One of the reasons that embroidery is popular is that it can be used to decorate garments or products that are incompatible with other decoration processes. However, just like with every process, there are products that just will not take well to embroidery. While we will lay out which products you should offer and those that you should avoid, you should still test many different products beforehand. These tests can be used as samples for prospective customers. Armed with samples, you can demonstrate to your customers whether their request is achievable.
Now, intricately designed embroidered products may not be possible for you to sew. Many such products, when produced commercially, are sewn onto the fabric before the garment is constructed. This is especially true for hats which can be difficult to embroider due to their unique shape and construction. Hats with less rigid structure are much easier to sew than ones with stiff panels. Hats with more structure require less stabilizer material as their structure is able to hold the stitches better than softer hats. The problem with stabilizer, however, is that it is often unpopular with customers. This is because, in order to avoid pulling the stitches, in most cases stabilizer must be left on the back of the hat or garment.
Higher-quality and larger-run embroidered hats, like the ones worn by Major League Baseball players, are first sewn on a flat piece of material that will become the front panel(s) of the hat. This panel, along with several other panels, will then be sewn together along with a bill to create the final look of the hat. By being able to sew the design flat the embroidery machine has a much easier time sewing high-quality, detailed designs. High-quality hats often have a 3D look, and this is done by sewing foam to the panel of the hat. The artwork will sew over the foam to create a raised 3D effect and the excess foam material can be cut or torn away. It is important to understand the limitations and capabilities of embroidery and what is possible when outsourcing it to another decoration business.
There is one major reason that embroidery requires being picky about what products to offer and those to avoid; it is a violent process. The needle is stabbing into and pulling out of the garment hundreds or thousands of times in a very short amount of time. There is such a thing as too much structure, however. The machine will not function properly if the needle has to pierce through too rigid a surface. This is most often only an issue with thicker hats. Conversely, extra flexible or stretchable garments, like spandex, also do not embroider well. The sewing process will pucker the fabric, or pull it together in an awkward fashion, that creates wrinkles or folds in the fabric. Ribbed garments, or garments with uneven surfaces, will not take to embroidery well either. The uneven surface will show through the embroidery or alter the look of the finished design.
The best products to embroidery are the more tightly woven fabrics and micro pique. These products are not too flexible, but not too stiff. They will hold up to the violence of the embroidery process without fighting the machine at all. Polos and jackets typically are easier to embroider, and have a higher perceived value when embroidered. They are easier to hoop and often have fewer problems than sewing hats or bags. Other garments, like bowling shirts, doctors’ smocks, and button-down shirts also typically embroider well as they have a smooth, tightly woven surface.
Schools often request letterman jackets that feature applique letters and patches. Letterman jackets featuring stitched applique patches are often sewn using a traditional sewing machine, while the customization of the garment is done through an embroidery machine. Letterman jackets do have large margins, but come with headaches: they have to be custom-ordered from a supplier, mistakes are very expensive when made, and the customers are often demanding. It is better to just let more experienced embroidery shops handle them while you focus on the easier, more in-demand, products.
Customers will often want to provide their own products for embroidery. It is highly recommended that you do not decorate any product that you do not already know how it will sew. Not only do you risk damaging a product that you cannot easily replace, but you lose the ability to make a margin in the product. It does make sense that a customer would want to provide their own products for embroidery as they know exactly how it fits and feels. So, if you absolutely have to decorate a customer’s provided product(s), it is highly recommended that you let them know you cannot guarantee the quality, are not responsible for replacing the product, and are charging a higher price for the actual sewing. If your customer complies with these conditions, then it might be worth embroidering their product, but should be done with great caution.
Using our examples as a guideline, test out prospective garments and create samples for yourself and your customers. Just because you have seen an embroidered product at a retail store does not mean you can offer something just like it without knowing what all goes into sewing the product. It is important to know how a product will sew before offering it to your customers. Having examples will help you and your customers to determine how to best fulfill their needs and allow you to become a successful embroiderer.
