Machine Embroidery Tips and Tricks. How to Babysit a Single Needle Embroidery Machine.

Every spring, while normal people get an itch to start purging and cleaning their homes, I freak out and decide that my kids have nothing to wear. This is the third time this has happened to me, so I’m assuming its just my thing.

Last year, this resulted in my post on Bulk Sewing. This year it resulted in basically the same thing. I just reread my post on bulk sewing. I stand behind everything I wrote last year though I would like to add one thing to it. Get your hands on a serger. After doing a little serger shopping, it became very clear that I had no idea what I was doing, so I got too nervous to buy one. My mom pulled her old serger out of the closet and let me give it a try before I committed to my own. Its nothing fancy but man, did it speed up the monotony of sewing 8,000 pairs of shorts.

This year I’ve had several questions about my machine embroidery. Because there was so much of that involved in this round of bulk sewing, I figured it would be a good time to post about it.

Let me start by saying machine embroidery and I have a love/hate relationship. I often embroider things solely to appease my child. I find that I am constantly in a state of trial and error while machine embroidering. I do not always care for that degree of uncertainty. That being said, when I’m willing to walk on the uncertain edge, I have developed a method that works for me. I find it to be the most cost effective, least stabilizer requiring, least complicated way to machine embroider.

***I am putting an instagram story up with all of this on it as well, so if you’d prefer to watch those, hop on over there now.***

Embroidery/Applique Tips

• Use this stabilizer. I do not use any other stabilizer. I am not a professional embroiderer so this works just fine for me, for everything.
• ***Update (Sept 2024) I now use other stabilizer. I have begun putting a cut away behind my sulky sticky when I am embroidering knit polos. I began doing this when I noticed that the embroidery on knit polos got very “wrinkly” in the wash. It seems to help with that.
• Hoop only the stabilizer(s).

• Score the top layer of the stabilizer with a dull pin and remove it to expose the sticky portion of the stabilizer.
• Find the center of the location you’ll be embroidering, mark this place with the fabric marker of your choice. I usually mark the center and then the X and Y axis.
• Place the garment or fabric on the sticky part of this stabilizer, over the top of the hoop. Pin the fabric or garment to the stabilizer as well. If you do this as seen below, you need to make sure that you move the back portion of the shirt out of the way while you embroider. Take it from someone who has embroidered entire garments to her hoop and had to cut them out.

• If you are using a knit, poly/cotton, or any type of fabric thicker than batiste, add extra stitch n ditch or other tear-away stabilizer to the back of the sulky-sticky stabilizer by pinning or taping it to it. This is probably why I get away with using only the one type of stabilizer…I just add layers of the (extremely inexpensive) stitch n ditch to the back of my (not so inexpensive) sticky stabilizer until my embroidery looks good.
• If you are using a knit, make sure to change your needle to a ball-point, stretch, or jersey needle. If you’re embroidering a thin fabric like lawn or batiste, these needles are my favorite. The price and quality of those needles cannot be beat.
• If you have a single-needle machine, don’t get distracted. Just sit there and watch it. Every time I step away from my machine, it misbehaves. Without fail.
• If doing applique, use this stabilizer for the applique pieces. The Classic Applique Blog has a great tutorial on how to use it.
• Make sure to use a knit, jersey or stretch needle if appliquéing a woven piece of fabric to knit.

Alright guys! Those are the most helpful tips I’ve learned over the years for machine embroidery. I’m sure there are a lot of other products, tips and tricks that work just as well or better. This is just what I’ve learned works the most consistently for me. As I mentioned, there will be an Instagram highlight saved on my profile in case you’d like to watch them in action. While you’re there, check out my other stories on how to put in a French seamed sleeve, stitch in the ditch, and do a placket.