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Past, Present & Future

We took a look back at the last two decades in the embroidery industry – and a look forward.

EDITED BY NICOLE ROLLENDER

We’ve asked industry veterans to take a look back at the last 20 years in the embroidery industry in six areas: embellishment techniques, fashion, threads, fabrics, machinery and digitizing.

Picnic Parade was designed, digitized and embroidered by Vantage Apparel in 2001. Looking back, this design had many of the elements that are on the forefront of today’s decoration trends such as multimedia application and alternative logo placements

TECHNIQUES

Heat Printing Is Here to Stay

By Ted Stahl

As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This applies to what we’ve seen take place in the heat printing industry during the past 20 years. While there have been amazing changes in decorating technologies, the advantages of heat printing stand the test of time. Heat printing is still the fastest, easiest way to decorate garments – especially for small quantities. The difference between today and 20 years ago is that we’ve seen the definition of small quantity grow from 10 pieces to 600 pieces.

Twenty years ago we saw huge leaps in the quality of transfer manufacturing and the arrival of thinner, more advanced heat-applied materials. The improvement in heat-applied graphics also called for an improvement in application technology, which is why we re-invented the heat press with the introduction of the Hotronix in 1986.

Ten years ago we saw the tip of the digital iceberg that’s taking over the garment decorating industry today. We introduced CAD-CUT materials and showed people how they could use a cutter and heat-applied materials to create custom garments in any quantity – at a profit.

Today there are heat print materials for application on any type of textile, from woven nylons and micro mesh fabrics to Lycra and spandex. There are reflective, glitter, metallic and holographic materials. For full-color heat printing on dark garments there are printable materials designed for use with eco-solvent and thermo-resin printers/cutters. There are inkjet and CLC papers, sublimation systems and no limit to the number of items that can be decorated with full-color logos and a heat press. The Internet has exploded with e-businesses offering any design on any item – in quantities as low as one – and we know that these orders are all usually filled with some type of graphic that’s been heat applied.

The 20-year-old mindset that heat printing is second rate to direct screen printing or embroidery is beginning to change. It’s not just about transfers anymore. There are hundreds of heat printing alternatives. Heat printing is so versatile that it’s becoming the number one way to decorate garments and is accepted by professional decorators, garment manufacturers, sports teams and end consumers.

TED STAHL is CEO and founder of GroupeSTAHL.

Decorating: Then and Now

By Cliff Quicksell Jr., MAS

Not so many years ago, embellishing garments was relegated to one- and two-color printing, or embroidery. Advances in inks, photopolymers, threads and various chemicals have enhanced the incredible decoration capabilities we have today.

When the first “modern-day,” screen-printed T-shirts were created, the process began with “hand-cutting” stencils that were applied to screens that the ink would pass through to create the image. Now, with light-sensitive photopolymers, sharper edges and cleaner designs with gradations and halftones can be achieved. That makes it possible for well-trained and talented decorators to utilize simulated process and CMYK printing to achieve incredible end results.

New embroidery threads have created a whole realm of new possibilities. For example, if a client asks you for something new and different, there are chemically treated threads with some cool properties. Photo-chromatic threads are sensitive to ultraviolet light and change color when exposed to direct sunlight; thermo-chromatic threads also change color, but are activated by body temperature. And, there are inks with these same properties. While these threads and inks carry a higher net cost, the effects can be dramatic. So, you’re only limited by your imagination.

CLIFF QUICKSELL JR., MAS, has been involved in the promotional products and sportswear industries for 22 years. He’s president and CEO of Le Mesa, CA-based Quicksell & Associates.

FASHION

Hot Trends

By Ginny Fineberg

This is a great year to talk about new trends in fabric and clothing for the embroidery industry. So much is new – going to an industry trade show is like being a kid in a candy store. The choice in designs, fabrics and garments has expanded over the past 20 years to where there’s so much out there to excite your customers.

Performance fabrics are in. Many suppliers offer jackets with polyester outers and fleece lining, resulting in a warm, windproof product that’s lightweight. Gone is the swishy fabric that announces your arrival. The new nylon fabrics used in tees, polos, sweats and warm-up pants are quiet and comfortable.

From the April 1993 Stitches, foil stamping added a new dimension to colorful swimwear.

