Vinyl is used with machine embroidery in many ways. You can create zipper bags, key fobs, ornaments, shakers (items with clear vinyl over confetti), and other items using your embroidery machine. However, the different vinyl types can be confusing when you want to combine vinyl with machine embroidery. This machine embroidery vinyl guide will help you choose the right vinyl product for your project.
Marine vinyl and upholstery vinyl has a fabric back that is fused into the vinyl. It is this fabric backing that holds stitches in place and keeps the vinyl from ripping along stitching lines (just like spiral notebook paper rips along the perforations at the edges, when you pull on it). This vinyl is made for seat covers and to withstand stress on the stitched seams, which is why it is good for embroidery. There are several different thicknesses and quality of upholstery and marine vinyl offered by different companies. Some upholstery vinyl has a bit of stretch to it, so that upholsterers can make nicer rounded corners on things like boat seats or recliner arms. This vinyl will be labelled as upholstery or marine vinyl. Marine vinyl is upholstery vinyl with UV protection against the sun’s rays so that the material can be used outdoors. If the vinyl isn’t labeled, you can tell by the woven type of backing on the wrong side of the vinyl. You use upholstery or marine vinyl for key fobs and things like that.
HTV (heat transfer vinyl) is a fusible, thin vinyl that you can use a heat press to fuse to fabric. It is too thin to use alone. It is meant to be fused to a sturdy fabric backing. There is a method where you can use it in an machine embroidery applique. It is called “rip-away applique.”
In addition to using vinyl for ITH (in the hoop) projects or in applique, you can also use clear vinyl to create “shakers.” A shaker is an item that is similar to a snow globe – it is filled with small confetti type of items that move around when you shake the design. Clear vinyl is used over fabric and confetti to create a window to see the items inside. You typically use 10 gauge to 20 gauge clear vinyl with embroidery. The higher the gauge number, the thicker the vinyl. The thickness you use will depend on your design. Most designs call for 20 gauge clear vinyl, but if the item has light stitches and won’t have much stress on the stitching line, you may be able to choose a vinyl that is thinner than 20 gauge. Vinyl that is thicker than 20 gauge tends to be too thick for machine embroidery. You use widely spaced stitches to apply clear vinyl, as the vinyl can rip along the stitching line if the stitches are too close together.
Lastly, there are other types of vinyl materials which are more likely to tear if you use them in embroidery. In this category you have tablecloth vinyl and vinyl ribbon. Tablecloth vinyl is thin and has a ‘flannel’ (slightly fuzzy) type of backing. The flannel backing material allows the tablecloth vinyl to be hemmed using widely spaced stitches, but this type of vinyl is not made to sew sections together or to support closely spaced stitches, as it is very thin. Vinyl ribbon usually doesn’t have any fabric backing. Vinyl ribbon is also thinner and not made to withstand stress. Neither of these types of vinyl are made to support stitches. You might be able to use these types of vinyl in non-stress areas, such as on key fob backs. (The same embroidering on vinyl rules apply, including using wider stitch spacing.) Since these vinyl materials don’t have a woven fabric backing to hold stitches in place, they are more likely to have areas ‘pop out’ in sections where there are stitches close together, such as areas with satin stitch borders.