TROUBLESHOOTER
With the increase in the amount of knitwear coming into the industry we asked ROY BURTON, managing director of Your Embroidery Services Ltd and his team, about the particular problems that can occur.
A
lthough knitted garments have always been one of the most popular pieces of apparel for
decorating, it was back in the late 60s and early 70s that the explosion in embroidered jumpers really happened. Those of us old enough will remember
Embroidering knitted fabric T
The frame
here is one simple rule where the frame is concerned – use the smallest one possible. During
the 21 gauge jumper from a well-known high street store sporting a design that became known as ‘the flying V’. Same style of jumper, same design, just different colour combinations. Thankfully designs today are a bit more
varied. Although machines then were not as sophisticated as today’s, their slow deliberate sewing action leant itself perfectly to this style of embroidery. Since then fabrics, machines, software
and thread have changed, but most of the problems associated with embroidering knitwear have not. Here we will look at some of the basic
areas to watch out for which, if handled correctly, will give you the type of results your customers want to see. Knitted fabric is made up of a
combination of large and small interlocked loops. No matter what the gauge (how many stitches per inch) the fabric is, it will be unstable. The very nature of knitted fabric allows
it to stretch and move in all directions and this gives embroiderers a big problem. If the fabric is not held in the frame correctly and/or the logo is not digitised properly then the design will move off- pattern. Understanding this will go a long way towards making your life easier when it comes to embroidering knitwear.
The pattern A
s we have mentioned in previous articles it is imperative that the person digitising the design knows
what fabric it is going on to. Different criteria apply to different media
so a design digitised for denim, for instance, will not work well on knitwear. Surprisingly the key area of difference lies with the stitches you cannot see – the packing stitches. Because of its ability to move and
stretch, knitwear must have base stitches, commonly called packing stitches, beneath the top, or finishing, stitches. These are there to firstly attach the
knitwear to the backing (more on that later) and secondly, to stabilise the area to be embroidered. In effect they remove the knitwear’s
ability to move thus giving a stable canvas on which to add the top stitching. Have no doubt about this, packing stitches are a
definite requirement and without them you will have problems. The density of the stitches is also key to
the finished quality and should be balanced with the gauge of the knitwear being embroidered and here you are looking at cosmetics as well as practicality. Once the area is stabilised with the
packing stitches you can, in theory, lay as many top stitches down as you want in the knowledge that the fabric will not move. However increasing the density of the
design adds running time and is likely to make the design feel like a piece of board. If the digitiser knows what fabric you are
using they should be able to balance the finished design with the garment.
Backing I
f ever a non-woven backing was needed it is when embroidering knitwear. The stability of the non-woven is transferred
to the knitwear when the outline and packing stitches are added giving a stable base for embroidery. Once the embroidery is finished then it
can, if necessary, be removed. The weight (or thickness) of the non-woven will depend on the fabric and the design but, generally speaking a couple of pieces of 40gsm works fine. By the way, whilst we are on this
subject, it is always better to lay the two pieces at 90 degrees to each other as this gives equal strength around 360 degrees. Always ensure that the backing is fully trapped in the frame. There may be occasions where a
backing is not acceptable for instance on double sided embroidery (eg: a scarf). In these rare instances you can use an alternative such as water soluble fabric.
embroidery the needle passes in and out of the knitwear and the backing will push and lift the fabric. The less excess space there is in the frame, the less play there will be in the fabric. There is also a cost advantage in that, as the backing needs to be trapped in the frame the waste will be greater the larger the frame.
The thread T T
he majority of knitwear carries a care label advising low temperature washing and, in some cases, hand
washing. Because of this the type of thread you use really only needs to be considered from a cosmetic point of view. Even the more delicate metallic threads work well on knitted products. One area where you may have to give
this consideration may be if the knitwear is so fine that the size of needle required for, say, metallic thread would be too large for the fabric but this is going to be a rarity.
The needle
his is always the difficult one to address especially if it involves changing all the needles, for
instance, on a SWF 12 head Dual Function machine. There are two criteria where the needle
is concerned – the size and the point form. Generally speaking because embroidery machines sew slowly (in comparison to lockstitch sewing machines) the needle is not as critical in the overall sewing process but it is still important. The maximum size of the needle you
should use is controlled by the maximum expansion of the small loop in the knitwear. This is, of course, fine in theory but who is going to measure the size of the loop? In reality the great majority of knitwear will be quite happy with the standard size 75 or 80 needle however it is worth taking note of the point form. To avoid damage to the fabric a needle
should ideally avoid penetrating the yarn but, instead, slide it around the point of the needle. To achieve this a ball point needle, which has the very tip slightly rounded, is usually preferred. As mentioned earlier, knitwear is one of,
if not the most, common fabric to be embroidered. By taking note of these points you should find it less problematical and more profitable.
If you have any questions for our embroidery troubleshooter, contact YES Ltd on 01623 863343 | 86 | January 2014
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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