I'm hoping for some advice.

It's questions like this that give us all some new clues and reminders of what to do when things go wrong.
Thanks for asking this question and thanks for all the answers.
I love this kind of input... :}
AlmaG.

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

It's wonderful isn't it, everyone is so helpful. This is why I love this site, the sewing advice is invaluable.

You have all the answeres now. I will leave flower for you.

1 images:[1]

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

....thank you, and one for you :)

Chance are your fabric and stabilizer is moving in the hoop while you stitch the design.
Our hoops are not very tight on the long sides and the top and bottom. the only part the is tigh is the corners of our hoops.
Because of this fabric and stabilizers can be pulled into the middle of the hoop while we stitch especially when stitching high stitch count designs or when stitching on light weight fabrics.
This movement can cause outline to not sitich where they are suppose to in a design.

Below is a link to Criswell website that shows how to put Shelf Liner strips on the bottom of your inner hoop with wonder Tape that is a 2 sided water soluble tape.
The strips help hold your fabric and stabilizers tight in the hoop while you hoop and while you stitch. It eliminates the fabric being pulled into the hoop while you stitch.
This works for all types of fabrics and stabilizers and for stitching FSLace designs on water soluble stabilizers. I have this on all my hoops for all embroidery.

Click each picture on the link page to see a close up look of each.

The Wonder Tape can be found in most machine dealers stores or fabric and Quilting stores in the notions department and also on vendor webiste online.
The holey, rubbery Shelf Liner can be found in most Dollar stores or stores such as Walmat, it is used to line kitchen cupboards and comes on a roll.

See link below to see the Wonder Tape and the Shelf Liner and how to put these on your hoop.

You didn't say what type of fabric you are stitching on or how many stitches in the designs that you are having trouble with just make sure you are using the right weight of stabilizer for the stitch count in the designs and the fabric you are stitching on.

EastWitch2

2 comments

by rsehorse 22 Jun 2012

Thanks, this is good info.

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

That's excellent... thank you so much for going to all that trouble.
I was using a medium weight cotton with a large dense design (sunbonnet sewing girls)

Pull compensation (aka poor digitizing), insufficient stabilizing (wrong stabilizer or techinique), poor match of density to fabric (too dense of a design on a very light fabric), or the hoop got bumped all probably the major causes of outlines being off. This is why you hear the advice to test a design first before stitching it out on the "good" fabric or something you'd be upset about if it got ruined. If you are in the test stage, the advice every one has given is really good! Try them out and see what works with the project you are doing. It took me several years before I got a "knack" for choosing the right combination on my first try. The only advice I'd add is when you use two layers of tearaway, if the tearaway is a directional one, place them crosswise to each other.

In another thread it was discussed what to do if it has happened on a finished project. The only thing I'd add to that is if I can't use fabric markers to fix it, I take it to my regular sewing machine and do free motion machine embroidery and fill in the spaces with stitches.

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

More great advice... thank you penny

If it's not a poorly digitized design, perhaps as the others said heavier stabilizing will help. Also wonder, if the outline is out only on the one side, did you by chance bump the hoop? Or have some kind of glitch where the machine kind of "jumped" a bit over? Mirroring shouldn't have caused it, but it is after all a dingbusted computer, and sometimes they do whatever they want. Good luck finding the answer, show us a picture, it would help. Hugs, Marji

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

Thanks marji

I ALWAYS test stitch on a similar type of fabric with the same stabilizer combination I will use in the real thing. I agree with the others - sounds like a design issue or a hooping issue. I am a "I don't hoop any item" person. I use a washaway sticky in the hoop (all paper peeled off so it sticks to the inner hoop from the bottom) and a iron-on stabilizer in the area of the design (other than for towels where I don't use any other stabilizer) and then I stick that to the hoop. I also baste the whole thing together before I start stitching. If I am using a topper I put it down so it bastes with the rest of the item. This method works well for me.

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

I like the sound of this, but I am going to have to read it 10 times before I get it...lol (I think I need diagrams...lol) thank you, I see if I can work it out.

i had the same problem a while back until i decided to try some really tough tear away stablizer called totally stable. i had perfect results with that. wish i knew where to find some more of it.

3 comments

by pcteddyb 22 Jun 2012

This is a "Sulky" product and lots of places carry that brank. If you are in The US - Joanns does in store (and online).

by pcteddyb 22 Jun 2012

make the "brand".

