Applique Tips for Knits



Several things will make a difference when embroidering on knits such as sweatshirts and t-shirts. It's kind of like cleaning. Nobody notices when you clean but they certainly take note if you haven't. The same is true with using a topper when embroidering on knits.

Toppers like heat-away stabilizers or lightweight water-soluble film-type stabilizers, keep the stitches from sinking into your knits. It's just enough to make a clean, professional finish.



We'll use this patriotic design in honor of the Fourth of July holiday. You can make it yourself with different sizes of applique circles.

For this sweatshirt, I hooped a no-show mesh stabilizer (if you wear it, don't tear it). I used a temporary spray adhesive on the back of the shirt and pressed onto the hooped stabilizer then pinned it in place. You can also add a basting stitch to hold the shirt in place on the stabilizer if you like.

Applique a circle of red first (I used anti-pill fleece), followed by a layer of white, then red, then blue, topped off with an applique star. You can skip the inner red circle if you like.

If you can't find circles the sizes you want, you can resize them. It is not recommended to resize designs more than 20 percent.



Add a piece of water-soluble topper on top of each applique layer. You can either tear them off as you go, or tear the outside layers at the end. Bent safety pins, typically used to baste quilts, work really well to pin shirts and toppings to the stabilizer when floating in the hoop. You don't even have to snap them closed.



When embroidery is finished, the topping tears away easily. For some of the jagged edges, just wet a cloth or a cotton swab and dissolve the excess topping in the satin stitches. The rest will eventually wash away when laundered.

Other tips:
  • Use polyester thread:
    It washes well and does not fade
  • Buy quality shirts:
    Why go to all of the bother if the shirt stretches out of shape or the seams pull out.
  • When in doubt, pre-wash:
    It doesn't hurt to give it a quick wash. Even shirts that say they won't shrink often do. That can cause puckering around the stitching

What tips do you have for embroidering on knits?


Debbie SewBlest

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