Impressions - September 2017 - 40

If your column stitches in a larger
logo are too long, they easily can be
changed to fills and can glisten just
like a traditional column stitch.
The secret is stitch length.

you to click on a group of stitches and
change them to suit a larger design.Then,
you can widen or shrink that column to
fit. Make sure any underlying fill has an
edge-run underlay, and remember that
the column stitches must be offset enough
to catch the underlay so that the new
outline does not pull away.
In resizing a design to be embroidered
on a jacket back, the existing column
stitches in the smaller version must be
longer in the larger version. But if they
are too long, such stitches easily can be
changed to fills and can glisten just like
a traditional column stitch; the secret is
stitch length. Long stitches that would
pull in a larger column-stitch letter can
be used in the fill and be stable.
The arbitrary needle penetrations allow you to use longer stitches to create
the sheen you need without the stitches
pulling out, and that sheen will follow the
contour of the letters. So for the larger
columns created by scaling up the design,
think fill rather than split satin stitches.
Adjusting Underlay
Background fills, when programmed the
traditional way, will be distorted when you
increase the design's size unless you add
underlay and address the additional pull
compensation. The longer stitch in the
resized fill will pull more than the shorter
one in the original fill or tatami stitch.
Additional underlay must be used, usually a double tatami that is set 90 degrees
unto itself, to form a lattice that holds the
fill in place and prevents it from pulling
P.40

away from any outline or other object in
the design.The fill still must be enlarged
to compensate for the pull that occurs
because of its traditional settings.
If, on the other hand, you program a
layered fill from the beginning, there will be
no need for the additional underlay - or
any compensation - because there will be
no pull.This will lower your stitch count
by about 30%, and save you the frustration of thread breaks and a cardboard-like
appearance.
To do a layered fill, simply reduce the
stitches to 1⁄3 of the density, or the amount
used in the first underlay.To reach that exact
density setting, determine the number of
stitches that a full density fill or tatami
object contains. For example, if it contains 15,000 stitches, the layered fill should

contain 5,000 stitches. Upon reducing the
stitch count, remember the density setting
for future use.
Digitize the background fill using the
new density setting. Make sure the stitch
angle is zero, or horizontal. The object
should start at the top and end at the bottom. Then, duplicate that object twice.
Alternate the start and stop positions in the
second layer by starting at the bottom and
stopping at the top, then add an edge-run
underlay to that layer.The final layer will
start where the second layer ended - at
the top - and end at the bottom.
If there is an outline on this fill, add an
edge-run underlay to the second layer and
offset the column stitch outline so that it
overlaps the fill's underlay. This will prevent
the outline from pulling away from the fill.
This layered fill will run beautifully with
no thread breaks, and can be increased or
decreased in size as needed. It also will
result in a fill that moves with the jacket,
easily accepts detail and doesn't cause any
push or pull. Furthermore, because there
is no need for compensation, there also
will be no distortion.
Texture Adds Interest
When working with a larger design, certain
elements can be added to spark interest.
The background fill does not have to be

Stabilizing and Hooping JacketS
Before starting any job, it is important to pick the correct stabilizer. Fortunately, the choices are simple
when it comes to jackets. For lightweight jackets, like wind breakers and those made of nylon, a sheet
of tearaway stabilizer should be sufficient. For thicker jackets, little or no stabilizer may be needed.
The key is how much an item stretches. Thick jackets have little stretch and so much lining that
adding another layer won't really help. If you're worried about distortion, placing a piece of tearaway
stabilizer behind it should be more than sufficient. A cutaway stabilizer would be needed only if
you're embroidering stretchy knit jackets.
Hooping jackets, particularly thick ones, always is a challenge. They are bigger than a normal-size
garment. Often, embroiderers don't have a template for the framing board to fit the back hoop size
and there are not many references for you to know whether the jacket is hooped straight.
If you embroider many jackets, purchase or make a framing template for your framing board, or have
a table that is suitable for hooping these larger items. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it should allow
you to apply more downward pressure when hooping thick jackets. - Impressions archives

i m p r e s s i o n s m a g . c o m SEPTEMBER 2017

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Impressions - September 2017

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