Ricoma has just added a new dealer to cover the North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky areas The Company VITAL LINK MACHINE GROUP,INC. is based out of North Carolina and has over 18 YEARS of EXPERIENCE in the sales and support of embroidery and digitizing equipment.They will sell and offer training on NEW RICOMA machines, as well as buying and selling used equipment, in addition they offer supplies and repair of all brands of embroidery equipment. Their staff has over 72 YEARS of combined technical experience in the industry,
Their goal is to assist in the attainment of embroiderer's success and and growth.

Ricoma Heat Presses

Ricoma TextPro Digital Garment Printer

Ricoma Laser

Ricoma's new RL-6030 laser engraving and cutting machine can generate a whole new customer base for your existing embroidery business, or assist you in starting a new and exciting business from scratch. Please contact us at info.ricoma.us or call us at 1888-292-6282 for more details and pricing.

The Nike Dunk Hi Premium with Laser Substraits

The Nike Dunk Hi Premium with Laser Substraits

Originally used in industries such as car manufacturing, electronics and furniture texturing, laser technology has been a tool in Nike’s shoe design headquarters for years. But it was in 2003 that Nike Designer Mark Smith pioneered the use of lasers for decorating leather, fine-tuning the process to a level that allowed incredibly detailed designs to be burned into Nike products. It wasn’t long before famed footwear like the Cortez, Jordan and AF1 were etched with intricate, tattoo / graffiti graphics, models that are still coveted by sneaker collectors around the world. But laser-etched leather had a design limitation: no matter what the upper’s colorway was, the burned-out designs were always brown, leather’s interior color.

Called a “substrait,” Jesse Leyva’s team wondered if they could change this interior color by changing materials. The solution was found by using synthetic materials. The Nike Sportswear Dunk Premium uses black synthetic material with various colored interiors to achieve this multi-colored substrait effect. Each panel of the shoe contains a different color which, when the top layer is carefully etched away, is revealed in high contrast by the laser. This season, the motif is the octagon—a symbol chosen by Nike’s design team to represent the summer games in Beijing and to honor the power of the number eight in Chinese culture. A byproduct of using synthetics in the Nike Dunk upper is a reduction in the shoe’s overall weight, since leather is heavier by nature than its man-made alternative. Along with a black body that allows the colorful shapes to pop visually, a patent leather swoosh and highly perforated vamp are premium design accents that give the sneaker a stealthy, yet sophisticated air.

Extend The Life of your Machine

Just like your car, your embroidery machine needs regular maintenance, to assure it is working at its optimum performance level and maximize its lifespan.

Oiling

Embroidery machines run at high speeds and high speeds create friction and heat, proper oiling reduces that friction, and the damage it can cause. There are oiling ports all over your machine and the manual clearly outlines the lubrication intervals for each port. After oiling make sure there is no excess oil, which can stain the products you are embroidery.

Cleaning

Thread creates lint as it is drawn through the needle, dust is in the air, when you combine them with oil, particularly in the hook assembly of your machine, a paste is created which can affect the tension on your bobbin thread and ultimately seize the hook. To avoid this it is necessary to clean the hook assembly area with a brush or canned air at least once a week. Also check your bobbin case to make sure the thread path is clear of this same oily residue.

Lubrication

Thee are areas of your machine which require a heavier lubricant than oil, those areas require greasing, you can find the required schedule in your manual.

Regular Check ups and Maintenance

It is always a good idea to schedule a machine check-up with your technician at least once a year. The technician can determine if there are potential problems with your machine that can be remedied before they develop into larger issues which can interfere with your productivity.

In the long run, the small amount of time it takes to take proper care of your machine will be more than made up by the increased performance and productivity you will ultimately achieve.

Embroidery Essentials

Accessories might seem to be a fairly dry subject, but threads, needles, and backings are the heart of the embroidery industry; without them there would be no embroidery. They make up what embroiderers create, package and present to their customers. Without these tangibles, all our customers would be presented with are ideas. It is therefore exciting to find and explore the uses of new and unique products, which can either change the personality of the product or ease the production process.

