Impressions - January 2020 - 106

think.
EmbroidEry dESiGN & diGiTiZiNG

make.

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do.

Stitching That
Elusive T-Shirt
options abound for basic tees, so it's time to perfect
your embroidery skills on this thin, popular garment.
By LEE CaroSELLi-BarnES, ConTriBuTing WriTEr

With all the new, exciting fabrics that have been introduced into
the decorated-apparel industry lately, it's notable that the T-shirt
- a garment that embroiderers historically have avoided - now
is the perfect substrate for many jobs. In fact, it's a necessity for
satisfying your customers.
However, with the beauty of new fabrics comes the responsibility
of ensuring you have the knowledge to control the embroidery
so that it doesn't, through bulk, overpower the garment. This
means putting the correct number of stitches into the design so
that it drapes and moves with the garment. Done correctly, you
can avoid a cardboard effect that makes the embroidery curl up
like a potato chip.
Lettering Musts
First, lettering must be addressed, whether you are working with
Lightening the fills to one-third of
the stitches and layering them to
achieve full density with three layers
will help you create a design that
complements today's new garments
and fabrics.

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i m p r e s s i o n s m a g . c o m JANUARY 2020

moisture-wicking garments or a simple T-shirt.The coverage has
to be light, as too many stitches will cause its clarity to be lost.
Figure 1 shows a cigar label image that, when sewn onto one
of today's popular T-shirt fabrics, will require increasing underlay
density in the larger, more bulky letters. Likewise, lighten the
density of the satin stitch overlay to maintain this logo's beauty.
The underlay should be an edge run, set slightly inside the
overlaying satin stitch. A second underlay - a tatami or fill -
also will be needed.
Regardless of your default value on the tatami underlay, it
must be beefed up about 15%-20% and the satin-stitched letter's
density must be lightened proportionately. Using a heavier tatami
underlay with a lighter density in the overlaying satin stitch will
help avoid puckering and keep the letters pristine and clear on
these new fabrics.
The smaller letters shown in Figure 2 are a clear example of
too many stitches and too much density.
With small letters, less is more.At this size,
you do not have the luxury of an underlay
that will help these letters keep their shape.
The fact that the column stitch pulls in
now becomes an asset instead of a problem.
The column stitch pulls in more when
it is lengthened or widened.The more it
pulls in, the more it pouches up, meaning
the stitches take more space. This means
you will have to lighten the density.
To get the needed clarity in the letters and
ensure they are not lost in the fabric, widen
the columns by at least 30%, allow those
stitches to pull in and lighten the density
so there is room for them. This may not
look as pretty on screen, but the resulting
sewout will make your customer happy.
For the .17-inch helicopter letters,
it would be ideal to lighten the density
from the .34mm in the original design to
.60mm and widen the letters' columns by
50%.The result would be no thread breaks,
clean letters and about 15% fewer stitches.
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Impressions - January 2020

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