape. There have been several inventions to assist with the embroidery of ﬁnished bags. MAKING IT STICK Adhesive backing helps in a lot of ways when embroidering difﬁcult-to-hoop items. When you couple it with the Fast Frames or the Quick Change Frames by Hoop Tech, it makes the task easier. Rather than trying to frame the bag and get the two rings to stay together, slide the bag over the ﬂat piece of metal of these frames. The metal is open in the center and the adhesive backing is stuck to the bottom of the frame, allowing the bag to be stuck in the center of the frame. The adhesive holds the bag in place while it is embroidered. It is a tearaway backing, so once the design is done it will tear easily off of the frame. To embroider the next item, simply take another piece of adhesive backing and repair the hole. Sometimes the bag’s weight will try to pull it away from the adhesive, particularly large bags. For these items, try those same spring-loaded clamps clipped around the edge of the frame to help hold the bag. CLAMPING DOWN There are other devices that are made to handle bags. Hoop Tech makes a line of clamshell clamps that make it bearable impressionsmag.com http://www.hooptechproducts.com/ http://www.hooptechproducts.com/ http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - November/December 2009

Impressions - November/December 2009
Contents
First Impressions
FYI
Product Gallery
Decorators Peer Into the New Year
Recession Strategy: Survive And ThenThrive
Performance Delivers
Production
Graphics & Design
Online Directory
For Screen Printers Only
Business to Business
Classifieds
Ad Index
On Design

Impressions - November/December 2009