TipsNEEDLES
Size #75/11 arrives with most commercial embroidery machines. Reserve this size for heavy caps.
Size #70/10 produces sharper lettering and details in most of your embroidery work.
Size #65/9 is general used with 60 weight thread for fine detail and outlining of small designs. This fine needles are also appropriate when sewing on fragile fabrics.
Size #90/14 works well for heavier 20, 30 or 35 weight threads such as Madeira's Supertwist or FS20
Size #100/16 are needed when sewing with yarn weight threads such as Madeira's Burmilana
Universal points are somewhat between a sharp point and a ball point and are best for the standard needle to use is your machine. Switch to sharp points when sewing heavy bags or dense caps. Use true ball points when sewing on fine knits or sweaters.
When sewing leather use the finest sharp point available. Holes made by needle penetration of leather do not close up as fabrics do.
The finer needles will make smaller holes that the threads will fill.
Reserve "leather needles" with triangular points for sewing on heavy leather such as belts. Do not use this heavy needles on fine jacket leather.
BACKING
Embroidery backing come in two types, cut-a-way and tear-a-wear.
Use tear-a-way backings on jackets, caps and bags.
Cut-a-way backings should be used on most other garments sewn.
One layer of mid-weight backing is
all that should be used in the ordinary sewing process. Use of
multiple layers of backing (except in the case of poly-mesh below) is
an attempt to maintain registration in a poorly digitizied design.
Have the design corrected. When you use multiple layers of backing you
are really quilting instead of embroidering and will most likely cause
more puckering and distortion of the design.
To avoid that block of backing that
often shows through light colored garments use one layer of poly-mesh
type backing with a layer of tear-away behind it for additional
stablization during the sewing process. After sewing tear off the
excess tear-a-way and trim the poly-mesh around the design. This
combination of products is also useful when embroidering on t-shirts
and sweatshirts.
Applique sissors are just the right
size for trimming backing and will help you avoid nicking the garment
when cutting the backing.
When trimming backing hold the
corner of the backing up, so that the garment is falling towards you.
Slide the sissors around the design rather than opening and closing the
sissors in a cutting motion. You will be less likely to snip the
garment.
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