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    Shifting of the embroidery parts: Believe it or rather not

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 1 comment, 3,667 views
    There seems to be so many information on embroidery design distortions — parts of the design overlapping or, on the contrary, having gaps between them. Even I have expatiated upon the subject often enough, either covering my own unsuccessful attempts or just musing about how the things should be and how they are in reality.
    One should think that if I wrote about it myself, I would take it into consideration, but no, the same trouble continues to arrive at my doorstep from time to time.
    Now then, I have digitized a design for a client so that she would embroider it on her own machine. I created a design with the knitwear peculiarities in mind, like I always do. I have already become a skilled hand at that, and even if there are imperfections, they are not critical.
    Then she sent me photos, and I saw that it was a disaster:

    It was embroidered on the dense knitwear. Something akin to the french terry, I guess. To say the outlines were displaced is to say nothing.
    This notwithstanding the fact that I arranged for the thread to be changed often, in order to the object fill to be embroidered first, and its outline right after that.
    I immediately began to doubt of my capability of digitizing anything and think that I'd probably better be done with design creation and machine embroidery in general.
    So I rushed to embroider it on my own equipment, to see what was wrong with the pattern that I had created. As I didn't have any french terry to do the test, the only thing I managed to find was a piece of thin knitwear used for beanie caps. I hooped it, embroidered the design in question and got this:

    No so awful; there are some imperfections here, but considering that this was a big design embroidered on knitwear — a material with more than 50% stretch, it is not so bad at all. Well, I probably should have lowered the density of the red fills, but in general, everything is OK.
    The only possible answer to the question of why my client got a result depicted on the first photo is that during the embroidery there were technical mistakes, such as:
    Knitwear being slack in the hoop. Wrong stabilizer. Now I'm curious: are these the only possible causes? Is it possible that the equipment is to blame?
    So I went searching for the literature on the subject and asking well-informed people what exactly should I search for and where. In the end, I got to understand this. If such a trouble occurs, you should not only check the pattern, the hoop and the stabilizer, but the machine as well:
    Whether the frame holder is correctly attached.
    The hoop is badly attached to the holder and bounces out of it (I have a similar trouble with my Velles 15). The embroidery shifts, but not in the way I described. The hoop bounces.
    Something obstructs its movement; you should check for the presence of foreign objects around the X and Y axis drivers. I've had this problem before, and the hoop bounced, but it looked different.
    You need to check the tensions on the X and Y axis drivers. How to do it? I haven't figured this out yet, though I have the material.
    The fabric may get caught in the parts of the machine. I've encountered a similar problem before. But this is not the case.
    Voltage drops in the power system can also be the reason.
    I have a strong suspicion that the machine is not to blame in this case; the embroidery technique is the problem.
    I cannot say that having embroidered the design on my own machine took a load off my mind. I've mentioned in the past that the end result equally depends on the design creator and the embroiderer.
    And now I'm all uncertain if one should do such a thing as digitizing for someone else? There is a possibility of them getting bad result, and you will be the one taking all the blame. How should one digitize an image remotely so as to be sure the outcome will be good? I haven't received the money for my pattern, by the way.
     

    Summary on my first cutwork

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 2 comments, 3,136 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    About a year ago I tested all kinds of cutwork stabilizers available — water soluble and heat away one — on small pieces of lace. In those days I arrived at the conclusion that any kind of stabilizer is good for lace, because the lace patterns are relatively small, and in most cases do not require alignment. But now, after numerous trials and errors I arrived at the conclusion that for cutwork it is better to use not a water soluble film or thermogaze, but a water soluble stabilizer instead. Even despite the fact that it is easier for me to cut away pieces of film — the possibility of making a wrong cut is lesser, because the scissors glide along the film surface. Water soluble stabilizer is better for cutwork embroidery than thermogaze even despite the fact that with latter you don't have to wash the item for a prolonged time — thermogaze is too fragile and therefore not easy to hoop. 
    One day I've been surfing Youtube and saw a video by Deborah Jones, in which she showed how easily the fabric would attach to a water soluble film if the latter was dubbed with a wet cloth and therefore became sticky. And of course, I became excited with the idea, because in that way you don't have to hoop the fabric, just smooth it while attaching to stabilizer. Adding supporting stitches like the ones described here will be enough, but this time it's more simple, because there will be no pins: 

