User talk:Annmomo

Embroidered Quilts

Embroidered quilts form one of the most fascinating items that have caught the attention of men folk form all over the world. They display the rarest of designs that are intricately worked upon by skilled professionals and experts.

Some common embroidery styles employed include:

Patchwork Quilts : Patchwork quilts involve the use of finely sewn patches into intricate patterns. These patches can be motifs, floral designs or figures inspired by anything in nature. Some styles are an evolution of the traditional art forms belonging to various lands.

Applique Quilts : Quilts with applique work encompass the skill of first cutting a piece of cloth in a particular fashion which is then beautifully sewn with colorful threads to produce an exquisite piece of beauty. This piece is then sewn on the fabric to give birth to an extensive design or a pattern meticulously embroidered on the quilt.

A host of other stitching styles such as woven picots, chain stitch, stem stitch, lattice stitch, double running stitch etc are skillfully harnessed to form varying patterns. Owing to the beauty and the exquisite craftsmanship of these quilts, the demand for these items have immensely risen. This has paved way for manufacturers and buyers to explore the export potential of these items in the global markets.

A Simple Guide
When I bought my first embroidery machine, I was unaware of the role that stabilizers play in embroidery. There were many varieties of stabilizers from which to choose; the choice was both overwhelming and unclear.

My dealer had a large shelf displaying a variety of stabilizers: tear away, cutaway, iron on, wash away types, and sticky ones, and others that get sticky when moistened. Stabilizers were also thick, thin, and nearly invisible, some looked like plastic wrap, others were heavy and stiff and yet others were sheer and elegant like silk. If that weren’t sufficiently confusing, stabilizers also came in rolls of varying widths and lengths, were packaged in convenient pre-cut sheets and little plastic pouches. Sticky Back Stabilizer I was hopelessly lost.

Since I was new at machine embroidery, I wanted only a few sheets of stabilizer to get me launched on my first project, certainly nothing in great quantity requiring me to make a long-term commitment.

The dealer dug through the shelf of stabilizers and produced a small roll of stabilizer for me to try. It was then that I began to learn about stabilizers. Here is what I learned:

Step One: Evaluate

What fabric are you going to embroider on?

Is the fabric tightly woven, loosely woven, knit, fleece or delicate as silk?

Is the design dense or does the design have few stitches?

Does the fabric stretch when gently pulled lengthwise or on the bias?

Does the fabric have a deep nap? Are you going to embroider towels?

Does the design have precise outlines? Step Two: Choose the Stabilizer

Fusible Polymesh Cutaway Stabilizer (backing) is used to beef up the fabric and to provide a sturdy surface for the embroidery stitches. Here are the main types of stabilizer (backing) and their uses:

Cutaway: These stabilizers are permanent, will remain forever affixed to the embroidery and will provide permanent support for the design. Cutaway stabilizers are best for knits, fleece, denim, and for fabric that is unstable, moves or distorts when tugged on. These stabilizers come in weights from heavy to light and should be matched to the weight of the fabric. Cutaway stabilizer is a favorite of mine and the iron-on version is excellent for stabilizing stretchy t-shirt and knit fabrics.

Tear away: This is a temporary stabilizer that is carefully torn off after the embroidery is completed. It’s best for woven cotton fabric and redwork. It’s not the best choice for dense designs because the needle may shred the stabilizer to bits. You’ll end up with a design that will pucker, distort and outlines that will misalign and wander all over the embroidery.

Sticky back stabilizer: A good choice for those hard to hoop items such as socks, collar tips, and shirt cuffs. To provide additional stability with the tear away sticky stabilizer, I place a piece of cutaway stabilizer beneath the hoop. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Annmomo1799 (talk • contribs) 01:32, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Freshen up classic garments like denim and oxford shirts with creative placements and unique applications.
No matter how much things change, they still remain the same – sort of. Take for example, the classic garments such as denim and oxford shirts. They have been around for many years, yet they still remain popular and have changed little if any in their basic design. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t freshen them up a bit by using creative placements and unique applications. In fact, creativity is the driving force that sets the leaders apart from the followers in this industry. Those innovators who stand at the forefront of the industry typically got there by developing new embellishment opportunities that turned heads, opened doors and brought in new revenue streams. Thus, you should challenge yourself to do the same. Don’t get stuck in the left chest logo rut!

Chances are you have probably had the opportunity to embroider on a denim or oxford shirt. For the purposes of this article, we will define the shirt style as follows: It has a structured collar, possibly a button-down style, but not necessarily. It buttons up the front – top to bottom. It may have a pocket on the left or right chest, but not required. It has an extended tail. It has sleeves – either long or short. In all likelihood, you produced a logo on the left chest and possibly the right chest. In a rare case, you may have done a full-back design as well. But for most Embroiderers, the left chest area is the only place they have embroidered on such a garment. Question – was it you or the customer who chose the left chest location? Think it over carefully. Most likely, it was you who made the initial recommendation and the customer simply agreed to it. If so, then you should begin to understand that the customer looks to you for advice and will typically accept your suggestions.

Now go back and take a look at the typical denim and/or oxford shirt that you offer. How many places can you add embroidery? Let’s make a list of the most suitable locations: 1. Left and right chest - obvious. 2. Left and right sleeves – for short sleeve shirts 3. Left and right collars 4. Left and right cuffs – for long sleeves 5. Full back 6. Yoke 7. Shirt Tail 8. Below pocket (Actually any portion of the fabric that you can hoop and get a needle through is a candidate for embroidery.)

Also keep in mind that multiple embroidery locations generate additional revenue for you, so be quick to recommend a combination of placements whenever possible.

Before you get too creative, you must think about how the shirt will be used and who will be wearing in order to decide on the appropriate location. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Annmomo1799 (talk • contribs) 01:36, 28 April 2008 (UTC)