How to Create Easy Embroidery Effects, Part 1: Appliqué & Tasseling

Follow these simple steps to add pizzazz to basic embroidery designs.
Sept 1, 2008

The appliqué technique saves time and stitches. Could you imagine how high the stitch count would go for this design if the white appliqué area was done with fill stitches instead?

By Steven Batts

Several processes in embroidery are a little outside of the norm and are used to give different looks or effects to designs. Many people avoid anything unfamiliar because they think it requires some great skill they do not possess. But often, they are just intimidated because they know nothing about these techniques.

While some processes do require a little technical expertise, I've found that most are rather simple and straightforward. They require no more skill than what you learned in kindergarten when you were taught how to cut with scissors. However, the benefits of adding some of these techniques to your repertoire can be great. You can increase your offerings and handle a wider variety of jobs.

In this series of articles, I will take a look at some common and not-so-common processes that can jazz up your designs, starting with appliqué and tasseling.

STITCH SAVER
Appliqué is probably the most common of the different embroidery effects and is the process I am questioned about the most when I teach industry seminars. It is the process of applying a decorative fabric to a garment and stitching around the edges to hold it down. The technique is ideal for use on a variety of garments from baby wear to college apparel to athletic jerseys.

Looking at the final product, many embroiderers assume that appliqué is a long, complicated process. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, appliqués are used to save time, rather than slow down production. Covering a large area with fabric instead of filling it up with stitches can not only save a lot of time, but also increase your profit margin as well.

The technique end of creating appliqués is simple; most of the work is in creating the design. The process goes like this:

1. A running stitch outline of the appliqué shape is sewn first. Then, a Stop command in the digitizing file will cause the machine to pause.

2. The pre-cut appliqué material is adhered to the garment, usually with an adhesive spray, using the stitch outline as a placement guide.

3. Restart the machine and, based on the digitized design, it tacks the material down and then goes back around the shape with any top stitching to cover the edges.

4. Finally, any embroidery design that is to be placed in the middle of the appliqué shape is sewn.

The only two challenges are creating the design for appliqué and getting it cut out of the appliqué material. But both can be achieved with minimal difficulty. Let's look at the design first.

Most digitizing programs have semi-automatic options for sewing appliqués. You simply make the shape and select that option. The digitizing software will have settings for the outline, the tack down and the top stitching. Sometimes the software will even put an offset in the design after it stops, allowing you to move the garment out from under the needles, making it easier to stick down the appliqué. Instead of doing that, I arrange it so that the stop point is at the top of the shape, which naturally pushes the frame out away from the needles.

To manually create an appliqué, lay it out in the same steps described. Make a running stitch in the shape of the appliqué. Then, create a tack down stitch around the same shape.

The tack down can take a few different forms. You can either use a running stitch just inside the shape, a zigzag stitch (the most common tack down stitching method), or an E-stitch. The latter is similar to a sewer's blanket stitch and looks something like a series of capital "E"s. It runs around the outside edge and is made up of widely spaced column stitches, joined along the outside edge of the design by edge stitches. Use care in placing the zigzag or E-stitch, ensuring the edges of the appliqué are securely stitched to the substrate.

MAKING THE CUT OUT
The number of pieces you have to appliqué usually determines how you will go about having the appliqué cut out. If you have a large quantity to produce, consider having an outside source cut them out for you. Companies such as Stahls' or Dalco Athletic Lettering specialize in making appliqué cut outs. The companies will digitize the appliqué design and send it to you along with the cut outs. And to make things easier, they also carry appliqué stock lettering in varying styles and sizes. You simply order the letters or appliqué and they send what you need for your design. The only catch is there is usually a minimum of 12 pieces.

If you just have a few pieces to do, however, you can make the cut out yourself. The simplest way to do this in your digitizing software is to frame or hoop the material that is going to be used as appliqué and start sewing the design. Let the machine sew just the outline stitch and then have it stop. Now, reset the design back to the beginning and take the material off the hoop. Using scissors, cut around the edges of the stitching to create your appliqué. Cut just on the outside of the stitches to leave yourself a little room for error.

