TROUBLESHOOTER Applying applique
This month our embroidery expert, Roy Burton and the YES Ltd team, are looking at some of the problems that can be encountered with applique designs and how to overcome them...
A
pplique is a subject that generates extremes of opinion. Some love them, finding them easy and straightforward while others avoid them like the plague. In truth, it is as easy as any form of embroidery. The secret, as with most things, is in the preparation.
There are three main areas to consider – the base fabric, the design (and how it is digitised) and the applique fabric.
The base fabric
The fabric must be stable enough to be embroidered and, if not, then a suitable backing must be used. It must also be able to take the numerous needle penetrations that it will suffer. The difference from everyday embroidery is that it will have another piece of fabric stitched onto it and the two must work together. For an extreme demonstration of where this could be a problem letʼs look at appliqueing a piece of denim onto a Lycra leotard. The Lycra is very stretchy whereas the denim is not, so as long as the area to be appliqued is quite small it will probably work but if the area is larger then it wonʼt because the denim will not stretch or expand with the Lycra. This mix and match compatibility may seem obvious but you would be amazed how many times we have come across this problem.
The design
It is vital that all the information about the applique is known to the digitiser. What type of fabric is it? Knitted, woven, plastic? The answer will determine how the border is constructed. The border has to do more than simply act as a decorative edge to the design – it also has to handle the movement of both fabrics when the garment is worn. Different fabrics not only demand different widths of border but also determine how the border will be constructed. A good example of this is woven fabric. When cut in line with either the warp or the weft then the fabric will easily fray. If the border does not cover a wide enough edge then the applique will “pull out” from under the border. To be honest, with woven fabrics, it is better if it can be cut ʻon the biasʼ. This simply means cutting at a slight angle so that the straight edge of a design is not parallel to the warp or the weft. If the design has lots of curves then this will not be such a problem but if the applique is rectangular then it may have a detrimental effect on the finished design. We recommend that a border is never less than 3mm and is generally constructed using tramline stitching with a zig-zag pattern in-between and then topped by the covering satin stitch.
The top stitching gives you the look and finish you want while the stitches underneath are doing the job of holding the applique fabric. (See below).
The applique fabric
This is the area where most problems occur as it can often be the case that the fabric that looks the best for the design is simply impractical to be used as applique. Knitted or closely woven fabrics are, generally, OK as are solid, sealed or extruded fabrics such as canvas or plastic.
What is important here is what will happen to the edge of the applique when the border is applied. Also, the relationship between the base fabric and the applique fabric is key. An example of where this can go totally wrong in all areas was where a loosely woven fabric was to be used on a knitted garment and the designer wanted a narrow border. Whereas, from a cosmetic point of view, the design was always going to look good, it was just not practical as none of the ʻkey areasʼ of consideration had been addressed.
When, against all recommendations, the design was produced the applique fabric eventually pulled out from under the border. Unfortunately for the designer, the manufacturer and the retailer concerned this did not happen until after the garments had been sold.
And finally
In this article our comments relate to occasions where the applique is being used as a cosmetic part of the design but you can also use applique to save stitches and reduce the cost of an embroidery project. To fill an area with stiches can be costly but by using a piece of (suitable) fabric in place of the stitches this will save time on the machine and therefore reduce the overall cost. Next time we will look at the ways that applique can be applied and used including how you can create a ʻlace-effectʼ by using water soluble film (Aquafilm). n If you would like more information or have any questions you can contact YES Ltd on 01623 863343.
| 58 | March 2013
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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