And, this is the year of the woman. The number of products that match, or are complementary for men and women, has skyrocketed. “When you go into a department store, you don’t go to the unisex department; you go to the men’s department or the women’s department,” says Jesse Katz, sales rep for Medford, MA-based Charles River Apparel. “This year, designers for the imprinted sportswear industry went full tilt to respond to the end-user’s need to have clothes made to fit a woman’s body. As manufacturers, we recognize that today’s workforce is more than 50% women.”

Even T-shirts are designed for women and teens in record numbers. “Women want tees that are lighter and softer. They want a fashion fit and a fashion-fabric feel,” says Mark Kelly at Anaheim, CA-based Alstyle Apparel. “You’ll be much more successful selling product if you do separate styles for men and women when developing a clothing program for a group or company.”

Our industry has become more current with fashion trends as well. “Stripes and herringbones are in, and the color palette is showing a lot of pastels,” says Marc Held, national outside sales manager for Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes. “Our line is stressing performance fabrics that are stain resistant, and wash and wear and wrinkle free. Fashion name brands have a high perceived value, and sell well.”

There’s also a trend toward more formal corporate apparel. “We concentrated our line on dressier shirts and added neckties to coordinate,” says Grant Goldin of Houston-based Sierra Pacific Apparel.

These new trends and exciting products are a boon to us as commercial embroiderers. There’s so much that’s fresh and new to show customers. Many suppliers are offering special deals on sample product, ranging from free freight to 50% off the regular wholesale price.

GINNY FINEBERG, owner of Wildwood Crest, NJ-based Sandpiper Embroidery, has been a commercial embroiderer since 1982. She serves on Stitches’ editorial advisory board.

 
From the September 1987 Stitches, magenta and emerald, hot colors influenced by summer.


Check out these denim button downs for ladies in the November 1998 Stitches. Like the pants?

A Woman’s World

BY PENNY KOCH

The biggest change in the promotional wearables business during the past two decades has been in women’s apparel. Twenty years ago, there was very little, if any, promotional or imprinted apparel designed or sized specifically for women.

At the time, T-shirts, basic polos, simple jackets and sweatshirts, all sized for men, were what was available for women. For uniforms, giveaways or incentives, women were given small and medium garments that were too big in the body, too long in the sleeve and often long enough to fit as a dress.

It was a relief to women everywhere when extra-small garments were added to the mix. The garments were still considered men’s or unisex, but were offered in a size that somewhat resembled a properly fitted women’s garment. It wasn’t until the mid- to late ’90s that women’s apparel popped up in the market – that is, real women’s apparel with reverse placket silhouettes, more feminine trims and even some silhouettes designed for women, such as sleeveless polos and wovens.

The problem was this apparel was still based on matching out for sale with best-selling men’s garments. Fabrics and silhouettes still had a masculine edge to them, and colors were anything but feminine. For the most part, they weren’t styles women were excited to wear. As we hit the year 2000, there was an awakening, as the demand for women’s garments increased, more styles were developed to address the need for
female-specific apparel. Pink and baby blue started showing up in the market, along with stretch fabrics and fitted silhouettes to flatter a woman’s figure.

Suppliers now offer an abundance of women’s garments; they’ve got better women’s pieces to coordinate with men’s styles, and they offer silhouettes and colors exclusively targeted to women. We now stock more than 75 women’s styles in over 250 colorways. There are more decoration options for women’s apparel, with alternative logo placements such as the hem bottom or upper center chest to replace traditional left-chest placements. Feminine thread colors, metallic threads and more feminine appliqué materials, such as sparkle appliqués, are now offered to address the women’s market. The popularity of studded designs is also evidence of the movement to offer more decoration.

PENNY KOCH is vice president of sales and marketing at Avenel, NJ-based Vantage Apparel. She serves on Stitches’ editorial advisory board.

From the March 2005 Stitches – let’s celebrate that ladies’ boxy, one-size-all tees are gone.

Not-So-Basic Tee

By Brinden Asher

Twenty years ago, women’s fashion trends rarely affected the wholesale market, particularly in the basic T-shirt category. A unisex, heavyweight, carded ring-spun shirt was supposed to suffice. After all, how could a decade of flashy fashions, from neon leg warmers to punk rock petticoats, oversized side-tied T-shirts to blazers with constructed shoulder pads, translate to the wholesale T-shirt market? While ’80s women’s clothing made it into the annals of fashion history, more often than not, we cringe at revisiting it.

