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TIPS & TECHNIQUES

When the going gets tough… In the first of his exclusive series of articles for Images , award-winning digitiser Erich Campbell explains how to create lasting embroidery for hard-working garments

W orkwear is tough and hard- wearing by design. Dense, damage-resistant material is the norm; reinforced seams, secure closures and speciality finishes, including stain-resistant and waterproof coatings, are common. Workwear is also characterised by an array of design features, such as pockets, straps and snap closures, which add valuable utility. However, it’s often these same features that make items of workwear a particularly challenging canvas for decoration. With the care and attention to detail that goes into making workwear durable, it’s essential that decorators shore up their stitching for this labour-friendly gear. View this challenge as an opportunity: business owners, frustrated by the failure of an em- broidery long before a garment was ready for retirement, have become long-time loyal customers of mine after I retooled their designs for durability. With the following tips, your shop can serve up damage-resistant design treat- ments that keep contractors coming back for more. Environmental concerns As with any decoration, success starts with a thorough customer interview. We

create the best workwear solutions when we know the environmental conditions in which a garment will be used; make sure to ask for details about the work your customer does and the way the garment will be washed before you design. For example, is the customer likely to scrape the garment against rough surfac- es, expose it to chemicals, or encounter extreme heat? Will your customer wear or use a decorated item outdoors, expos- ing it to more than the average dose of UV light? Will they industrially launder the garment and, if so, will the cleaners use chlorine bleach in the process? Will it require dry cleaning? Knowing these conditions is key to making decisions throughout the decorating process. Material matters Thread choice is critical to all embroi- dery, but it’s never more so than when stitching workwear. Knowing the proper- ties of a given thread type lets you make an educated decision about whether it matches your customer’s specific require- ments. When selecting thread, heat-press printing material, appliqué fabric, or even stabiliser, you should always know what treatment your materials are made to take. Washing out Be certain of your thread’s colourfast- ness, particularly when customers intend to industrially launder their workwear. Nothing makes business customers more frustrated than thread colours bleeding on new, costly workwear after a single wash. A quick look at any thread vendor’s colour card reveals laundry care symbols and in- structions like those you see on garment tags. This information can (and should) be used to provide washing instructions specific to your customer’s decorated apparel. When in doubt, pick polyester Polyester is the go-to thread for almost any workwear. Polyester thread toler- ates bleach, has a higher resistance to breakage and abrasion than rayon, and it survives standard dry-cleaning as well as

rayon can. Though many embroiderers prefer rayon’s sheen and though it can be ironed at a higher temperature, polyester holds up to more abuse overall. Moreover, new matte-finish polyester threads on the market eschew the shine of traditional threads, but exhibit extreme colourfast- ness in outdoor, UV-exposed applications. They are fantastic for subdued looks that blend well with coarse materials, like the classic duck cloth (tightly woven cotton canvas fabric) so often seen in workwear. The exception to the polyester rule is – fire. For firefighters and powerline Text on a jacket back is one scrape against a rough surface away from shredding, but this edged fill stitch is smooth and low to the surface of the jacket, thus less likely to snag than a lofty, wide satin-stitched letter. [Photograph courtesy of Celeste Schwartz]

This apron has seen the worst of a snag. Even though in these letters I’d likely stay with a satin stitch, you can see how an cut paired with a well-meaning attempt to pull at a loose end can lead to disaster. Shorter stitches aren’t always the best choice, but they can help keep a design from coming apart in some cases. [Photograph courtesy of Celeste Schwartz]

The symbols on the rayon thread chart in the foreground forbid the use of bleach, unlike the polyester chart in the background; however, the rayon can take a hotter iron than the polyester – good things to knowwhen choosing a thread for your next workwear project. [Photograph courtesy of Celeste Schwartz]

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