Silk pillow cases

[drose700]

I have a customer that wants 2" block lettering on some silk pillow cases. I realize these need to be fill stitches. Can someone tell me what needles, stabilizer, machine settings, machine speed,etc. will give me the best results?

[drose700]

Can somebody help me out here please? I don't want to mess these up. The only silk I've embroidered was on a baby blanket that had a heart applique so it was very small lettering.

[gcannon]

In this case you will be stitching to the backing, not the fragile silk; in this case I would use some of the thinnest tear-away I could get away with (probably 2 pieces). As far as needles go, I would start with a 75/11 sharp, assuming you are sewing with #40 poly thread. And, two last things, slow the machine down a good bit, and test on a scrap first. Best of luck.

[YDCustom]

Is it a satin weave silk or a plain weave? The plain weave should hold up better but the satin is going to need careful stabilization and will get hoop burn very quickly. Also use a very careful underlay to make sure that you have the silk attached to the backing before you start the fill stitches.

Deborah Jones "Machine Embroidery on Difficult Fabrics" recommends a
Sharp needle 70/10 or 75/11. (Though she recommends a ball point for satins.) She mentions using a brand new needle because the slightest wear or burr can cause a pull in the delicate fabric.
1 to 2 oz crisp tear-away backing single or multiple layers hooped with the fabric (avoid self-adhesive stabilizers) and a hoop wrapped with tape or gauze to prevent the fabric slipping.
Size 40 thread.
3.5 to 5 point density with a light density tatami underlay for fill stitches.

[drose700]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm thinking I should go buy a small piece to practice on. And what is a tatami underlay?

[gcannon]

Tatami is a Japanese word for the woven mats you see in much of the Japanese inspired decorating. Therefore, I think it is a woven or "corrugated" backing. I have not seen this in a tear-away.

[YDCustom]

Her picture looks just like a regular underlay under a fill stitch area but she calls it "light tatami underlay" perhaps something to do with the name of it in her precise digitizing program. Anyway, her basic point seems to be that you need an underlay that connects your fabric to your backing all over the area to be sewn, not just an edge walk around the outline. Light seems to refer to the density and would make sense because you don't want the embroidery to become a bullet proof patch on an otherwise drapey pillowcase.

[Mama Kass]

Tatami is a digitizing term equivalent to the type of fill underlay used by Design Shop.

[gcannon]

Oh- the underlay- in this instance I think she means an underlay that goes in both the X and Y directions- by light I would start at a density of 24 or so, and adjust from there- maybe even up to 32.