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Making Your Embroidery Lay Flat Eliminate
puckers and bunching with proper digitizing, stabilizing, and hooping.
Presented by
September Brown Digitizing so your designs lay flat: Have you ever stitched a design where everything was
digitized at a 45-degree angle? If
you have, then you know how much it pulls and distorts the fabric around
it. The most basic digitizing
technique to help keep your designs laying flat is to alternate the
direction of the stitches from one design element to the next, but
there’s much more you can do. Digitize
your designs with the final fabric in mind.
Most designs will need underlayers in the opposite direction of the
stitches and some added stitch compensation will help offset the pull of
the stitches. Without them,
circles will become ovals, and your heads will be lopsided.
Knits pull even more than wovens, so digitize according to the
fabric you intend your design to be stitched out on.
Don't forget about the direction of the fabric weave. Some fabrics, such as denim, have a diagonal weave, and a
stitch direction of 45 degrees will distort the final design more than a
different stitch direction would. If
you use a 45-degree stitch direction, compensate accordingly with your
underlayer and pull compensation. If
your software allows it, using a curved fill pattern to follow the shape
of the design will help further minimize the pulling and pushing that can
occur when a section is filled in only one direction. Be careful when using satin stitches.
Many embroidery machines don’t handle long satin stitches well,
and the longer the threads, the more frequent the thread breaks.
Long satin stitches pull on the fabric and can cause bunching and
puckering. In most cases, the software’s default density settings will be set for 40 wt thread, but some software, such as the POEM software, is intended for a different weight thread. Know your software, and digitize accordingly. If your software is made for 40 wt thread, and so is your machine, then always do a tension test on your machine before you go changing the default density settings on your digitizing software. The tension disks on your embroidery machine will wear out over time, and the tension will loosen up. If you frequently have to compensate for this by increasing the tension on your machine, then go get your machine tuned up. Don’t change the density on your designs, because if you do, your customers will have problems stitching it out, and your designs will be too dense for them. Their t-shirts will cave in the first time they wash them, and your designs will look awful, sitting inside of a “knit bowl”. Your customers may not complain to you, but they’ll complain to each other, and what’s even worse is they’ll quit buying your designs. Hooping
so your design lays flat: Hooping incorrectly is the most common reason a
design puckers and doesn't lay flat. Hooping techniques: First of all, choose the correct type of backing for
your fabric. If you aren't
sure what to use, print out the Embroidery
Chart at www.diamondthreadworks.com,
keep it near your machine, and write in your own comments when you need
to. Only use stabilizers that
were made for embroidery. Sewing
stabilizers and interfacings have more stretch and aren't designed to
provide the stability that embroidery demands.
Cheap substitutes, such as typing paper and coffee filters add lint
to your machine, and dull your needles super quick, causing your design
stitch quality to suffer. Use
the lightest weight stabilizer you can for the type of fabric you're going
to embroider on. If you're
doing a t-shirt, use a light to medium weight backing.
If you're embroidering on lingerie fabric, use No Show Nylon Mesh
(formerly polymesh). If you
use something too heavy, it's going to add weight to your design, which
will eventually pull on your fabric and make it cave in.
Also, the edges of the backing will show through to the front, like
a piece of cardboard is back there. Cut your stabilizer larger than your hoop,
approximately 1 inch or more extra on each side of the hoop, for a minimum
size. If you buy a wide roll
for your largest hoop, you can turn it sideways and cut it shorter for
your smaller hoop. Save your money, and use only one sheet of
stabilizer. Designs should
rarely need more than one piece of backing.
If your design needs more than one sheet, then chances are good
that you're hooping it wrong, or using the wrong type of stabilizer for
the job. Technique 1)
Hooping fabric and stabilizer together: Use this technique for iron fusible backings, or with
tearaway stabilizer with woven fabrics (such as cottons that don't
stretch). Sandwich your stabilizer and fabric between both
parts of the hoop. Do not
float your backing underneath the hoop.
