What is a good stitch count for embroidery?
A very simple logo with very few elements going on the left chest can take as little as 1,500 stitches. A larger and more complex logo going on the left chest can require up to 15,000 stitches. The average logo that we embroider at Thread Logic is about 8,000 stitches.
Check Stitch Count and Last Service Date
A low stitch count is ideal. However, I've seen well-maintained machines with 50+ million stitches on them still functioning! (In fact, my newest machine did almost 2 million stitches in the first six months I've had it.)
1 solid square inch of embroidery equals approximately 2,000 stitches. 1 solid square 1/4 inch of embroidery will equal about 125 stitches. No letter should be smaller than 3/16" each letter 1/4" in height equals about 100 stitches. Drop shadows in your logo will translate to 200 extra stitches per inch.
For embroidery, the best choice of unit is stitch count. For example, your machine can produce from 20,000 to 30,000 stitches per hour, which means for 20,000 to 30,000, it costs $20.67; so, for 1000 stitches, it cost between $0.68 to $1.03. Now, this should be your standard pricing per 1000 stitches.
Use smaller and shorter stitches.
As a result it's best to stick with smaller or shorter stitches when embroidering - aim for between ⅛” and ¼” (4-6 mm) in length. A long straight stitch, for example, will look floppy on clothing, so switch it out for back stitches or another line stitch.
In fact, according to one embroidery machine owner, a machine is “just getting broken in” at 1 million stitches. If a machine is used heavily, you should expect to see 20-30 million stitches on a machine every year.
Common Machine Embroidery Hoop Sizes
There are three common sizes of embroidery hoops: 4 x 4, 5 x 7 and 6 x 10 inches.
10,000 stitches take 14.3 minutes to embroider. A 100,000 stitch embroidery design takes 143 minutes to stitch.
A higher stitch count is considered better because it makes a stronger seam. However, it does take more time, skill, and can be more expensive to accomplish.
To calibrate the stitch count, take a scrap piece of fabric, fold it in half, and sew some lines on it. The stitch count you will be able to use is most closely related to the weight of your fabric and thread. The heavier the material and the thread, the lower stitch count you will be able to use.
Is embroidery cheaper than printing?
Embroidery is best for creating logos on a thicker garment, such as a polo shirts or jumpers. Embroidery on garments are long lasting and durable. Embroidery may cost more than traditional printing, however the longevity makes it cost effective. With larger designs, we would recommend printing over embroidery.
Generally, embroidery is more expensive than screen printing. For large projects, some organizations choose screen printing instead. Additionally, you typically pay by the thread count, so embroidering large logos isn't the most cost effective option. With that being said, every embroidery job is different.
| No. of garments | 1,000–2,000 stitches | 5,000–10,000 stitches |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | $4.00 | $2.00 |
| 6-10 | $3.50 | $1.75 |
| 11-20 | $3.00 | $1.50 |
| 21+ | $2.50 | $1.25 |
Back stitch is probably the most popular stitch in beginner embroidery. It's neat and versatile and you can stitch your way through all the outline embroidery patterns out there. The back stitch is worked from right to left. It is always stitched backward to the previous stitch.
The most popular embroidery stitch is the satin stitch. It is commonly used to fill areas with color and is frequently used in machine and hand embroidery.
Running Stitch
The most basic of all embroidery stitches is the running stitch which is useful when outlining a design. To create a running stitch, begin by pushing your threaded needle upwards through the fabric.
Hand embroidery is suitable for a solopreneur starting a new company from home. It can be extremely profitable with the potential to generate an 80% net margin.
Drumroll please...the most difficult stitch in needlework; the raised stem stitch. Embroidery stitches, Hand embroidery, Embroidery.
A straight stitch is the most basic construction stitch and the one you're likely to use the most. Use this stitch for construction, topstitching, and hemming woven garments.
It's made from 100% cotton and comes in various “counts” meaning holes per inch. “14 count aida” means that there are 14 holes/squares per inch of the fabric. Therefore, “16 count aida” means that there are 16 holes/squares per inch and so, the squares or 'crosses' you stitch will be smaller.
What does 100 embroidery mean?
