Images Magazine June 2018

www.images-magazine.com JUNE 2018 images 53 TIPS & TECHNIQUES 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 constant refrain from digitisers that cap designs must be digitised “bottom up, centre out”. This sequencing starts the embroidery process from the most stable part of the crown, the bottom centre, where it is well attached and securely held by the frame, and moves away from that centre, stitching the crown to the stabiliser as it goes. This action of moving away from the centre is like smoothing a wrinkled tablecloth; it pushes loose fabric away from the design, and in sewing the crown to the stabiliser, fixes the crown in On a full-cover design like this, you can easily hide a ‘tree’ of running stitches starting from the centre and reaching out to the edge of the design as the first element in the piece. This ‘tree’ of underlay helps stabilise the piece by stitching the crown to the stabiliser, and pre-emptively starts the process of smoothing it in the ‘tablecloth’ method before top-stitching even begins It is possible to stitch over mesh, but be aware that you will need underlay to shore up edges in your design that run over the mesh, and that for a black hat like this, you may want to use black tear-away stabiliser and even black bobbin thread to give the cleanest finish and avoid high-contrast show-through of the stabiliser might have achieved with standard 40wt thread, provided your digitiser is informed of these changes and knows how to digitise for the speciality thread. Just be aware that on stiff, structured caps, this thinner needle will deflect even more than either the standard 75/11 most embroiderers run, or the 80/10 favoured by those who consistently embroider these overly stiff substrates. Once again, setting customer expectations is critical; make sure to bring up potential problem spots in the initial conversation. In order to avoid the perception that you are supplying a commodity, you must present yourself as a consultant: explain the potential alterations the customer’s design may require to achieve the best possible embroidered result, and reinforce that idea of the ‘handshake distance’ as the primary way to judge both the level of detail visible in a piece and the impact of any given image or message. This will often win you the argument over any alterations and resizing. Pathing For decorators who don’t digitise, the requirement to produce a different file for caps than shirts is a constant source of consternation. Unfortunately, the nature of how finished caps are framed for machine embroidery means that they will always be somewhat unstable, even if they are properly secured with adequate stabiliser tied into all of the stable points of the cap frame, and every tooth and strap is set exactly in the right place. The shifting material of the cap’s crown will warp, wave and buckle under the stresses of embroidery, particularly if the apparent motion of the stitching pushes unfalteringly toward one side of your design. This is why you hear the this smoothed-out state. Sometimes this means that designs must be completed one area at a time, requiring additional colour changes and trims as elements are outlined in place. Or, that multiple elements are stitched in each area before moving further away from the centre rather than running all elements of one colour in the same colour change. Even in a design made for regular hooping, the more time passes/areas are stitched between an element being stitched and its outline or another element that must register with the first stitching, the more likely that the natural stresses and distortion of the embroidery process will cause the second element or outline to run out of register. With the shifting landscape offered by a cap crown, the effect is even more pronounced, hence the requirement for isolating each area. To cap it off Headwear can be difficult, but with preparation in the design phase, carefully executed digitising and the right materials and techniques, it can be a profitable part of your shop’s offerings. Don’t be afraid to try out new things: experiment with multiple design placements, and make that dive into decorating the literally wide open spaces offered by caps. There’s nothing like a non-sized item with a low cost and a high perceived value to round out any order.