Very few things in life stand the test of time. As natural as the ebb and flow of evolution, most seemingly universal customs are founded and practiced with vigor, only to fade away with a whisper as the years tick by.
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To the uninitiated, digitizing for machine embroidery seems like a process of simple conversion.
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With this month’s On Design, we travel deep into the jungles of Central Mexico, harkening back to an ancient time where the Aztecs roamed the earth whilst building a formidable empire.
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With summer right around the corner, this month’s featured design brings some heat, surf and fun in the sun.
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“Paws” was created by Quality Punch, a Torrance, California-based embroidery-digitizing and vector-art supplier.
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Embroidering on fashionable fabrics — especially the thin varieties, such as tri-blends — is a little less forgiving than when it’s done on heavier fabrics.
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Embroidering on thin fabrics such as performancewear and tri-blend garments can scare away some embroiderers.
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As an embroiderer, you must consider many aspects when it comes to lettering on headwear. From 3-D puff to outlined text, the game changes when embroidery is done on a cap.
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While you may have mastered twills and tees, other fabrics on the other hand, may still present a challenge. We are going to focus on digitizing and embroidering on the more difficult types of fabric.
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In embroidery, there is nothing more beautiful than a monogram. In fact, because of its luxury, a monogram on a man’s shirt cuff became a symbol of hope during the Great Depression. And, at a time of economic disaster, this small luxury kept our industry alive.
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Impressions gives apparel decorators from around the world the opportunity to submit their most impressive work, compete alongside their peers and show off their talents to the industry in its annual Impressions Awards decorating competition.
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There are two kinds of file types for digitizing an embroidery design for apparel decoration: outline (or parent) files and expanded (or machine) files. Outline files are specific to a software. Expanded files are more generic and can be read by embroidery machines.
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Each year, Impressions invites decorators from around the world to enter their most impressive work, compete alongside their peers and show off their talents to the industry in the Impressions Awards decorating competition.
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Let’s say you just finished an embroidery job — a left-chest logo stitched on shirts and hats — and now the customer wants jackets. What’s more, he wants the same logo on a jacket back.
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Understanding what to do before a design goes to the digitizer
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Whether you are a digitizer, shop owner or salesman, it is good to know the basics of embroidering on caps
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As most embroiderers inevitably discover, some customers expect you to
take a symbol they have chosen, add lettering and create a logo. This
leads to a certain amount of freedom to choose the ideal font.
Experienced embroiderers know when a design will result in a quality sewout, and their customers will be happy with the results. But embroidering on headwear presents a special set of challenges, which leads many embroiderers to avoid these projects.
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Of all the positive business decisions you make daily, mastering the ability to provide amazing detail, infinitesimal lettering and artistic shading should be among them.
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When you think of the many apparel options that are available for embellishment, a traditional Japanese kimono probably doesn’t immediately come to mind.
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Follow these steps to pick the best software for your embroidery business
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One of the most untapped technologies in the decorated apparel industry is the embroidery laser.
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As embroiderers, we experiment with all kinds of materials to create special effects. From 3-D embroidery foam to appliqué and Mylar-enhanced creations, we go all out to add glamour and interest to our embroidery.
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A node is a designer’s best friend in many programs. Many embroidery software programs also use nodes to create and define aspects of a shape.
In embroidery, no detail is more important than lettering. Your designs are labels for your customers and they must be able to read those labels — even the small print.
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This year marked the 35th annual Impressions Awards, and it represents our showcase of the industry’s best designs from decorators of all sizes and experience levels.
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By choosing one of these four ways to create data for stitching lettering, it’s possible to strike a balance between style and substance.
There are two great mysteries that digitizers must solve to build the perfect design: underlay and push-pull compensation.
Although the terms “blending” and “shading” often are interchanged, there is a difference. You can blend colors without shading, but you cannot shade an object without blending colors.
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To successfully blend colors, you must know how to mix colors.
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