In fashion today, embroidery is big and it is present in every form. There is hand embroidery, chain stitch embroidery, cross stitch and lock stitch embroidery, all equally sharing the spotlight. Along with this new found notoriety has come a more sophisticated appreciation and awareness on the part of the consumer. Buyers see more embroidery on a regular basis than ever before. They also see a myriad of thread types and weights combined with varied densities and stitch types.

In response to this thread manufacturers are developing new thread options not just to feed the needs of embroidery producers, but also those of the newly educated consumers.

Of course, the new look is not created by thread choice alone; it involves fabric choices, embroidery techniques and digitizing innovations. New fabrics often require the development of new needles, backings, toppings and other accessories. They also may require new hooping and alignment guides to facilitate the coordination with the grain of the fabric or its pattern. Sheer fabrics require their own set of digitizing rules and backing considerations. The list goes on and on- each new product, fabric, thread or digitizing technique can produce a domino effect touching every aspect of the embroidery production process.

Corporate Couture

Mixing embellishment techniques can create spectacular results.

The typical corporate identity goal of the past has morphed into a much more fashion forward statement. While the appeal of logoed garments started out with the goal of creating a unified and consistent corporate identity, companies no longer want that identity to match that of their competitors. Companies are finding it essential to stand out from the pack and for many, multi-media embellishment options have proven to be incredibly successful.

There are many options outside of the techniques discussed in the article such as foiling, direct to substrate printing, embossing, transfers, sublimation and screenprinting, but owing to space constraints, I am concentrating on appliqués, laser cutting and engraving, sequins, soutache, puffy foam and chenille.

Applique
Applique, the addition of a separate piece of fabric to act as a section of your design, is the most popular technique employed in embroidery for many reasons. It is easy, doesn’t require any additional equipment, has a very rich polished look, and it can save you money in the long run by significantly reducing the manufacturers production time. Even though it requires time to lay down the appliqué piece or pieces along with the additional expense of having them pre-cut, these expenses are easily offset by up to an 80% reduction in stitch count. This is also a great alternative because manufacturers who offer this option are readily available.

Laser etching and cutting
The most exciting addition to the world of embroidery in recent years is laser cutting. While lasers have been used to cut appliqués before they are applied to the garment, the new beam lasers actually cut the appliqué on the garment itself during the embroidery process. They can also be adjusted to etch the surface of the fabric to match any artwork or photograph. This opens up the doors for more elaborate and detailed appliqué shapes as well as the addition of etched graphics which can take your logo or design in a much more multi-leveled and textural direction.

Sequins
While sequins might initially seem to be an unlikely fit in the corporate identity world, there are many appropriate applications in conjunction with fundraisers, events and customer giveaways. Sequins add a unique high-end look to caps and bags. A few sequins can spice up a design and because they can take the place of thousands of stitches, reduce its cost. Sequins can also transform to most mundane design into a great attention grabber.

Soutache
Soutache or cording is applied to the embroidered design through the addition of a cording foot. It can be used to create three dimensional lettering or to add dimension and texture to areas of your design or logo you wish to emphasize. It can only be used to create very simple shapes but when paired with standard embroidery you can achieve fine detail and rich texture.

Puffy Foam
Puffy foam is a thin layer of foam that is laid down before the design is stitched out. Designs need to be specifically digitized for this process, as the needle penetrations perforate the foam as the stitches cover it, trapping it under the areas of your design you wish to elevate or raise up above the surface of the design. The remainder of the foam is torn away leaving only the pieces enclosed under the embroidery. This is a great way to make a logo gain prominence with a design. Remember, however any design created with foam can not be dry cleaned as the fluid will melt the styrene foam.

