Q. Do designs for caps need special digitizing?
A. You bet they do.
Here are some general guidelines you should keep in mind when creating cap designs.
Experiment with cap styles
Some style caps embroider better than others. It’s a good idea to obtain samples of several different styles to see which work best. Compare the results and stick with the styles that work well for you and your machine. Also consider how well each cap style fits into your hoop. The tighter you can get it the better.
Size of design
Make sure the design will fit. There are many different caps on the market today. Some, such as low profile caps, have a smaller sewing area than standard pro-style caps. Be sure the design you are creating is the appropriate size for the cap you will be using. Also consider the maximum sewing area of your cap hoop frame when creating your design.
Working with different style caps
Plan your design well before you start. Some caps may require extra consideration. For example, six-panel unstructured caps have a center seam in the very front that may need filling prior to sewing the actual design. You can accomplish this by creating a column of satin stitches that will sew first. This column will fill the seam area and allow your design to lay flat on the cap.
Taking extra care in creating designs that are well suited for your selected cap style will go a long way toward preventing frustration and unhappy customers.
Sewing order
Unlike regular shirt designs, cap designs require some special digitizing techniques. To prevent buckling, your design should be digitized to sew from the bottom up and center out. Digitize your design so it will complete as much as possible on one side of center before it begins sewing the opposite side.
Registration
To eliminate registration problems it’s best to complete all elements of one area before moving on to the next. This is particularly true with borders and outlines, especially with cap styles that you are unable to hoop really tight. More color changes will be required, but you will be much happier with the results.
Other considerations
Some of the basics of embroidery and digitizing still apply to caps. The fabric of the cap will dictate things like underlay, pull compensation, stitch length and density. High nap fabrics will require additional underlay and pull compensation to prevent the stitches from sinking into the fabric. Leather caps will require less density and longer stitches to prevent punch out.
Keeping these key points in mind you should have no problem becoming proficient at creating good cap designs.
© 2006 R & M Crafts - All Rights Reserved