100% Embroidery Patch
An embroidered patch is created using a fabric backing and thread. 100% Embroidery Patch means the entire patch is made from stitches. Great for maintaining that classic embroidery look while reducing stitch count and pull on the garment when you have artwork with multiple colors.
75% embroidered patches cover 3/4 of the twill backing in thread. This style of patch is ideal for designs featuring larger and centered embroidered design elements. The embroidered areas are highlighted by the difference in height and texture of the twill backing.
The majority of machines run around 600-750 stitches per minute on average embroidery designs. If a design has plenty of color changes and trims, it will take significantly longer to embroidery the design. All these stops slow down embroidering. Embroidery digitizing cuts back on stops.
The absolute minimum would be . 5mm, which means the machine would stitch every half a millimeter, which is pretty small. We need to remember that embroidery machines like movement within the frame. If a needle stitches in the same place repeatedly, you are pretty much guaranteed to get thread breaks.
The larger the logo or design is, the greater the number of stitches that will be needed. A simple, small logo can take as few as 1,500 stitches, while something larger and more complex might need up to as many as 15,000 stitches.
The idea is that sewing up a small rip with one stitch means the tear is less likely to get bigger, and need more - or, well, nine - stitches later on.
Usually 8 to 10 spi is adequate to provide adequate seam strength and at the same time allow for quicker cycle times . More stitches per inch will help minimize seam grinning. Due to many of the operations being lockstitch, usually 10 – 12 spi is required to provide adequate seam strength.
Often, patterns will tell you to “inc“, or increase, in the next stitch. This means to work 2 stitches in the next stitch. Other patterns will tell you to work “2 sc in next st“. This means the same thing: make 2 sc stitches into the same stitch.
2 - 3 mm --> Most sewing is done in the 2-3 mm length range. This range is common for construction sewing, machine quilting, edge stitching and understitching. 3 - 4 mm --> A 3 - 4 mm straight stitch is commonly used for topstitching. Shorter on lighter weight fabrics, and longer on medium or heavyweight fabric.
Stitch length measured by counting the number of stitches per inch (SPI) or measuring the length of each stitch in millimeters. Newer machines use millimeters and some older machines use SPI. To convert stitch length in millimeters to SPI the equation is 25.4/mm=SPI.
Is embroidery in high demand?
Recent Development Of The Embroidery Market In The USA
People's inclination for embroidery designs on customized jeans, tops, t-shirts, jackets, hats, purses, and other items has increased the demand for garment printing, resulting in an unprecedented boom in the commercial embroidery services.
Typical formulas for calculating embroidery fees
It is quite common for practitioners to charge an extra $1.00 per 1,000 stitches. So, for example if the design has 4,500 stitches, the total charge would be a $5.00 hooping charge + $5 because the design contains between 4,000 and 5,000 stitches (rounding up).
Hand embroidery is a work of skill. It's a slow, detailed and very meticulous work. Of course, when every single thread is stitched by hand then it becomes a very time consuming and effortful work.
“The commitment of the women to the craft was not as strong as when they were embroidering for personal use. Women opted for stitches that were neither complex nor intricate and young women, who no longer wore traditional clothing, saw no interest in pursuing this art form.”
Embroidery by machine is a much faster process, and often once you get it started, the machine does the work for you. This is especially great if you love making things, but your hands or eyes make it hard to hand embroider. The finished embroidery looks more commercial and less handmade.
Screen printing can be the better option for T-shirts and other thin or stretchy garments. The printing doesn't create the tension that embroidery does so it doesn't cause the material to pucker up.
Embroidery Copyright Laws
According to the Copyright Act of 1976, it is illegal to distribute copyrighted material.
Did you know that you can actually sell your finished works after you are done? Yup, if you want to earn some extra money on ebay etc, stitch a masterpiece and put it up for sale! You can't make copies of our charts to distribute but you can definitely sell your finished cross stitch work.
Embroidery: There are many items that can be embroidered to sell on Etsy. Some popular items include hoodies, t-shirts, decorative patches, towels and even dog collars. If you're selling on Etsy, you'll want to use an embroidery machine to help speed things up.