Chenille
Texture has always been the major draw to embroidery, but the traditional textural techniques alone can make your logo all too similar to your competitor. This is where Chenille comes in. Chenille is created using two different stitches; chain and moss. The moss stitch consists of loops of yarn, and the chain stitch is a flat stitch primarily used to make the edges of the moss stitch look neater and more consistent. Chenille has always been a specialized sector of the embroidery industry, which makes it more difficult to find a supplier. Corporations, schools, teams, fashion designers, organizations, fraternities, sororities, clubs, individuals, movie studios, Grand Prix and Motorcross, pop and country music stars, and sporting goods team dealers all use chenille embroidery and the demands are greater than the services available, so if you decide to go this route make sure the manufacturer can fit your needs and time frame.


Money and time Savings
While choosing to combine various embellishment techniques is usually a design decision, the combination of other decoration techniques with traditional embroidery can also make the product more cost effective. Embroidery is the most costly embellishment technique, by replacing portions of your design with less expensive options you can reduce the production cost of the entire process.

When deciding on a multi-media design, you should start by considering your options. Then it is necessary to find an advertising specialty distributor or embroider with a knowledge of the processes and access to the equipment to produce the desired embellishment combination. Last you need to make sure that the cost is justified and fits within your budget. Endless multi-media combinations continue to be increasingly available, so it is easy to choose the combination that works best for you.

Choosing The Right Stitch Type

Satin stitches take center stage because they reflect the most light (shiniest). Use this stitch type for whatever you want to be most prominent in your design. Running stitches and fill stitches are much duller because they are comprised of small stitches which don’t reflect as much light. To increase the prominence of these stitch types increase their stitch length. When you vary stitch types and the direction of those stitch types within your designs you increase the interest and complexity of the overall design. Embroidery is an art form with texture. We create more textural interest when we vary stitch type and direction. We basically use running stitches for detail work. Satin are used for filling thin areas and borders and for creating focal points in our designs. Fill stitches are used for filling large areas with stitching.When you vary the direction of the stitches in your design you assure that the light will hit the design at different times from different angles, this gives the design a lot of life. You can also use this to create 3-dimensionality in the design. As you change the angle of the stitches you can make the area of the design recede or jut out.By experimenting with the different stitch types and direction you can come to realize what a huge impact this can have on the effectiveness of your embroidery.

A Printing Revolution

Probably the largest advance in the area of garment decoration in decades, direct to substrate printers, are rapidly increasing the practicality of low volume printing. Now last minute printing orders or small run fill-in orders are no longer a problem. To buyers of promotional products, this technology is a boon for many reasons. The technology essentially eliminates set-up costs, allows for any size order, and gives you the detail and vibrancy of screenprinting while maintaining the hand of the fabric.
While embroidery is the decoration choice for uniforms and corporate image apparel, there are times when either the quantities or costs are a consideration. In the past screenprinting and transfers were the only other alternatives. Now you have a new weapon in your arsenal of low cost product choices.

The Process
Direct to Substrate printers work in much the same way as office ink jet printers. Their main advancement over a traditional ink jet printer is that they allow for the printing of vibrant colors on both Black and White 100% and cotton blend garments. Some fabrics do require pre-treating, and all fabrics require curing to make the image permanent. Direct to Substrate Printing, is exactly that, you print directly onto the item. Unlike other solutions that use inkjet technology, the DTS printers does not print onto a "transfer material" like Iron-On's. The DTS prints your image directly onto your shirt or other object. With Screen Printing, you must first separate the image into "color separations". From these separations you then create screens to which the ink is "pressed through" and onto your garment. After the print process you must clean the screens for reuse, using harsh toxic chemicals. This is time consuming and adds to the expenseThere are a few limitations to screen printing. First, screen printing can only be used on a limited number of items and garments. The DTS’s can print on textiles and non-textiles alike! Screen printing has a limited resolution. On top of that, you must create a screen for every color you use. DTS printers hve an amazing resolution and can print millions of colors. The DTS printers require no screens, little image prep time and prints shirts in seconds.

Cost Consideration
One thing that you might want to take into consideration when planning an order is that the cost for light colors on dark garments is usually higher as the process is more time consuming. The additional cost is due to the additional time it takes to print on dark substrates.

