Carhardt Jackets

[Guest]

What's the best needle to use for a detailed logo on a Carhardt jacket? Any other settings I should be aware of? Also, any advice on hooping the jacket would be appreciated. Thanks.

GF

[sewsew7]

GF,
I just finished working on 40 Carhart jackets myself. I used a 75/11 sharp needle. I used my double height wood hoops for the backs, and my hooptech clamp for the chests, although the clamp is a new attachment that I just purchased(well worth it for the 40 jackets, saved alot of time). I used to use my 7.02 round for the chests. They are a little tricky because of the quilted lining. You have to hoop them tight enough that the hoop compresses the quilted lining, and not too tight that the hoop pops during sewing. Kind of a fine line, but it can be done. It definately wasn't a money maker for me, only kept the customer happy. Took a LONG time to get the pressure just right to keep the hoop from popping, and not end up with hoop burn. Also sewed them out slower to cut back on the vibration that could pop the hoop. For the backs, these were easier, as the wood seems to grip better. Just remember to support the weight of the jacket while sewing or it could pop the hoop, or worse, bend your machines arms down. I didn't do anything special with the settings on the machine. Just checked pressure foot height and set it to actifeed. Worked good. I always charge a premium to work on these jackets as they are fairly time consuming. Hope my advice is of some help.

[GF]

Thank you. I will use my hoop tech clamp (my thoughts are like yours). Luckily, no back is being embroidered but that's good to know about the double ht wooden hoops. And, I will use the sharp.

GF

[Aaron]

I'll chime in here. One of my contract customers is a Carhartt dealer and lets me order on his account so we do hundreds of fronts and back every year for christmas. We use the regular 5.9 or 7.1 round hoops when possible and use the hooptech clamping system when there are inside pockets or when we are going above the outside pocket. We use double thick wood hoops for the backs. I sew them the same as anything else and don't have any troubles with them. They can be bulky so you just have to be careful. Hoop the backs upsidedown so you don't have to deal with the arms of the jacket causing extra bulk around the machine.