In the last two decades, wholesale market manufacturers have been more aware of retail fashion and how it plays an enormous role in what sells in the imprinted sportswear industry. Wholesale manufacturers look to retail indicators to predict styles for the imprinted market. In fact, acknowledging retail trends brought an entirely different product category to wholesale: the basic women’s T-shirt, in gentle, curvaceous styles.

In the 1990s, apparel manufacturers proved that women do want to show off their curves; that they prefer softer, lightweight fabrics; that color is key to highlighting their assets and that what they want can be discovered at local stores, found in fashion magazines and forecasted, similar to designer fashion trends.

Our industry discovered that T-shirts with curved side seams mirroring women’s waistlines were far more flattering than a straight, one-dimensional boxy seam. Colors such as rich blues, bright reds and oranges, yellows and pinks were a departure from men’s color offerings. Special women’s fabrications such as 1x1 baby ribs and lightweight jerseys cropped up, and styles were reflecting those found at retail.

In the ’90s, spandex became mainstream, and in the last five years, we’ve seen combinations of cotton/spandex with various knit options and yarn sizes. The popularity of sheer fabrics from knit designer brands such as Michael Stars has led to new color palettes and lightweight fabrics.

Since the growth of the ladies’-specific T-shirt, the men’s wholesale market has adopted similar fabrics and colors, plucked directly from women’s wear. Many men, much like women, enjoy lightweight, soft fabrics, and have realized a simple T-shirt that fits well can make all the difference. They’re now gravitating toward lightweight cotton jerseys, 2x1 ribs, blended fabrics and masculine color palettes offering more than just black and white. Fashionable blues, a range of greens and even pink have become mainstays in men’s T-shirts.

BRINDEN ASHER is director of marketing at Los Angeles-based Bella.

From the March 1988 Stitches, mix and match with Harry Rosenblatt & Sons cotton sheeting printed and blank styles. Crewnecks, camp shirts, cardigans shorts and shirts are all color coordinated.

Fashion

Then: Women had next to no choices for logoed corporate apparel or uniforms. Performance fabrics were reserved for expensive athletic wear.

Now: By far, the biggest change in the wearables market is the array of new styles, cuts and colors designed just for women. Performance fabrics are now used in many wearables, including golf shirts and polos, uniforms and ‘lifestyle’ apparel. In general, apparel for men and women is more versatile and fashionable, and ready to be embellished in a variety of ways.

SKUs Through the Roof

By Mary Ellen Hudicka

Just two decades ago, our catalog hosted just eight major brands. The entire line consisted of basic sportswear products: T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and polos. Mostly everything was a 50/50 blend; there was very little 100% cotton. The polos were tubular, mass produced and in limited colors. The sweatshirts all had raglan sleeves. They were blends of acrylic and cotton, not poly/cotton. The only jackets in the line were made of satin or nylon; there were no wovens. And, most garments were made in the United States. Back then, brand names were the garment manufacturers. There were no Tommy Hilfigers in our ket. The first designer to enter our market, Bill Blass, didn’t arrive until 1998. We just had the basics – Hanes, Jerzees, Anvil and Fruit of the Loom.

There were three ladies’ tees and three polos available. Otherwise, unisex and adult sizes were it. You wore what everyone else wore, and were lucky to get it. How things have changed, especially the prices, which dropped about 50% once the supply improved. And product quality soared as well – as supply increased, so did competition and the need for product innovation and improved quality.

There was also very little decorated corporate wear, other than traditional uniform wear. After all, most folks still wore suits and dresses to the office or trade shows. Corporate identity apparel hadn’t arrived yet. Corporate casual wasn’t invented yet, since dress-down office attire was way down the line. And, corporate wearables were primarily screen printed. Embroidery was just emerging as a way to decorate for a more upscale look.

Life was simpler then. We had just 800 SKUs in our warehouse for 77 styles that filled a 24-page catalog. Twenty people worked in our 60,000-square-foot warehouse with shopping carts to handpick orders. Today, we have almost 20,000 SKUs for the 700 items in our 300-page catalog. We also have five warehouses, comprising 1 million square feet, where bar-coding software tracks each box as it travels on conveyors to our 400 employees. With automation, error rates dropped dramatically. Twenty years ago, handpicking meant more human error – about 2% to 3% of all orders. Today we’re less than half of 1% consistently.