Because there is relatively little set up required to prepare a print, this method can be very cost effective.

Advantages
Another advantage to DTS is that it combines very well with embroidery, Because the process does not affect the hand of the fabric, embroidering on top of it is no problem at all. Because you can print just about anything from photographic detail to bold graphics, DTS allow you to create precision images with unlimited blending of colors which is not possible with embroidery alone. You can then add depth and texture with embroidery on top of the image, to create a focal point. This combination affords both the detail from the DTS printer and texture from the embroidery.
DTG printing can also be combined with screenprinting, which is especially advantageous if you have a design that is constant such as a logo which needs to be combined with different names or titles. The logo can be screenprinted in bulk and the individual names or titles can be added later using the DTS printer.
While DTS printers are not the answer to all of your decoration needs, they certainly offer a very good alternative to screenprinting in situations where screenprinting would be cost prohibitive.

Home Decor

The new "Do It Yourself" home design industry is flourishing. Businesses such as Home Depot, Lowes, and Builders Square are located in just about every town in the country, and that is where people are shopping, in order to do as much of the work themselves. Saving money and getting creative with our homes is a very popular hobby. for many is relaxing and at the same times allows you to get the exact look you want, in a very economical way.
Embroidery is a perfect tie in to this bureoning industry. Embroidery is all about customization. When we embroider something, we make it unique. This is a particularly desirable concept when we are talking about designing our own private oasis away from the hustle and bustle of daily lives. What better way to design your own environment than by embellishing it with embroidery, which reflects your unique tastes and interests?
Aside from its personalization abilities, it can also be a design tool. Embroidery can be used as a unifying design element to tie a room together. You can use it to add the wallpaper design to the guest towels in a bathroom. It may be used to echo a carpet pattern on a throw pillow or to change the personality of an ordinary item.
For example, take a simple white pillow and add a blue anchor, and it becomes the perfect accesory in the cabin of a yacht or the back deck of a cutty cabin. Add some bold abstract orange daisies and the pillow becomes the perfect accent for a 60's themed Soho studio. If you add heaps of building blocks it becomes the perfect addition to a child's playroom.
The home decor segment of the embroidery industry is not an easy one to break into. You often need the right connections or need to be in the right place at the right time, but if you do it can be very lucrative and create tons of word of mouth business.

Bobbins Up

As embroiderers, our biggest concern about the appearance of our end product is focused on the top. However, bobbin thread also plays an important role in the embroidery process. If the bobbin thread is too tight, the embroidery ill pull in, causing running stitches to disappear and columns to look too skinny. If the bobbin thread is too loose, you will see it on the top of the embroidery, and that might even be worse. In addition to tension, there are other points to consider, such as the many different bobbin thread choice from which to choose- cotton, cotton poly blends, monofilament polyester and spun polyester.
On top of that, it comes in many different packages, such as cones, and pre-wound bobbins. If that isn't enough, pre-wound bobbins come with or without cardboard sides and magnetic and non-magnetic.
In most cases we don't care what the bobbin looks like as long as the top of the embroidery looks fine. The are, however, times when the back is just as important as the front. When embroidering on director's chairs, for example, there is not really any practical way to hide the back, so it becomes important to make sure the back looks as good as possible. Napkins and Handkerchiefs are two more product where this also applies. One way to make the back look better is to wind your own bobbins using the same thread you are using for the top stitching. This will make the back of you embroidery look much the same as the top. There is also the issue of backing, when the back side of the embroidery is visible you don't want any backing showing. For most woven fabrics you can use a tear-away backing, in which case the excess backing can be torn away after the embroidery is done. There are instances where you don't want the backing to show through the embroidery, in those cases you can use a water or heat soluble backing.
Bobbins Up
Reverse or bobbin embroidery is another process where the bobbin takes center stage. The reverse embroidery technique uses the bobbin thread as the finishing thread. This is usually accomplished using metallic or floss thread in the bobbin case, which you combine with a similarly colored rayon thread in your needle. Since the finished side is the back side, make sure that you hoop the fabric upside down. Your tensions should be set so that the bobbin thread is pulled to the top of side of the fabric. (loose bobbin, tight top thread) This will ensure that the top thread is invisible in the finished embroidery. Because in the case of floss, you are working with heavier thread, your density should be lowered to about 30 stitches per inch. The finished result will look as though the the thread was hand- sewn using a loop stitch from the bottom.
The thread you choose for your bobbin can have a profound effect on your finished product. It can add to the professional look of the design, it can add texture or it can even make up your finished design. These are just some of the options that you have for bringing you bobbin thread to the forefront of your embroidered creations.

