Can I Embroider on That? Embroidery on unconventional items & materials. There are many different types of materials that may seem difficult to hoop and stitch on. In this blog post, we will discuss how to embroider on spandex and mesh fabric, from marking to stitching. The spandex project is a cute, little swim rash guard top and bottoms. The mesh fabric will be made into a bag for storing seashells. The Embroidery Tool Kit features many helpful tools to mark the placement.
So, what type of stabilizer and needle will be best for the swim rash guard top and bottoms? It is recommended to use a light weight mesh type cutaway, Exquisite No Show Cutaway stabilizer.
The best needle is a ballpoint size 75/11. To find the center of the rash guard top to place a 2” monogram letter, use the Target Ruler from the Embroidery Tool Kit.
Listen in as Ashley Jones shares how to use this Target Ruler.
After marking the placement, the top is ready for the machine. Be sure and remove the target sticker. When finished, remove the project and trim away stabilizer ¼” from stitching.
Next, let’s embroider the bottoms. Because the bottoms stretch when being worn then we are going to hoop the bottoms and stretch just a bit in your smallest hoop. That way the embroidery doesn’t pop a stitch and cause a hole. Again, use the Exquisite No Show Cutaway stabilizer and ballpoint needle. Use the Target Ruler to mark the placement. Place hoop on embroidery machine, and line up the needle with the center of the target sticker. Remove the target sticker and stitch the design. Again, when finished, remove the project and trim away stabilizer ¼” from stitching.
The other item we want to embroider on is mesh fabric. It is stretchy and an open weave. We don’t want the stitches to fall through the holes, so we are going to use a Nap Blocker stitch from Perfect Embroidery Professional Software to create our design. Just use the font and designs you want to use and then right click to select Utility and then Nap Blocker. It will create a loose weave stitch under your font and designs, which will stitch first. Select a color to blend into the background.
Select a tearaway stabilizer and hoop. Mark the placement and if needed use the Angle Finder from the Embroidery Tool Kit to help when not hooping exactly. Place the hoop on the machine and stitch the design. When finished, remove the project from hoop and remove stabilizer from back.
For more details about embroidering on spandex and mesh, watch Ashley Jones on Facebook Live from May 19, 2022. Enjoy!