Images Digital Edition DEC 2018

www.images-magazine.com DECEMBER 2018 images 55 KB 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 All images courtesy of Erich Campbell unless labelled otherwise Shorter stitches and fills lay flatter; surround a short-stitched fill with a narrow satin for an attractive, clean raised edge that’s unlikely to unravel. It may lose some satin shine, but it will outlast longer stitches. 2. Pick polyester thread Polyester resists abrasion, UV light and harsh laundering better than rayon. 3. Stay away from the wear Don’t stitch areas prone to rub against the wearer or drag on the ground when the bag is laid down. It’s not common, but some customers may demand decoration in these areas; don’t do it without explaining the risk. Use better bags! Difficulties with construction, fabric type and access multiply when customers specify or self-supply bad bags. Search and catalogue your best-stitching bags of every major type and offer them first. Choose products that have been specifically designed for decoration; products that are easy to support during the decoration process and which include strategically positioned and easily hooped flaps, large open pockets or zip-off decoration panels that keep your hooping and stitching simple. The best of these brands also provide clear instructions that show precisely how and where their bags can be decorated, including advice on maximum print areas and embroidery hoop sizes. In short, curate your stitchable bag offering and explain the benefits of opting for these products to your customers Whether you solve your problems with tested techniques or avoid them altogether with selective sales, bags can prove a tremendous addition to any branded gear; few things are more visible, useful or appreciated by customers. Help your sales and help your customers’ brand awareness – make bags work for you. In this small lettering sample, you can see that I‘ve opted for durability on a piece that is likely to see some abrasion. Though I‘d usually go for a turning satin stitch on lettering of this size, the tight- fill stitching and thin satin border make for a clean finish that keeps close to the substrate and resists snagging Thi s purse prov id e d many d ecora ti ng c h a ll enges, as many fashion pieces do. In order to decorate the stretchy faux hide, I was forced to remove and replace an inner seam in the lining of the purse, something that is rather difficult to justify in pricing work for a client. Not only that, but the fact that traditional hooping would mar the exterior of this piece meant that the only method available for hooping was the adhesive method; not the easiest for a fairly large and heavy bag like this. Too often, bags require babying, but if you have motivated clientele willing to pay the premium for such custom work, you can turn a profit and produce some stunning results, even when you break all the rules to get it done. [Image courtesy of Celeste Schwartz] Bags are doomed to be dragged in and out of cars, and dropped on floors The simplest way to take the aggravation out of decorating bags is to choose a style that is designed for embellishment, such as the SLX 25 Litre Waterproof Backpack [QX625] from Quadra, which incorporates a dual-sided EasyPanel for ease of rebranding