Embroidered Patches

Embroidering on Pre-made patches is much easier than you might have thought. Pre-cut blank patches are readily available. While patches can be purchased with a heat seal backing, they can be more of a challenge to embroider on. The heat seal backing can cause your needles and hook assembly to be gummed up causing tension problems. You can add a heat seal backing or peel and stick backing after you finish embroidering the patch.

You can use the repeat key on you embroidery machine to enter in the dimensions from center to center of your patches in both the X and Y directions. This will make sure that you matches will you uniform and further automate the process.

Patch Frames

Patch Holder Attachments for Embroidery Machines allow for the simultaneous attachment of up to 12 separate patches within the same frame, eliminating the need for constant interruption of labor and increasing the productivity of your workforce.
The patches are held in place by spring loaded frames that hold the patches in place firmly without leaving marks. Patch holders are made to any size, shape and for any machine. This handy product will increase your quality, productivity and profit.

Adhesive Backing

An alternative to patch frames is to use peel and stich adhesive cut-away backing within either your border frame or you largest hoop. Use you copy and repeat function on you machine keyboad as you would with a patch frame. After you run you first set of patches trace the patches on the backing and then carefully cut around the embroidery to remove the patches while keeping the backing in the frame. You now have a patch frame holder which can be used over and over. You might want to slip a piece of tear-away backing underneath and replace it for every run.

There are not many companies out there that offer low volume patch orders, using either of these techniques will allow you to easily take advantage of this luctritive niche market.

Planning Work Flow

Simple preparation is often all you need to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one. Every year at this time, we receive last minute orders for personalized embroidered items. To avoid the rush this year, you need to put yourself in the forefront of your prospective customers' minds before they start planning for the gift-giving season.
Review your records and track the business flow from the previous year. Determine which times were the busiest, and plan on hiring extra help during those times. It is important to factor in the training period for new or temporary workers, as they can only begin being productive once they know what they are expected to do.
The best approach to a busy season is to take a proactive stance and control the workflow. One method of doing this is to offer you customers an incentive to order early. A discount for ordering early or an up-charge for last minute orders might be all they need to place their orders early. A catalog is another way to stimulate interest and get you customer thinking about their holiday needs. Another idea for generating orders early is to host a holiday home shopping party. Assemble samples of embroidered holiday related garments to peruse. Remember keep it simple Limit you inventory choices and choice of designs and colors. You want to spend their time ordering, not deciding what to buy.
Of course these are just some ideas for controlling your shop's productivity during a rush season. Throughout the year you will experience both slow and busy periods. If you identify these trends and take action to control them you can keep you shop running smoothly all year. We all think that being busy is a good thing, but if you can stretch that busy season into a slow one you can reduce stress in both slow and busy times.