MARY ELLEN HUDICKA is director of marketing communications at Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes. She serves on the editorial advisory board of Wearables Business, Stitches’ sister publication.

THREADS

Seven Thread Advances

By Colleen Hartigan

Over the past 20 years embroidery threads have matured, enabling embroiderers to satisfy their clients’ needs – and work in a more creative environment. Years ago, the product offering included the basics: rayon, cotton, and some metallic and imperfect polyester.

1. Rayon thread is still the thread of choice for creative embroiderers, but it’s improved in color selection and retention. Today’s rayon thread runs at almost twice the speed as its predecessor. Weight selection also has improved: There’s 60 weight, for fine lettering; 40 weight, the industry standard; 30 weight for large fill areas; and 12 weight, for edging and unique effects.

2. Polyester thread has made great strides. The common looping and tension issues have been virtually eliminated; the once-minimal color selection has increased to rival its rayon counterpart. And from at least one supplier, there’s a 60 weight for small lettering and fine details, for use on uniforms, badges and emblems.

3. Cotton thread is the one casualty. Once popular for home décor and men’s wear, cotton is being replaced by matte-finish polyester threads that are stronger and resistant to repeated washing. The matte finish simulates the cotton look, without its shortcomings.

4. Metallic thread, once limited to gold and silver, is available in a greater assortment of textures, weights and colors. Once impractical in a production environment, the new metallics are easier to run.

5. Wool or wool-like thread is also a newcomer; chenille machines used to create embroidery and lettering in wool. However, today’s embroiderer has access to finely spun wool embroidery thread that, with some density and needle changes, will sew easily. The assortment of colors and blends are perfect for creating texture or hand-embroidered effects. The fashion industry increased demand for this type of garment decoration and has introduced design opportunities that blend fabric and thread to create a look, even for corporate apparel, that’s unique.

6. Not long ago, the industry saw the emergence of photo-sensitive (colors change when exposed to sunlight) and glow-in-the-dark thread. The development of these two products was driven mostly by fashion industry demands and continues to be popular in many specialized markets.

7. Fire-resistant thread is one of the newest additions to the thread marketplace. This 100% Aramid thread is truly fire resistant. The correct twist, finish and weight provide embroiderers with a product that meets the requirements for applications such as racing, firefighters’ or first responders’ apparel.

COLLEEN HARTIGAN is director of sales for Laconia, NH-based Madeira USA Ltd. She serves on Stitches’ editorial advisory board.

Thread from Robison-Anton’s J Metallic line.

Thread Success

By Bruce Anton

Thirty-three years ago, my father, Harvey Anton – the founder of Robison-Anton Textile Co. and my mentor – said to me, “Bruce, as long as they can’t make embroidery without thread, business will be OK.” Well, it’s true; no one’s making embroidery without thread. Some people have tried, but the look, feel and elegance of embroidery can’t be duplicated without thread.

The last major milestone for thread was in the early 1980s, when the industry was introduced to polyester embroidery thread, which was meant to be a substitute for rayon. However, the lack of lots of major breakthroughs doesn’t mean there haven’t been vast improvements in thread. Colors are brighter, and improved finishes make the current crop of threads run better and faster on embroidery machines. And more colors are offered than ever before. There are many new specialty threads, including glow-in-the-dark threads, ultraviolet and UV-sensitive threads, twister tweeds, and all shades of metallic threads.

While not all areas of embroidery manufacturing have had breakthroughs in the last two decades, I’d say that between machine technology, computer-aided design, lower entry costs and the multitude of supplies available, the industry has achieved breakthrough status.

BRUCE ANTON is president of Fairview, NJ-based Robison-Anton Textile Co.

Novelty Thread the Norm

By Ken Nelson

Our machine embroidery thread 20 years ago was extra-fine, cotton-covered polyester with a color range that had been developed for free-motion embroidery. Free motion required nothing more than a zigzag machine and an embroidery hoop. As sewing machines included more decorative patterns and built-in embroidery features, there was a need for more decorative threads. The introduction of rayon embroidery threads to the consumer market opened a world of options and color to home embroiderers. This thread was compared to silk for its sheen and lustrous color.

