Embroidery on Performance Wear
Here is Melco's video presentation on Performance Wear Embroidery: Facebook - YouTube
Additional Performance Wear Tips: Facebook - YouTube
Embroidery on Performance Wear and similar stretchy fabrics can be tricky because of puckering issues, especially when you have more than 10,000 stitches in the design. To eliminate puckering:
- Use one piece of no-show nylon mesh stabilizer and one piece of cut-away backing. Place one sheet of cut-away and one sheet of no-show on top of each other, facing in opposite directions. The no-show mesh backing is nice because it has a softer feel when it is against the skin. No-show backing is virtually invisible, even on white garments.
- Spray a little 505 adhesive on both pieces of the backing before applying it to the garment. NEVER spray the garment with the adhesive spray. A little bit of spray goes a long way.
- Make sure your garment is tight in the hoop (drum tight) and do not adjust the fabric after is has been hooped. For small lettering it may be helpful to hoop a piece of solvy on the top.
- Stitch density is also an important factor when sewing on performance apparel. Consider reducing the overall stitch density by 10%. Remember to keep underlay stitches to a minimum. Edge walk or center walk seems to work the best.