How to Determine Embroidery Quality for Machine Embroiderers

So you've found a design you'd like to sew. It looks attractive in print but how will it sew? Unfortunately, looking at a printed version doesn't tell you a lot. First of all, is the printed version a rendered, or simulated, version of the design or is it a photo of an actual embroidered sample? If you can see and touch an actual sewn version, you'll have a much better idea but you still won't have a full picture. To really understand how a design you'll need to do two things:

• Inspect it in an appropriate program
• Sew it yourself

In this article, we'll look at what you need to check before sewing.

I tend to think of the embroidery process as a jigsaw puzzle made up of multiple pieces. You can think of the pieces as different aspects you need to know to create a great result. If you've ever assembled a jigsaw puzzle, you most likely started by finding and piecing together the edges and corners because they are the most identifiable pieces. Then, you continued by filling in the center.

With machine embroidery, its pretty easy to grasp how to operate the machine, select needles, thread, fabric, and bobbin. Even hooping, which can be time consuming, isn't all that difficult. These are the "edges" and "corners" of embroidery. The design is less definable and is the biggest variable in the embroidery puzzle. It's also the most misunderstood part for those who do not have some digitizing knowledge.

You can learn to evaluate a design without becoming a digitizer and in this article, I'll list 11 things to look for in a design to provide you with clues to how well it will sew. Keep in mind that is an overview--I could (and have) written an entire book on these design attributes.

What You Will Need

To properly investigate a design, you will need suitable embroidery software capable of viewing the design at a stitch level with tools for measuring stitch attributes and watching it "sew" on screen. Most editing and digitizing programs provide these tools. We will not be modifying the design, only looking under its hood so to speak.

These first few details are probably available in the color sequence information that came with the design.

1. Design Size. How large is the design. Does it fit within your machine's sewing field? Keep in mind that sewing field is not the same as hoop size. There is always "breathing" room around the perimeter of the hoop to accommodate the presser foot and some specialty hoops are designed to sew extra large designs that have been separated into interlocking pieces. Designs sew best in a hoop that is just slightly larger than the design so be sure to have small hoops on hand for smaller designs.
   
2. Stitch Count. How many stitches are in the design? Does it seem reasonable for a design of this size? Determining "reasonable" is a guessing game and can be hard to gauge, Try comparing this design to similar designs in your stash and see if the stitch count is in the ball park or if it seems excessively high.
   
3. Color Count. How many colors are used in the design. If you have a multi-needle machine, is the color count greater than the number of needles? Are there any colors you could combine to increase productivity?
   
4. Color Change Count. Color changes are equal to or greater than the number of colors and includes repeated colors. If your design has numerous repeated colors is there a good reason for it? Two good reasons are: (1) layering of background and foreground objects and (2) optimizing for precision registration of objects.
   
5. Trims and Jumps. Trim counts may or may not be included on with the design information. Whether your machine will automatically trim these or you have to do it manually, it will increase the time it takes to finish a design. DO the jump and trim counts reasonable? A design with scattered disconnected elements will by nature necessitate more jumps and trims. Smart digitizers avoid unnecessary jumps and trims by (1) keeping the needle traveling through the design in an inconspicuous manner and (2) careful pathing of entry and exit points to maintain a smooth sewing flow while keeping fabric shifting to a minimum.

Now open the design in your software to start a little exploratory surgery. I promise there'll be no blood!

1. Sewing Efficiency. Using your software's virtual sewing option, step through the design from beginning to end on-screen. Run the simulation at a slow enough speed so you can really understand what's going on. Replay any areas that may look odd or inefficient. What are you looking for? Here are a few things: Are the color changes efficient and appropriate or do they seem to repeat unnecessarily? Is the sewing order efficient and appropriate rather than randomly jumping around the area? Does the underlay look adequate, appropriate, and well structured or does it look uneven or "scribbled"? Are there areas of layers of stitches that might indicate a problem? These are all things you can learn over time through experience by sewing lots of designs and analyzing their results.
2. Stitch Angles. Varying stitch angles adds interest to the design but it also increases sewing distortion. Proper underlay by the digitizer and stabilizing by the embroiderer can reduce and eliminate registration problems during sewing.
3. Layered Stitches. Layers of full density stitches add bulk and thickness. If there are large areas of stacked full-density objects, the design's stitch count will be higher than necessary and your sewing time will be longer.
4. Stitch Lengths. If your embroidery software displays a graph of stitch lengths, you can quickly see at a glance the not only stitch lengths but percentages of stitches at different lengths. If your don't have this feature, use the measuring tool to measure the shortest stitches, the longest stitches, and the stitch length within fill stitch areas. Really long and short stitches each have their own set of problems. Acceptable stitch lengths vary for different types of stitches.
5. Stitch Density. Density is the measurement of how closely spaced the rows of stitches are in your design. Dense stitches combined with short stitch lengths in fill areas can really run up stitch counts quickly and contribute to hard, stiff embroidery--possibly fabric damage. Use the measuring tool to check densities of fills and satins and see if they are realistic; I prefer a value around .42mm. Stitch length and density values can be managed to achieve both good fabric coverage without excessive stiffness.
6. Compensation. Compensation is how the digitizer offsets the distortions that occur during sewing. (You still need to stabilize properly to maintain this effort.) If a design is viewed on-screen with running stitch outlines that are perfectly placed next to edges of fills and satins, it won't look that way after sewing. Also, you will notice that in a well-digitized design, objects overlap or meet differently depending on their stitch angle. Mastering the art of compensation in one of the more difficult concepts a digitizer must learn and a full explanation is beyond the scope of this overview article.
   

Why Do All This?

Not all designs come from experienced, professional digitizers. And even if they do, they may not work ideally for your intended fabric. Free designs proliferate the internet and are especially tempting to those who don't realize how much effort and skill it takes digitize an smooth running, artful embroidery design. Besides, wouldn't you rather spend a few minutes looking at a design before you sew it? By becoming more knowledgeable about design construction, you can save yourself a lot of sewing time and unsuccessful results. If you check a design and find that it is not up to par, just get rid of it. It won't get any better with age!

Anatomy of a Design: How to Think Like a Digitizer & Become a Better Embroiderer

Really learning how a design is constructed can't be covered in just one article and it takes practice over time looking at different types of designs. This ebook explain embroidery concepts in detail, is richly illustrated, includes embedded videos, and sample designs. A sample chapter is available for download.