The early attempts at a polyester embroidery thread didn’t yield a thread with the same beauty as rayon. However, with the development of tri-lobal polyester thread, the sheen and color rivaled rayon, with added durability, colorfastness and value.

Today, novelty threads are the norm. Consumer sewing machines with embroidery units are found in more and more homes. Their capabilities make embellishments – once so time consuming that they were only used on special projects – fast and easy.

Threads have also advanced. Metallic and novelty threads, which had a reputation of being difficult to use, are now strong enough to use in digitized designs or quilts. Long-arm quilters and embroiderers sing the praises of the newest metallic threads, because their construction and finish make them user friendly.

Color is always the main story with thread, but with embroidery, it’s no longer just about a large color range. Embroiderers don’t hesitate to use multicolor, metallic or glow-in-the-dark threads to enrich the dimension of designs and to create special effects. Go to any quilt show in America and you’ll see a quilt made or embroidered with multicolor thread.

As consumers become more knowledgeable about thread and embroidery, and as the sewing and embroidery machines available to them become more sophisticated, thread options will expand, with new
textures, sizes and special effects.

KEN NELSON is senior product manager, sewing thread, for Greenville, SC-based Coats & Clark.

FABRICS

Wovens Grow Up

By David Bebon

The woven shirt has come front and center in retail and promotional wearables. Two decades ago, woven apparel offerings were focused: solids-driven, 100% cotton, and with little or no performance features. And, designer and retail brand names, such as IZOD and Columbia, had no real recognizable retail brand names in woven promotional apparel.

Remember that great long-sleeve Three Rivers Green Denim? We had light blue denim, dark blue denim, green denim and natural denim. The woven shirt assortment available to the promo products market 20 years ago was really dominated by denims, chambrays, twills and oxfords.

• Denims are basic cotton twill fabrics made using indigo-dyed warps and
natural-colored weft, or fill yarns. It’s easy to decorate and applicable for the service industries, hospitality and the outdoor market.

• Chambrays are square weave fabrics made with dyed warp yarns and natural fill yarns. They’re lighter weight than most denims, usually 4 oz. to 4.5 oz., and easy to decorate and place in programs.

• Twills are one of the three basic weaves in woven shirts – in the past, twills ran the gamut in weights and color offerings. Twills are solids-driven and available in many basic and fashion colors.

• Oxfords are a derivative of plain and basket weave constructions. Originating from the dress shirt assortments in retail, oxfords were the dressiest in the woven promo apparel repertoire. They’re available in white and light blue, with button-down collars in long- and short-sleeve models.

In 2007, the woven apparel category has taken a dramatic turn toward performance features and increased offerings. What was 100% cotton 20 years ago is now chief value cotton. Performance features such as wrinkle-free, stain and soil treatments, ultraviolet protection, and moisture management dominate wovens.

• Wrinkle-free fabrics are mostly made of cotton/polyester blended goods in oxfords, broadcloths, poplins and twills. The wrinkle-free phenomenon introduced resin-finished fabrics to reduce wrinkles, and fused cut parts for a crisp, pressed look all day long. Although most wrinkle-free wovens are cotton-blended goods, we see 100% cotton wrinkle-free products using ammonia treatments.

• Like wrinkle-free finishes, stain and soil treatments began in the pants market and have graduated to the shirts arena. Dominated by two major brand names – Scotchgard by 3M and Teflon by DuPont – these treatments feature release and repellent formulas.

• Moisture-management treatments and finishes feature woven fabrics that carry moisture from the inside of the fabric (next to the body) to the outside of the fabric where the moisture is dispersed and evaporates. Most fabrics are cotton/polyester blends that rely on “mechanical” means, a specially shaped poly yarn to facilitate this wicking effect, or “topical,” applying chemical solutions to aid in this transfer of moisture.

•Beginning with golf shirts, we’re seeing more UV protection finishes in wovens. These chemical finishes allow fabrics to stop the sun’s UV rays from penetrating the fabric.

Today’s wovens also come in Pima and other longer-staple yarn cottons for comfort, and synthetic blends of polynosic, rayon and Tencel. Also, the camp shirt silhouette has become a major styling initiative, and pattered wovens such as mini-checks and tonal plaids are popular.

