ImagesMagUK_October_2020

the colour of the garment, and extends under and slightly beyond the entire area of the design. There are two common methods of creating this underlay: the automated version creates a single, 45° fill with a density of 12 points or 1.2mm. This version is exceedingly easy to execute and generally effective, but has a distinct directional grain into which detail stitches on a 45° might fall, and it also may not provide complete support on extremely open knits. Instead, I teach a second version that addresses these potential issues, called the ‘light mesh fill’. Making the light mesh fill You can create this universal underlay under any design, whether digitised in-house or purchased as a stitch file, making nearly any logo stitch well on knits and high-pile fabrics. This technique uses only the fill or tatami stitch tool in any basic digitising software, although similar effects can be created with other tools and stitch types. To create the light mesh fill, draw or create a contour shape around your design, extending the shape 1.5-2mm outside its outer edge, including any unattached details or text. Fill this shape with a tatami or fill stitch with a stitch length of 3-4mm, an angle of 45° and a density of 3-4mm (30-40 points). Use an edge-walk underlay on this shape if a defined edge is desired. The problem with sheen When stitching out a light mesh fill on fuzzy, homespun-looking knits, you may want to think about using a similarly fuzzy or matte- finish thread. Highly lustrous threads can stand out, even when the thread colour is well matched. By measuring a hat on an average head, you can better judge the right amount of stretch for hooping 1%==#:H ;G!#A#JJA& ()-3##7A# 5FH% BI!#@7G=K 4& CHGH:I 4%=GH%! 4%>GA# 5$$ ((09 >FGAH-G= #?>!%G7#!& 7#JGK=J 3+; 3%HG"G:@HG%= *#@HF!# CHG$$AG=K @=7 /#:%!@HGD# *GAAJ For your creative side and your business side .E()668 NEW 10-needle commercial embroidery machine )((< '9' ,<20 www.images-magazine.com OCTOBER 2020 images 35 KB TIPS & TECHNIQUES