hi does anybody know if you have to change the needles for when you sew stretchy fabric...ie T-shirts as every time I sew it puckers up and makes a huge knot....I have just got the Innovis 4000 (Brother)please help as I have to keep replacing these shirts I mess up....thanks

Ball point needle and stabilizer. I've found that a fusible cut away, or fusible leave-in stabilizer works very well. I think I have half a billion yards or so of t-shirt fabric, so have been practicing lots. That has been my solution combination. A topper layer of a WSS or iron away stabilizer really helps if your embroidery foot tends to "gouge" the fabric and pull it out of shape. Good luck!!

I tried the two sheets of cutaway and it worked thank you for the useful tips!!

I second the ball point needle answer. Good answer from anangel-good luck!

I have tried embroidering tshirts but have given up, never happy with them, so Angel's comments give me more hope and I will try again.
thank you.

Make sure you use a ball point needle also because the sharp one can cut the fabric rather than slide through.

2 comments

by petdenhan 11 Nov 2011

thank you....will get one...XD

by roberta 16 Nov 2011

You could make a patch on a different kind of material such a cotton and zigzag it on to the t-shirt, especially if it has a lot of stitches, like 20,000 or more. You sure won't ruin one then. Roberta

Thanks for asking this question because i'm battling with t-shirts myself and I have 2 t-shirts I want to do before Monday but are to scared because its not mine. I find that when the design have a outline it isnt always done neatly.

1 comment

by petdenhan 11 Nov 2011

Good luck have you seen the comments...

I find that knits, such as t-shirts, stitch with a nicer finished design, and hold up through repeated washings without puckering and curling when stablilized in the following manner. (1) Iron on a small piece of fusible stabilizer to the back of the fabric where the design will be stitched, careful when ironing not to stretch the knit fabric. (2) Hoop a piece of light/medium weight cut-a-way stablilizer. (3) Lightly spray the fusible with K2000 fabric adhesive, then align and press gently to position on the hooped cut-a-way. (4) Place a piece of wss on top to keep the stitches from sinking into the knit fabric. After stitching the design, I remove the excess wss from the top, then trim the cut-away to 1/8 inch around the edge of the design inside the t-shirt. I have tried many different ways stitching t-shirts, and this method has proven to be the best. I do not like hoopburn on t-shirts, so I prefer to not hoop, and, too, it is so easy to stretch knit fabric when hooping.
Hope this helps.
Angel

3 comments

by anangel 11 Nov 2011

I forgot to add that you can pull any excess fusible loose around the design
after stitching, and trim it along with the cut-a-way to the 1/8 inch around the
design.
Angel

by jofrog2000 11 Nov 2011

This is how I do them. Started with a paper backed iron-on, which worked okay, then found a fusible mesh that I like even better. I pin the T to the stabilizer also.

by petdenhan 11 Nov 2011

fantastic thank you so very much for the useful information... I will let you know how I get on....xD

I find that the biggest factor with tshirts is the stabilizer. It was recommended to me to use two sheets of cut away, and I resisted this for a long time. When I finally did this, I had a lot less problems. As far as needles are concerned, I find that just using a new one is more important than the type for tshirts. Good luck.

1 comment

by petdenhan 11 Nov 2011

thank you ..do you use the one sheet on top and the other under the material ...or both under...?? thanks for advise...XD