If your order calls for more than one or two appliqués, you may want to create a cardboard template instead of repeatedly sewing the outline and trimming the material as described above. To make a template, tape a piece of card stock down to a framed piece of backing. Then start the machine and sew the outline as previously described. The needle will perforate the card stock in the exact shape of the appliqué. Now, it's a simple matter of punching out the perforated shape from the cardboard. Use this cardboard template to trace onto appliqué material and trim with scissors. You can use the template to trace and trim as many appliqués as you need, and even put it aside in case the appliqué shape is a common one that you might use on future jobs.

Once you have your cut out — by whichever method — frame the item that is to be appliquéd and start sewing the design again. When the machine stops after sewing the outline, spray the back of the cut out with adhesive, apply it to the material inside the outline and start the machine again. This way you have an accurate cut out to match the design.

High-volume shops use a digital cutter to make the cut outs for appliqué. Several different cutters are designed to cut appliqués; some use lasers and others use blades. Blade cutters are most commonly used as vinyl cutters by sign shops and they can expand your decorating possibilities. The investment capital required to buy a commercial cutter makes this option viable only for those shops that frequently sew appliqués and want a quicker method to obtain cut outs.

ON THE FRINGE
Tasseling, or fringe embroidery, is a little-known technique that is easy to do and can create interesting embroidery effects. The process has very few challenges and an embroiderer with just basic digitizing capabilities can add this to existing designs.

Tasseling is the process of creating designs where part of the stitching is clipped, making those stitches loose. This creates the appearance of hair and is great for creating mustaches and manes of animals. Like the appliqué process, the secret is all in the design.

Here are the basic steps:

• The area to be "tasseled" is sewn as a wide satin stitch (i.e. 1/2" or wider).

• A short satin stitch (i.e. 1mm wide) is sewn over the side of the wide satin column that is to remain fixed. This narrow column anchors that side of the column.

• When the design is finished, the bobbin underneath the wide column is snipped and the stitches are pulled loose.

• The "tassels" are trimmed to a length that creates the desired effect.

When creating the design, remember to turn off any underlay for the wide satin column. When finishing the design, trim the stitches and then mess with them a little, just as you would try to mess up someone's hair. This makes the cut threads appear to be more like hair. The beauty of this technique is that it draws people's attention and they want to touch it — the more it is "messed with," the better it looks.

Appliqué and tasseling are two of the easiest processes in embroidery besides simply sewing stitches. Yet you can create some of the most interesting pieces by applying these techniques.

Steven Batts, a consultant with 15 years experience in the embroidery industry, owns Righteous Threads, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery and machine maintenance services. Steven regularly leads seminars at ISS shows and is an industry speaker and consultant. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Steven at rthreads@bellsouth.net.

Shining Stars
Despite an overcast economic forecast for many industries worldwide, the decorated apparel trade continues to glimmer through the clouds, as is evident by the finely crafted entries Impressions received for the 30th annual Impressions Awards competition.
January 05, 2009

DIGITAL EDITION

Buckle Up for a Thrill Ride
The decorated apparel industry, despite substantial challenges in the U.S. economy, is alive and…well, we could be doing better. Wall Street — and the economy in general — are on a wild roller coaster as the credit crunch continues and decorated apparel is not exempt. While no one can predict the future with certainty, this survey-based analysis suggests we'll be along for the ride, but perhaps on a smaller coaster that doesn't rise as high or plunge as fast as the monster whipsawing the rest of the U.S. economy.
December 01, 2008

How Embroiderers can Beat the Odds in a Recession
Economic upheavals produce worries throughout the business world. Follow these tips for finding new niches for your embroidery services.
Well, it looks like the recession is finally here. After many months of speculation as to whether we are or aren't, we are officially in an economic recession. This is not all bad news. It is a little-known fact that when markets go down in one area, they tend to go up in others.
December 01, 2008

Lofty Goals
Flawless embroidery starts with a smooth sewing surface. But when a customer's order calls for sewing on textured or lofty fabrics, your path to successful embroidery suddenly gets a little bumpy.
December 01, 2008

Beyond the Gym
Performance apparel manufacturers are rolling out new options that not only keep wearers cool, clean and dry, but also are suitable for everyday use.
Enough was enough for Kevin Plank. In 1995, Plank, then-special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team, decided he had grown tired of repeatedly changing his soaking-wet cotton T-shirts during games.
November 01, 2008