Impressions - August/September 2022 - 36

help you identify the right product for your customer. On more
expensive blanks like jackets, also be sure to take advantage of
your suppliers' discounted sample program, so your customers
can see and feel the product quality and you can test the ease
of embroidery.
Where
Deciding where to embellish jackets can be fun because there
are a lot of possibilities. In addition to left chest and traditional
full back locations, sleeve embroidery is popular. A longtime
favorite is the upper sleeve, just below the sleeve seam. A more
recent favored application site for smaller logos is just above the
cuff or lower sleeve end.
Larger applications, such as web site addresses work well on
the upper back, just below the collar. This can be with or without
larger embroidery below.
Some jackets have hidden zippers built in to facilitate easy
access for hooping. These are normally used for left chest or full
back embroidery. Here's a tip for adding an upscale embroidered
personalization: while the zipper is open to allow easier access
to the outer shell of the jacket, it also makes it easy to apply an
embroidery to the lining. This discreet location may be the only
embroidery on a pricier piece, such as a leather jacket given as
an award for sales performance or other achievement. Rather
than having a company logo blaring from the left chest, a hidden
embroidery is an appreciated reminder of the reason for the gift.
How
Today's jackets are made from many different fabric types, from
fleece-line flannel to high-tech soft shells. That means you may
need to brush up on your needle know-how. Most jackets will
embroider nicely with a sharp point needle - as opposed to a
ballpoint. For example, everything from lightweight windbreakers
made of nylon to heavy weatherproof jackets made of Gore-Tex
stitch do well with a sharp point needle. Increase the blade size
for heavier jackets to avoid needle deflection that could cause
the needle to strike the needle plate.
There are a few knit fabric jacket shells found in the softPolyneon
embroidery thread from Madeira
USA is made of raw material that eliminates
looping, puckering and virtually all thread
breaks, according to the company.
shell category that may need to be treated as any other knit.
In other words, they should be embroidered using a ballpoint
needle. The ballpoint needle protects the interlocking structure
of the knit from being damaged by cutting one or more of the
interlocking yarns.
Many soft shells are made from what are commonly referred
to as technical fabrics. They may be waterproof and windproof,
or even have heat-retention coatings inside. If you shouldn't use
a sharp needle on these materials, what type of needle will make
the smallest footprint and help retain the properties of the fabric?
We've already established that a ballpoint will protect the
yarns from being cut, and an extra light ballpoint is ideal for soft
shells made from fine yarns. In fact, extra light ball points are
good for embroidering lightweight garment leather and even
many woven materials.
Some popular identifying abbreviations for these needles are
RG and ESB. You may also find them with the names STU, STUB
and SET RT points. Ask your needle supplier for this wonderfully
universal needle type that many savvy embroiderers keep in their
machines to avoid frequent changeover from sharps to ballpoints.
If hooping heavy jackets or jackets with seams in inconvenient
locations is an issue for your shop, consider some of the
ingenious holding fixtures available for most commercial and
crossover machines. Interchangeable Tubular Clamping system
(ICTCS for short) from Hoop Tech Products in Fairfield, Ohio,
in sizes up to 13-inches wide, are one solution I sometimes use
for heavy jackets. These spring-loaded clamps remain mounted
on the machine and jackets are loaded there.
Another popular solution, and another that I also have in my
studio in several sizes, are Mighty Hoops from Midwest Products
in Germantown, Wisconsin. These heavy-duty magnetic hoops
have a hooping station that holds the bottom hoop steady and
avoids premature connection with the top hoop.
Jackets can be a real money-maker for your shop. When you
have the right tools, it's easy to make some masterpieces that will
bring more customers to you. 
Deborah Jones has more than 30 years of experience in the computerized
embroidery field. She runs myembroiderymentor.com. For more information
or to comment on this article, email Deborah at djones@embstore.com.
P.36
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