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Embroidery is a craft of applying decorative designs onto fabrics or other materials with a needle and a thread. These designs are composed of various patterns created by different kinds of stitches. Traditional hand stitching was the only option until the middle of the 19^th century when the first hand machine was invented. Along with the technological evolution, computerized machines and embroidery digitizing made the process easier and faster for industrialization purposes.

It can be used in fashion garments, home décor, and artwork including hats, dresses, denim, table cloths, bedsheets, and much more. It may also incorporate embellishments like beads, pearls, sequins, and quills for an attractive look. Apart from that, the reliability and efficiency ofembroidery digitizing softwareand computerized machines have created good marketing opportunities for businesses through custom embroidery. It is mostly used for custom artworks, logo designs, andlettering on all sorts of clothing and fabrics.

A Brief History of Embroidery

Embroidery has existed in various forms, in every culture across the globefor ages. Among other decorative art forms, it continues to be a timeless choice for crafters and artisans. In 1964, archeologists excavated fossilized remains of a hunter clad in embroidered garments in Russia which dated back to 30,000 BCE.

In ancient times, the production of garments was so expensive that they were rarely disposed ofand were mended instead. Over time, this practice evolved into a form of decorative arts.Since then, different cultures have shaped this art into what it is now.

How to Embroider?

As a beginner, you need to start with the knowledge of the tools required for embroidery. Using these tools, you can learn to perform some simple stitches. You need needles, threads, scissors, marker, frame, and fabric for basic patterns.

Frames (hoops) – Hoops are made up of 2 rings that sit inside each other and a screw to keep the fabric taut. It ensures that stitching does not pucker.

Markers – You will need a water-soluble marker or tailor’s chalk/pencilto transfer your design onto the fabric.

Threads (floss) – Some threads have single-strand and others have multiple strands, so they come in varied thicknesses. You can choose it according to the look you want.

Before you start stitching, there are some steps you should follow for the best results.

Prewash –Wash, dry, and iron the fabric just like you plan to treat it in the future. Without prewashing, fabrics like cotton and linens may shrink in different amounts.

Stabilize – Stabilizing/interfacing gives the fabric an extra body to support heavy needlework. It keeps the fabric from stretching out of the shape.

After the preparations, you can start with an appropriate design. There are different ways to start and end the embroidery. You can use the loop, waste knot, double backstitch, or normal knot to start it. You can close your design by weaving the last threads or with some back stitches.

Conclusion

There are several types of stitches you can use to create your designs. If you have never stitched before, you can start by practicing basic stitches like cross-stitch, chain stitch, back stitch, fern stitch, etc.

However, computerized embroidery is completely different, for which you need to use various digitizing software programs and machines to execute them.

Embroidery has been around for more decades than we would like to think of. All types of needlework, decorative or otherwise was done by hand only until the mid-19^th century when the first hand-embroidery machine was invented in 1828 by JosuéHeilmann.

The machine required an operator to move the fabric with a hand crank and to guide the needles through the pattern. Despite the type of assistance required, the machine was efficient enough to save the labour of four (manual) hand embroiderers.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the first multi-head embroidery machine was introduced, which allowed the users to embroider multiple pieces at the same time. However, it took quite some time to become popular as it posed a serious threat to the hand embroidery industry. The first computerized embroidery machine was introduced in the year 1980. Soon, it was followed by multiple variations with updated technologies such as embroidery digitizing.

Thereafter, Wilcom and Melco were two of the pioneer companies that contributed towards automating the embroidery industry. Wilcom introduced the first embroidery design system for embroidery that could run on a minicomputer. Whereas, Melco created the embroidery sample head that discarded manual sewing of the design sample, which later became the first computer-controlled machine to be marketed to home sewers.

Types of Embroidery Machine

In the past few decades, machines have made the embroidery process really efficient and cost-effective. There are mainly three types of computerized machine – single-head, multi-head and schiffli embroidery machine.

Single-head machines are widely popular for personal use. Whereas, multi-head and schiffli machines are used commercially. Schiffli machine is a fully automated, multi-needle machine that uses a lock stitch to create machine embroidery and certain types of lace.

Machine Embroidery Process

The process of machine embroidery consists of the following steps:

• Creating an embroidery design: You can either create the design files using industry-specific embroidery digitizing software or can purchase them. Design file formats broadly fall under two categories – source formats are specific to the software used to create the design and machine formats are machine-specific and contain stitch data, machine functions (stitch, trims and jumps).

• Loading the design:  After editing and finalizing the design, load the file into the machine. Different machines require different file formats according to the manufacturing company, so you may need to convert the files accordingly.

• Stabilizing the fabric: The base fabric must be stabilized to prevent wrinkles or any other problems. There are several types of stabilizers available such as cut-away, tear-away, water-soluble, etc. The stabilizing method depends on the type of machine, fabric and design stitch density.

• Embroidering the design: After adjusting the needle over the start point of the design, you can start the machine. Thereafter, the operator has to monitor the embroidery machine and troubleshoot errors when they arise. Multi-head commercial machines are fully automated but the single-head home machines require manual cutting and changing of threads.

Conclusion

Digitizing and automation of the process make machine embroidery commercially adaptable and more profitable than manual work. It also offers a wide range of designs and special effects including appliqués, foam, 3D puff, sequins, etc. However, the quality of the final product depends on the base material, stabilizer choice, design size and type of thread.