Impressions - October/November 2019 - 35

To avoid the "badge effect" when
embroidering athleisure garments, keep
the stabilizer as light as possible.

tops once varied only in seam placement
and the solid colors available to designers,
2019 is witnessing the following trends in
athleisure, according to fashion bloggers:
Animal prints are unique in their appearance in activewear, and easily can be paired
with a neutral top or bottom.These prints
are blended with non-athleisure clothing
items, such as denim or form-fitting items.
Tie-dye has returned, as well as its softer
version: ombré. Leggings, sweat shirts and
tees can be seen in various hues, whether
soft or bold. Color blocking, particularly
in neon, is a current athleisure trend, according to Internet fashion gurus.
Bicycle shorts are big sellers, perhaps due
to their preference among music celebrities.
Coordinating sportswear sets - where tops
and bottoms repeat a color or pattern -
also are popular.This may be an attempt to

formalize clothing designed for informal
moments when comfort and freedom of
movement are key criteria.
Finally, texture is a growing trend in
athleisure, with velvet and velour increasing
in popularity, and can be aided by 3-D
embroidery embellishment. Designers and
promotional-product companies don't shy
away from offering embroidered, customizable athleisure, and neither should you.
The following tips for embroidering on
athleisure are courtesy of Rich Medcraft, a
master digitizer and owner of StitchWise
Embroidery Designs, Eagle Point, Oregon.
Digitizing & Designs
Always work from the center of the design to the sides, top and bottom.This will
prevent puckering, which occurs if the

Breaking Down Barriers
Deirdre Clemente, a fashion historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, sees athleisure as
"the culmination of three long-term trends."
"First, technological improvements in synthetic fiber have made products like spandex more
flexible, durable and washable than natural materials," she says. "Second, the modern fixation
on health and wellness, or the appearance thereof, has made yoga pants confer the status of a
'healthy person' upon their wearers. Finally, the blurring of yoga-studio fashion and office attire
snaps into the long decline of formality in American fashion.
"One hundred years ago, you would have day clothes for the street, dinner clothes for the restaurant, theater clothes, and so many genres of dress," Clemente adds. "Those barriers have come
down. Athleisure is the ultimate breaking down of barriers."

fabric is trapped and pushed into a bubble.
This usually is caused by sewing one fill
area into another from opposite directions.
Digitizing so the design stitches from the
center and outward actually will flatten the
garment as the design is stitched.
A design's stitch density and stitch count
should be kept to a minimum. Since athleisure's nature is comfort and freedom of
movement, a heavy design consisting of
dense stitches will have a negative effect
on the garment, limiting its stretch. By
lightening the stitch density, the fabric will
maintain its soft, light feel and stretch.This
especially can be done when a dark thread
color is being sewn on a dark-colored
fabric (or a light thread color is sewn on
a light-colored garment). In these cases,
coverage isn't an issue, so a lighter density
can be used.
Using a cross-hatch tatami underlay
works best under fills. Set the first pass at
45 degrees and second pass at 135 degrees
to the top stitch direction. Underlay stitch
length should be 3.5mm-4mm with a density of 3. Increase this underlay density if
coverage is an issue.
Should a customer bring in a logo or
design that is too dense for a satisfactory
outcome on the fabric for which it is intended, be prepared to simplify the logo
in a way that will lighten the design and
decrease density. Underlay often is required
for best results on athleisure, since it stabilizes the garment and prevents puckering.
Also, consider the garment's "push and
pull."Avoid standalone borders or outlines,
since they tend to trap the fabric.A fill inside
the outline will help prevent puckering.A
15-degree stitch angle for main fill areas
will work well. If a border only is needed,
proper underlay and lighter top satin stitch
density should keep the fabric stable.
The Correct Stabilizer
Backing suppliers have developed stabilizers
that specifically are meant to be used with
athleisure fabrics.Two dominate the market:
a low-profile, woven performance backing
and a low-profile No Show Weblon made
of nylon mesh.While either can be used
for slippery, stretchy garments, they often
are combined with a layer of lightweight
tearaway backing. It helps add stability to
the embroidery process, from hooping
OCT./NOV. 2019

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Impressions - October/November 2019

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