marking material for embroidery

smd1973 · January 23rd, 2016, 11:08 AM

before we stitch on a material we make a "target" mark on the fabric of where we want the design to go. Most of the time the embroidery covers this, but sometimes it doesn't. We are currently using a disappearing ink pen on light color materials and a white seamstress pencil on dark materials. Its a pain to have to go back and treat these marks for them to disappear. Does anyone have any better suggestions for marking material? I'm thinking of using a UV pen and then setting up a black light to illuminate the mark. Has anyone ever tried this? I'm a little concerned that that the black light may make the red laser invisible. Anyone have any suggestions that might help? Thank you!

Robert Young · January 24th, 2016, 08:37 AM

Hi,

You could try using a jig, either homemade or something like "Hoopmaster" so you are not reinventing the wheel? No marking needed then.

Honestly when I was a machine operator before the last Ice Age we just eyeballed it and Rarely was a design crooked as once on the machine you can twist the upper part of the hoop to straighten things out.... provided the fabric is not hooped too tightly... which would leave marks anyway.

Sorry, marking every item just seems like such added work for little added value. Others please chime in.. do you mark your items?

smd1973 · January 24th, 2016, 02:08 PM

Thanks for the input Robert. We do one very specific product in our shop and we are stitching on a material that is only 1.25" from top to bottom. Each of these strips gets 5-7 designs stitched onto it, so some level of precision is a necessity. Without the marks we run the risk of stitching off the top or bottom of the material and we also need to mark so that we can have the designs even spaced across the length of the 1.25" material. Does that make sense? I wish it weren't so, but in this particular application I don't think that we do without marking the material . . . I'm certainly open to suggestions though.

digidana · January 25th, 2016, 08:45 AM

would it be possible to stitch on a larger piece of fabric, maybe in a jacket back-sized hoop, then cut the fabric after the embroidery? or are you doing something like dog collars, or karate belts where that isn't an option?

Robert Young · January 25th, 2016, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smd1973

Thanks for the input Robert. We do one very specific product in our shop and we are stitching on a material that is only 1.25" from top to bottom. .

Ah, sorry, I was thinking the usual product lines in a typical embroidery shop.

But I still think creating a "jig" would work? In woodworking we make them all the time to help us stay accurate and honestly just to save us time. In embroidery we have worked with a local company that makes things out of plastic and they have helped us with specific jigs. Maybe you have a similar company local to you?

Something that fits inside your hoop or clamping mechanism and has an opening that is exactly where you want it to be.. so the material is obviously within the window or it needs adjusting?

smd1973 · January 30th, 2016, 08:43 PM

Thanks for the responses guys. We did have a jig made for marking the material. My main question now is what best to use to mark the material. We've been using a disappearing ink pen on light colors and a chalk pencil on the darks. We have to treat these marks after the embroidery is finished if they are not fully covered so i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for how to mark the material with something that we didn't have to treat after the embroidery was complete. Thank you!

embthreads · January 31st, 2016, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smd1973

Thanks for the responses guys. We did have a jig made for marking the material. My main question now is what best to use to mark the material. We've been using a disappearing ink pen on light colors and a chalk pencil on the darks. We have to treat these marks after the embroidery is finished if they are not fully covered so i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for how to mark the material with something that we didn't have to treat after the embroidery was complete. Thank you!

Paper hole reinforcers for ring binders or sticky dots purchased from office supply.

Robert Young · January 31st, 2016, 11:03 AM

Hi, I wasn't thinking of a jig to MARK the material, I was thinking of one that you use to either hoop the material and/or that stays on the machine while you SEW the material. (within the hoop or frame clamps) no marking of the fabric at all.

digidana · February 2nd, 2016, 04:52 AM

would a pin work? just yank it when you start the machine?