Embroidery:


Embroidery Advice for Apparel Decorating Newbies



September 30, 2019

When you first start off as an embroiderer in the decorated apparel industry, you learn that there are many elements that go into mastering your craft and producing a beautiful design on things like hats, hoodies, jackets and shirts.

However, there are things you can do that will make your experience as an apparel decorating professional just a bit easier in the beginning. The following are some basics every embroiderer needs to know to create high-quality designs and products for their customers.

Embroidery Needles

There are plenty of basic and specialty needles on the market that are designed for different thread and fabric types. Knowing the needles that are appropriate for your specific project is key to avoiding issues such as needle and thread breaks.

  1. Choose the right needle size. Most embroidery projects call for 75/11 sharp-point needles, but different garments and thread sizes require different sized needles. If you’re embroidering on something thick, like a structured hat, use an 80/12 sharp-point needle or 75/11 sharp-point titanium needle. They are tough enough to penetrate the fabric without breaking. When it comes to working with thicker thread types, such as metallic, go up a needle size to accommodate the thicker thread passing through the needle’s eye. If there’s less room for the thread to pass through smoothly, the thread easily can shred and break.
  2. Know the different needle-point types. Embroidery needles are classified as one of two types: ball-point or sharp-point. The difference? Ball-point needles slip through the fabric threads and don’t puncture a hole in the fabric like sharp-point needles do.Therefore, it’s best to use ball-point needles to avoid unwanted holes when embroidering delicate, stretchy garments like polyester sportswear.
  3. Change your needles. If you are experiencing a lot of needle breaks, it may be time to change your needle. Over time, needles become worn, making them more susceptible to breaking. Commercial embroiderers typically switch out their needles once every eight hours of continuous use, or if they have experienced three consecutive thread breaks.

Embroidery Thread

Aside from ensuring your machine is threaded properly in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines, keep in mind some fundamentals when it comes to choosing and caring for your thread.


  1. Understand the relationship between thread weights and needle sizes. Most embroidery threads range from size 30 to 60, with 40 being standard. Size 30 thread is thicker, while size 60 thread is thinner and used for detailed projects and small lettering. What does this have to do with your needle? Each needle has an eye through which the thread passes. The needle’s eye grows as it increases in size. In order for thicker thread weights to pass through the eye smoothly, you’ll need a larger needle size to avoid thread breaks.
  2. Know the difference between polyester and rayon thread. When first starting out, many embroiderers don’t know which type of thread is best for their embroidery projects. Polyester thread is popular for commercial settings because it is bleach resistant and less expensive. Rayon, on the other hand, is the least abrasive to machines and features more of a silky sheen and softness.
  3. Store your thread at cooler temperatures. It’s important to store your thread at cool temperatures so it can keep its original properties for as long as possible and prevent degradation. Threads also should be kept in a clean, dust-free location so that it doesn’t cause tension issues or possibly contamination.

 Hooping

Before you can embroider a garment or fabric, you must use the correct hoop to provide the most stability and proper tension. Knowing the different hoop types and sizes is important for producing a quality design.

  1. Ensure you’re getting a proper hold — or tension — on the garment. In order to embroider on a garment efficiently, you will need to get a proper hold, or tension, when hooping the fabric. A lack of tension during the embroidery process can cause a loss of registration, thus moving the fabric around. This can result in a distorted or unevenly stitched design. Tension also provides the stability your fabric needs to withstand the embroidery process and keep your fabric secure.
  2. Avoid getting hoop marks on your garment.Sometimes, in the hooping process, your fabric or garment may be left with a white, circular mark, known as a hoop mark. When preparing a product for customers, take the proper quality-control measures to prevent, reduce and remove hoop marks. A quick way to remove a hoop mark is to spray water on it and let the garment dry. However, there are some hoops that prevent the possibility of hoop marks. For example, Mighty Hoops are magnetic and don’t need pressure applied to secure the fabric.
  3. Cover all areas of the garment in your hoop.When hooped, all areas of the garment and backing should fill the entire hoop. This ensures your garments are hooped tightly, helping with stability and tension and — more importantly — avoiding bird nests, which happen when the bobbin and top thread get tangled near the rotary hook.

Taking the time to master all three of these elements will make your embroidery process much smoother. It’s important to learn everything you can about your craft if you are thinking of venturing into embroidery. At the end of the day, the more you know, the more you grow.

Melissa Bango is the content specialist at Ricoma Embroidery Machines. The company regularly creates blog and video content to enable both beginners and experts to start or grow their custom apparel business with embroidery. For more information or to comment on this article, email Melissa at melissa@ricoma.com. Updated May 23, 2023

5 Helpful Embroidery Tools

The following five tools should be added to every embroiderer’s arsenal for decorating shirts, hoodies, hats and other apparel.

1) Embroiderer’s Helper Placement Took:

As its name suggests, the Embroiderer’s Helper placement tool is your “right hand” when it comes to placing and centering left- and right-chest embroidery designs on polo and placket shirts, T-shirts and sweat shirts. This tool takes the guesswork out of design placement with notches that display where to place the center mark, depending on the shirt size and type.

2) Peggy’s Stitch Eraser:

Even the best embroiderers make mistakes. Typically, this results in removing stitches with anything you can find (scissors, tweezers — even hair clippers), but that can be risky. That’s where Peggy’s Stitch Eraser comes to the rescue. The tool was designed by an embroiderer and sewing enthusiast who had a vision of helping other embroiderers remove thread without tarnishing their garments. It also makes the stitch-removal process much less tedious and more efficient, even when removing thicker threads. The package includes clipper oil, a cleaning brush and detailed instructions on how to use this tool.

3) Robot Frame:

Embroidering shoes is no easy feat, but a Robot Frame can result in a quality job and trouble-free experience. The tool consists of two adjustable, high-pressure clamps that firmly hold thick shoes like cleats and leather boots during the embroidery process. You also can get creative to embroider other difficult-to-hoop items, such as bags.

4) Gen 2 Cap Frame:

If you are passionate about embroidering hats, HoopTech’s Gen 2 cap frame could be a valuable tool for your shop. This specialty cap frame expands the embroidery area to allow you to stitch closer to the hat’s bill without experiencing needle breaks. The frame also contains clips to hold the stabilizer when hooping caps, simplifying the hooping process. Overall, this tool makes hooping and embroidering caps much more efficient, saving businesses money on production time and potential mistakes.

5) Tension Gauge:

In machine embroidery, proper thread tension is crucial to ensure smooth operation. Tension gauges allow you to measure your machine’s thread tension and adjust it until reaching the desired setting. Top-thread tension gauges are hooked to the top thread from the presser foot. By pulling on the thread, you can determine the tension the embroidery machine is applying to the thread. Both top- and bobbin-thread tension gauges can be used for both commercial and home embroidery machines and are available at plenty of embroidery-supply stores.


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