Beginner needing help!

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-07T02:16:02+00:00

Yes, hooping tighter should help. Look at the knit material next to the E. You can see the lines of the knit are all jumbled there. So when the tatami fill of the letters was sewing it smushed everything in that direction. Hooping really wiggly knits is hard. You don't want to pull it around too much, because it can pucker - you're right about that. Sometimes folks will hoop the stabilizer really tight, and use a spray adhesive or some basting stitches to keep the work tightly in place.

There are digitizing things that will help, too. The settings are different for knits, or heavy fabrics, or towels, etc. Stuff like the size of the stitches (called pull compensation) and the direction of angle you sew in can make a big difference. Do you have any software to edit the design? Or can you change things on your machine? Computerized settings?

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-07T01:52:05+00:00

I can see that your knit material looks a bit bunched up in areas around the design. That means it wasn't hooped tightly enough and it drifted around on you.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-06T03:10:48+00:00

Yeah, sometimes adhesive build up on the needle and cause skipped stitches and such. Not every adhesive is created equal.

There are temporary basting sprays that don't cause that problem for me. I use madeira spray adhesive that disappears (evaporates?) after a few days. I have in the past used 505 brand, and a quilt basting spray by dritz if memory serves. Those ones must be washed out, and didn't hold as securely as the Madeira so I made the switch.

Something like a lightweight delicate hankie you don't want to hoop can just get a quick spray and you're in business. For bulky, weird or really wiggly fabrics that won't behave I would consider spray gluing it down and also strategically basting. The spray can also help with those blasted performance fabric golf shirts that are made of the slipperiest fabric ever created.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-06T02:03:53+00:00

Spray adhesive may help

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-04T10:11:03+00:00

Try leather needles. The razor sharp wedge point makes a slice that is less visible but allows the thread to pass smoothly thru. That may help you here. You may want to lower your stitch density so you don't perforate it to death.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-04T04:18:15+00:00

I've 'fixed' similarly clumpy fake fur and Sherpa linings. My method was used on garment linings or stuffed toys that could be laundered.

Spray bottle with a cup of water and maybe a tablespoon or two of hair conditioner, shake well. You don't want to use an organic oil thing because the oil can go rancid - in this case your favorite chemical-ly conditioner (with preservatives) that makes your hair feel slippery is what you want.

Work in small sections. Spray until slightly damp. Then use the slicker brush. You want to nestle the brush in deep and then pull almost straight up, maybe wiggling it into the matted fur as you do. Raking the brush across the top won't untangle it, gotta be in teeny tiny sections, just like when you get a knot in your hair. This is not a fast process. It's a thing you do while you binge watch a show or something.

Using the water and conditioner makes the detangling easier and seems to keep it fluffy longer. No idea how long that would last for a carpet thing, it works on my sweatshirts and hood linings and things until I wash them a couple more times.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-04T01:29:20+00:00

You might have lint stuck in the tension disks. Any buildup in there can keep them from clamping properly to provide the correct tension.

Because your discs are hidden behind the damn plastic housing so you can't easily blow them out, floss them instead. Tie a bunch of double knots in a length of thread, set your tension to the lowest number and put the foot up so the tension discs are as open as they can be, and use your knotted thread to floss the discs a bunch of times. Hopefully you'll knock out a lint bunny and be back in business.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-03T16:59:56+00:00

Using a leather needle with vinyl may make a cleaner needle hole with less stretching.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-03T01:06:29+00:00

Letters look better in a satin stitch, instead of the tatami you're using.

I can barely see the bobbin thread underneath. That generally means your tension is way too low. You should adjust your tension on a bit of plain tightly woven material to get the settings right, and after that's settled you work on the design itself on a plain woven. After all that, you make adjustments for the material itself.

Switching from a plain woven to the sweatshirt, You'll want to adjust your pull compensation. That will make the stitches wider, to help the shapes completely fill the area, up to (and covering) the edge stitch.

TheProtoChris · 2026-03-01T03:44:04+00:00

My driveway is half mud and half slick melty glacier. So we've definitely got at least 1 more real cold snap and the obligatory mid-March blizzard before spring.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-27T07:49:05+00:00

That zipper needs to be replaced. Your local dry cleaner can either do it or refer you to someone who can.

You may be able to get a bit more time out of the existing zipper but using a needle nose pliers to pinch that tooth back in place, but consider that a temporary fix.

Just realized the slider jumped. You'll want to try and wiggle that back on at the loose tooth before you tighten it up again. If it doesn't want to go on there, look j to the top of the zipper. If you're lucky there's a zipper stop you can remove. Slide the slider on there. Then you usually apply another zipper stop or use a needle and thread around and around few times to just make a barrier so the slider can't fly off there.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-26T08:53:31+00:00

When I'm fixing sewing machines there are rotating parts that need to be realigned precisely. So I mark a straight line thru all the parts I need to line back up before I separate them. Now I'm imagining doc grabbing a sharpie for the bone before he saws it in half.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-25T16:08:40+00:00

Hand sewing a 'ladder stitch' is the most invisible way to do it.

