Crafting A Better Embroidery Business
Whether you’re running a small boutique embroidery shop or managing a large-scale decorated-apparel operation, attracting more customers to your business is crucial for growth and sustainability.
FULL STORYWhen 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The following five tools should be added to every embroiderer’s arsenal for decorating shirts, hoodies, hats and other apparel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Whether you’re running a small boutique embroidery shop or managing a large-scale decorated-apparel operation, attracting more customers to your business is crucial for growth and sustainability.
FULL STORYThere’s nothing more frustrating than being under pressure to get a job out and having something go wrong—and there are so many things that can go wrong!
FULL STORYChoosing the correct backing is a vital part of the embroidery process. Unfortunately, it can also create a fair amount of anxiety and confusion for embroiderers.
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