Sewing Guidelines

These hints are designed for the beginner in monogramming. If you are an experienced embroiderer, you don't need to spend time with this page.

• Hooping: For all monogramming you have to put the material inside some type of hoop to hold it tight and rigid and the hoop is what moves the material around for stitching. Material should be stretched tight. You should hoop the backing in at the same time if only using a single sheet. You can also use sheets of backing loose underneath and a combination of both works best. Hoop one sheet of backing and use another one or two sheets loose until the stitching catches it and moves it along with the hoop.

• Spray adhesive: A new adhesive made especially for this type of application, lets you spray it on the backing and apply it firmly to the material. It will wash out. This will hold the back even more firmly on the material. This is especially needed with small designs on loose knit material, like golf shirts.

• Always use backing. Use several layers of backing if the material is not a very fine weave. Basically, there are two kinds of backing: Tear away and Cut Away. Tear away is easy to use and get off after stitching, but it is not rigid enough for loose weave garments like polo and golf shirts. Cut away also needs to be used with cap stitching.

• Stitch Density: If a given font is designed to be used from .5 inch to 3.0 inch, you still need to adjust the stitch density at either extreme size. Use less density with small letters. Otherwise, they will bunch up the thread or tear the garment, or both. With very large letters, the thread will get too thin and the density needs to be increased. There is no exact formula since type of material, backing and/or overlay all affect what is needed.

• Overlay: Especially with fluffy towels and washcloths, you need to put a clear plastic layer on the top of the garment. You can hoop it into the whole frame, or just hold it over the garment until the stitches begin to grab it. This thin plastic sheeting is the same thing dry-cleaners use for clothes and can usually be obtained free. If you have enough to include it in the hoop, you should. Some clear sheeting is made for this purpose that is water soluble. It's pretty pricy, but very handy.

• Tensions: Both bobbin tensions and needle tensions are very important. You should be able to see a small white ridge of bobbin thread on the underside of a monogram when completed. This indicates proper tension between the two. One way to check (other than just getting to know how it "feels" when you pull on the thread, which you will after a lot of sewing and adjusting) is to set the bobbin tension so that when you hold the bobbin thread, and the bobbin and case is in the air, a movement of your hand up and down will let the bobbin slowly release the thread and drop down, like a yo-yo. Then set your sewing tensions for proper sewing with the bobbin at his tension.
  Take your time until no mistakes are being made.

Judy and M.D. Smith (mdsmith@HiWAAY.net)
2300 Woodcliff Road, SE, Huntsville, AL 35801
Fax (256) 533-8282, Phone (256) 536-7520