ihave a hot pad design , i tried it several times , the satin edge does not cover the edge good , could i try using a heavier thread, what do you cuties use for the edge? i never made these kind of hot pads or coasters, help !! thank you doris

Since I have had an embroidery machine for a year I am still very much in the learning process, this information is very helpful. Which brings me to this question. I am getting ready to do a large applique project with 5 hooping's. The satin stitch is 3.5mm, if I increase this to 5mm will that cause problems in attaching the design together?

3 comments

by dragonflyer 04 Aug 2018

That could depend upon a few things...how the design was digitized and if any of the satin stitching would overlap after increasing the size...the software you use to increase the design size or if in your machine, the brand may not increase the stitch count when it increases the design size...and there could be other factors...I would "test" it by stitching the first hooping, then the second and adding the first to it and see how it looks...Perhaps other Cuties will come along with more suggestions...

by sewpam 04 Aug 2018

Thank you for the info. I do know the stitch count increases. I am going to try changing the satin stitch size on a smaller design first and then work up.

by sewist1 05 Aug 2018

I am interested in how you are going to increase the satin stitch only. Are you going to digitize a new outline?

If it just a question of density it might help to use a thicker thread, like 30 wt, or you might stitch it twice.

I used to digitise mine too narrow afraid of it ending up too loose or even gathered a bit. Till lidiad, our coaster expert, adviced me to make them 5 mm wide. Perish the thought, that would certainly give problems! Not so, she was absolutely right. So since then that's what I did, 5 mm wide, extra underlay, zigzag and along both sides, and an increase in density of the satin stitch.

1 comment

by pennyhal2 26 Jul 2018

Yep! 5mm works very well!

I've found that increasing the density works well too depending on which machine I'm working on. One machine uses a different format than the other machine. I think that when people are using a different format from the one the digitizer used, you get slightly different results. That probably accounts for the difference in stitchouts from one of my machines to the other. By doing the process the way I do it, I never have a pokie problem. I hate pokies.

I think this is a common problem. There is a difference between the two machines that I use and the fabric and digitizer as well. So, you'll have to do a little experimenting to get it just right for you. I keep a few Sharpies in the common colors I use as well...blue red, black, green...to touch up any stray threads that are pokies that I can't cut out. You have to be careful that the color of the Sharpie pretty well matches the thread color you are using. Otherwise, it'll look like polka dots where you touch up.

After I stitchout the design, I use a straight stitch to attach the backing fabric. Then I do a bean stitch over it. Next, I trim the fabric as close as I can and use tweezers to tease out any thread that I think may turn into a pokie. The bean stitch allows you to trim very close to the stitch line. After that, I do a zig zag stitch around it. Then I do another zig zag that is a little more dense that the first one. I examine the edges again...front and back...to remove any remaining pokies or touch up with a Sharpie. This pretty well covers the edge so that you can catch any remaing pokies that got missed. Finally, I do the satin stitch. Sometimes I do the satin stitch a second time if I need more coverage.

This is a lot of fussing, but I get the results I want. I did not buy the border designs from a digitizer. I merged the different stitches I wanted into the final frame.

2 comments

by sewist1 25 Jul 2018

To me that defeats the purpose of having an embroidery machine. We used to do applique manually but when the embroidery machines came out it was "wow' we can now do all these things much quicker and more neatly. There are a lot of well digitized ITH coasters and hot pads. Some digitizers even include blanks so you can insert your own embroidery designs. You can avoid the pokies by backing your applique fabric which was the way it used to be done manually.
Doris has probably struck a design which is not so well digitized.

by pennyhal2 26 Jul 2018

While I agree with you, this was the only fool proof way I can get a pokie free result with my machine and fabrics. When I started doing this, I thought "this will be easy," but I couldn't get the results I wanted. I have tons of frames from different digitizers, but I have yet to find one that did not results in pokies at the end. I do back the applique fabric, but that's only one piece of the puzzle.

That's too bad, Doris...I agree with Angie and sewist1...it could be a digitizing problem or it could be you are not cutting the edges close enough for the final satin stitch to cover...if there are photos posted of the finished item at the site where you got the design, go back and take a really close look to see how the final finish looks in those photos...if you need additional help you can PM me...

It could be a digitizing issue. I bought some ITH projects from one digitizer and found the zigzag before the satin stich is the same width as the satin stich which doesn't allow you to cut back close enough. She didn't like me telling her it should be narrower to obtain a neat finish. She made out I didn't know how to trim and told me to buy the scissors which I already use. I didn't notice before I bought them that the pictures on the mall show bits of fabric showing through. Needless to say I won't be buying from her again

2 comments

by pennyhal2 26 Jul 2018

I commonly see pokies on designs on websites. Gosh, I think we have to learn from the experiences of others because we won't live long enough to make them all ourselves. I'm sorry she was upset with the information you gave her. You were just trying to help her improve her products.

by sewist1 31 Jul 2018

I actually took some screenshots of designs from other digitizers opened in my software to show how they do theirs. Oregon Patchworks told me she was going to contact me but I knew she wouldn't. the communication was through them because she doesn't have a website of her own. Maybe I should inform Oregon that she didn't bother to contact me direct. I know my comments were passed on because I read the response she gave them. That is how I know she was upset.

Is it applique? If so you might no be cutting the material close enough before the satin stitch. Of course it might also be a digitizing issue, I am not sure if heavier thread would solve the issue.