Embroidering on knit fabrics has its own set of difficulties. Knit fabrics have dimension, as they are formed with interlocking loops. Knit fabrics have ribs, which embroidery stitches can sink into, distorting the embroidery design. Knit fabrics can stretch during stitching, creating distortions or gaps in the embroidery design. Additionally, knit fabrics can’t support dense embroidery designs, as dense designs create immobile flat spots on the knit’s stretchy surface.
Embroidery designs on knit fabrics should be lighter weight and not very dense. Lettering should be thick enough to stand out, just as on plush fabrics. Knits have some loft, so small, thin lettering risks getting lost in knit fabrics.
Knits generally don’t have the ability to support large dense embroidery designs. Think of pinning a weight onto a knit t-shirt. The knit fabric will stretch and distort with the weight. When an embroidery design is very dense, the stitching acts like a weight and pulls and distorts the knit fabric. Thus, less dense embroidery designs are better for knit fabrics.
Gaps can form when stitching too dense designs. Outlines can miss or sections of the design may appear to be shifted slightly over. With dense designs, the stitches pull the fabric inward little by little. By the time you get to an outline, the design has pulled in so much that you now have a gap between the design and the outline.
Additionally, knits can move when stitching as knits fabrics stretch. So you will need to stabilize and lock down the knit fabric for best results when embroidering.
Ideally, you should not use very dense, large embroidery designs on things like t-shirts. But if you can’t resist, then you can try a few things to keep the knit fabric from shifting and stretching during embroidering. The following are a few tips to use when embroidering on any knit fabric.
1) If the design has an outline stitch, then don’t stitch the outline and the lines attached to the outline. This doesn’t fix the cause of the problem of gaps between the outline and the main design, but it does eliminate seeing the outline.
2) Put a fusible product behind the knit fabric. Knits stretch and move during stitching. Using a fusible helps lock down the knit fabric. Fusible light weight interfacing or fusible no-show polymesh embroidery stabilizer are good choices. The excess fusible product can be removed by ironing the fusible product and lifting it off while it is still warm.
3) Use a basting box. The stitching locks down the block of area where the stitching goes. Many embroidery machines come with pre-installed basting box designs. If your machine doesn’t come with basting boxes, then they can be purchased at many embroidery design websites.
4) Use Terial Magic or a heavy starch. (Both products are removed by washing the fabric.) By making the fabric very stiff, you lock down the knit fabric to keep it from stretching and you beef up the fabric to behave more like a woven fabric.
5) Use a clear water soluble topper on top of the knit fabric. The clear topper makes it easier to cut jump stitches on knit fabrics (as the jump stitches may fall into the ribs of the knit fabric). Additionally, the topper can reduce drag on the fabric from the embroidery foot. A clear topper prevents stitches from falling into the ribs (ditches) of the knit fabric. (For additional tips on choosing the correct water soluble product, check out our article on water soluble embroidery stabilizers and toppers.)
6) Use a ball point needle. Ball point needles are made to push aside the knit’s loops. Since knit fabrics can run, it is important to not break any of the fabric’s threads when stitching. Ball point needles are made to be gentle on knit fabrics.
By utilizing one (or all) of these tips, you can successfully stitch on knit fabrics.