Test & Polish Your Design

The key to accomplishing a quality design is to never neglect testing your work by sewing a sample.

I’ve often been asked what type of software I use by new digitizers who are impressed with a polished embroidered sample of one of my designs. My explanation continues; it’s not the software, it’s in the digitizing! Although I do own a commercial system that contains all of the automatic bells and whistles, I could use the most basic software and get quality results. The only difference – it might take a little longer on systems that lack manual editing tools or the software may not be equipped to digitize particular code necessary for industry machines. Nevertheless, quality can be achieved on any system by making the effort to keep the machine running smooth and the embroidery neat.

The key to accomplishing a quality design is to never neglect testing your work by sewing a sample. It’s the only way you’re able to see what needs polish. It must be remembered that what is viewed onscreen, whether it’s in simulation form or lines, is not what will appear in actual stitches! Certainly, some minor flaws might go unnoticed, but overall, if polishing is omitted, most likely you’ll find yourself scratching your head saying, “Something is wrong, but I just can’t put my finger on it!”

So, after you’ve completed digitizing the design, head straight for the machine and sew a sample with the expectation it will be your first test sample. If you wish to reach that stage of high quality, another sample should be sewn each time you’ve made modifications. Sew on the same type of fabric or other substrate that will be used in the final sewing, along with all stabilizers and toppings. Also, use the planned final thread colors. A dark color will usually sink lower than a light color, so when a light section is sewn first and a dark section overlaps it later, there is more chance that the lighter thread will pop through the overlap. An additional line or zigzag column of underlay in the dark color may be needed along the lighter color’s sewn edge to assure under stitching doesn’t pop through.

Once you’ve got the design running, it’s not time to leave the machine for a cup of coffee! Keep your “nose to the hoop” and jot down any machine errors, along with any thoughts for improvement. Very often errors such as an unplanned jump stitch will occur in the underlay and by the time you return to the machine, evidence of the possible error could be covered with top stitches. Also, problems in tension may occur that correct themselves when you’re not looking, making it difficult to determine if a narrow column was due to machine error or the digitizing. Make the job of observation easier by printing out the design prior to sewing so you can make notes on the print-out near or on the exact area as the design sews. When complete, leave the sample in the hoop as this makes it easy to prop the sample up to be viewed closely as you edit. Also do not clip any long threads or try to tidy it up in any way. You want to see all actions, errors and anything in need of improvement!

With the first sample and notes complete, prepare to spend enough time at the design computer to polish all areas in need. After you believe you’ve made all corrections, test-sew once again. Most likely you’ll see great improvement, but if it still needs tweaking, repeat the process until your design shines! Following is a “polishing check list” to get you started: Correct all machine errors observed while sewing: remove unnecessary jump stitches by rerouting paths; remove unnecessary trims or add trims where needed; remove excess stitches that cause thread breaks; and add or remove color change commands where necessary. If the needle must jump across a column to create a satin stitch, change the stitch type to a column fill, which eliminates jumps by inserting stitches between those at the column’s sides. Check densities: if columns buckle, feel hard or appear raised, reduce density; if jagged or sparse, increase the density either by adjusting the value or increasing the underlay stitches. Check for a build-up of stitches at corners of columns; correct the affected area by adding short stitches or lighten the density, or change the type of corner, i.e. use a mitered corner to replace a bulky angled corner. If puckering of fabric or a distortion in the design occurs, adjust stitch length and density to be conducive to the substrate and/or add additional underlay for increased stabilization. Check for gaps between sections and/or between the outline and stitched sections and correct by extending the border of the section that sews first, and/or add underlay stitches, such as a light density zigzag along the border to stabilize the affected area. Look for areas where underlay stitches may have popped out from under a column or beyond a filled edge; adjust the line of underlay inward and/or shorten the stitch length in the affected area. Correct problems, such as where stitching pulls out at the end of a column because a lock stitch has been omitted, or where the bobbin has been pulled up to the surface, as this may be due to an excess of stitches in one spot. If a line of lettering is not sewing straight, change the sequence so the lettering is sewing last; stitches that sew after the lettering may pull fabric and distort previously sewn stitches. Look for any odd stitch that doesn’t belong or is unintended, such as a long stitch that begins at one end of a column, lies across the stitches, and ends at the end of the column; this is a sign that the in- and out-points of the column have been reversed or are set inaccurately. By Bonnie Landsberger Published November 2007