Using just one thread, Maria Potter of Madeira UK digitised this striking yet minimal design using a variety of motif fill stitch types
By employing different stitch types, Madeira UK’s business development manager Maria Potter was able to create definition on the tentacles of the octopus despite using just one colour of thread.
Appliqué was also incorporated to create the body of the octopus. This added further texture to the finished design.
is Here, the same design being stitched, but using gold Pelltex, a leatherette appliqué fabric, along with a gold metallic thread from Madeira’s FS range.
Walkthrough…
This design was digitised using Wilcom EmbroideryStudio.
Using an appliqué technique, the body of the octopus was stitched first by placing a piece of cotton drill on the hooped-up garment.
Once the outline was stitched, the machine was stopped and the excess fabric cut away.
The edges of the appliqué were then covered by a satin stitch with a jagged edge on one side. Appliqué adds texture, layers, and depth to embroidery. It allows large areas to be covered with fabric, reducing the amount of thread needed. A wide range of colours and finishes are available from soft velvety textures and leatherette to bold glittery fabrics, offering endless creative possibilities.
By altering the stitch angles of the tatami fill to follow the curves of the tentacles, we successfully created movement and flow, all brought to life with just a single thread colour. Contour stitching layered on top added another dimension.
To enable the pattern to adjust around corners we used the split feature in Wilcom.
Splits such as beaker, rope, wave, flame and arrowhead have been combined with standard satin stitch to create areas of smooth shiny stitches to contrast with the patterns.
The thread used was Madeira Polyneon Green, which is made from recycled polyester, in ‘lead’ (6640).
The design was stitched onto a TriDri Recycled Sweatshirt from Ralawise using a Brother PR680W embroidery machine, supplied by Hobkirk Industrial Sewing, with a 75/11 ball point needle for the jersey fabric.
Do you have a standout print or embroidery that illustrates your business’s expertise? Would you like to share your work in our Anatomy feature? Then we’d like to hear from you.
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