The Embroidery Column


How to master the art of


93% of people wear sportswear for leisure


In this month’s article Danielle Park and Natalie Greetham of Madeira UK tackle the tricky subject of embroidering onto sportswear.


M


ore than nine out of 10 (93%) consumers wear their sportswear for activities other than exercising. “This is not a fashion trend, it is a lifestyle trend. There is functionality mixed with fashion,” explains Marshall Cohen, chief retail analyst at market research firm The NPD Group New York. This explains why the performancewear portion of the apparel industry is growing faster globally than any other segment, so if you havenʼt already encountered performancewear fabrics you will soon. These fabrics need to have moisture wicking, compression, and


ultra-lightweight properties, however they are also slippery, shiny, unusually stretchy and super skinny making them notoriously difficult to embroider. Problems often encountered include; puckering, holes forming and fabric slipping but by taking these pre-emptive actions embroidering them will be made easier.


● Keep it light


Digitise your embroidery with the lowest stitch count possible. Loosening thread tensions can help to reduce stress on the fabric.


● Keep it stable


By using a light, but super strong backing (such as Weblon) you can achieve optimum stabilisation while ensuring your embroidery process complements the functionality of the garment. When hooping, do not over stretch your fabric.


| 92 | May 2018 www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk ● Needles


Ensure you use a ball point needle (for relaxed weave fabrics) to help eliminate holes.


Using the correct size needle i.e. a needle that is as small as the thread allows, will reduce needle damage and stress on the garment.


●Threads A common misconception is that polyester embroidery threads would work best with synthetic performance fabrics, yet the naturally occurring fibres in Rayon Viscose are equally able to be washed at high temperatures and will produce a softer finish. However Rayon is not bleach resistant therefore


Encourage simplified embroidery-friendly designs


polyester threads should be used when bleach resistance is required such as on swimwear.


● Finishing


For ultimate comfort apply a soft finishing fabric to the reverse of your embroidery. These fabrics have a soft feel on one side and heat activated glue on the other so they can be heat pressed onto the garment after embroidering.


Managing your customersʼ expectations is key, as some designs cannot be replicated successfully and encouraging a simplified embroidery- friendly design will reduce the likelihood of encountering the above difficulties.


embroidering sportswear


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100