Multi-needle Monday: Pocket Top Embroidery Placement

I would like to share one of my favorite techniques for embroidery above the pocket on a dress shirt. Through my business I work on a variety of different garments and accessories. A popular request is always the top of pocket placement for a corporate logo. My customer is the president of a business and likes to dress professionally in quality dress shirts; he also knows how important it is to promote your business when in public. He wears a company logo on many items especially when he attends tradeshows.

Before I owned my multi-needle embroidery machine, this technique was challenging. I would print a template, tape it on the shirt and use a target sticker to mark my center. Then I would use the trace feature and align the needle with the crosshair on the target sticker. (This technique is still very practical if you do not have a scanner). Now of course, technology has improved immensely in the last few years and the tools at our finger tips are invaluable. My days of “tracing” and actually printing template for small jobs are over.

Here are a few important tips to remember when planning the embroidery above the pocket on a dress shirt:

The logo or text should not exceed 4 inches in width as a rule; this is because most pockets are less than 4 inches wide. Button all of the front placket buttons and place the shirt on a clean flat surface. Use the small Target Ruler (Embroidery Tool Kit) and target stickers.

Press wrinkles from the pocket area. Use the smallest hoop that will fit the embroidery design(4×4 hoop), along with poly mesh cut away stabilizer. Use two pieces of stabilizer if the design is a bit dense, but usually medium weight poly mesh cut away will work fine.

Test your logo on fabric that is similar in weight to the final product. I like to keep an old performance fabric polo or a cotton woven shirt to test my corporate logos before I stitch them on the provided shirt.

Lay the small target ruler above the top edge of the pocket, precisely lining up the center and side edges. The logo should be at least ½ inch above the top edge of pocket. Hoop the upper portion of the pocket in the lower section of the hoop as shown.  Place a small piece of blue Painter’s Tape along the top edge of the pocket. The painters tape will give a clear visual guide for you to see in the scanned image. Use the “scan” feature if available on your embroidery machine (looks like a camera icon). Adjust the design if needed as viewed on the screen. Unbutton the upper buttons on the shirt and place the hoop on the embroidery machine as shown above. Let the fabric hang down under the machine so it is not caught under the hoop.

Embroider the design and remove the hoop. Trim the thread tails (as you can see in the photo) and carefully trim the excess stabilizer from the back of the shirt. Always leave at least a ¼ of an inch of stabilizer around the embroidery design.

* Have the customer sign a Customer Supplied Garment Waiver to cover yourself in the case of a mishap (they only happen on expensive and sentimental items) Haha.

Join me in my Craftsy class for more information on Starting a Machine Embroidery Business. Forms are included in the class materials.

https://www.craftsy.com/ext/MarieZinno_4963_H