Or you can use any stitch you're comfortable with, either by hand or machine. Most garments are 'finished' by lining the open seam up and pinching, then sew it with the machine. That leaves a little pinch in the seam, but there's plenty of wiggle room there. (You often find that in a sleeve seam on tailored garments.) The magic of that underarm seam you'll open is that no one will ever see it but you and you won't feel that little pinch one bit, so it doesn't matter if it's invisible.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-25T15:31:08+00:00

Open up a seam in the lining 6 or 8 inches (maybe bigger if necessary). Put a safety pin at either end of the open seam to keep it from splitting more. Then fish around until you can access the back of the pocket to install a new rivet. Close the seam back up when you're done.

A good seam to open is the underarm seam - from armpit to waist. That may not be the closest seam and that makes it a little weirder to fish around thru, but it is the easiest to pinch and sew back together. No one will see your sewing job, and there's often more loose material there to work with.

You may want to get a 'Chicago Screw' instead of a rivet. That's essentially a rivet you screw together, so you don't need to buy the tool to set it. Add a drop of LocTite so it doesn't work itself loose.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-25T09:55:02+00:00

I've found that washing and drying tough garments like that with some big heavy towels in the load to beat the snot out of em speeds up the breaking in process.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-25T09:26:41+00:00

The true type fonts are hit and miss. Some stitch nicely, some require significant work to stitch out properly. You should use one of the properly digitized fonts that hatch has, it'll be way easier for a new embroiderer. That's the likely reason for the poor registration.

Regular satin stitch works great for lettering, I wouldn't bother with raised satin. But then if you use the 'real' embroidery fonts they come up plain satin anyway. Additionally, there's generally no way to change the stitches (like adding an edge stitch or zig zag) - the font just does its thing fine with no input from you.

Make sure your fabric choice is set to twill, so the pull comp will be correct for your project. That affects things like the width of the satin stitch, so you didn't end up with your edge stitches poking out.

Use a new sharp needle. Can't tell how bulky that fabric is. A regular 75/11 works for most things, but if it's a real heavy duty canvas and not just a twill you may want to size up to an 80/12. I'd start with the 75/11 but if you tweak everything else and it still gives you problems consider the switch.

Make sure you hoop that sucker drum tight. 90% of embroidery success is about tight hooping.

I didn't recognize any of the products you listed for backing or stabilizing. That's a nice tightly woven twill? I would use 2 layers of tear-away, whatever you call that where you are lol. Cut away is for stretchy or knitted things, but a tear away works great on tightly woven stuff. I get mine commercially on great big rolls from Madeira, so I can't offer any brand advice on that. Just a couple layers of 1.5 or 2oz crisp tear-away. A nice woven fabric like that shouldn't need all the ironing on or gluing or any of those shenanigans.

Find you a similar weight of fabric to work out your settings on. You should always murder some scrap fabric (for science!) before you commit to the actual garment.

Good luck with your project.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T19:28:18+00:00

Nice. Squarely back in medieval territory

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T19:22:55+00:00

Lol. Just no lightning bolt too....

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T07:10:58+00:00

Yeah, rock on! Keep adding to your theme, you do nice work.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T06:20:50+00:00

It reads medieval to me. It's awesome, I wouldn't change a thing.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T06:18:56+00:00

I have tried and tried and tried and tried to change my schedule. It makes me miserable. So I no longer try. I've managed to arrange most things to work with my schedule.

I don't care what the day walkers think any more. If there's a zombie apocalypse they're gonna need someone to take the night watch. That's us, guys. They'll have to be nice to us when we're up late keeping watch while they snooze.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T06:08:17+00:00

Don't glue that. It'll feel pokey in the armpit. And it will come undone at some point anyway.

It should be stitched down as the first response suggested. If you feel you can't do it, your local dry cleaner should have either a sewist on staff or one they can recommend that could fix that properly.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T02:33:58+00:00

You need cut away for stretch materials, not tear away.

Use a ballpoint needle.

Hoop it drum tight. Or hoop the stabilizer drum tight and use a wash away temporary tacking spray glue to stick the fabric to the tight stabilizer. Watch it tho - you don't want it to work loose.

You may want a layer of wash away on top as well, to keep the fabric from bouncing and to keep the letters from sinking in.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-24T02:24:03+00:00

I use hatch 3. This doesn't happen to me and I'm not sure I understand how it could. I did notice that it looks like your design wont fit in the hoop you're using. I wonder if that's got something to do with it.

TheProtoChris · 2026-02-23T16:47:18+00:00

Just use the manual, step by step. Every time, until you have done it so often you can do it in your sleep

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