ImagesMagUK_November_2021

TIPS & TECHNIQUES www.images-magazine.com 62 images NOVEMBER 2021 To cap it all I n a perfect world, a cap that needs decorating would be in component form (ie individual flat pieces, before they’re stitched together) as this makes embroidering a doddle. Unfortunately, you're only ever likely to be asked to decorate finished caps so mastering how to embroider them is an absolute must. Cap frames are a great addition to an embroidery machine, but they can put operators into fear mode unnecessarily. You can, however, overcome this if you follow my advice and remember that, as always, practice makes perfect. Most industrial embroidery machines have a cap frame system of some sort for baseball-type hats. Tajima Japan invented the cap frame system shown in this step-by-step on the Tajima TMEZ-SC1501 embroidery machine. The cap frame system is simple to fit: it only takes a few minutes to install and once the order is completed, it's simple to return back to the normal tubular framing mode. Not all cap frames are the same – pay particular attention to the cap driver and the Z-motion wires. You also need to check for smooth linear motion in all directions after fitting as this is vital if you want to achieve world-class cap embroidery. There are a large number of companies that distribute an ever larger variety of caps – my advice is to buy a few and see how you get on with framing them and how they look when finished. The Tajima cap frame has an adjustable band that moves backwards and forwards to make the loading of different caps easier. www.ajs-embroidery.co.uk Hesitant about trying cap embroidery? Ditch that 'fear mode' and get started in headwear decoration with this easy-to-follow guide to mastering cap frame systems from Sean Barker of AJS Embroidery