Digitizing Designs for Terrycloth

Don't forget these important tips when creating a digital embroidery design file to sew out on towels and other deep-pile fabrics.
May 22, 2008

Monogramming bath towels and bathrobes can be a lucrative niche for embroiderers. Upscale department stores and linen shops are eager to set up arrangements with embroiderers who can monogram towels as wedding gifts. Monogrammed towels and robes also are great graduation presents for college-bound students. The spa and resort markets are booming with opportunity, or consider working with florists or gift basket companies to fill their towel needs.

Since most monogrammed towel orders are for individuals, keyboard lettering is generally used to set up the monogram. Many software systems have special fonts that enable you to confine the letters to special shapes and to add "curlicues" to the sides of the monograms for a special touch (Figure 1).


Figure 1.

When keyboard fonts are set up for terrycloth towels and bathrobes, there are several factors to take into consideration. First, select fonts in which the widest part of the font is no wider than 8mm.

If you use fonts with columns that exceed that width, make sure to use a split satin stitch. A split satin divides the column width into sections so that no stitch is wider than the 8mm (Figure 2). This must to be done because towels are handled and washed often. If the columns that make up the letter are wider than 8mm, the stitches will easily be caught by rings, fingernails and items in the wash. The stitches will then soon drag and droop on the towel and it will no longer be attractive.


Figure 2.

Conversely, you do not want to use a font where the columns are less than 1.5mm to 2mm wide. Columns less that this width can be buried by the terrycloth loops and won't be attractive on the towel because part of letters will look like they are missing.

You may want to use the same font in various sizes on different parts of a set of towels, so test several fonts to see which ones will fit into these guidelines across the sizes you will need to sew. Fonts with consistent column widths will give you the least amount of problems.

Underlay Techniques
When you are embroidering on terrycloth, your success is based on the type of underlay supporting your top stitches. The types of underlay you use can vary depending upon the size of your letters and the column widths involved.

Keep running stitches relatively short to help pack down the loops or nap of the product. All letters should start with a running stitch underlay through the letter and back again. This will secure the backing to the terrycloth. For smaller letters — such as those used on face cloths — you can then add a simple zigzag underlay to hold the loops down before the top stitches are applied. In fact, a zigzag underlay with a density that matches the top satin stitch will produce a nicely raised letter for your terrycloth.

As the letters get larger — for a hand towel, for example — you may need to apply a double zigzag underlay to the center run underlay. Instead of a satin zigzag stitch that would cover the entire width of the column in a single stitch, use a step zigzag stitch that makes a stitch from one side of the column to the middle of the column, and then another stitch to get to the far side of the column. As columns reach widths of 3mm or more, the addition of an edgewalk underlay will help the columns retain their width in the final sewout.

It's also necessary to use more density in satin letters when digitizing for terry. You can simply increase the top density by 20% or add two layers of your normal density, one layer serving as the underlay and one layer serving as the top stitch. This later method is a preferred choice, as it will keep too many stitches from piling up in the corners and curves of the letters.

Toppings and Backings
Tearaway backings are the backings of choice on terry products. The use of heat- or water-dissolvable toppings is usually recommended for terrycloth. However water-dissolvable toppings, in particular, must be used with some discretion.

Terrycloth comes in two different forms — looped terry and terry velour. The lengths of the loops in looped terry can vary a great deal. Towels with long terry loops can easily be pulled beyond their proper length when removing toppings or backings.

Terry velour is a terrycloth that is made up tightly packed loops that are then sheared to create a smooth surface. It's a great look. But if the tufts are not tightly held by the woven background of the terry, they will lift right out of towel as the dissolvable toppings are removed. This will actually leave bald spots in the towel. So it's better to strictly use underlay techniques to control the nap on these types of products instead of relying on the topping to hold the stitches up on the terry velour.

Going Corporate
In addition to monograms, corporate logos are often requested on terry products. They are often embroidered on golf towels and beach towels as gifts to customers and staff. Upscale hotels and spas often have their logos embroidered on towels and bathrobes. The challenge is that these corporate logos must often have the small text that isn't appropriate for terry products.

Problems can occur when small text is embroidered directly onto a terrycloth. A light fill with a density of 1.20, with a tatami underlay (also with a density of 1.20) created a foundation behind the small lettering in Figure 3.


Figure 3.

When stitching graphics on terrycloth, use the tatami underlay with stitch directions that are offset 45 degrees and 135 degrees from the top fill stitches. If you use your complex fill tools to make the required shapes, place the stop and start positions so that the graphic fills all in one direction.

If you place the stop and start points so that the stitches start at a low point in the design and then start filling in opposite directions, there will always be a wayward loop of terry poking up where the two fill areas meet. You'll face this whenever two fill areas are adjacent. A typical example is three bars of color stacked one above the other.

To ensure no loops are caught where two sections of fill meet, stitch the middle bar from top to bottom, the top bar from bottom to top and then the lower bar from top to bottom.

Don't be intimidated by digitizing for terrycloth and other deep-pile fabrics. Success is a sure thing as long as you pay attention to the underlying issues.

Pat Williams of Image Embroidery in Sierra Vista, Ariz., is an award-winning digitizer with experience in accounting and small business management. Reach Pat at Pwilliams22@cox.net or visit imageemb.com.

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