Basics of Embroidery Digitizing for Sweat Shirt and Jackets

Embroidery digitizing for sweatshirts and jackets requires careful consideration of the fabric’s texture, thickness, and design characteristics, such as (sizes of the artwork, push and pull compensation, underlay stitch density, etc.)

In most cases, complex embroidery designs and highly detailed artwork, which requires intricate stitching color blending with advance embroidery digitizing techniques, are chosen for sweatshirts & jackets.

So here are some basics that you need to know about embroidery digitizing for sweatshirts and jackets

The traditional sweatshirt and jackets is made up of a thick, stretchy fleece fabric that has a fuzzy interior and on the other side denim is also used in jacket and sweatshirts.

Fleece is a cozy, soft material that is frequently used for blankets, jackets, and other cold-weather clothing. However, the fleece texture can make embroidery difficult if the design has a lot of detail or small lettering, or both. The fabric won’t move during the embroidery process if you use a higher stitch density, which will also make the embroidery design stand out.
For sweat shirt or jackets, the underlay of stitches will need to be increased. Also if you are using satin stitches, you’ll need to double the normal density and underlay.

Denim is a sturdy fabric and trendy for jackets with limited stretch, so the digitizing initials, such as push and pull compensation, underlay, and density of stitches, might differ from fabrics that have more elasticity

Since the fabric of sweatshirt and jacket can have a bit of stretchiness, you might need to use a moderate amount of push compensation to shift away from the stitching direction. A starting point could be around 0.2 – 0.4 mm of push compensation for each stitch.

The fabric might not have as much of a pull issue as some other stretchy fabrics, but it’s still a good idea to apply some pull compensation to prevent puckering. A starting point could be around 0.05 – 0.2 mm of pull compensation for each stitch.

To about.22-.26 mm, the pull compensation should be increased. In addition to nearly double the underlay, density should be increased by 10-15%.

Columns don’t look wide enough on sweat shirt? Don’t just increase your pull comp, increase the column width as well. Check if your software allows you to increase column width without using drag offset.

Underlay stitches are foundational stitches that provide stability to the design and prevent it from sinking into the fabric. For jackets made from thicker materials like fleece, you can use underlay stitches with a length of around 2-4 mm.
Wider satin columns should have a double zigzag underlay, and fill stitched portions should have a double layer of tatami underlay.

For fill areas on jackets, which are typically larger spaces filled with stitches, a stitch length of approximately 3-5 mm is common. Adjust the density according to the fabric’s thickness and the desired appearance.

Satin stitches are often used for outlines and text. On jackets, a satin stitch length of about 2-4 mm is typical. Longer satin stitches can be used for bolder and more visible designs

• For (S/M/L), you can embroider the artwork between 7” to 8” down from left shoulder seam, 3” to 5” over from center and for (XL, XXL) 8” to 9” down from left shoulder.
• Remember to take the hood of your sweatshirt into consideration when digitizing for the back of your sweatshirt. Your design should remain visible even when the hood is down, start by placing your design 6″ down from the neckline.
• Left chest of the sweat shirt is an ideal placement with digitized size of around 4 to 5.5 inches high depending on the size label. Also, you can embroider the artwork between 6.5” to 8” down from left shoulder seam, and 4”over from center of your left chest.

• For the back of the jacket, get your artwork digitized with a height of 10 to 12 inches height with proportional width and can be extended depending on the size(s) label. Also, you can embroider the artwork between 7” – 9” (18.5cm – 23.5cm) down from shoulder seam, centered between side seams.
• If there is a Yolk, 1” (3cm) below Yolk.
• For the front of the jacket, get your artwork digitized with a height of 7 to 8 inches height with proportional width and can be extended depending on the size(s) label. Also, you can embroider the artwork between
• Left chest of the jacket is an ideal placement with digitized size of around 4 to 5.5 inches high depending on the size label. Also, you can embroider the artwork between 6.5” to 8” down from left shoulder seam, and 4”over from center of your left chest.

To understand this highly technical point about the size and complexity of embroidery design for jackets & sweatshirts, we’re using our MARDI GRAS CELEBRATING PEOPLE EMBROIDERY DESIGN because it is necessary to know how the changing in sizes of embroidery can affect the results.

As a general rule of thumb, embroidery designs that contain advanced color blending and more intricate details will run better on jacket and sweatshirt compared to simple and one color because of the prominent embroidery placements that helps you to show the multicolored logos and embroidery designs with more visibility and smooth machine embroidery.

Also, some of you might ask, “Then why not digitize the same design for hats and left chests?” The answer is simple: they have limitations (especially the embroidery area) that may not be suitable for your other applications.

In more depth, consider this MARDI GRAS CELEBRATING PEOPLE EMBROIDERY DESIGN, we digitized this design in three different sizes, you can see the visible difference between 8’ to 2.5” in terms of blending, intricacy and smoothness.