How can I change up my stitch types and create a new category of designs for clients?

Many embroidery shops create the same types of sewouts for customers over and over, like name drops, text, and numbers. You’re also probably used to relying on the same types of borders, fills, and line elements in the custom designs you create and stitch. Maybe it’s time to break out of the same-old, same-old.

To do this, use different stitch types to add some excitement to ordinary designs. It’s a simple way to stand out from other embroiderers in the industry. Give these five special stitch types a try to create unique effects in often run-of-the-mill designs.

1. Add borders or shadows to text. While your stitch count will be higher, a subtle detail like a border or shadow can help your text pop. In this example, the embroiderer shadowed the name Brenda with a complementary hued shadow, creating a standout and pleasing effect.

2. Use programmed runs for borders, rather than standard satin stitches. In the first example, the solid border made of satin stitches (and sometimes steil) is uniform. It’s what you’d expect to see sewn around embroidered patches or emblems. When you use a programmed run for a border instead, the once staid and static border becomes a point of visual interest. You can also create a variable border with satin stitches that changes thicknesses.

3. Look for unique fonts. You’ve already got access to lots of fonts, from professionally digitized ones to those in your digitizing or lettering and editing software to your font generator tool. Most likely, though, you have your favorite, go-to fonts that you use on auto-pilot, or you’ve selected a small group of reliable fonts from which your customers pick. Is it time to be on the lookout for more decorative or themed alphabets or fancier fonts like script and block styles? Also, as shown in the exmaple below, you can take a traditionally shaped ‘N’ and transform it into something unique with a border and patterned design, all with fewer stitches and a huge impact on your customer.

4. Use fancy fill patterns to make a statement. Fill stitches cover larger elements in your design. You can dress up the traditional fill by changing the spacing and alignment of its stitch penetrations to create different textures or patterns. You can even rely on advanced digitizing software to curve fill stitches to augment contours. If you want to take things a step further, try using different stitch types like satin, special satin, stem, candlewicking, and other decorative stitches in your fills. An embossed fill is another way to populate bigger and wider areas with patterned stitching, while still sewing out a solid element. Since the pattern repeats along a grid, you can change the grid settings for greater variation. You can play with size, spacing, and angles for different effects.

5. Taper your ends. Instead of using line elements with flat ends, take control over how your stitches form at the beginning and end of rows. You can choose from so many stitch types and angles to create eye-catching line elements.

Train your staff embroiderers and digitizers to think outside the regular box of stitch options. Just by changing up your stitch types, you’ll create a whole different category of designs to offer clients and keep them coming back for more.

—Hirsch Solutions Inc.