Placement of back design

[Juli in Kona]

I have a 6.5 X 6.5" design for the back of shirts. How far down from the neck (or yoke seam) do I place it? I have noticed on other similar shirts with this same design that with women with long hair, their hair mostly covers the design. So was wondering what the "standard" is.

Juli in Kona

[Wayne]

I go down 8 inches from the neck (for the center on the design) for shirts up to XL. One from the yoke I try to sew as close to the yoke as I can. This too depends on how low the yoke is.
If the hair is long and they want the design to be seen I would go down 10 to 12 inches for the center. This depends on how long the hair is.

In short, you just have to put it where it looks good.

[signman]

You have to ignore the long hair issue, unless all the shirts are for a cheerleading squad or something like that-where everyone wears them the same way. Otherwise it will be noticed and someone will complain. I try to center wide and not tall images between the shoulder blades. Tall designs come down a couple inches from the neck yoke.
Small logos that belong on the front chest-yes, people put them on the back, should be up high like a 'brand name' label just under the neck. Personally I think that's goofy looking but that's where they put them.
Roland

[Juli in Kona]

I ended up putting it 1" down from the yoke. On the 3XL, I put it 2" down from the yoke. It looks good there. I deliver today, so we'll see how the customer, my sister, feels about it. Frankly, I don't think there will even be a question. It is only us embroiderers that get all bothered by these things!

Juli

[ginabea]

After son and I completed our first hat on our "new to us" Amaya, son said, "Looks good - but too bad it is a centimeter off." Yes, he's that controlling...but I told him he would have to get over it if we were going to be able to push any work out of the shop.

[Rod or Sharon]

ginabea,

I don't know that this was your partictular issue, but don't use the laser light to find the center, or X marks the Spot, especially on a cap or any other thick material.

On a cap visually line up a needle with the center seam, if you are centering on the front that is.....

The laser, even though we try to use it for centering, is primarily a tracing tool to determine hoop limits.

For a test, place a dot on a piece of paper, place the dot directly of the needleplate hole, hole your laser button down and then carefully lift the paper straight up. You will notice that the laser will appear to move towards the back and also to the right. This has to do with the laser light coming down at an angle to the material.

So as the material gets thicker as on the center seam of a cap, if the laser was used to center the center seam of the cap, because of the thick center seam, your design will sew off center just a bit...

Rod Springer
Amaya Tech & Trainer

[Impressive Threads]

Rod,
thank you for that information. I always wondered why I had to adjust my caps just a tad to the right to get the design centered. I thought my hat gauges were off. Now I know why.

Cindy in Phoenix

[signman]

Get your hat visually centered on the needle, then go into Maintenance and do 'head down' to center the needle WITH the hat on the machine...and adjust if you have to (BRING THE NEEDLE UP FIRST) until you get the needle dead center in the seam. NOW click on your laser and see how far off that red dot is from center...and you'll know on all future hats where to put the dot to end up with the needle centered if you can't line it up visually looking down the needle. I find looking straight on at the needle and hat I can line it up, Sue has to use the laser dot but knows the off-set space. Each to his own! Just remember you have to check each and every hat...no matter how good you think you are at hooping the hats they are not going to line up the same!

[Just Sew It]

I hope you measure across the cap's bill to find the center of the hat front. Many hats are slightly off when sewn. Since you hold the bill to put on your hat and center the bill to your head, make sure the design is centered to the bill. Most are 7" across so mark the bill lightly at 3.5" and line up your needle with the mark on the bill.

[Rod or Sharon]

I wouldn't look at the laser light on just one cap and decide that was how far off the light is because each cap is different in thickness (depending on the buckram or shape of the cap.
Sharon

[Jenny]

Does your son happen to have a degree in EE...my husband is and he thinks this is a perfect world and nothing should be off even that much...LOL... just kidding and I bet it looks great...until next time...

Jenny
Westbrook Wonders

[ginabea]

Thanks to all for the wonderful tips. For the record...it looked centered to me : ) These ideas will help us know we are turning out the best caps possible. gb