Needle Know-How

April 1, 2008

Most embroidery shops can get by with stocking the basic needle types: ball-points, sharps, large-eye and wedge-point needles. It's important to know what fabric each was designed to sew on for maximum quality and productivity.

Choosing the right needle for a job helps improve embroidery quality. However, it's not necessary to store every type of needle known to mankind. The following needle types will suffice for most embroidery shops:

• Ball-points — Use on fabrics that stretch, such as interlock, jersey, piqué and mesh.

• Sharps — Use on woven fabrics, including canvas and denim, and on most caps.

• Large-eye — These come in sharp and ball-point versions. Use with specialty threads, such as metallics, wool blends, variegated and any others considered hard to stitch.

• Wedge-points — Use for sewing on leather, suede and vinyl.

• Titanium needles — Use on appliqué or work that calls for sticky backing or spray adhesive. These needles also are well suited for heavy and thick items, including dog collars, harnesses and karate belts.

Remember that if a design is not digitized for a specific type of fabric, thread or backing, it will not stitch well regardless of needle choice. Be sure your digitizer knows all the variables for each design he digitizes.

When it's time to change needles, throw out any old ones so you don't confuse them with new ones. Finally, before you switch out all of your needles, ask your embroidery machine vendor if your machine will handle a particular needle. You may need to adjust needle bars to accommodate different needles.

— From the EMB archives

8 Tips for Embroidering with Metallics
Think of metallic embroidery thread as the equivalent of the foil effect popular on screen printed T-shirts sold at retail today. It adds a similar trendy look whether used in concert with other apparel decoration applications or alone.
June 09, 2008

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.
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.
May 22, 2008

New Threads Provide Paint for the Embroidery Palette
The latest embroidery threads include unique materials designed to create special eye-catching effects, improve production efficiency and open new markets.
It's easy to marvel at the technical sophistication of today's computerized embroidery machines and overlook the more mundane role of thread in the embroidery process.
April 29, 2008

Embroidery Backings: What Goes Where?
When deciding which stabilizer to use, you also need to consider the material to be embroidered.
Previously, we explained the need for backings or stabilizers behind the fabric while it's being embroidered (see "Stabilizers: The Foundation of Embroidery"). Now we want to focus on the what and the where.

Stabilizers can be broken down into two major categories: cutaways and tearaways. While there are many weights and types of each of these, I recommend keeping the decision of which to use as simple as possible.
April 14, 2008

To Patch or Not to Patch
When a customer requests patches, first determine whether you should handle the order yourself or outsource it.
April 01, 2008