    I don't know whether we don't have the right kind of film here or did I get something wrong, but it didn't quite work out. I dubbed the film with water, and it became sticky, of course, but not enough to hold the fabric in place. The film instantly warped, became thin and loosened in the hoop — what accuracy can you expect, if the fabric can shift during the embroidery process. Then, having remembered an advice I read somewhere, I additionally sprayed the film with a temporary spray adhesive. The spray held the fabric better, but likewise was not very reliable as the fabric shifted in the hoop. So, my first attempt was unsuccessful. 
    That was the end of one more embroidery myth for me — the one on the possibility of embroidery without hooping. 
    This is the napkin I embroidered using a water soluble stabilizer: 

    I liked the water soluble stabilizer because it was soft and flexible, and was easy to hoop and align. It did not pucker or change its shape during the embroidery, did not warp like the film or get perforated along the edges, even when the stitch density was high. Besides, the look of the bridges surprised and embraved me. Everything that caused me trouble the last time, when I tried to find the right kind of thread and the right stitch parameters for embroidery on a film, here came out neat and good-looking on the first attempt (I used the same cotton threads and the same stitch parameters): 


    Truly, you understand nothing until you try, and besides, nobody will tell you anything. That's how important it is to know the types of threads and stabilizers when creating a machine embroidery design! Otherwise you won't be able to set the parameters right and it'll cause you suffering. 
    I never doubted that it was possible to align cutwork designs. It is not hard, even if you do it helter-skelter, like I did. 

    Where the embroidery thread can go wrong

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 2 comments, 5,246 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    With ever increasing frequency I now become aware of the fact that there are no insignificant things in machine embroidery. Just overlook this or miss that, and hello, an inexplicable trouble, which you don't quite know how to handle. In support of this conjecture is a very interesting blog post by Embroidery Professor about the ways in which the thread should come off the spool/cone, which I found recently. 
    One would think, what's the fuss about how one should position a spool, horizontally or vertically? But it is not so simple. It turns out that one should not change the way the thread comes off the spool/cone based on wind. It will lead to the twisting of the thread, which may cause several problems, especially on high speeds: 
    Frequent thread breakage.  'Bird nesting' on the wrong side of the embroidery.  There are 2 ways of thread winding. As I don't know the right terms for them, I'll call them in my own way and show how they look like on the photos: 
    Straight winding. 
    Cross winding. 
    One of the easiest ways of avoiding the aforementioned problems is to position the spools so that the thread will not twist when unwinding. As for the ways of achieving that, everybody should find their own, according to their situation and possibilities. But you should do the following: 
    In case of a straight wound spool, the thread should come off across its central axis, like on the photo below: 

    As for the cross wound spool, it should come off along the central axis: 

    That's all there is to it. 

    Seeking for 3D Puff replacement-2

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 0 comments, 3,275 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    Today I uncovered yet another embroidery myth — about the possibility of replacing 3D Puff with a similar material. As they say, why waste money if there is no difference? Especially keeping in mind that I finally managed to find a 3D Puff replacement by trial and error. 
    On weekend, while being in my country cottage, I had my eye on a couple of thermal insulants, used in home building, which turned out to be quite voluminous, rather soft and flexible by touch, and besides, one of them looked exactly like 3D Puff: 

    The material on the left is rather spongy, soft and flexible. It's about 5 mm thick. The one on the right is similar to embroidery foam: it is soft and flexible. It's about 6-7 mm thick: 

    Seeing them I immediately got an idea to try and make the 3D embroidery with them. Though everybody on the internet advises against it. 
    I created a pattern according to all of the rules of creating the 3D embroidery patterns and started the embroidery. I used the spongy insulant first. The embroidery process went smooth, I had no problems with the material: 

    It tore off very neatly along the perimeter, leaving practically no traces: 

    As for the expected volume, the things were much worse: there was no volume at all. For this insulant crinkles badly, and does not retain volume afterwords. Therefore, it should be discarded once and for all. 
    I used the Puff-like insulant second. I had high hopes for it. The embroidery process went extremely good: 

    After having took the hoop off the machine, I immediately noticed that this material crumbs terribly, leaving a trace of small bits, which is a huge disadvantage. 