Adding Texture

The practice of using puffy foam underneath satin or column sitiches to create a 3-D look to parts of your embroidery has been very popular on and off for the past at least ten years but this method of creating raised areas of your design becomes totally impractical if the garment upon which the embroidery is being placed is to be dry cleaned. The dry cleaning solution wil dissolve the foam and leave you with merely a very, very loose satin stitch. Another method to consider is to first digitize a skinny column stitch in the center of the final column stitch at full density. Then follow that with a slightly wider column stitch on top of that but still inside you final column stitch width and then finally finish that with your finished and top column stitch. Because none of your needle pentrations are in the same place you will not experience thread breaks, and you will end up with a significantly raised column stitch, which can serve as the focal point of your design. For example if you are digitizing a bouquet of roses and you want some of them to appear to more in the foreground use this underlay technique in varying degrees underneath the column stitches that make up those flowers. One row of underlay stitches under the roses you want in the mid-ground and two rows under the ones in the foreground and none under the ones you want to appear in the background. Try it it works. Good luck.

Becoming A Commercial Embroiderer

The only real difference between commercial embroidery and home embroidery is the fact that commercial embroidery is made to be sold. You may not think that this is a big difference, but it truly is. When you are embroidering as a career, you are creating for someone else and when you are finished, the embroidery is theirs. You can lose minutes, or even hours, of time contemplating the infinite designs, techniques and uses embroidery affords, and this is the fun and exciting aspect of embroidery if you are creating for pure enjoyment. It is the danger if you are trying to make a living. This is the quandary - to put enough of your-self into your work to make it exciting, but not so much that you get lost in it. This is just one of the ongoing creative battles you will have with yourself. The other is to design for your customers and not yourself. There is difference between quality and taste. When you are embroidering for sale you must always create a quality product, but it doesn't necessarily have to be designed to suit your own taste. If you can remember to keep your customer's needs at the forefront of your design decisions, you will stay on the right track. Additionally, a new factor is introduced that is called a profit. If you don't make a profit, you really aren't in business. To ensure a profit you have to make sure that you charge more than the embroidery costs to make. One tactic is to find the right customer. Everything is relative, so a price that is exorbitant to one can be reasonable and fair to another. Take something as simple as an embroidered pillow. As an embroiderer you can offer something uniquely designed to not just coordinate with a room, but to actually act as a design force to tie together disparate portions of the design. This way your custom embroidered accessory becomes an indispensable part of the room as well as being a bargain at any price. Another way to lower costs is to design with cost reduction in mind. You can lower embroidery time by reducing stitch count and by replacing large filled-in areas with applique. You can also reduce design time by incorporating stock designs rather than digitizing your own unique designs for every product. What embroidery can achieve - whether it is enjoyed as a hobby or as a business - is to produce something totally original, essentially from nothing. The only things you need are skill and imagination, and if you posses these two gifts you can satisfy the needs of even the most discriminating customer. Add to this the ability to scale back your projects to fit within a budget and you will corner the market.

Fashion embroidery requires a very different sensibility than most other types of commercial embroidery. When we create logoed embroidery we are bound by a long list of absolutes. The colors, design and in many cases, even the stitch types are already predetermined for us, and all we have to do is reproduce the design in embroidery. When we create fashion embroidery, however, we usually start with a much less finite point of departure. We might start with a pre-assembled garment in need of a little more personality, or a garment screaming to be monogrammed, or even a bolt of fabric waiting to be transformed into that absolutely perfect and unique outfit. All of these starting points offer many more options and, at the same time, many more decisions. I feel that the most important place to start is with the motivation for using embroidery.
The Embroidered Design
Embroidery can be used to create a focal point on a garment, or it can be used to lend both interest and texture in a much more subtle application. Depending on which of these effects you wish to achieve, your approach will differ. To create a focal point, your color palette would probably be bold and contrast with the base fabric of your garment. If you choose the more subtle approach, your color choices would probably contain different values of the same color family, or a collection of pastels on lighter fabrics, or rich colors on dark fabrics. Another choice to be made is the overall shape of your embroidered design. This step is probably the one that is most often ignored in the design process. Thumbing through a stock design catalog, you will probably notice that many of the available designs are created with overall square, rectangular, round or oval shapes, as this makes it very easy to personalize them by adding lettering. These designs can, however, be difficult to use in fashion embroidery and can give your end product a generic look. Using your editing tools to remove either the border or background of the stock design, thus giving it a much more natural and irregular shape, can often solve this problem. Irregular shapes allow the design to blend more seamlessly with the garment, as opposed to more geometric and regular shapes.
Density
Another underexplored element crucial to successful fashion embroidery is density. When creating garments, especially those made of knits and lighter fabrics, the drape of the fabric is very important. If the stitch density within your embroidered design is too heavy, it can interfere with this drape and ruin the lines of the garment. When working with lighter fabrics, it is often better to rely on underlay to make your stitching more opaque rather than increasing your density.
Picking the right designs, colors, placement and configuration makes embroidery fit as an indispensable and integral design element.