Floating a piece of backing underneath does not help provide
stability, but adds more weight. The
money saved by cutting a smaller piece will be lost when you ruin the
item. Don't skimp here, and don't be tempted to add an extra piece
of backing. You really don't
need it in most cases. One
exception is if your using No Show Nylon Mesh, which is designed for light
to medium weight fabrics, you can use two sheets for added stability with
very dense designs or for heavy fabric.
In most cases, though, only one layer is quite sufficient. Tighten the screws until the stabilizer is taut, but
not stretched. It should be
like a tambourine. If it's
too loose, it will shift around and won't do it's job.
If it's too tight, it will stretch, and when you release it, the
fabric will snap back, leaving stretch marks around the edges of the
embroidery. Technique 2)
Hooping stabilizer then adhering the fabric: Use this technique with adhesive backings (all types
dry or wet), or when you use cutaways or tearaways in conjunction with an
adhesive spray. Hoop stabilizer taut, like a tambourine, not too
loose, and not too tight. Prepare the stabilizer for adhering, by removing the
adhesive backing, wetting the Wet-N-Set or Hydrostick, or spraying cutaway
or tearaway with adhesive spray. Be
sure you use embroidery adhesive, not quilting spray, art spray, Elmer's
spray glue, or other types of spray adhesive.
The other sprays build up on your needle and jam things up, they
cause numerous thread breaks, and they also just don't perform as well. If you use the one-piece Hoop-It-All, then stick the
stabilizer to the bottom of the hoop, and use your thumbnail or a
burnishing tool to rub it down around the edges.
This will help keep it from slipping off the hoop while you're
embroidering. You can use
Wet-N-Set (Hydrostick) while it's wet, except for when you use the
Hoop-It-All, because it tends to slide off the hoop if it's not dry first.
You can let it dry, then wet the center when you're ready to attach
the fabric. To center your design, use a permanent marker to mark
the front of your hoop with center lines.
You could also mark the back side of the stabilizer, but you would
have to do this again each time you hoop.
Be sure you use an ink or pencil that won't run on the fabric if
you decide to mark the stabilizer. Mark
your lines on your fabric, fold along the lines, and line up the fold with
the marks on the front of the hoop. If
you need help with placing your designs, the placement
chart at www.diamondthreadworks.com
is the most comprehensive chart you will find anywhere. Stick your fabric to the stabilizer. For all types of hooping: If desired, embroider a basting stitch around the
inside edge of the hoop. This
will help keep the fabric more stable inside the hoop, and is particularly
helpful in keeping heavy sweatshirts and towels from pulling, which causes
puckering. You will be
surprised at the difference a basting stitch can make. Now, you are ready to embroider your design. Hooping Tips: Always use a cutaway with any fabric that stretches,
and make sure to adhere the fabric to it.
Use an iron on a fusible, use adhesive spray, or use a Wet-N-Set or
Hydrostick, to make sure that the fabric can’t slide around on top of
the stabilizer once it’s inside the hoop.
A cutaway stabilizer won’t break down and wash away over time, so
it will continue to keep your embroidery stable over time. Cutaways generally give better definition than
tearaways, as the fibers are longer, allowing the threads to grasp
tighter. Use tearaway stabilizer for fabrics that don’t
stretch, such as quilting cotton, and other woven fabrics.
Tearaway breaks down over time, and will go away, completely or in
part. Quality matters!
The process used to create a stabilizer determines how stable it
really is. The Wet Laid
process creates a non-directional, dense, non-woven stabilizer, which
means you only need one layer when you use it.
Random Laid, or Carded techniques, on the other hand, have weak
areas, or can stretch in one or more directions.
For more information, there’s a great description at http://www.htcproducts.net/products_wetlaid.html. If you’re not sure which type of stabilizer is
right for your job, see the Embroidery
Chart for Fabrics at www.diamondthreadworks.com
for the most complete embroidery chart you’ll find anywhere.
