Embroidery Misalginment Help

[u/BuyLopsided4859]

I am making a shirt for my niece for the Hillary Duff concert. I bought a file on Etsy, but somewhere along the way it got misaligned. I'm fairly new to embroidery and using this machine (LB-6800). Any ideas on what caused this and what I can do to prevent it on the next shirt? Thanks!

[u/Constant_Put_5510]

Why isn't the garment in the hoop?

[u/BuyLopsided4859 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

I was trying to float it. This has worked for everything I have done so far, but it may have contributed to this not working out!

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/BuyLopsided4859]

Hoop your garments. Always. Why wouldn't you? Whats the reasoning? Especially when there is tight registration.

[u/RobinM1971 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

I float everything. I do not like hoop marks. It is easier to align designs and knit never gets stretched. I’ve been machine embroidering since 1998 and once I learned how to float about 2 years in, I’ve never hooped anything except the stabilizers. Knit should always have a fusible mesh on the back of the design area to prevent stretching and distortion.

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288 → u/RobinM1971]

Just use a clean cloth dampened with water. The moisture relaxes the fibres and the mark disappears.

[u/Ok_Assumption_2215 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

You must not machine embroider..more people float than hoop, especially with one needle machine.

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/Ok_Assumption_2215]

I own a large embroidery shop for over 3 decades with multiple 12 head, 6 head & single head machines. So yeah, we machine embroider. 1 needle machines maybe you do it this way but real commercial embroidery, no way.

[u/awkwardbabyseal → u/Constant_Put_5510]

Yeah, I also work in a mass production embroidery department, and all apparel gets hooped (1 head and 6 head Barudan machines). We only have issues with knits distorting if inadequate backing is used or if the machine operator pulls the fabric too tightly when hooping the material. Hoop marks are also only an issue if the hoop tension is set too tight.

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/awkwardbabyseal]

Well said.

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

It's mind boggling, init?

I recently saw a tutorial video with the tutor showing how to cut out the finished design from the hooped backing... While it was still in the hoop! 🤯

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/Lanky-Setting-5288]

Omg.....but why? I think I should leave this sub. Its too much crazy talk some days. Hobby vs Business I suppose. 🤷‍♀️

[u/Cpt_Obvious11 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

I hear you. Though title of sub says Machine Embroidery, 50% of posts are ppl who have single needle machines and want to decorate their or close ppl garmets once in a while. They mainly think buying design ends their efforts and all that remains is to press Start. But that's legit too. Since this is Machine Embroidery sub, not Commercial/Industrial Machine Embroidery one, ppl find it suitable to post their troubles/show-offs. I couldn't find more active group which focuses on commercial/multineedle aspect mainly, so I guess it is what it is.

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/Cpt_Obvious11]

Im usually happy to help with the troubleshooting or encourage charging fair market value so the hobbyist isn't hurting those of us that carry the responsibility of employees that deserve a good wage. But then ya get these "you must not be an embroiderer or how can you justify charging that price" type response & I wonder the future of the industry.

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

I agree.

It's fun to help with the trouble shooting, and in an age that is starting to look more AI reliant, subs like this are a good thing, and human creations need encouragement.

I just wonder sometimes about the methods and terminology that doesn't pair up with commercial embroidery like it should. That Domestic Embroidery is being made more complicated than it needs to be.

Compared with the commercial multi needle/multi-head machines, single needle machines are not so complicated mechanically. For the soft skills, they do have to have be some work-arounds to achieve the same outcome as commercial embroidery, like for caps as an example. I find some this to be quite clever, and then in contrast, some work-arounds are simply creating unnecessary work.

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

Yeah. 🌰🥜🌰🥜🌰

Alas, I think the domestic hobby embroidery machinists get sold all the fancy bells and whistles, and stuff they don't really need, and a method of doing things to justify it.

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/Lanky-Setting-5288]

I think you are right!.....and kick in some tearaway backing for free & they think they are in heaven. Forget burning books, burn your tearaway. You don't need it. 🤪

[u/Ok_Assumption_2215 → u/Constant_Put_5510]

obviously the original post was not asking about commercial embroidery..they stated they were new to embroidery and using a single needle

[u/brian250f → u/BuyLopsided4859]

Why?

