ImagesMagUK-Sep18

www.images-magazine.com SEPTEMBER 2018 images 37 TIPS & TECHNIQUES [Above] Stock blank patches, pre-edged with a classic overlock stitch, can be ordered with or without adhesive to be embroidered on-site with your customer‘s logo. They are a great companion to more labour-intensive and thus more costly options, including creating your own custom-cut patches, or the less timely option of ordering from a larger emblem supplier. Pre-edged patch blanks come in sizes and colours to match almost any project. Having a stock collection of simple shapes in a couple of colours can keep you ready to deliver on any item you’d rather not embroider directly These ‘perfect edge’ embroidered patches ordered from a specialist emblem supplier come ready to adhere with thermal adhesive, offering a look comparable to direct embroidery, but without penetrating the garment. Provided your garment has no coatings that prevent the adhesive from working, these may be the simplest way to decorate without compromising your garment The versatility of the heat press for embroiderers can’t be overstated. Whether you want to seal direct embroidery, apply heat-adhesive patches or print your own sublimated patches for a customer, the heat press makes your shop adaptable Erich Campbell is an award-winning digitiser, embroidery columnist and educator, with 18 years’ experience both in production and the management of e-commerce properties. He is the partner relationship manager for DecoNetwork in the USA. www.erichcampbell.com materials. Even so, we can kit up for easier execution on these garments. Conventional hoops are difficult to close on quilted pieces and can cause problems keeping the layers of the garment aligned. Yes, you could use pinning to maintain alignment when pressing in the top hoop, however magnetic hoops do away with these difficulties. The force of their strong magnets holds the garment in place and, since they do not rely on a friction fit, they are easier to apply to the shifting ‘sandwich’ of a quilted garment’s layers. Secure the bottom hoop into a fixture, place your stabiliser and garment in alignment over it, and lower the top hoop. The strong magnets snap in place, pushing directly down without shifting. Underlay Quilted materials benefit from a complete underlay before your design runs to permanently affix the garment to the stabiliser and stitch the layers together. If your design allows this, it lends stability to the piece, and using separate underlays on each element can help to tamp down the insulating material, creating a flatter, prepared design area. Be aware that the first few stitches may not form correctly on thicker quilted pieces, so you may want to set several slow stitches before your design begins to ensure stitch formation. Patching it together Applying patches avoids any of the drawbacks associated with embroidering directly onto waterproof garments, as patches can be applied with heat-seal adhesives for a no- puncture finish. However, you should always test to ensure your heat-seal adhesive won’t be thwarted by water- resistant coatings, before entering into production. If heat sealing isn’t an option, then using a stitched patch will still drastically reduce the number of needle penetrations in comparison with a directly embroidered logo. Finishing the job Whether you choose to stitch through and seal or use patch blanks and a heat press to emblazon your weather-resistant garments with customer emblems, there’s no reason why you can’t create desirable looks without compromising their high perceived value.