Assessing Your Productivity

No matter how streamlined your embroidery shop is, there is always room for improvement. Different production methods are worth exploring due to the new and different products and processes that are constantly surfacing. All of them will require different solutions at one time or another. So, as the work we produce becomes more diversified, we need to re-evaluate how we can best use our facilities.When we talk about production, we usually start with machine speed, stitch counts and the amount of shifts necessary to complete a job. We start here because these three aspects are the basics for determining the time frame necessary to complete an order.There are, however, other variables which should be considered in the process. Some of these include shop layout, operator’s workload, even the amount of jumps and color changes in a design, but the list is really endless. Every aspect of your business, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, affects productivity. Therefore, on a regular basis, it is a good idea to sit back and take a fresh look at your embroidery operation. This doesn’t mean it is necessary to make regular changes to your embroidery operation. If, upon close inspection of your plant, you find no changes are needed, that is gratifying too.The important lesson to be learned is the necessity of objectively assessing your current processes. Once you are able to look at everything with fresh eyes, you can logically assess all your practices and eliminate those that are either redundant or have simply become obsolete.

Embroidery Supplies

The secret of perfect embroidery is based on an attractive design and the right thread colors. True perfection, however involves much more than what is seen on the surface; it also depends upon the optimal combination of fabric, needle, thread and backing, as well as the ideal registration of the embroidery machine. Selecting the right supplies for your next job will be much easier if you have a clear idea of the properties of these essential products.ThreadsThere are a number of first-rate suppliers of embroidery materials around the world. These companies offer a variety of threads made of different fibres, such as Rayon, cotton, wool, polyester, polypropylene, nylon and acrylic. Regardless of your needs--whether your embroidery calls for thread resistant to abrasion, chlorine or even fading--chances are you will find exactly what you need. Rayon thread, one of the most popular, is known for its softness and sheen. It is an ideal choice for embroidering ladies, men's and children's wear, as well as trendy sportswear. But, despite Rayon's qualities, this thread is not suitable for every application. For instance, it is not recommended for blue jeans, basic sportswear or work clothes that undergo industrial laundry conditions or the addition of chlorine to the wash. For these items, polyester thread would be the better choice. If your goal is to achieve an exclusively natural look, cotton and woolen embroidery yarns are an excellent choice. Cotton threads, in particular, are very attractive when used to embellish country dècor or fashion. Woolen threads, on the other hand, have a duller visual aspect that makes them more compatible with wool, knitwear and linens. For those special projects that call for a distinctly different thread, today's digitizers/designers have technology to thank for providing them with an exciting collection of novelty threads, including both metallic and light-reactive threads. With such unique products on the market, the doors to artistic expression are wide open. The one caveat that applies to these threads is that they are not usually chlorine or abrasion-resistant, so if these criteria are of importance, polyester thread should be used instead.

Backings

When creating beautiful embroidery, choosing the right backing is every bit as critical as choosing the right thread. For non-stretch materials, it is possible to use a non-woven backing without coating, while, for stretch materials, a non-woven with coating is preferred. Therefore, non-woven fabrics with coating may always be used, but their handling is more complicated and they are more expensive. It makes good sense to have a selection of white non-woven backings for sheer fabrics and black/anthracite ones for dark fabrics. Although non-woven backings are removed after the embroidery process, there might be remainders on the fabric itself, and this can have an unprofessional effect. If embroidery companies want to avoid the inconvenience of having a huge inventory of different quality non-woven backings, they should purchase non-wovens, as needed, for each order. When trying to determine the appropriate weight of backing to buy, the decisive factor is the fabric on which the non-woven backing is to be used. The rule is simple: The heavier the non-woven, the more suitable it is for heavier materials. While on the subject of backings, another product that deserves mentioning is self-adhesive backing. In addition to providing excellent stability, this product eliminates the need for hooping, making it the perfect backing for certain situations.

