I received a question about how to embroider a design on polyester knit shirts!

I am creating holes in a shirt as I am embroidering a left chest design.  What am I doing wrong? I used 2 layers of tearaway backing and a 75/11 ball point needle.  Could it be the density of my design?

The Answer:  Never use a tearaway backing/stabilizer alone on a knit garment.  Always use a cutaway backing/stabilizer.  The best combination that I have found is 2 layers of No Show or Mesh cutaway backing and 1 layer of crisp 1.5 oz. tearaway backing. I also recommend that  you use a topping on top of your garment and 70/10 ball point needles.  I have found this to be the perfect combination for all of my knits and especially those soft wicking fabrics that everyone dreads working with.  I have absolutely no issues with the wicking fabrics when I use this combination.

Our first thought is to lay blame on the design as the culprit when we create holes in our garments during the sewing process but many times it is the fault of the needle or the type of backing we are using.  75/11 needles are too large for these knit garments.  I use 70/10 needles for almost all of my applications.  Rarely do I use a 75/11 unless it is a tough fabric like heavy canvas.
I hope that this helps with the issues of embroidery on polyester knit shirts.
Joyce Jagger
The Embroidery Coach

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