Rae Hollis, digital marketing executive at Essential Embroidery, explains how to appliqué patches onto hoodies with a design created for Crufts, the well-known annual dog show

Appliqué embroidery refers to the technique by which pieces of fabric are sewn onto a larger garment or textile to form a picture or pattern. We love using this technique to create a tactile and 3D effect on our garments without the need to use a high stitch count. Although we have to pause the embroidery run in order to place the pre-cut template onto the garment, we believe that this is worth the time as the end product comes out looking sharp and stylish. This advanced embroidery technique gives us the opportunity to create even bigger logos without generating a heavy, threaded design. 

Correct handling

For our Crufts Bailey hoodie we chose the College Hoodie (JH001) from Just Hoods by AWDis. This high quality garment is the perfect material to apply appliqué embroidery due to the heavyweight, soft-feel fabric and the range of colours available. In order to create pre-cut appliqué shapes, we use a modern Proel laser cutter, which ensures that the shape fits exactly onto the stitched template on the garment. This means that everything in the design process must be digitised so that the tack-down stitch can perfectly hold the pre-cut shape in place. We then use Barudan embroidery machines to finish off the embroidered design and fill in the gaps to bring the final design together.

Ahead of the pack

To ensure that the appliqué embroidery techniqueworks perfectly, the digitising process has to be carried out to an extremely high standard. If this is not done properly, the pre-cut shape may not line up with the outline on the garment, which will make the design look messy and unprofessional. It is also the job of our embroidery specialists to ensure that when they place the pre-cut shape onto the embroidered outline it is positioned perfectly. At Essential, we have a dedicated team that prepares and supervises our embroidery machines, and then another team to quality-check all products before they are distributed.

Our inspiration for offering our customers the option to use appliqué embroidery with their designs comes from major retail brands, which also apply this method to many of their products. We are also competing with other companies within the branding sector and by offering appliqué embroidery we give our customers the opportunity to use even bigger logos.

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STEP-BY-STEP: APPLIQUÉ EMBROIDERY

(1) First, digitise the design and create the appliqué template

(2) Cut out the felt template with the Proel laser cutter

(3) Prepare the hoodie for the embroidery machine and ensure you have the correct threads loaded

(4) Stitch the outline of the appliqué template onto the garment

(5) Spray the appliqué templates with temporary adhesive and place onto the embroidered outline, making sure it lines up perfectly

(6) Start the embroidery run, beginning with the border around the template and then add the details of the logo

(7) Once the run has completed, remove the garments and frames from the machine and check for any loose stitches

(8) Remove the backing vinyl and steam the garment to remove the frame mark. Carry out on final quality check before packaging

(9) The finished design