DAVID BEBON is executive vice president, special markets, for New York City-based Capital Mercury Apparel. He serves on the editorial advisory board of Wearables Business, Stitches’ sister publication.

Q&A With Sion Shaman

Made by Peg Bowles, Initial Impressions, Boulder, CO. This was an engagement pillow Bowles made for a customer’s surprise engagement in 1999. While on a plane with his fiancée, the groom-to-be asked the flight attendant for a pillow, and she appeared with this one - an engagement ring tucked into the pocket and secured with ribbons.

Stitches: Did performance fabrics exist 20 years ago?
Sion Shaman: Performance fabrics did exist 20 years ago; they really started to come into being when people tried to make synthetic fabrics – for example, when the textile industry started manufacturing rayon to imitate silk. I would say true performance fabrics emerged in the 1970s when micro fibers, such as polyester and nylon, were becoming popular. Chemical compositions and fiber lengths gave a new meaning to how to deal with micro fibers. For the average person, moisture-wicking garments are probably their first encounters with performance fabrics.

Stitches: When did performance garments become affordable?
SS: If performance fabric has been around commercially for about 25 years, it’s been affordable for about 15 to 20 years. In the last five to seven years, we’ve seen performance fabrics really cross over into casual or “lifestyle” wear.

Stitches: What have been the biggest milestones for performance wear in the last 20 years?
SS: The advent of moisture-wicking fabrics. Twenty years ago, hard-core athletes were the ones who knew about moisture-wicking garments and were excited about them. Regular people had a hard time switching from cotton gym clothes to polyester, since a lot of them thought of bad ’70s leisure suits when they thought of polyester. But it’s come a long way, and now, people have less bias against polyester. And, the sports industry is really big in the United States.

Polypropylene also offers moisture-wicking properties, but it’s lost ground because of its odor, although the smell has improved. It’s used in uniforms, for Army and Navy undergarments, and in some thermal underwear. While it’s not easily dyed, it offers the best moisture wicking you can find. Nylon, which has a nice hand, also offers moisture wicking.

Stitches: What are the other top performance qualities out there now?
SS: Besides moisture wicking, I’d say antimicrobial, soil release, water repellence, ultraviolet protection and wrinkle resistance. Flame-retardant garments, such as sleepwear for infants or protective apparel for firefighters, are also considered performance wear.

Stitches: What do embroiderers ask you about performance fabrics?
SS: A lot of embroiderers tell me their customers want performance wear, so they ask how easy it is to embroider on performance fabrics. I say it’s no problem; the only thing to watch for would be to not embroider a design with so many stitches on lightweight fabrics, so that one part of the garment becomes markedly heavier than the rest. Also, in general, synthetics are stronger than non-synthetics, so embroiderers don’t have as many problems with holes. Finally, you can do sublimation and screen printing on performance fabrics, although screen printing is a little different than when you’re using a cotton garment.

Stitches: What’s going to be big in the next 15 to 20 years?
SS: I think body mapping’s the next big thing; it’s still a fabrication in process and isn’t commercially available. Body-mapping technology, which relies on an intelligent fabric and the way the fabric forms to the body, helps the garment respond to a wearer’s different needs. For example, different parts of the body perspire at different rates, so the garment will be able to interact most efficiently with different parts of the body. We’ll be seeing body-mapping technology in athletic apparel and in the health-care field; for example, patients may be able to wear garments that can monitor their vital signs, such as heart rates and blood pressure.

Also, look for compression fabrics. Different muscles require different compressions, so performance garments that offer compression are great for athletes. Compression fabric, which is a very tight-knit fabric, enhances blood flow or oxygen intake to certain muscles, and can help increase athletes’ endurance. These fabrics usually have a core product of poly or micro fiber, with spandex.

SION SHAMAN is co-owner of Los Angeles-based Expert Performance T. He serves on the editorial advisory board of Wearables Business, Stitches’ sister publication.

MACHINERY

Machinery on a Roll

By Jimmy Lamb

Twenty years ago, embroidery machines, for the most part, had four to six needles and no trimmers. Most of them received data via punched paper tape, which was rolled up and threaded onto a reader mounted on the machine. Sewing started when the tape began to run; commands were fed directly from the tape to the machine’s control systems. There was no memory, and at the end of each run, the tape had to be rewound and started again. And, if the tape broke – it was paper, after all – it had to be repaired.

