ImagesMagUK_November_2020

www.images-magazine.com 53 images NOVEMBER 2020 TIPS & TECHNIQUES T his unique naval bear was drawn by our in-house artist and then digitised using Wilcom EmbroideryStudio e4.5 in order to show the benefits of different media uses in embroidery. We used a mixture of Madeira classic 40 thread and Burmilana wool thread to give the bear an appealingly textured, ‘fluffy’ appearance. The beauty of the wool thread is firstly that it allows you to produce a different texture simply by using a straightforward brushing effect once the embroidery is complete. This can be done with a wire brush, or alternatively Velcro is a good stand in. Bear necessities Dominic Bunce of embroidery digitising specialist David Sharp reveals how to use Burmilana thread to create a stitch-perfect bear with realistic fluffy fur Secondly, the Madeira Burmilana thread can save a vast amount of stitches due to its thicker weight. This bear, which is 225mm high, uses less than 40,000 stitches thanks to the use of the thicker thread, saving more than 42,000 stitches compared to a traditional fill stitch and satins with standard threads. This more than halves the production time required. It is important that your digitiser knows this thread is being used, and is experienced in its technique, to ensure maximum machine productivity through efficiency. For Burmilana thread, the digitising needs to take into account its extra thickness and wool-like nature. An average stitch spacing setting when digitising for normal thread is 0.40 mm, but here we have used a stitch spacing of 1.2mm. This is for both the satins and the tatami fill stitches. The minimum stitch length for Burmilana thread is 1mm long, whereas a normal thread will go down as small as 0.4mm. It’s important when you have finished setting up a Burmilana thread design that you delete all stitches 1mm and under. This removes any tiny stitches and prevents the Burmilana thread from getting bunched and causing machine issues. www.davidsharp.co.uk Burmilana thread from Madeira was used to create this tactile bear Before being brushed Use a wire brush or Velcro to brush the thread The post-brushing finished ‘fluffy’ effect