Grain of Material

[LawsonPoling]

Hello, all - I am doing a sewout onto some denim material. I can see the grain of it runs at a slant. As it turns out, the item I'm sewing has slanted text in it and it runs at about the same angle. When I look at the results of the sewout it appears that a square-ish letter O is not uniform in shape and I suspect maybe the needle is 'rolling' over the thread grain then following that 'trail'. I think the needle is a pointed 75/11? I'm wondering if I need to hoop the material tighter, or if I should use some adhesive spray. OR, there may be other recommendations? Thanks!

[MJ]

I would use a Solvy on top.

[Sforte7]

I agree with MJ - a solvy on top should help. Actually, I now use it on almost everything as I think it makes a big difference in the appearance of my embroidery.

[LawsonPoling]

Thanks! I'll give it a try! The only thing I'm not diggin' about solvy is getting it off of the item once it is sewed. I've tried wetting part of what I tore off and dab at what's on the item, but I not so good at it. I tried paper towel, too. Any other tips on removing it?

[Sforte7]

A steamer! It's the only way! I have a Jiffy brand and love it.

[MJ]

I was told to wet the back of the item and let the moisture soak through to the front. Then rub off. I don't know if it will work that well with denim though, since denim is thicker than most fabrics.

[MJ]

There's also a clear topping stabilizer that you iron off with a DRY iron and it balls up and comes off.
I use it on hankies or other things that I don't want to get wet.

[Impressive Threads]

I tear off the excess, wet it with a fine mist from a spray bottle, then use a soft toothbrush to get it off. Works like a charm and gets it out of all the little nooks and cranies.


Cindy in Phoenix

[LawsonPoling]

Well, I tried that and it seemed to work. The O's really look better! I tried wetting a big piece of the solvy and dabbing. Yuk. Sticky, messy. Since it was denim material I wet a piece of a towel I was practicing on and then dabbed the denim / embroidery area. That worked well for my skill level.
Thanks again, Yaw!

[cbireley]

Before I bought my steamer, I would pull the big pieces off, then spritz the area , rub the excess away, then out it in the dryer...worked well, but took some time...I finally night a steamer and I'm very happy with that...got it at bed bath and beyond with their 20% off coupon! Worth every penny...

[LawsonPoling]

HMMmmmm. I just happen to have a steamer! It's just been sitting around in a box doing nothing.

[LawsonPoling]

MJ - What is the name of that 'iron off' topping? I just looked on sewmanyparts web site and the only toppings they seem to have are water soluble. Often times I will iron a finished product to help 'set' or relax the garment and embroidery threads to try and prevent puckering. If that iron off topping does the trick then I can eliminate a processs of using water, spritzes, etc. and just incorporate your process into what I'm alredy doing anyway. Thank you!

[LawsonPoling]

I found one from Floriani called "Heat and Gone". I realize they've been in the industry for ion's but I don't want to assume they're the best deal out there.

[MJ]

Have you ever shopped at shoppersrule.com?
They have tons of embroidery stuff at good prices. You can become a member for free. Their's is called Press Away Topping. Here is a link to it:

http://www.shoppersrule.com/pc/SP-TRXFLM/Clubspecial7/index.html

I also use Floriani. I don't have a preference, I usually just buy what's on sale.
You pull off most of it after you're done embroidering and then iron off the rest. Sometimes you still have to use a small pointy thing to remove the topping inside little tiny areas, like inside small letters, etc. But if you don't want to get it wet, it's a good thing to use. I usually iron things too because the iron actually melts the threads a little making them more stable, especially items that will be washed a lot.

[MJ]

Tips from Floriani:
Tips for removing Heat N Gone from Kayly:
1) Once the embroidery is complete, remove as much of the topping from the surface of the garment as possible.
2) Set your iron temperature to a wool setting and turn off the steam.
Touch the iron directly to the surface of the fabric to remove any pieces of Heat N Gone.
3) Note - if your iron temperature is too hot, the Heat N Gone will liquefy and melt into the fibers of the fabric. It is very important to test this removal process on scraps of similar fabric and get to know your iron's temperature!