ImagesMagUK_February_2022

each stitch more time to rebound/relax. Avoid unsupported zigzag underlays, as they will increase pull. For narrow satins under 1.5mm in width consider a centre run or heavily inset edge run with 1.5mm to 2mm stitch lengths. For wider columns, use an edge walk or contour underlay inset at least 0.6-0.8mm. If you have excessive show- through on your satin stitches, consider underlaying with a contour-filled column to avoid stress and increase coverage, or at least precede any zigzag underlay with an edge walk/contour edge to secure and stabilise the fabric before the underlay begins to ‘pull’. Bordered fills = stable stitching Transitioning to a well-underlaid fill with a narrow satin border, even at small sizes, helps alleviate excess pull compared to an equally wide satin. While the stitches in a satin uniformly pull toward a central line down the middle of the column, the offset nature of fills spreads stresses out more evenly. Use a fill with a long-enough stitch to look smooth and avoid excess penetrations while not creating excessive pull; 3-4mm is a good standard. Lighter densities also reduce stress; using 0.42mm or 4.2 points at a maximum is a good guideline. Coverage is helped by using structural perpendicular fill underlay. Set top-stitching angles at 5-15° off the horizontal to prevent ‘tearing’ of the top and bottom fill by the satin border. My testing favours a wider border, making my usual target width 2mm with a healthy overlap of at least 1mm, set at a lower density than the fill where possible – 0.47mm or 4.7 points. A narrow edge run underlay supports the border and shores up the edges. Lighten densities Excess density adds distortion; heavy designs adversely affect a garment’s drape. Instead, use supportive, structural underlays to lift top stitching and attain your desired coverage without adding density. Fills benefit from a perpendicular fill underlay with a spacing less than your top stitch length. For 4mm stitch length fills, a 3mm spacing will suffice. For high- contrast colour combinations, a mesh underlay consisting of two offset layers of this fill underlay at 45° and 135° offset from the top stitch angle provides extra lift and coverage. Density is frequently misunderstood as describing just the thread laying over the top of the fabric, but it’s the thread ‘wedged’ through material that adds the most stress. Too many penetration points in an area contribute to ‘cupping’ or ‘dishing’. The structure of the underlay spreads these ‘wedges’ around, reducing the amount of pushing/pulling stress in any dimension as it runs counter to the top stitching, providing more coverage directly and lifting the top-stitching away from the garment. Sequencing – smoothing the surface Easily distorted fabrics benefit from the ‘tablecloth method’ of pathing. Stitch items near the centre first wherever possible and always stitch items with the apparent motion of the needle moving ‘away’ from previously stitched elements. As fabric tends to form a wave at the leading edge of that apparent motion, this method smooths those waves toward the edges of the design like a hand smoothing wrinkles from a tablecloth. Stitching toward existing elements fixed to the stabiliser lets these waves ‘crash’, permanently fixing that wave or ripple in the design as it is stitched to the stabiliser. ‘Tablecloth’ pathing can mean extra travel stitches or jumping in the final design, but the stability is often worth the lost efficiency. In conclusion The watchwords here are ‘holistic’ and ‘balanced’. If you view the process of embroidering performancewear with an understanding of the interaction between the design, materials and execution, you’ll achieve attractive decorations that are efficient to run and are a joy to wear. Building up excessive density and penetration points can cause three-dimensional distortion. In this case, the design has become convex with the build-up of excessive density from a poorly executed auto-created blend; as more and more ‘wedges’ of thread were built up in the often double-density filled space, the design curved and curled With a fully filled piece, you have the perfect opportunity to use a ‘starburst’ pattern to stitch from the centre to the outermost edges of your design and back, thus securely spreading out and stitching down the garment layer before embroidering www.images-magazine.com FEBRUARY 2022 images 69 KB BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Erich Campbell is an award-winning digitiser, embroidery columnist and educator, with more than 20 years’ experience both in production and the management of ecommerce properties. He is the programme manager for the commercial division of BriTon Leap. www.erichcampbell.com