Using Multiple Framing to Embroider Oversized Items

November 08, 2010
By Steven Batts, Contributing Writer

I embroidered two banners/flags for a couple of local universities this weekend. I got the job after it had been taken to another embroiderer who was hesitant about whether he could do the job. He was even told by someone that he probably didn’t have the right equipment for it. However, I did the job and most likely had a similar sewing area as my competitor. How was I able to do this? With a little ingenuity and a lot of patience.

You don’t need a mammoth sewing field to embroider large pieces. For this particular job, I don’t know if anyone has a field size that large (3’ x 5’) anyway. My sewing field is roughly 10” x 17”. When dealing with a project that is larger than your sewing area, you have to split the design into sections and use multiple framings. For this particular job, each flag took 12 framings.

It isn’t always the design size that causes the need to split the design. For instance, most baseball jerseys feature designs that span the whole front of the shirt, but there is a placket down the middle. Unless you plan on changing the shirt from a split-front construction to a pullover, you have to split the design and hoop it twice.

While it was still fresh in my mind, I thought I would share the techniques necessary to embroider designs that require multiple framings … and if the other embroiderer in the Triad area of North Carolina is reading this, better luck next time!

There are three key markers needed to do multiple framings: on the hoop, on the material and in the design. Finding or even creating these markers will make big jobs downright doable.

On the Hoop
This is the easiest marker to find. Many of today’s hoops are molded with little hash marks that aid in aligning things. I use them all the time for regular embroidery. You can use them here to line things up with markings on the fabric.

Some hoops may not come with molded markings, but that’s OK. That’s what rulers and permanent markers are for. To help you line things up, make a few measurements and simply draw marks on the hoop.

On the Material
The point of finding a mark on the material is to be able to hoop the second framing straight with the first framing. This may be simple or it could be a little more complex, depending on the project. For example, if you are working on a baseball jersey, the mark on the garment is simple to find: the edge of the placket. Just line the edge of the placket with some marks on your hoop and you can frame it straight every time. In other cases, the mark may be a seam or a crease somewhere on the garment. You are looking for anything that you can use to align your marks.

If, however, you are working on something like the flag I just completed, the markings get a little more complicated. All I had to work with was a large piece of fabric, so I had to create my own marks. I used a washable marker and drew lines across the fabric. The letters for the flag would be placed on these lines. Not only did this give me marks for aligning my frame, it also gave me an initial mark that I could use to line up my design.

In the Design
The real trick to doing multiple placements is to alter your “origin,” or start of your design, to be somewhere you can use as a reference. We typically think of our start point as being the center of the design, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make it anywhere you need it to be. Depending on your software, it may be as simple as a few mouse clicks or it may mean moving your whole design around so that it lines up on little crosshairs on the screen.

I usually put the entire design on my computer screen and when I go to split it, I create the origin point for the second design by finding a point that I can easily align it with in the first design. It may be the end of a column or a corner in the design somewhere, but it needs to be close to the place where the two designs will merge and it needs to be easy to align with the needle on your machine. Then, you delete all the parts of the first design and save this as a different design.

My flag project included all large letters. So the lineup spot in the design was typically a corner in the letter just before the next letter to be sewn. I had all the letters on the screen, so I set the origin point to line up with a previous letter, rather than the ones I was getting ready to sew. I then deleted all the letters except for the ones to be sewn at that point, then I saved that file separately. I did this so I wouldn’t risk losing the original file and all the spacing concerns.

If you are simply splitting a design in the middle, look for a place in the design that makes this easier. You obviously don’t want to split it in the middle of a letter or in another type of object. Find a clean break point — or at least a thin part of the design. Give yourself the best opportunity for this to work by providing a larger margin of error.

Learning this technique could enable you to capture new types of business. At least you won’t have to turn away work simply because it won’t fit on your machine. This means you could be the one getting the work instead of people like me.

Wait a minute … what am I saying?

Steven Batts, a consultant with 17 years experience in the embroidery industry, owns Righteous Threads, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery and machine maintenance services. Steven regularly leads seminars at ISS shows and is an industry speaker and consultant. For more information or to comment on Steven’s article, e-mail righteousthreads@gmail.com.



Future Leaders
The 2012 Impressions Awards Student Decorating Competition honors tomorrow’s decorated apparel industry entrepreneurs.
April 27, 2012

Cap Embroidery Made Easy
Understanding intricacies such as construction, hooping basics, sewing field limitations and backing choices can minimize the challenges of sewing on caps.
April 27, 2012

Use CorelDRAW Tools to Sharpen Vector Art Skills
In today’s hectic world of business, versatility is a life raft to which you can cling in rough waters. At the center of our versatility is the ability to use CorelDRAW. Here are five basic drawing tools that, when mastered, will provide 80% of what you need to know when using CorelDRAW for apparel decoration.
February 13, 2012

Get Great Results with Raw-Edge or Reverse Appliqué
The word “appliqué” is derived from the French term for “applied.” As a decorating technique, appliqué has been popular for centuries — and was particularly useful for mending clothes and presenting a bold image, such as those on flags or banners. Recently, it has enjoyed a long run of popularity, particularly in reverse and distressed treatments on ready-to-wear clothing.
January 02, 2012

Add Appeal to Embroidery with Specialty Threads
Today, high-quality thread is available in both rayon and polyester fiber types, and both are popular among computerized embroiderers. In addition to these basic thread varieties, manufacturers have developed other specialty threads that create special embroidery effects.
October 10, 2011