There are many fabrics that appear to be very difficult fabrics to work with. Once you get the feel and the understanding of these fabrics, they are not so difficult to work with at all. This particular fabric is Lycra. Lycra is a trade name of spandex, a synthetic fiber with exceptional elasticity.
Another fabric that causes embroiderers a lot of stress is Performance Wear. This is not hard to embroider once your find the right combination of backing and needles. It actually works exactly the same as any type of knit polo shirt. I handle them the same!
To watch the videos in full-screen mode, click on the “Enter Full Screen” icon on the right bottom corner of the video.
To watch the videos in full-screen mode, click on the “Enter Full Screen” icon on the right bottom corner of the video.Video: Working With Lycra
In this embroidery training video, I talk about working with very stretchy Lycra fabrics. The first example is a medium weight cotton Lycra t-shirt. This will have a large full front design across the chest. The other is a light weight nylon Lycra fabric. Both fabrics have a large amount of elasticity in every direction.
Video: How To Hoop A Lycra T-Shirt
In this embroidery training video, I show you how to hoop Lycra fabrics for embroidery and which backings to use. I am working with a full front embroidery on a very stretchy cotton Lycra knit t-shirt. I hooped it with the All in One Hooper using my 30 cm or 12 inch wooden hoop. I have found that the All In One Hooper or the HoopMaster are the best hooping devices for most applications. You will notice that I use both hooping devices throughout my training videos.
I also show you a small design that was done on a nylon Lycra fabric and the results when using the wrong backing.
Video: How To Embroider A Custom Design On A Lycra T-Shirt
In this embroidery training video, I show you how to embroider the full front design on the Cotton Lycra t-shirt. The silhouette design was done with long fill stitches and the lettering was left open in the center. This allowed for a lot of stretch through the entire design as the customer was wearing it. I also talk about the correct needles to use in the embroidery machine when you are stitching through the Lycra fabrics.
I misspoke at the beginning of the video when I was applying the topping. I called it Lycra but it is in fact topping.
Video: How To Finish A Stretchy Lycra T-Shirt
In this embroidery training video, I show you how to apply the finishing touches to the Lycra t-shirt. I also show you a simple technique and tool to use to remove the backing from within the lettering on the Lycra t-shirt.
Article: Embroidering On Performance Wear
Performance Wear or Moisture Wicking fabrics seem to be difficult for many people. I treat it exactly the same as I do any other knit polo shirt.
Link to Article: Embroidery On Performance Wear