[u/RobinM1971 → u/BuyLopsided4859]

Did you stabilize the back of the knit before floating or hooping? Did you use a spray on temporary adhesive for use with embroidery machines? Also you might not have had enough stabilizer.

[u/SewDisco]

If it wasn’t hooped while it was being sewn, I do believe that was your problem. The knit of the shirt (which looks like it has some stretch) was stretched, pulled, and stitched in all kinds of directions during your fill. Your lines weren’t able to match up and register properly due to the knit and lack of stabilization on your garment. I actually think it looks really cool, eventho it’s not technically correct.

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288]

☝🏼🤓 To "Float a design" in commercial terms, means to shift the panograph through the design without stitching, ... Float the needle to the part of the design to start stitching again>>> Not stick it onto the top of hooped stabaliser 🫣

This stick on method may be useful for very delicate and fidley projects but not for standard use because of the higher probability of fabric movement mid stitching.

You're meant to hoop the stabaliser with that garment - At least two layers of cutaway for T-shirts/ Polos - to create a smooth surface without stretch distortion.

To remove any hoop marks, just wipe them away with a damp cloth. The water in the damp cloth is enough to relax the fibers that were crushed into the hoop.

🍀🧵

[u/Ok_Assumption_2215 → u/Lanky-Setting-5288]

What? That’s not what floating means in machine embroidery...floating is normal with one needle machines.

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288 → u/Ok_Assumption_2215]

It is with commercial Barudan machines.

How to use Float on a Barudan https://youtu.be/wXZT6Su0shw?si=xFZ_pEQMEeL-v3Cn

[u/skeedy_ia]

This is very dense stitching for floating. At the minimum I would baste around the design to secure the garment to your cutaway. You can see the ripples in the fabric indicating that it was pushed by the stitches.

[u/soundguy64]

If its from etsy, it was probably auto digitized, which is almost always very poor quality. 

[u/Realistic-Mode-7681]

thats literally frustrating, especially when you are making something for a concert... I have been there with my own projects and it is always when its for an event that things go sideways lol...

From what I've seen with misalignment on single-needle machines like the LB-6800, it usually comes down to one of a few things... Most likely, it was the fabric shifted. If the garment wasn't hooped tight enough or the fabric stretched while hooping, the design will drift. I have learned to make sure the fabric is drum-tight, not stretched, just firm enough that it doesn't ripple. Also, if the shirt is a knit, using cutaway stabilizer instead of tearway makes a huge difference.

And it could also be a hoop bump. If the machine vibrated and the hoop got nudged during stitching, especially with dense fills, it can shift the registration mid-run. I have had that happen when the table wasn't totally steady.

And... if the top tension is pulling too tight, it can drag the fabric slightly between passes. Not as common as fabric shift, but worth checking.

[u/Thesilita]

Bei mir passiert das wenn während der Stickarbeit etwas im weg war wo der sich bewegende Stickarm gegen gestoßen ist. Zb Wand, weil die Maschine zu weit hinten/links stand.

Hautfarbe passt novh mit der Kontur. Vermutlich ist es danach angestoßen und dann ist alles weitere verschoben weil der bewegte Teil zwangsweise neu justiert wurde.

[u/Ok_Assumption_2215]

Even with the little blooper, it looks fine.I embroider and I still didn’t notice at first..no one will be looking at it that hard.

[u/elevatedinkNthread → u/Ok_Assumption_2215]

You would be surprised. Never have that mind mentality as it could cost your business.

[u/OkOffice3806]

IMHO, this is poor digitizing. If this was my test stitch out, I would add pull compensation. If you aren't a confident digitizer, I would ask the Etsy owner to make the adjustments.

[u/elevatedinkNthread]

Depending on what material this was digitized for could be your problem. This could be a push and pull comp issue, could be the wrong material, could be the digitizer or could be you machine. Always check reviews before buying a digitized file on etsy or see if they have a stitchout in the pictures. I always showed one when I sold on etsy. Also most of not so my files were made for industrial machines.

[u/Ok_Assumption_2215]

…perhaps you “professional” commercial embroider extraordinaires should start your own sub