We put the backstitch technique first, because it is the embroidery stitch that we use the most! I dare to say that we use it for every single embroidery design that we create. Why? Because the backstitch is the embroidery stitch that gives you the most neat and smooth lines.
What is the strongest stitch style?
A backstitch is one of the strongest hand sewing stitches. The backstitch gets its name because the needle goes into the fabric behind the previous stitch. On the contrary, with a running stitch, the needle simply passes through the fabric an even distance in front of the previous stitch.
Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric so that it can stretch. Before elastic, smocking was commonly used in cuffs, bodices, and necklines in garments where buttons were undesirable.
Of all the basic embroidery stitches, running stitch is the easiest to master. This quick stitch is perfect for borders and outlines. You can change the look by lengthening or shortening the stitches.
Crewel or Embroidery needles are medium length with a sharp point and a narrow eye. They come in numbers 1-12 and 6-8 are the most commonly used. They can be used for surface embroidery, crewel work, whitework and goldwork.
Stitch type 301 is the most common type of stitch with uses in joining garment components, topstitching, etc. Also, buttonholing, button attaching, blind stitching falls in this class of stitches.
The running stitch is the most basic and most commonly used stitch, in which the needle and thread simply pass over and under two pieces of fabric. It's exactly the same as a basting stitch, except it is sewn more tightly to create a secure and permanent bind.
The Running Stitch is the simplest and quickest of all embroidery stitches and creates simple lines and outlines. So many stitches use the running stitch as the basis, like the Whipped Stitch and Laced Stitch. As it name implies, the needle runs in and out of the material at regular intervals.
All machine embroidery designs are made with only 4 basic types of Stitches. All other stitches that can be created in various embroidery editors are just the offsprings of these basic types. Even the most complex design is a combination of these 4 basic types.
Small Designs (Up to 6000 stitches), Medium Designs (6,000 - 10,000 Stitches) & Large Designs (10,000 - 15,000 Stitches). It takes an embroidery expert to accurately estimate a stitch count of a logo or design.
1 solid square inch of embroidery equals approximately 2,000 stitches. 1 solid square 1/4 inch of embroidery will equal about 125 stitches. No letter should be smaller than 3/16″ each letter 1/4″ in height equals about 100 stitches. Drop shadows in your logo will translate to 200 extra stitches per inch.
How many stitches are used per inch?
Usually 8 to 10 spi is adequate to provide adequate seam strength and at the same time allow for quicker cycle times . More stitches per inch will help minimize seam grinning. Due to many of the operations being lockstitch, usually 10 – 12 spi is required to provide adequate seam strength.
The majority of machines run around 600-750 stitches per minute on average embroidery designs. If a design has plenty of color changes and trims, it will take significantly longer to embroidery the design.
As a rule of thumb, thread usage per 1,000 stitches is: upper threads approximately 5 m, bobbin threads approx. 3-3,5 m.
Crewel or Embroidery needles are medium length with a sharp point and a narrow eye. They come in numbers 1-12 and 6-8 are the most commonly used. They can be used for surface embroidery, crewel work, whitework and goldwork.
To go the opposite direction, if a pattern requests 10 stitches per inch, divide 25.4 by 10 to get the millimeter setting of 2.5.
| Yarn Weight | Knitting Needle Size | Gauge (Stitches per 4 inches) |
|---|---|---|
| Fine (2) | 3.25mm-4mm | 23-26 |
| Light (3) | 4mm-5mm | 21-24 |
| Medium (4) | 4.5mm-6mm | 16-20 |
| Bulky (5) | 5mm-8mm | 12-15 |
One general rule of thumb is that if the cut is more than half an inch deep, it will probably need stitches. However, there are other factors to consider as well, such as the location of the cut and whether it is jagged or clean.
There are 15 stitches in an inch if the setting is 15. The meaning of metric settings like 2.5 is a little less clear. They speak of the measurement of each stitch. If the setting is 2.5, then each stitch will measure 2.5 millimetres in length.
| Stitch Count | 6 ct | 9 ct |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 4 1/2 | 3 |
| 28 | 4 5/8 | 3 1/8 |
| 29 | 4 7/8 | 3 1/4 |
| 30 | 5 | 3 3/8 |
