Impressions - February 2014 - 26

Arrange thread
so that the most
commonly used colors
always are on your
machine. Place the most
common colors on the
needles that are the most
difficult to thread. The
spots that are the easiest
to reach are used for tying off custom colors.

The design you
are attempting to sew
can cause your machine
to run improperly. An
improperly digitized design can cause thread
breaks and slower
production.

Use Info*Action #13 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

26

Impressions | February 2014

reason is to reduce the amount changeover
between jobs by increasing the likelihood
that you already will have the color you
need on the machine without having to rethread it. If it were up to me, I would have
a machine with 30 needles. Then I would
hardly ever have to tie off threads.
To maximize the benefit of this, keep
your most common colors on your machine. Even if you only have seven needles,
you should still keep black and white thread
on the machine most of the time. Machines
with more needles can hold more colors
virtually all the time. I have a 15-needle
machine on which I frequently keep about
10 colors. That still leaves five needles to
change out for less frequently used colors.
I also arrange my needles in such a way
as to keep other frequently used colors on
the machine. The way to do this is to place
the most common colors (i.e. black and
white) on the needles that are the most
difficult to thread. This usually is right in
the center of your thread rack. The reasoning is that you are not planning on removing these colors anytime soon and the cone
will only be changed when it runs out.
Around these colors, put the secondmost-used colors. They are a little more
accessible, but not the easiest to reach.

The spots that are the easiest to reach are
used for tying off custom colors.
Arranging the colors this way has another benefit besides less down time between runs. By keeping certain colors in
the same spot all the time, you can tune
that specific needle to run that thread type.
For instance, I keep silver metallic thread
on the same needle all the time. As a result,
I have the tension dialed in for metallic
thread and use a larger needle on that position. This means I have essentially tuned
that needle position to sew optimally for
metallic thread.
Getting the most out of your machine
means you need to make sure it runs properly. But to do so, it has to be set up to run
as efficiently as possible. When that happens, your production knows no bounds
and you're ready to fly.
Steven Batts, a consultant with more
than 20 years experience in the embroidery
industry, owns Righteous Threads, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery
and machine maintenance services. He regularly leads seminars at ISS shows and is an
industry speaker and consultant. For more information or to comment on this article, email
Steven at righteousthreads@gmail.com.
impressionsmag.com


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Impressions - February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - February 2014

Impressions - February 2014
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conferences
5 Things to Know About Your Embroidery Machine
Essentials for Better Embroidery
Professional Picks
Better Business: Create, Show and Sell
Building & Segmenting Your Contact List
Turning a Specialty Into Success
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Design & Digitizing
Embroidery Production
Tech Tips: Embroidery
Screen Printing Graphics & Design
Screen Printing Technique
Digital Decorating
Classifieds
Online Directory
Ad Index
Impressions - February 2014 - CT1
Impressions - February 2014 - CT2
Impressions - February 2014 - Cover1
Impressions - February 2014 - Impressions - February 2014
Impressions - February 2014 - 1
Impressions - February 2014 - 2
Impressions - February 2014 - 3
Impressions - February 2014 - First Impressions
Impressions - February 2014 - 5
Impressions - February 2014 - From the Show Director
Impressions - February 2014 - 7
Impressions - February 2014 - FYI
Impressions - February 2014 - 9
Impressions - February 2014 - 10
Impressions - February 2014 - 11
Impressions - February 2014 - 12
Impressions - February 2014 - 13
Impressions - February 2014 - 14
Impressions - February 2014 - 15
Impressions - February 2014 - Product Gallery
Impressions - February 2014 - 17
Impressions - February 2014 - 18
Impressions - February 2014 - 19
Impressions - February 2014 - 19a
Impressions - February 2014 - 19b
Impressions - February 2014 - ISS Conferences
Impressions - February 2014 - 21
Impressions - February 2014 - 5 Things to Know About Your Embroidery Machine
Impressions - February 2014 - 23
Impressions - February 2014 - 24
Impressions - February 2014 - 25
Impressions - February 2014 - 26
Impressions - February 2014 - 27
Impressions - February 2014 - Essentials for Better Embroidery
Impressions - February 2014 - 29
Impressions - February 2014 - 30
Impressions - February 2014 - 31
Impressions - February 2014 - Professional Picks
Impressions - February 2014 - 33
Impressions - February 2014 - 34
Impressions - February 2014 - 35
Impressions - February 2014 - 36
Impressions - February 2014 - 37
Impressions - February 2014 - 38
Impressions - February 2014 - 39
Impressions - February 2014 - Better Business: Create, Show and Sell
Impressions - February 2014 - 41
Impressions - February 2014 - 42
Impressions - February 2014 - 43
Impressions - February 2014 - 44
Impressions - February 2014 - 45
Impressions - February 2014 - 46
Impressions - February 2014 - 47
Impressions - February 2014 - Building & Segmenting Your Contact List
Impressions - February 2014 - 49
Impressions - February 2014 - 50
Impressions - February 2014 - 51
Impressions - February 2014 - Turning a Specialty Into Success
Impressions - February 2014 - Shop Spotlight
Impressions - February 2014 - 54
Impressions - February 2014 - Embroidery Design & Digitizing
Impressions - February 2014 - 56
Impressions - February 2014 - 57
Impressions - February 2014 - Embroidery Production
Impressions - February 2014 - 59
Impressions - February 2014 - 60
Impressions - February 2014 - Tech Tips: Embroidery
Impressions - February 2014 - Screen Printing Graphics & Design
Impressions - February 2014 - 63
Impressions - February 2014 - 64
Impressions - February 2014 - 65
Impressions - February 2014 - Screen Printing Technique
Impressions - February 2014 - 67
Impressions - February 2014 - 68
Impressions - February 2014 - Digital Decorating
Impressions - February 2014 - 70
Impressions - February 2014 - Classifieds
Impressions - February 2014 - Ad Index
Impressions - February 2014 - 73
Impressions - February 2014 - 74
Impressions - February 2014 - Cover3
Impressions - February 2014 - Cover4
Impressions - February 2014 - I1
Impressions - February 2014 - I2
Impressions - February 2014 - I3
Impressions - February 2014 - I4
Impressions - February 2014 - I5
Impressions - February 2014 - I6
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2020fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20200607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20190607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamactive_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/dd_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20170607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2017spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20160607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20150607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2015summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2015spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/digitaldecorator_2014summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/20140607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/sportsfanretailer_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/teamspirit_2014spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/impressions/201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/impressions_sportsfanretailer_201312
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