Commercial Embroidery Tips

The Embroidery Industry Overview

Commercial Embroidery business is $47 Billion a year industry. Experts predict that the promotional products industry will record another year of growth in 2004, the second in a row since sales peaked in 2000 at $17.8 billion. Promotional products sales came in at $16.3 billion in 2003, slightly up from the industry's recent low of $15.6 billion, according to the Promotiona Products Association.

How can I sew on Bridal Satin?

Wrap your outer hoops with foam athletic tape (does not leave marks on fabric and you can purchase at your local pharmacy) this is a prewrap tape for athletes Smallest needle should be used and make it a sharp (65/9)

Never use edge walk or zig zag underlay, the more needle penetrations the more your fabric will shred and run.

Lighten up your density. This fabric has an extremely high thread count per inch, and is not necessary to use a heavy density to keep stitches up. (4.1 pts and and higher)

Never use solvy or solu fab, this will water mark your fabric. Last use steam to press, never an iron.

Make SMALL Emboidery Letters look better

In DesignShop you must refer to the code sheets to see what alphabets can be sewn small. Most closest point alphabets can be sewn smaller than the non -closest point alphabets.

For example to sew small letters from .30 and below, follow the following suggested parameters:
Stitch Length: 15 points
Horizontal Spacing: 0.02-0.03
Column Width: 120%
Density: 4.0 - Do not use Auto Density
Short Stitches: Off
Underlay: Center Walk, Stitch Length: 15 points

Poly Mesh or Nylon Mesh Backing?

This backing is also nice to use on delicate fabrics and children's garments.
You can order this backing through www.ShopMelco.com or Melco/ARC by calling 800-877-4272.

ADVANTAGES of OWNING YOUR OWN EMBROIDERY BUSINESS

• A successful embroidery business can be very profitable
• Almost everyone buys and appreciates quality embroidered goods
• Your Embroidery business can be operated full-time or part-time
• Melco Embroidery equipment doesn't require special skills to operate
• Startup Costs associated with starting an commercial embroidery business are reasonable
• Embroidered products are easy to market - you and your customers wear your product!

The nature of the embroidery business enables you to have your workshop at home. You can keep your costs low while you build your business and work when it's convenient for you.

Embroidery Thread Overview

Embroidery thread is come in a wide range of colors and fibers. The most common embroidery thread in commercial machine embroidery are rayon and polyester thread. But other threads can be used such as: cotton, monofilament nylon, and metallic threads. Modern embroidery thread fabrication processes have made great strided in creating thread that is both strong and of vibrant color. Rayon and Polyester thread is by far the most commonly used embroidery thread.

Cotton is often required for military application such as nametapes. Monofilament nylon is utilized in institutional applications such as uniform emblems where patches may be applied, removed, and reapplied repeatedly. Metallics are often used to add interest and sparkle to a design. Another unique choice is solaractive thread. When exposed to UV light in normal sunshine the thread changes color. Indoors, the thread appears white but when taken outside the garment comes alive with color.

All Melco machines come threaded with polyester unless otherwise required by the customer .

Embroidery Hooping Tips

One of the most important embroidery techniques to learn is hooping. Hooping is simply the act of placing the sandwich of backing and cloth within a frame so it can be attached to the machine. The important factor is placing the right amount of tension on the fabric.

Backing does not stretch, so placing tension on backing is achieved by smoothly pulling it across the face of the hoop and reaching what people call a "tambourine skin" tension. If one lightly taps on the backing it should resonate almost like a drum or a tambourine. The actual fabric of the garment is a more delicate matter. It needs to be smooth and tight but not too tight.

The secret in hooping is to first consider the garment construction and how it will be used. A sweater, for example, is rarely worn loose. More often they are slightly stretched when worn. This needs to be considered when hooping. One would typically hoop the garment so the fabric would be slightly stretched. This way the logo or design applied would fall naturally on the fabric as when it is worn. By the same token, care must be taken not to overstretch garments when they are hooped. If a pique knit shirt was stretched to its limits during hooping and then relaxed when it was worn, it would create puckering around the design.

Embroidery Backing

Embroidery Backing is known as the foundation for quality embroidery. Without backing the embroidery has no stability or structure. The importance of the proper type and weight of backing cannot be over-emphasized. Many people get confused as to what exactly backing is.

Backing is a type of cloth, usually non-woven, that consists of fibers laid in random directions. These fibers in some cases can be easily torn. When a fabric is woven or knit, certain properties like stretch are inherent in the fabric. If embroidery were laid down on typical fabrics they would have a tendency to distort the fabric and pucker and eventually lose their shape and definition. When the fibers of backing are laid down in random directions they form a fabric that holds it shape and does not stretch in any direction. Backing maintains this property even through washing cycles. Typically, one would use a heavier backing on lighter, stretchier fabrics and could use a medium to heavy cutaway on pique knits. Backing is generally divided into three major categories: tear away, cutaway and specialty backings. Fiber strength determines whether backing is considered a tear away or cutaway.