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

thanks icana... I'm in australia, I'll have a look for some.

I do not know how to fix your problem, but I always do a test of the design before I do the final. I know it is such a waste of time, but I learned the hard way - had to throw a lot of stuff away in the past!

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

Lucky it was only for me :)

Just a note of how to salvage the design...I use fabric markers in lots of colors to touch up when this happens. I can't stand to throw an item out without trying everything I can to save it. These markers have saved me time and time again. Sometimes it is the outline that is the tiniest bit off, and I can fill the adjoining color (not the outline, that looks funky) and it isn't noticable. All the other hints were to prevent it next time, maybe you can save it??? Linda

2 comments

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

I'm lucky Linda, because I was stitching out designs on a dust cover I'm making for my new machine,... so it was only for me... I can live with it, and it will be a constant reminder for me to make sure I get it right next time. but thanks for your handy hint, I remember that.

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

... handy hint.. I remember that one.
hugs kitty

It could be a hooping problem, but it could also be a Pull Compensation problem in the design itself.

Try another layer of stabiliser or make sure you use a good medium weight CUTAWAY not tearaway stabiliser.

Ensure your fabric and stabiliser is TAUT in the hoop.
A very inexpensive fix for hoops that don't hold well is to purchase some of that waffle like rubbery material that you see being sold in rolls for placing underneath articles to stop them slipping.
Can't for the life of me think of what it is commonly called but it works Brilliantly.
I found a couple of links to it so you can see what it looks like but ignore the prices because it is available from $2 shops, really cheap.

All you do is wrap a length of it around your bottom hoop and secure it with a good glue, no more slipping stabiliser.
Hope this helps. Hugs n roses, Meganne

3 comments

by pennifold 22 Jun 2012

Great answer Meg I do that with my rubber matting strips if I have a tricky design to do. Love Chris

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

Thanks Meganne, great idea, I know exactly the grippy stuff your talking about, I have some here. I'll try that tomorrow on my next stitchout. thanks

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

Oops... that should be 'you're' instead of 'your'. I must be getting tired, it's past my bedtime.

Had this happen to me with a very very large parrot but was an easy fix by just using 2 sheets of stablizer (tearaway) Hope this fixes yours...........;-)

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

Now this solution sounds simple... maybe I'll try this first. otherwise I'll have to try the starch trick - thank you.

All embroidery designs will "shrink" your fabric after stitching. That is the main cause for outlines to be off the mark.
I will always starch my fabric so that a nice stiff surface is ready for stitches.
5x7 is large and my hoop does not work to hold fabric firm enough . I have added a two way sticky tape in the middle of all four sides with a narrow strip of cut away stuck to it. It has worked good for a lot of hoopings before needing replacement.
Here is my other tip for starch;
Hugs Bev

Cotton Starch Fabric

Mix 2 Table spoons of powder starch with 400ml of water in a jar with lid.
Cover ironing board with an old towel.
Lay the pre- shrunk/washed cotton fabric wrong side up on the board
Damp sponge or dab with a lump of cottonwool the fabric until quite wet with the starch mixture
Place the tear away on top and dab this wet also
Allow to soak for a moment
Using a press cloth to protect the iron begin to press it all dry
The fabric will stick to the tear away
The tear away stabilizer will look a bit crumpled and wrinkled
But the fabric will be nice and flat and very stiff
Iron it dry on both sides lifting it away from the towel that also might be sticking
Allow to air dry before hooping
After embroidering pull the tear away from the back
There will be much less puckering and better still I adjust my top tension lower by two clicks on the screen and it reads 3.6
NB MY BLOCKS ARE CUT SMALLER THAN THE HOOP SIZE: but stuck to the tear away I can still hoop them .

1 comment

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

Wow thanks.... I'm going to need to read that again so that it sinks in, sounds messy, but worth it if it works, thank you so much.

Are you able to post a picture of what has happened to help with replies? Where did the designs come from? Other than that I am not much help. It has happened to me in the past and I just gave up with the design and found another that worked

2 comments

by kitty2011 22 Jun 2012

The designs are so cute, I bought them from OPW, so I'm sure they're good quality., just frustrating when this happens.

by meganne 22 Jun 2012

Aaaah, I don't want to speak ill of another digitiser, but I had huge problems with FSL designs I purchased through OPW, and Chris Pennifold also had the same problems with different FSL designs from the same digitiser.