BASIC TIPS FOR EMBROIDERY:

Please note that embroidery is a field with many possible variants that will affect how your project will turn out. Below are some tips and suggestions to help give a great end result but there are also many other causes of improperly embroidered items.

• Firm, tight hooping is necessary for a pucker-free design. (Please note: do not stretch fabrics when doing this.)
  
  
• Lay out necessary Marathon thread colours for your design prior to starting the embroidery.
  
  
• If desired, stitch out design on a separate piece of fabric to test.
  
  
• Before beginning, check to see if you have enough thread left on your bobbin to complete the design. Marathon pre-wound bobbins tend to last longer than a machine-wound one.
  
  
• Check your needle to see if it is dull or if you need a different size or variety.

NEEDLES:


Industrial Needles:

• Marathon Australia carries Orange needles - industrial DBXK5 with round shank in a variety different sizes in both sharp and ball point. Having a sharp needle is one of the most important factors in machine embroidery. Note that the embroidery needle has a more elongated eye than a regular sewing needle.
  
  
• Ball point needles penetrate between fabric fibers making marks or damage to fabrics less of a concern. For example, a knit should have a ball point needle to prevent runs or holes in the knit.
  
  
• Sharp point needles actually pierce or cut the fibers which can be useful for cleaner designs and less damage to textured or thicker fabrics. Note that sharp point needles may be needed if you are using a heavier stabilizer.
  
  
• Larger sizes indicate a larger needle tip and should therefore be used on heavier fabrics. 75/11 is suitable for most lighter weight fabrics.
   

Domestic Needles  (We carry SCHMETZ domestic needles).   

Please read  'Guidelines for choosing the right needle'.

THREAD:

• Marathon embroidery thread comes in 4 varieties: Metallic, 100% Viscose Rayon, 100% Polyester and variegated 100% Viscose Rayon. Marathon threads have been said to sew out for a much better coverage than other embroidery threads. 
  
  
• Marathon Viscose Rayon embroidery thread has natural fiber properties which produce beautiful lustrous designs. It can be a little more sensitive to bleaching agents, but it tends to run through the embroidery machine cleaner and also sews out in a lovely sheen.
  
  
• Marathon Polyester embroidery thread is spun together from synthetic fibers which make it a little more resistant to chemical damage, for example, bleach. The quality of Marathon's manufacturing process now has produced a much higher sheen and lustre than was previously achieved in Polyester.
  
  
• Marathon Metallic embroidery threads are available in a variety of gold, silver and colours which can accent or enhance a beautiful design to give it that finishing touch. It is important to have a good quality thread, such as Marathon, and a large-eye needle since metallic threads tend to break more frequently in machine use. Marathon metallic threads feel like thread and not wire which helps to run more smoothly through the machine.
  
  
• The Marathon's 100% Rayon Variegated embroidery threads come in two varieties: Ombre and Multi. Ombre, is different shades of the same colour - varying from light to dark and Multi, is 2,3 or 4 different colours on one thread to make a striped or multi-coloured effect, depending on digitizing. Marathon Variegated threads are perfect for cresting designs, border designs as well as colourful patterns such as floral, butterfly and animal furs.
  
  
• To estimate your thread consumption: on average, approximately 6.5 yards of thread would be used per 1000 embroidery stitches. This of course varies depending on stitch length, fabric thicknesses and tensions in both the bobbin and the needle.

BOBBINS:

• Marathon Spun Polyester Bobbin thread comes in 50,000m cone (Black and White) and is good if you prefer to wind your own bobbins.
  
  
• Marathon Pre-wound bobbins have several advantages including that they are able to be wound much more uniformly on the core allowing it to hold more thread and they can run a little more steadily in the machine.

STABILIZERS:

• The basic rule of thumb on non woven stabilizers has been the lighter the fabric, the heavier the stablilizer but this can cause puckering in the design so a better rule is to match the weight of the backing to the fabric depending on the stretch.
  
  
• Usually backing is applied underneath the fabric you are embroidering on. It's goal is to prevent distortion or stretching of the fabric during embroidery.
  
  
• TEARAWAY is used for woven or non stretchy fabrics and is removed by tearing away after the design is completed.
  
  
• CUTAWAY backing is used for fabrics that stretch such as knits and the excess is meant to be cut away after the embroidery is finished. Many prefer the softness of cutaways on wearable items and they also help maintain a design even after many washes. 
  
  
• FUSIBLE: Fusible non woven backing can be easily ironed on to the fabric before embroidering for a nice stablization to a fabric that has a lower frame tension.
  
  
• TOPPING FILM is used on the top of a fabric to prevent fabrics with nap such as toweling, fleece, or velvet from being crushed while embroidering. It allows the fibers embroidered on, to be pressed flat for a nice clean design.
  
  
• MELT AWAY stabilizer is a great for lacemaking, patches, applique, sweatshirts, toweling and t-shirts as well as many other items.
  
  
• WATER SOLUBLE - These stablizers can be useful in giving firm backing to lacework or freestanding embroidery and then dissolved without harming your delicate work.
  

Here are some fabric/ stablilizer suggestions:

• Tearaways - nylon jackets, satin jackets, canvas, corduroy, cotton sheeting, denim, shirting, terry
• Cutaway of Mesh - Lycra, Spandex, golf shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, t-shirts

OTHER POSSIBLE EMBROIDERY PROBLEMS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER:

• Thread Breaks - Causes: incorrect needle, burrs in needle eye, hook or throat plate, machine threaded incorrectly, incorrect needle bar height, tension adjustment needed, bent needle, machine needs lubrication, lint buildup, incorrect digitizing causing design to be too dense in an area, need for a silicon spray due to friction caused by thick fabrics or fabrics with treatments, pooling of thrad which causes portions of the spool to wind off improperly.
  
  
• Neelde Breakage - Causes: timing needs adjusting for needle & hook point, needle in machine incorrectly, bent/dull needle.
  
  
• Thread Pileups on back of fabric - Causes: tension adjustment needed, machine incorrectly threaded.
  
  
• Stitching not following pattern outline - Causes: bent needles, loose hoop in frame.
  
  
• Flat stitching - Causes: tension tightness, topping film necessary on fabrics with a pile.
  
  
• Looping - Causes: tension adjustment needed for tight fabric weaves, digitized with too many stitches.
  
   
• Pigtailing - Causes: Top tension too tight.
  
  
• Skipped stitches - Causes: tension too tight, backing not hooped the same tension as fabric, fabric hopped too tightly, needles not shart enough, density of design too thick and needs to be increased in size slightly.

(NB: If you have a tip we've not included here or you have a question we can answer, please contact us and we will do our best to answer the question. For more useful tips and information, please visit: Marathon Threads Canada and Marathon Thread USA).