subject: Too Little Density Creates Stitches That Do Not Cover The Fabric [print this page] Embroidery and sewing machines traditionally use thread tension to manage thread output as you are machine embroidering or sewing. When two stitches are formed concurrently, the tension of the top and bottom thread joins the stitches together. That joining action pulls stitches closer together than the points where the needle originally entered the fabric. To compensate for this, pull compensation is usually added to a design. No matter how stable the backing or stabilizer is, every stitch you place on a piece of fabric will be shortened by at least half a millimeter, usually more. What makes most embroidery threads so special is their sheen, or the reflective quality that gives embroidery its characteristic glow. But the tables get turned when you create short stitches, and that same sheen that makes your thread desirable can create further headaches. As you know, angles you set when digitizing will change what you see. Embroidery threads can appear to be different shades of color based upon the angle from which they are viewed due to the smooth, shiny surface of the thread. However, if you have a design with substantial underlay, it would embroider beautifully on pile or fleece fabrics because the underlay will keep the pile from poking through the stitches. But this same design, due to the heavy underlay, may be too dense for softer fabrics. If you just have to have a fairly dense design on a lightweight fabric, the correct stabilizer will allow you to embroider the design, but you may run into the dreaded bulletproof embroidery or ruin the drape of the fabric, so be aware that stabilizing a design is not always the answer.digitize is the process of taking any form of artwork and transforming it into a language that the sewing machine will understand and stitch it out. Digitizing is a complex process which uses the machines running, satin and fills stitches to create an embroidery design. It requires many steps from starting with a simple clip art to a stitched out design. Digitizing Software is needed for this process. Embroidery sewing machines come with hoops that attach to embroidery sewing machines. Hooping is putting the fabric into an embroidery sewing machine hoop. Stabilizing and tightness are very important. Unlike hand embroidery, the fabric MUST stay in the same position while the sewing machine embroiders the design. If the fabric moves, the design will not stitch out correctly. The border not lining up with the rest of the design is a common tell tale that the fabric moved.
