T-Shirt Tricks

T-shirt Tricks T-shirts are a fun item to embroider, but they can be tricky sometimes. Why do some stitched T-shirts look great, while others look ... not so great? The choice of design, stabilizer, and even the shirt itself can have a huge effect on the finished product. Read on for tips and advice for embroidering on T-shirts, plus a look at what happens when things really go awry.

The basics: First things first. View our T-shirt video and accompanying written/photo instructions for a demonstration of how to embroider on T-shirts.

Choosing your tees: Not all T-shirts are created equal. A thicker, more tightly knit fabric will support embroidery better. We've found that women's tees tend to be made of a thinner knit than men's/unisex tees. Shop around a bit to find blank shirts that you like and want to stitch on.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (1 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

Whichever shirts you choose, wash and dry them on the highest settings recommended for the fabric in order to pre-shrink them before embroidering. You want to get all of the shrinkage out of the way now so that future shrinkage won't pucker the embroidery. All-cotton T-shirts will shrink more than poly-cotton blends.

Choosing designs: Designs with open areas will allow the fabric to drape and help you avoid the effect of a solid slab of embroidery on an otherwise soft and flexible piece of fabric. They will also continue to look the best as the designs are washed and worn. Very lightweight embroidery such as redwork and vintage designs should work well, as will designs with lots of open areas such as toile and the one-color Simply designs.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (2 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

Stabilizer: Which kind of stabilizer you use will depend on the design you choose. One of our favorite tricks for embroidering on T-shirts is to use a sheer mesh cutaway stabilizer under the designs. Floriani No Show Mesh and Sulky Soft 'n Sheer are two popular kinds. Since it's a cutaway stabilizer, it won't break down because of needle perforations and washing the way a tearaway stabilizer would, and it should be supportive enough for all but the heaviest embroidery designs that you would want to use on a T-shirt. Plus, it's soft and not scratchy against the skin.

A regular medium weight cutaway stabilizer is a good choice for designs that are on the heavier side of what's appropriate for T-shirts. Pair this with a T-shirt that's not too thin, so that the edge of the cutaway stabilizer doesn't leave a visible ridge under the fabric. Shop around for stabilizers, too -- a good-quality cutaway stabilizer will soften over time. What about tearaway stabilizer? Many embroiderers want to use this because it does not leave excess stabilizer on the inside of the shirt. For very lightweight designs such as redwork and vintage embroidery, tearaway should be fine. For anything heavier, we recommend a cutaway stabilizer.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (3 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

Hooping: Spray your stabilizer generously with temporary spray adhesive and smooth the T-shirt fabric on top. Hoop all layers together firmly. Embroider the design, making sure to keep the rest of the Tshirt out of the way of the hoop.

Care: Laundering the finished T-shirt gently will do a lot to help keep it looking nice. Wash in cold water and air-dry if possible. If you like, you can press the embroidered area (with a pressing cloth over the embroidery to protect it) to help smooth it out after washing.

Here's an example of how not to embroider a T-shirt. We started with a tissue-thin women's T-shirt and stitched it with a very heavy and dense design, backed with tearaway stabilizer -- all choices likely to produce poor results. The tee is shown here after embroidery but before laundering. You can already see puckers around the embroidery.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (4 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

Here's the front of the shirt after it was washed in cold water and tumble dried. The puckering has become more pronounced, and the whole thing has taken on a bumpy 3D appearance. You can't see it very well in this picture...

...but you can see it much more clearly here!

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (5 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

The fabric of the T-shirt is visible through the embroidery fills that are supposed to be solid. Since tearaway stabilizer is built to break down (so that you can tear it), it doesn't provide the necessary support to keep filled areas of embroidery looking good as they're washed and worn -- and the T-shirt fabric can't do the job of supporting the embroidery all by itself.

Here's a much better example of how to embroider on a T-shirt. We started with a thicker knit tee and chose a light, open design.

On the back, we used a sheer mesh cutaway stabilizer. It's a good choice for light designs like this one.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (6 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

Here's the design after the tee was laundered (in the same load as the dog shirt. No major puckering ... looks good! If you want, you can press the embroidered area (using a pressing cloth to protect the embroidery) to smooth it out a bit more

Here's one more example. Is this design a good choice for a T-shirt? You decide! We did our best to make it look good, starting with a thicker tee.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (7 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

On the back, we used a medium weight cutaway stabilizer. It's a bit firmer, so it will provide more support than sheer mesh cutaway.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (8 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

Here's the design after the tee was laundered. It's a bit too bumpy to really wear proudly, but nowhere near as bad as the dog shirt.

You can see the bumpiness more clearly here. However, you can also see that the fills have remained intact, and you can't see the T-shirt fabric underneath them, the way you could with the dog shirt. Cutaway stabilizer makes all the difference.

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (9 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]

T-Shirt Tricks

We laid a pressing cloth over the design and lightly pressed it to smooth it out. It's still a substantial amount of embroidery for a T-shirt, but it looks much better now. If you're in love with a mediumweight design such as this one and want to put it on a T-shirt, it may not be out of the question. Stitch it out with medium weight cutaway stabilizer and see if the results are something you like. If you're willing to launder it gently (machine wash cold, air dry) and press it if needed, it might just work.

Kenny is a master digitizer and Vice President of Production at Embroidery Library, Inc. Ask Kenny! Send your questions to [email protected].

Click here for a printable version of this page. You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon below.

Previous "Korners" can be found by clicking on the link below: See Them All

file:///F|/Source/ELProjects/html/PR1580.html (10 of 10) [2/15/2013 3:13:57 PM]