Impressions - June 2018 - 33

Hooping that is too tight
will result in puckering and
"burn" marks on garments.
Loose hooping will not
provide the stability necessary
for excellent results.

a rubber mallet to push the inner hoop into the outer hoop,
your hooping is too tight," advises Nancy Mini, Madeira USA's
senior marketing coordinator and backing specialist."For large
jobs, set all of your hoops the same and keep them that way.
And by all means, avoid pulling or tugging on your fabric once
it's been hooped."
Including a quality stabilizer should ease the hooping process
and provide best results.
3. Stabilizers: "The majority of embroidery will be done
with a cutaway stabilizer," Mini says. "Cutaway stabilizers not
only provide optimum stability, they last throughout the life
of the garment.Tearaway stabilizers should only be used if the
fabric itself can support the design throughout the garment's life.
Choosing a tearaway for the ease of tearing it away vs. having
to carefully cut away a backing can cost you repeat business if
your customer does not return due to delivering poor quality
and performance."
Long ago, there weren't an abundance of stabilizers from
which to choose. Today, pushed by the need to stabilize knit
fabrics that are thin, stretchy and slippery, there are many more
choices available in the marketplace.
"Consider experimenting with the newer "no-show" options
on the market today," Mini says. "They work very well with
lightweight dress shirts, oxford cloth and especially well with
the materials used on performancewear."
4. Thread: Train your new employee to understand the
attributes of various embroidery threads. If you primarily use
rayon or polyester thread on your machines, make certain you've
explained the reason for this. Choose thread based on the end
product; if there is a chance your customer may place an embroidered product into wash water that contains bleach, choose

polyester thread. If it's high-end luster and an intricate design
that is best served by using a softer thread, choose rayon thread.
Problem solving with thread is an important lesson to be
learned. Logos with small lettering or fine detail will run best
with a thinner, 60-weight thread. Customers looking for something unique to set them apart may prefer metallic thread.
Some threads will require a needle change if they are thicker or
thinner than general-purpose, 40-weight thread. New employees
must learn how to set proper upper-thread and bobbin tensions
to support different thread types while avoiding problems such
as birdsnests and looping. Remember to also review the proper
machine speeds for best results based on different thread types.
5. Needles: Knowing the appropriate needle to choose for
each project, as well as proper installation, are keys to good
results and efficiency.
"Needles can greatly affect efficiency," says Erich Campbell,
partner relationship manager at DecoNetwork. "Using the
wrong needle with a specialty thread that requires a specific
needle [size] makes for unnecessary thread breaks. Using needles that can't hold up to thick caps can lead to breaking or
excessive deflection, and poor quality issues, which would lead
to spoilage. And using sharp needles on some delicate fabrics
can lead to holes and cuts."
Solving problems that arise from making the wrong needle
choice is counterproductive and adds to downtime.
6. Machine Maintenance: In support of the single, largest
capital expense in your business, new hires need to understand
the importance of regular machine care to avoid downtime
and consequent revenue loss.
"The one thing that I would say to all [embroiderers], no matter
what machine they have, is to always follow the manufacturer's
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Impressions - June 2018

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