30th Anniversary Special Changes to M


y immersion into the world of embroidery started in the ‘80s –


before many of those reading this article were even born! We didn’t have mobile phones or computers – emails and social media were not even a consideration – yet looking back, industrial embroidery was actually advanced for its time.


industrial embroidery! By Karen Burrows, managing director, Madeira UK


pieces of garments such as sleeves or jacket fronts would be sent up and down the country to be embroidered then sent back to the manufacturer for making up.


Adapt to accommodate The embroidery process itself was, dare I say, slightly easier, as it was mostly done prior to the product being stitched together, hence the fl at beds and simple hoops worked fi ne. UK embroidery today is mostly onto fi nished goods, so the variety of hooping styles and options have had to adapt to accommodate intricacies such as embroidering a complete cap or a padded waterproof jacket.


Ultramatic machine first brought into the UK in the ‘80s


Initially evolving from lockstitch sewing machines, industrial embroidery machines began as single needle, multi-head, automated fl at beds in the ‘50s, moving to the ‘90s where multi-functional


multi-head machines with options for cornely, chenille, sequins and boring were revolutionising the market. Textile factories were still thriving, and I drove around most of the UK visiting companies producing and embroidering items as diverse as shoes, slippers, socks, hats, dresses, blouses, knitwear, sportswear, bedding and towels. I remember hearing orders for ‘two thousand dozen left panels’, or ‘fi ve thousand dozen pockets’ and often cut


| 26 | January 2022


While embroidery may have been more straightforward, the design creation and application were quite longwinded. The terminology ‘digitising’ was unknown. Originally it was ‘punching’, a term still referred to by some embroiderers. The desired design was created manually by literally ‘punching’ holes, initially by hand and later by machine, onto continuous paper tapes known as jacquards. Jacquard: Named after Joseph M. Jacquard, inventor of the Jacquard Loom, which used a ‘punched’ card to weave a pattern.


Archived tapes Take for granted


Software development aided the transition as true ‘digitising’ became really sophisticated, when you could connect and download the design via a modem, which could take hours to download if the connection wasn’t strong! Today we take for granted the speed and effi ciencies in creating and downloading designs using our modern technology and many machines have wireless connections, allowing almost instantaneous data transfer.


Threads


A Tajima jacquard machine (Credit: C. H. Holderby Industrial Sewing Machines)


These tapes were superseded in the late ‘80s by fl oppy discs, all having to be posted out, or if urgent, someone had to


Clearly, machines need thread to produce the embroidery. Madeira has been manufacturing threads for more than 100 years. Like all thread producers, it began with cotton since this was before the introduction of polyester. Commercial requirements for decorative stitch and embroidery thread grew along with the speed of industrial embroidery machines. Progression towards more colour choice options via eight to 16 needles and huge machines with 54 heads and more are available now.


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


physically collect the design. The discs were double density 720kb, holding around 20 designs. Later, 1.44mb became the norm, taking approximately 40+ designs – some still used today!


C


el e b


rating 30 y e a r s


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