The Best Materials for Embroidery
Generally speaking, the more natural the fabric, the better it is for embroidery; natural fabrics with a fitted weave like silk, cotton, linen and wool work incredibly well. The reason why those fabrics are great for both hand and machine embroidery is because of the way that they are made; it allows for a durable surface that supports decorative stitching.
Top Fabrics to Use
Does it matter, what material you choose? Well, yes it does
Silk
A lot of people believe that silk is just a very fragile fabric, actually it can be relatively strong, depending on the type of silk. Silk dupion, for example, has a sharp, hard base, which is great for embroidery.
Wool It doesn’t matter on the type of wool you use, whether it’s pure wool or synthetic wool, this fabric is perfectly suited for embroidery. The fabric is very strong, it does not wear easily when in felt form, and it offers a lot of depth for embroidery.
Cotton
An extremely popular choice of fabric for embroidery is quilting cotton. Quilting Cotton is more suitable for embroidery than other forms of cotton, such as heirloom cotton, as heirloom cotton is too pure and threads begin to show through. Linen Linen is a very strong fabric for embroidery; it is around 30 per cent stronger than cotton. Linen is often thought of as the strongest and most durable out of all the natural fabrics.
There’s more to embroidery than the material that you use!
How Strong and Durable is the Weave
A fabric’s weave has to be able to hold the thread in place and can’t be too much for the thread to handle. Rich fabrics, such as velvet, are more ideal for heavier threads, looser weaves are less able to hold the threads but are more suitable to hold bigger threads. Tight weaves, such as linen, wool, and cotton are appropriate for embroidery with thread.
How Big is Your Project?
When choosing a fabric for embroidery, you have to take in consideration that the fabric must be able to support the overall weight of whatever it is that you are developing.
What Type of Stitching Are You Going to Use the Most?
Is the stitching simple or complex? The type of stitch will directly affect the type of fabric. More complex stitching, such as cross stitch patterns, will need the support of a stronger fabric to support the weight of the finished stitch. How Much Does Your Thread Weigh? The fabric you use must be able to support the weight of the thread you are using. The weave of the fabric has to be able to handle the pressure of the thread’s thickness going through it.
As you can see there are many factors you have to consider when going through the embroidery process; it’s not all about the material you use. Here at Stocks we offer various materials and supplies to support various embroidery machines, from the ZSK Embroidery Machines to the HoopMaster Magnetic Mighty Hoop, so get in touch to discuss your needs with our team!