As computers advanced, so did the machines. One of the first changes was the addition of floppy-disk readers, which relegated tape readers to a dusty corner of the supply closet. The machine control panels morphed into microprocessors, which meant that designs could be stored onboard. In addition, more intelligent control features, such as the ability to move forward or backward in a design stitch by stitch, or in groups of stitches, gave the machine operator more production flexibility.

Automatic thread trimmers were developed shortly thereafter, eliminating the need to stop the machine manually at each jump stitch and color change to snip the trailing threads by hand. Thread break systems were another important innovation that broke out on the embroidery scene about the same time.

A Tajima machine in use 20 years ago

Another revolutionary development was the cap attachment. Early machines only allowed for flat, tabletop sewing. Direct embroidery of finished caps was nearly impossible, though there were some devices available that tried to accomplish this.

Direct cap capabilities required that machines be redesigned so the sewing tables could be removed to expose the sewing arms, as cap frames had to encircle the arms. This led to the development of
tubular embroidery systems, as they too required that the sewing arm be exposed.

These advances – floppy disk, trimmers, and cap and tubular systems – happened very rapidly during the mid-to late ’80s. Since then, the innovation has continued, though much of it has been in the control systems. The need for speed is a prime example. Twenty years ago, the maximum sewing speed for most machines was in the 600 stitches per minute range. Today it’s typically 1,200 spm and increasing.

So what’s on tap for the future? Speeds will probably increase, though they may be close to maxing out. The stitch formation process isn’t the problem, as many industrial sewing machines have been running at incredibly high speeds (4,000 spm or more) for years. Embroidery’s limiting factor is pantograph movement, which occurs between every stitch. Improved drive systems will allow for some speed increases, along with greater accuracy of stitch placement.

Additionally, we’re seeing machines’ networking capabilities expand greatly, and we’ll probably see a lot more along these lines, including more comprehensive data collection from machines, which will
enable embroiderers to fine-tune designs, spot machine problems and track production trends. This in turn will probably lead to self-diagnosing systems that analyze the data for you and either auto-
correct problems or advise you to do so.

There’s a good chance self-threading systems will migrate from home embroidery machines to commercial machines. Many established embroidery companies that have been around for 20 or more years have developed a lot of interesting technological features for specialty machines – for example, sequin attachments. They’ve been around for a long time, but have recently reappeared, causing many embroiderers to think they’re a new development. The same goes for cording and boring systems.

JIMMY LAMB is manager of marketing and education for Tajima USA Sales & Support by Hirsch in Wilmington, NC. He serves on Stitches’ editorial advisory board.

DIGITIZING

A Welcome Evolution

By Bonnie Landsberger

When I began digitizing in 1986, I had a choice of either using a small board and puck system or a large board system called a Melco Digitrac. Both were connected to an embroidery machine that simultaneously sewed as the design was punched. Data was recorded either by saving it to a diskette or literally punching holes into a ribbon of paper tape. Artwork for digitizing, referred to as a cartoon, was prepared on graph paper six times the size of the sewn design.

I won’t forget the frustration of making the slightest error while punching – the only solution was to punch the design again. I’d save small portions of the design so if I discovered a problem, I’d replace the affected portion.
Then, when my employers bought a computer, my fears vanished when I saw that the editing software let me delete or insert commands. Although it required a couple minutes for the computer to regenerate a large design, I didn’t mind waiting.

As the speed of technology improved, we then digitized with a board and puck system connected to the computer, and we could even watch the design “sew” as a robotic pen sketched the action on a plotter. By the time I began my independent digitizing business in 1995, the board and puck had become unnecessary; cartoons had been replaced by electronic graphic images for digitizing on-screen; and the plotter was shelved when software improvements allowed us to print a full-color design.

Over the last two decades, automatic punching tools have advanced rapidly, but fortunately, manual tools still remain an option in software. Automatic functions let us create a variety of specific patterns, calculate underlay or other parameters, and add machine commands such as trims or lock stitches. There’s even a function that lets the computer digitize an entire design with just one click, and with manual manipulation, it creates an acceptable design.

BONNIE LANDSBERGER is a digitizer and owner of Cannon Falls, MN-based Moonlight Design. She serves on Stitches’ editorial advisory board.

