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<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation: Introduction to Embroidery Digitizing > Secrets of embroidery designs |
Basically the embroidery machine will just require a series of stitches (to move the hoop with the garment) and machine commands (like color change or thread trim).
But, any simple sequence of stitches and commands containing the information to produce the embroidery design is not enough to achieve the expected quality result, as the embroidery has several secrets you should know and understand. Actually they are not exactly secrets, but unknown technical characteristics for those who have never created an embroidery design before.
Certainly, one of the reasons to use an advanced embroidery digitizing software is because the software includes all the tools to make the design job easier while considering those important technical aspects.
You must clearly understand that:
Embroidery Design is not WYSIWYG |
That means, the produced embroidery and the design you see on-screen are not the same thing. It means: "what you see is what you get" doesn't literally apply. Sometimes a perfect design on-screen may produce horrible results on garments if some characteristics are not considered.
Here there is a list of some essential aspects to consider when creating an embroidery design.
The correct resolution (definition) of the embroidery is indispensable to obtain the expected quality. It is not possible for an embroidery machines to produce at 1200 dpi like graphics. In fact, normal resolution is 254 spi (0.1 mm).
If the embroidery objects have a low density, there will be gaps between the stitches. If the embroidery objects have a high density, there will be an accumulation of stitches with the risk of thread breakage during production or finally fabric breakage.
It is important to assign the correct density for each design, considering also the thickness of the thread.
The fabric/material where the embroidery design is produced is not a rigid element, i.e. the thread tension when the design is sewn (when the needle penetrates and the hoop with the fabric is moved) moves the fabric, and following stitches will be placed in a different location than the exact position producing some gaps on the stitch fills.
The solution to avoid this unwanted effect (or compensate it) is the Underlay, which is a layer of stitches under the main fill to fix (stabilize) the fabric/material. Those stitches won't be visible as the main stitch fill will cover it.
You won't need to add that layer of stitches before creating an embroidery object; at the time you create an embroidery object you can specify the underlay (or keep the factory default values) and the required layer of stitches to fix the fabric will be automatically generated and added before (behind) the main stitch fill of that object. The main stitch fill will cover the underlay, and it will offer a better quality result.
While stitching the border of a shape, the movement of the fabric/material changes its direction by 180 degrees. When this change is repeated on all the stitches of the border, the fabric is pulled and the length of all those stitches will be reduced. The underlay will partially compensate this unwanted effect, but not enough.
The solution to avoid this unwanted effect (or compensate it) is the Pull Compensation. The pull compensation just stretches the stitches on the border of the shape to get the stitches on the right location.
You won't need to create wider shapes to avoid this effect; at the time you create an embroidery object you can specify the pull compensation (or keep the factory default values) and the application will automatically stretch the stitches on the border.
When the stitches in a zig-zag sequence are rotating their directions, the number of stitches that end on the shortest side will be highly concentrated in a very narrow space (stitch ends accumulation) while on the longest side the endings will be widely spaced (empty gaps).
The solution to avoid both the accumulation of stitches on the shortest side and the empty gaps on the longest side are Short Stitches (or intermediate stitches). Short stitches are additional stitches that allow you to add more stitch ends on the longer side and fewer stitch ends on the shorter side.
At the time you create an embroidery object you can specify the short stitches (or keep the factory default values) and the application will automatically add the necessary short stitches when the direction of the stitches rotate a steep angle.
The embroidery design is a sequence of stitches and commands. To build an embroidery design, the user must create a sequence of embroidery objects. Each of the objects will be automatically converted into a sequence of stitches. This application allows the user to create the embroidery objects in any order and then re-order them at any time. The embroidery design is then defined by the final order of the embroidery objects (then converted to stitches). Remember that:
•When there are overlapping objects, the last object will be the one visible in front of the other objects.
•After the stitches of the first object and before the stitches of the second object, the program adds stitches that connect both "connection" objects. The user must create the sequence of objects in such a way that the connections are not visible if possible, otherwise a trim command must be inserted. The exit point of the first object and the entry point of the second object can be defined by the user or optimized by the application (close point connection).
•If 2 consecutive embroidery objects are far each other, a trim command must be inserted (or it is automatically inserted, according to the object properties). In this case adding Lock Stitches should be considered (tack-down stitches) to prevent unfixed stitches when connecting those object.
Conclusion:
This application will add the necessary compensation for each unexpected effect (you don't need to fix them by yourself), but you must know that these issues exist and you must consider them while digitizing a design. This application will just automate all tasks related to these issues.