    And when I began to remove the insulant, I was extremely disappointed: the volume of the embroidery was insufficient, despite the material being relatively thick. It pales in comparison even with 3 mm thick, but solid 3D Puff. 
    It takes quite an effort to tear if off along the perimeter, and leaves bits that cannot be pluck out or even fused with the help of a lighter.
     
    The second material that looks so much like 3D Puff, turned out to be entirely unsuitable for embroidery. 
    Summary: all is not gold that glitters. 

    The practical method of finding the proper stitch density setting for the threads of varying thickness

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 1 comment, 12,116 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    I think that for an embroiderer it is not a secret that every thread requires its own stitch density in order to make a successful coverage. It involves not only the thread thickness, but also the variety of materials of which the threads are made, as well as different colors and brands.
    Changing any of these parameters is the reason why a design once embroidered successfully on the same fabric, but with a different type of thread, may come out a disaster. I've encountered such a problem more that once, that's why it's not the first time when I write about it. 
    Recently, when surfing the internet, I found an interesting test design from the Coats brand, which allows to find the proper density for a particular type of thread by conducting a simple experiment. 
    The professionals working for this company created a small test design, which will help you to measure the resulting stitch density when embroidering with 120/2 thread (the standard #40). 
    You'll need to do just a few things: 
    Hoop the fabric.  Embroider the design with the required types of threads.  Examine the result.  Choose a suitable option.  We can determine if the density is enough or too much by checking with this chart: 

    You should notice that the upper segment containing 8 squares is marked by the letter N and does not have any understitching. The lower segment with the letter U has an understitching. You should select one square in each segment, having examined them by look, by touch and other parameters. 
    You can download the test in a *.dst format from the Coats website. 
    In my opinion, this is a very useful experiment, especially when embroidering with a thread of a brand you haven't tried before. Sometimes you take a spool, and the label mentions only the usual things, or even nothing at all, but you can see that the thread is thicker or thinner that the standard one. And it is not clear what do about it. As it turns out, the answer is always in plain sight. 

    Securing the thread on a spool for storage

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 0 comments, 7,700 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    Everyone knows that the threads are winded on the spools of different kinds. Some of these spools have a very convenient clasp, like this one: 

    I like it, because it allows to store a spool upside down without thread coming off of it. I store my threads in the plastic boxes with lids so they do not to get dusty or dry up, and also for easier transportability. And this clasp is what allows me to store much more threads in a box. 
    There is one more well-known way of securing the thread:

    And this way of securing the thread I don't like — it's neither convenient nor reliable. I always have to put such spools in the upright position in order to avoid problems. Yet still, this is better than no securing at all. Like here: 

    I know that such spools may be stored each in a small packet, net or a stocking. But, in my opinion, it just makes thing more complicated.
    Indeed, if one remembers that every time when we open a new spool or a bobbin (it doesn't matter if it is a sewing or embroidery thread) without a securing mechanism, we can see that the tail of the thread is not loose, but instead comes in an easily untied knot. This way the thread is secured tightly and will never unwind. 
    The way of making such a knot is no secret. It's very simple. 
    Unwind the thread a bit and hold it like on the photo below: 

    Holding on to the loose tail with the right hand, twist the thread in order to make a loop with the left: 

    Take this loop and slip it over the spool: 

    It'll look like this: 

    Take the loose tail of the thread and run it through the loop. It doesn't matter whether you do it from the top or the bottom: 

    Pull the loose tail of the thread, so the loop would sit tightly onto the spool. That's all. Now the thread is secured in place and does not unwind. 

    Everything is very simple and easy in use. 
    P.S. Only a year after having written this blog I realized that an easy way of securing the thread on a spool is using a price sticker (the one that comes in rolls). You should stick the tail of the thread to the plastic spool itself and not in any case to the thread, so as not to smear it with glue, or you will have a big problem in future. 