Bobbins & Needles

Provided the tension on your machine is correctly regulated, bobbin thread should not appear on the right side of your embroidery. For this reason, it is not a major issue whether you use black or white thread; although, in general, it is recommended that you use a black-coloured bobbin thread for dark colours. Bobbin thread on the cone is less expensive (because someone must wind the bobbins), but, for embroidery purposes, the pre-wound variety is often preferable because its delivery is smoother.
It is common knowledge that better-quality embroidery needles result in greater productivity and a higher quality of embroidery. The embroidery needle system (DB x K5) developed by Organ Needle offers some great advantages compared to the former system (287WK). Benefits include an easier and softer thread passage, less missed stitches and higher strength. Embroidery needles with a medium ball point (SES) have the advantage that not only light fabrics, but also heavy basic fabrics, are pricked softly. Very good embroidery results can be achieved with woven fabrics and knitwear, as well as with thin leather. The needle count, or strength, is determined by the dimension of the long groove and the needle eye. A new development in needles is the DB x K5 Innova Duo system developed by Lammertz Germany with an additional groove on the furrow side, which leads to even better running properties of thethread. The new embroidery needle system is recommended for difficult embroidery designs on difficult materials, especially, when using extremely long satin stitches, or for embroidery designs with high densities.

More Useful Products

Any discussion about embroidery supplies should include temporary adhesive sprays. This useful product is one of the most important aids for embroidering large surfaces, or for using with appliquès or emblems. The decisive criterion for temporary adhesives is, of course, the gluing property. The adhesive strength should last for approximately one day, yet be easy enough to remove after sewing. Furthermore, the glue should not gum up the embroidery needles. Embroiderers looking for a way to make their designs even more expressive will have already explored the use of appliquès. The availability of materials suitable for appliquè is huge. One popular fabric is permanently coated twill, which produces quality monograms and is also suitable for embroidering logos, badges and emblems. There are so many amazing embroidery products in today's market that embroiderers will find it easier than ever to produce truly unique, beautiful embroidery. It's all a question of exploring the wealth of products out there and experimenting with them.

Men's Fashion Embroidery

Embroidery is everywhere. Blouses, shirts, trousers, skirts, jackets and shoes all sport some type of embroidery. Another exciting trend is the combination of tie-dye and screenprinting with embroidery, which offers a very fresh, new look.Embroidery is popular because it is readily available, but also because designers have found ways of making it look anything but traditional. This has made it not just popular, but on the cutting edge and very desirable.Embroidery is once again hot, especially in the new men’s wear lines. Textures derived from a variety of different threads, tropical patterns, geometrics, hand-driven run and chain stitches are used together or separately to form totally new looks.In examining some of the fashion embroidery shops around the globe, we notice some very obvious facts. Most fashion embroidery is produced flat on either pre-cut pieces or on flat goods, which are cut later. Lasers have been added to many of the production rooms for various purposes: to cut individual pieces, cut designs in garment sections, create decorative borders or etch the surfaces of fabrics.As for the new men’s wear fabrics, we see natural fibres used with both ethnic-inspired and bold graphic designs, but we also see new synthetic fibres in sheer and opaque forms paired with anything from cross-stitch to multi-layered appliquéd fabrics and trims.This is a very exciting time for men’s wear because of the continued rise of the casual and corporate casual sectors. At the forefront of all of this is embroidery. Designer’s needs are fuelling expansion of embroidery shops, which is increasing the size of our overall global industry.