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Pucker Prevention Tips, Tricks, & Ideas
Pucker Prevention Tips, Tricks, & Ideas
During a recent one hour presentation for *Sewing Machines Plus I shared some of my favorite ideas for preventing puckers in your embroidery projects. Indeed, it is a topic filled with a long list of pucker prevention possibilities!
I focused on Easy Ways to accomplish pucker prevention. I hope this tutorial works for all levels of embroidery enthusiasts. If yo haven't already done so, I invite you to watch the entire video segment featured at the very end of this post. As I often do after LIVE show presentations, I've provided a summary to add to the video information by sharing an outline of some important points. I'll also include some links for you in this post.
I focused on Easy Ways to accomplish pucker prevention. I hope this tutorial works for all levels of embroidery enthusiasts. If yo haven't already done so, I invite you to watch the entire video segment featured at the very end of this post. As I often do after LIVE show presentations, I've provided a summary to add to the video information by sharing an outline of some important points. I'll also include some links for you in this post.
Design Analysis
Let's talk about he match up process, i.e., matching your design to your fabric. In simple, practical terms this means you'll want to marry light-weight designs with light-weight material and heavier (more dense designs), with more firm material. For the sake of simplicity, we will call whatever you are stitching on "material." Here are some questions to ask before matching up design & material:
~Ironing some finished projects may make the stabilizer pucker a little or a lot.
~Some projects can't or will never be ironed. Other projects will always need to be ironed.
~Perhaps ironing would flatten the piece and prove to be a negative, (think quilt blocks or puffy trapunto style designs).
- Is my design and material a good, practical match as outlined above?
- Where will my design go? Think about the position of your placement.
- How will my finished project be cared for? For example: There's a distinct difference between something that will be framed to hang on a wall, a quilted item, and a t-shirt that will be frequently laundered.
- How can I maintain or closely keep the original character of my material? Remember, embroidery adds weight, even with light-weight or open designs. it may or may not matter if the base material changes depending on your desired results.
- Will I be ironing the final item? This may sound like a simple question, but it requires more analysis. Consider this short list as you think more about to iron or not to iron:
~Ironing some finished projects may make the stabilizer pucker a little or a lot.
~Some projects can't or will never be ironed. Other projects will always need to be ironed.
~Perhaps ironing would flatten the piece and prove to be a negative, (think quilt blocks or puffy trapunto style designs).
Stabilizing for a Successful Stitchout
Stabilizer is yet another BIG topic, and one you will hear me discuss over and over again. You can purchase the specific stabilizers shown in the video when you shop at *Sewing Machines Plus.
By now you may be realizing that we need to adopt a "big picture" approach to our embroidery projects. We tend to think of stabilizer first, but in embroidery everything relates to everything else, so be sure to review all of the information as you decide what, when, where, and how you will use a selected stabilizer!
Questions to ask before choosing stabilizer:
By now you may be realizing that we need to adopt a "big picture" approach to our embroidery projects. We tend to think of stabilizer first, but in embroidery everything relates to everything else, so be sure to review all of the information as you decide what, when, where, and how you will use a selected stabilizer!
Questions to ask before choosing stabilizer:
- Can I get away with "less" stabilizer? Again, remember the match up process. Both under and over stabilizing can cause pucker problems.
- Will my material benefit from an aded layer of "disappearing" stabilizer? Dissapearing, meaning it will help add body, firmness, and a tight hold in the hoop during embroidery, but is removable so it goes away or virtually disappears when embroidery is complete. Possibilities include a wash-away stabilizer, a tear-away stabilizer that only has remnants left under the stitches, and a fabric stiffener such as Terial Magic or Perfect Sew. Read more about these liquid stabilizer products in this Let's Go Sew Tip Sheet HERE.
- How can I bond my stabilizer to my project? Is there a fusible or adhesive stabilizer solution for my project? Properly bonding material with an added layer of stabilizer means the layers are "stuck" together. This prevents stretching of the fabric in the hoop and keeps fabric smooth and firm. Note that bonding can be accomplished temporarily with temporary adhesive spray suitable for embroidery. It can also be accomplish with sticky stabilizers and fusible stabilizers.
Hooping Tips
There are so many hoop choices these days! For many years my embroidery repertoire consisted of nothing but standard hoops. I learned to hoop efficiently and effectively with just the hoops included with my machine. However, hoops have improved and third party options abound. Watch for a future happy hooping tutorial. For now, here are a few of my best hooping tips:
- The smaller the hoop, the better the hold. Match your design size to your hoop size, choosing a hoop that matches the design size as closely as possible.
- Hoop so the material and added layer(s) are firm and smooth in the hoop. Never stretch the material in the hoop. Now, if you're stitching on a garment such as a swimsuit that will be stretched on the body, that's a different issue but that does not fall into the realm of "standard" embroidery. Drum tight is a term that gets tossed about in the embroidery world. I think that term can mean different things to different folks. If that means stretching tight then it is not good advice. Instead, strive for firm and smooth with no slack. In a past PBS It's Sew Easy TV show (2012-3 HERE), I show how to properly hoop. YOU'll find some of my same pucker proof tips in this video and a close up look at some of the things discussed here.
- Consider specialty hoops such as the *Durkee Sash Frames available from SMP.
Miscellaneous Tips
- Switching to an applique in place of a standard embroidery design will often result in less stitches, thus a lighter weight design.
- Consider deleting parts of a design to remove density. Some easy ways include skipping parts on your machine by fast forwarding, using a "No Sew" feature built in to some machines, and using embroidery software to select and delete design parts.
- Pre-pucker fabric by quilting with light weight batting or flannel as a backing. This textured fabric base is not only more stable, it can camouflage slight puckering.
- While alight ball point embroidery needle is suitable for lots of projects, woven fabrics often benefit forming a sharp needle such as a 10-12 topstitch needle or a designated sharp embroidery needle to better pierce fabric for less chance of puckering.
Wrapping it Up!
Two of my own design collections are featured in the video below. For more info you can check out Wrapped in Embroidery and Just Jackets to learn more. I hope you enjoy the resources and the one hour video! Please feel free to share your thoughts and leave your comments and questions for me. I'd love to hear from you!
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