    Machine embroidery on a ribbed fabric. Embroidery on car foot pads 

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 3 comments, 9,220 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    Several days ago I received an order that turned out a quite unconventional one for me — I was asked to embroider a monogram on the car foot pads as a present for a girl. 
    These foot pads were thick, densely woven, rubber-covered and foamed, with high ridges on the front side. In short, industrial carpet as it is.
     
    I've heard that it is possible to embroider on them, and besides, they bore an embroidered trademark on them. This one: 

    So I decided that if other people can embroider on the car foot pads, why couldn't I do the same? And I began embroidering. What's more, the design on those foot pads was a vivid demonstration of one of the ways in which that could be done – first fill the ribbed surface with Tatami in order to make it smooth, and after that embroider on this base. 
    The tricky thing is that I need to embroider not a 10х2 cm monogram, but instead large satin letters 23х21 cm each and with twirls. I can fill the space under them, of course, as on the photo above, but it would take a vast amount of stitches and also make the foot pads look worse. And I need to make them look good. 
    Then a new idea came into my head – to embroider an additional contour filled with black stitches as a leveler under each of the satin columns. The one that won't show much from below, but that will make the surface under the columns smooth. 
    But I reckoned how much time it would take and measured it by the amount of money I was paid. And decided that it is not worth losing my sleep over it, and besides, it was not clear that it would work anyway. So I began to seek a settlement that would take as little of my time and labor inputs as possible. And the answer came immediately — to use a water soluble film; long time ago it was suggested here by not-so-unknown Deborah Jones.
    She advises to use the Underlay-at-once embroidery technique on similar coarse fabrics. It's main point is that a water soluble film should be used as the means for smoothing of the embroidery surface, and that the embroidery pattern should be made in a slightly different way. It means that you should do a layer of understitching (underlay) in one go, then the pattern will tell the machine to stop (every machine does it in its own way), and only after removing the stabilizer you create a layer with satin columns. Of course, she does not disclose any embroidery parameters, but it is still clear where to go. 
    Having watched the video and pondered over the matter, I came to a thought that even this method is too long and wearing, because you'll need to draw understitching by hand. So I decided to do it as simple as possible, namely, to remove the film in the end of the embroidery, as if
    I was embroidering on a very coarse net, and make a standard pattern (all the elements are embroidered in a sequence). If it was good for a net, why should it not help me here? 
    No sooner said than done. I created a rather simple pattern with dense understitching in order to support the final layer, which should be beautiful and without a ragged edge. 

    For the basic supporting stitches I chose 2 edge runs with 1.5 mm stitch length and quite a dense double zigzag stitch (1 line/mm in my software). And I began embroidering. 
    Of course, you cannot hoop the foot pads of such density. So I decided to stick them onto water soluble stabilizer in a frame. I took 1 layer of water soluble stabilizer, stuck a double-sided adhesive tape along the perimeter of the frame, and put a foot pad down onto it: 

    I should point that I didn't have to stick anything apart from that, because the understitching held the foot pad in place sure as death. 
    Put a piece of a heavyweight film on top of it: 

    Embroider the design: 

    I take the film off and realize that because of a double stitching along the perimeters of the letters I should have increased the space between it and the elements, for I got several extremely unpleasant loops at the edges: 

    This can be corrected, though I will have to sweat over it a little. I also modified the pattern for other pads, so that the understitching would not show. In the end, I got a design of quite a decent quality. The edges of the satin columns became ragged whenever they encountered a ridge, but it's not so awful as it had been when I embroidered on the ribbed fabric for the first time: 


    These foot pads made me remember a curious detail: when selling embroidery machines, ZSK dealers tell their customers that they can embroider car footpads on them. But what I want to say is that it is possible  embroider foot pads not only on ZSK equipment, but on the Chinese embroidery machines (like the one I own) as well. 
    This time I used a standard needle, which came with my machine and the Fufu's polyester thread. I use standard DBxK5 75 SES needles for everything. And for all 100 thousand stitches the thread only broke once; as for the needle, it has never broken at all. In the end, everything is possible. 