If your fabric isn’t listed, there are blank spaces so you can
add your own. When you're embroidering items that are too small to hoop, you can print your design right on your stabilizer before you hoop it. Be sure to center it accurately, and then stick your item to it. Another way that's even more accurate is to embroider the design without thread, right on the stabilizer. The needle marks will show you the exact placement for your small item. Use black stabilizer for dark fabrics, especially the
insides of jackets or vests, where the stabilizer may show. When embroidering on dark fabric, place some white stabilizer (or fabric) underneath the stitching, on top of the fabric. Advance the design, and sew the outline first, to make an appliqué. Remove the excess stabilizer (or fabric), then return to the beginning of the design, and stitch as usual. The white background will make the colors stand out more brilliantly. This is especially useful for light thread colors, or hologram thread. Water-soluble stabilizer is often overused as an
unnecessary topping, to raise the threads above the towel nap or fabric.
In most cases, it’s not needed, and is added work and expense.
WS breaks down as soon as it’s wet, and is no longer there to
keep doing its job. Eventually,
laundering will cause the terry loops to work up through the threads.
WS does serve a purpose in holding down the loops DURING the
embroidery process, but it’s important to choose a design that has a
good layer of understitching that will continue to hold the loops down
after the WS is dissolved. If
your design doesn’t have good underlayering, then you need to add some
manually, or use tulle instead of WS.
Choose a color to match the towel.
Trim away the excess from around the edges after you embroider it.
You don’t need to remove the excess that’s between parts of the
design, as it will blend with the towel and isn’t usually noticeable. Stitching
tips to help your fabric lay flat: Check your thread type: Thread quality makes a difference in the final
product. Some threads are
more elastic than others, and will stretch as they go through the machine,
then relax after they’re in your fabric, causing the fabric to pull and
pucker. Even two brands of the same type of product can be
constructed differently, and will behave differently.
For some great information on thread types and construction, see
the articles at www.superiorthreads.com. Check your thread path: Everything between the spool and the needle adds
tension to the thread. Be
sure your machine is threaded properly, and that the thread doesn’t fall
off the spool and wrap around the spool pin, or get caught up in other
places. Metallic and flat
threads should always come off the side of the spool, not over the top. Check your machine: Before you begin, do a tension test every day.
Stitch the letter I, or a column of satin stitches.
Turn it over, and look at the bottom.
The middle third should be bobbin thread, and the outer two thirds
should be top thread. Sew a straight line.
The top and bottom threads should have even tension, and there
shouldn’t be loops on either side of the fabric.
If bottom thread is loose and the upper thread lies straight along
the top of the fabric, then the needle tension is too tight, or the bobbin
tension is too loose. If the lower thread lies straight along the
fabric and the upper thread is loose, then the upper tension is too loose,
or the bobbin tension is too tight. If the bobbin thread suddenly
shows on top in the middle of stitching out the design, you may have a
buildup of lint and dust in the bobbin case. Tension disks can wear, and lose their tension. Start with a clean machine. Lint build-up under the bobbin case can cause threads to suddenly go out of tension. A warped bobbin case can cause threads to skip
intermittently, or have intermittent increases/decreases in tension. Always try to correct the upper tension first.
Only change the bobbin tension as a last resort, as changing the
bobbin tension is sensitive, and difficult to return to its original
tension. Check your needle: Choose the right needle for the job.
The wrong needle can cause extra tension on the thread.
There’s a needle chart at www.diamondthreadworks.com
that can help you match your needle to your thread and your fabric. Check the item on your hoop: Make sure nothing is pulling or hanging up on
anything as the hoop moves. Support
heavy items with a table or riser so they don’t pull.
Add basting stitches inside the hoop, to help keep heavy items from
pulling while they’re sewing. When your hooped shirt is on the machine, turn the
left sleeve inside out. This
will help keep the embroidery area more open, and you will be less likely
to sew the shirt onto itself over the hoop.
If you do, learn a lesson from the commercial embroiderers. Don't waste your time trying to undo the mistake, because you
probably can't remove it without cutting the shirt, so just save your
time, cut it off the hoop, use the fabric for test samples, and learn your
lesson. I hope you have enjoyed these tips, and hope you have
learned something that will be helpful for you. Thank you for visiting my website, September Brown |
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