From EmbroidMe in Schaumburg, IL. Craig Swett, Mary Miller and Katie Richardson embroidered this blanket in October 2006 for a high school cheerleading squad.

Practice Makes Perfect

By Barb Geer

While I haven’t been around long enough to remember paper tapes, I’ve heard enough about them. I entered digitizing when there were very few digitizers, and those who plied the trade worked on active tablets that sent design information to the computer screen as the commands were placed with a puck.

When we digitized on a tablet, we prepared for the project by redrawing the
design as large as the active workspace. The art was drawn to show fill areas, columns and running stitches, and even indicated where the digitizer would place her marks with the puck. All decisions about pathing and color changes were also made during the art preparation process.

I’ve since moved to on-screen digitizing, and have upgraded that software twice. Competition between software companies keeps developers working on new and better automatic functions. A few examples are underlay, push/pull compensation, decorative fill patterns, decorative line patterns, blending and random edges.

BARB GEER is owner and president of Middle River, MN-based Grand Central Graphics Inc. and Grand Slam Designs. She also serves on Stitches’ editorial advisory board.

Digitizing: Then and Now

By Brenden Prazner

Then: Before the days of embroidery software, digitizers followed a three-step design process.

• Step 1: An artist would create full-scale artwork of the design for approval.

• Step 2: Using an optical projector, a draftsperson enlarged the artwork six times and traced the outlines to create the working drawing or technical design. He cleaned up the design and manually drew stitch angles; then, he drew stitch penetration points using wheels.

• Step 3: Using a mechanical pantograph machine and following the technical design, the digitizer punched the stitches’ penetration points, one by one, until the design was complete. The stitch commands were recorded as punched holes directly on paper tape. Punching was a physically demanding job and involved moving a large, heavy pantograph from the end of one stitch to the start of another.

Submitted by Elizabeth Colagross, Awesome Wares Inc., Avon, OH. When Colagross purchased her business from the Aussem family, she found this 1980s advertisement for Meistergram. “The man in front is our friend and family lawyer; the little girl just had a baby of her own; and the machine operator is still ordering stuff for her new business,” Colagross says.

The time it took to complete an embroidery design depended on the complexity and number of stitches. Prior to using computers, a complex, high-quality badge with 22,000 stitches took up to three days to complete. In the late 1970s, embroidery design was done on a microprocessor-based electronic version of the mechanical punch machines. These systems used eight-bit microprocessors with software built into EPROM memory chips; however, they still relied on detailed six-times-enlarged drawings. Although limited in capabilities, they could automatically calculate stitches for simple shapes composed of straight-line segments and circular arcs.

While such automated stitch generation was very quick compared to manual punching, the lack of a visual representation was this system’s downside, and a large proportion of the design still had to be done stitch by stitch. The automatic stitch calculations used were very basic and didn’t give the high stitch quality a puncher expected, especially in satin stitch corners and irregular shapes. The most daunting aspect of this system was its lack of editing capabilities.

In 1980, Wilcom released its computer embroidery design system, and it included a digital PDP11/60 computer and a Tektronix 4014 CRT storage display. With this system, a digitizer could see her stitches being automatically generated and displayed on the computer screen. The system offered automatic lettering and condensed format designs for scaling of digitized shapes.

Two years later, the industry got a demonstration of the world’s first multiuser system at the 1982 Bobbin Show. The four-user design system was networked to a 5-yard Schiffli machine on one stand and a Tajima multi-head machine across the aisle. All four users were operating independently off the same computer, and simultaneously designs were being directly embroidered on both machines.

Now: In 1990, object-based digitizing brought the design process to a new level. The concept of reshape and regeneration of objects and stitches was a massive time-saver. With reshape tools, digitizers could modify a shape in seconds. The $5,000 digitizing boards were pushed aside and replaced by 21-inch monitors. All-in-one file formats hit the market, which included object outlines and stitch data all in one. Additional design information, such as colors, descriptions and design artwork, can also be stored in these intelligent file formats. In the ’90s, we saw an uptick in embroidery design software capabilities. Digitizers love the automation, special effects, lettering capabilities and sewing quality delivered by the new software.

BRENDEN PRAZNER is a product marketing manager for Wilcom, based in Alexandria, Australia.