    Seeking for 3D Puff replacement again

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 0 comments, 4,449 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    Every time I see a high-quality 3D Puff embroidery somewhere, I begin to envy its creator. I've never managed to make 3D embroidery look so good that it would satisfy myself. The problem is not only the design, that I fail to digitize the image properly, but the way the embroidery looks. 
    Not very long ago I've embroidered a 3D inscription on a knitted cap. For a long while I was sweating over the way the stitches would lie, then, after having seen the same design, embroidered by the Chinese, I changed the stitches in order to get the same good result. It turned out to be not enough. Nevertheless, the look of my embroidery is not quite the same, and the feel is different, as is the height of the letters. 
    Whoever works with 3D Puff I saw and examined by touch recently, the height and the softness of the underlay that creates volume are entirely different from what we can do with the materials available here. 
    It's either me being all thumbs and in need of much more practice or... I have a sneaking suspicion that the quality of the embroidery materials delivered here is not too high. So, you need to find an alternative. Some materials of those that fell my way I've already tested for the same purpose. You can read more about my attempt of using the paper and 3D-Puff like foam materials here and here. 
    Not very long ago I've come across an underlay for laminate flooring, and an idea popped into my mind: why not to try this option, too? What if it works? This material is harder to the touch than an ordinary 3D Puff, so it reminds me of all the western 3D embroidery, and more fragile, which gives me hope that it will be easily perforated along the edges and come off the embroidery leaving no trace. 
    So I created a design according to the rules and began embroidering: The embroidery process was no worse than with 3D Puff: 

    It's ready now: 

    I remove all the extra material, but a lot of small bits are left around the perimeter: 

    Basically, 3D Puff does not tear off easily, therefore, it should be steamed or blow dried (in case you have a blow drier). I steamed it for quite a long time, but the bits of the underlay are still there, and I am not able to remove them: 

    Besides, it turned out that the underlay shrinks noticeably when steamed, so the stitches, especially the long ones, begin to sag. But a little volume is left, and the letters are hard to the touch: 

    Summary: this material won't make a good cheap and accessible substitution of 3D Puff. It can be used, but the quality of the embroidery will not be high. I'll go search some more. 

    Testing the upper and lower thread tensions

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 0 comments, 16,362 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova 
    Yesterday I once more learned from experience how much proper thread tension means — I embroidered a fluffy monster using acrylic yarn and got several 'birds nests' and plenty of thread breakage. I think that anyone would agree that the embroidery machine tension balance in important.
    For example, my upper thread tension was too loose, which resulted in 'bird nesting' on the wrong side and massive thread breakage together with the ugly loops on the right side of the embroidery. In case the upper thread tension was too tight, the underthread might have shown on the right side of the fabric. Which would not make the embroidery look better.
    The same with the bobbin thread. If the tension is too loose, the thread will appear on the right side of the fabric, too tight – the upper thread will be sucked underneath, causing all those loops on the right side. My lower thread tension was too tight, that's why there was so little of bobbin thread on the wrong side.
    In any case, finding the middle ground would be the best.
    What influences the thread tension during the embroidery? Everything. There are many issues that at first sight may seem irrelevant:
    Type of thread Thread thickness Embroidery machine speed Needle size Obstructions in the thread path. Not once nor twice I've seen the recommendations to test the thread tension before every new embroidery, new fabric or new type of thread. Is it necessary to get a 100% result.
    But how will one know whether the thread tension is correct if there are no special tools?
    There are several kinds of test designs. You can find them on the internet or create your own.
    It is believed that when the tension is correct, the upper thread takes 2/3 and the underthread — 1/3 of the width of the satin columns on the wrong side of the fabric. They should appear in such order: upper/lower/upper. This is what you take under control after all the tests are completed.
    I test
    This test design is an English letter "I" about 2,5 cm (1 inch) high and 3-4 mm wide. It is composed of single oriented stitches only. The design is embroidered with all the needles on a stabilized fabric or a dense cutaway stabilizer. After that you inspect the wrong side in order to see, what should be adjusted. According to results you make the adjustments and test again.
    H test
    This design is an English letter "H" about 2,5 cm (1 inch) high, with 6 mm wide vertical satin stitches and 5 mm wide horizontal ones. Stitches are oriented in 2 directions. The design is embroidered and the tension is adjusted according to the result.
    Т test
    This test design is an English letter "T" about 2,3 cm (1 inch), which is embroidered both directly and in the mirror image. Satin columns are about 5 mm wide, but there are plenty of angles. The design, too, is embroidered, and the tension is adjusted according to the results.
    Flags test
    On www.coldesi.com, where SWF embroidery machines are presented, I've found an interesting chevron-like test design. I suppose they didn't create it just for fun, so I recommend using it, too.
    FOXY 
    This test design is an English word "FOXY", written in capital letters consisting of satin columns. They are about 2,0 cm (circa 1 inch) tall. This test design is good because the stitches are oriented in many directions.
    Fill test
    This design consists of several 25x25 mm (1x1 inch) squares with 45° and 135° stitches arranged in a chess-board fashion. Again we embroider and then adjust. You can adjust the upper thread tension well so as to prevent loops.
    Madeira test
    I found another interesting test design on the USA Madeira website. It consists of a standard fill and 3 satin columns of varying width. A potpourri, so to speak. But it is single-oriented.
    The experts advise to check the thread tension no less that once in a month.
    Here I've tried to embroider one of the test designs:

    Now I'll go to adjust the thread tension in my embroidery machine.
    And last, the Drop test (yo-yo test)
    This method is used for checking if the bobbin thread is correctly adjusted. You won't need your machine for this one.
    Take the bobbin case out of the machine.
    Wind the thread on your finger and pull about 15-22 cm out of the case.
    Then you shake your hand up and down slightly
    The thread must be pulled out of the case a bit.
    How much — on that subject I've heard different values from different experts. They start on 1 inch and end on 3 inches (or 2,5-7,5 cm). Like always, you should try and see for yourself.
    You can learn how to conduct this test if you watch this video.
    You can read my blog on how to detect if the thread tension was correctly adjusted and what to do about it.

    Once again about hooping

    By Irina, in Machine embroidery materials and technology, , 0 comments, 4,595 views
    Original text by: Marina Belova  
    There seem to be so many hooping rules, and I've read them many times, but yet, a new idea sometimes springs to my mind. What's more, I get new ideas about simple things, which I've seen more than once, and simple principles I've more or less successfully tried to put into practice. 
    So, the January issue of the Impressions magazine contained a wonderful article on 10 basic rules of hooping by Deborah Jones, titled "Hooping": The Foundation of Embroidery". The first thing that caught my attention were the photos of a hoop for commercial machine embroidery designs with a very interesting-looking outer ring. What was so interesting about it was that it lacked the familiar screw. Instead it had an unknown device, a wonderful know-how, which, as this woman, respected by a lot of people (including me), wrote, was a part of so-called "new self-tensioning hoop": 

    The photo was taken from the Impressions magazine, January 2014 
    This means that from now on you won't have to adjust the hoop screw by yourself; it is now done automatically. I haven't found any description of this remarkable product or its working principle neither in the article (maybe I haven't been attentive enough) or on the internet. Pity, for it would be rather curious to know. 
    Second, and maybe even more important, I was amazed by this photo: 

    The photo was taken from the Impressions magazine, January 2014
    Why amazed? Because a year ago I expatiated upon about wrapping of the hoop in order to make the contact between the hoop and the fabric better. 
    Everything written there is true except one little detail: with round hoops for the commercial embroidery, you should wrap the inner ring and not the outer one like I demonstrated. To bind (or wrap in fabric) the outer ring of the round hoop would be a waste of time and material. I distinctly remember why I decided to wrap the outer ring instead of the inner one — because it was more easy to do so using a long narrow strip. 
    So far I've wrapped only one hoop using this method: 

    I hope now that it will help me to solve the problem with embroidery on slippery fabrics that tend to escape from the hoop (thin sharkskin, laminated fabrics), because the contact between them and the hoop will be better. But I won't guess at the future and try embroidering on these fabrics instead. 
    P.S. What is the most interesting, a lot of people have read my previous blog describing the wrong way of wrapping the hoop, and nobody corrected me on that. 

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