I am a newbie to embroidery and have a few questions regarding commercial embroidery machines.
1. It seems 40weight or 120d x 2 thread is most common for commercial embroidery. But I have also see you can use 50 weight (finer) thread. Is 50weight common for use in commercial embroidery machines?
2. Who makes 50 weight thread for commercial machines. I see companies like DMC make 50weight thread but not sure if this is for the small home machines or for the commercial ones.
3. What advantages does a finer thread offer? If you are trying to make a solid background in a logo, would it look better with finer thread with a higher stitch count?
Henry,
For the most part the finer threads are used for lettering. I use 60 wt for really small lettering and there is a big difference. For general embroidery, 40 wt is the thread of choice. Most major thread manufacturers make different weights. You want the lowest stitch count you can get if you ever want to make any money in this business. As with anything else, we all adapt supplies to use in our own ways and there are no "hard and fast" rules. Not to mention that we all do different things. I'm just going by my experience, but I'm sure others use the finer threads for other purposes. It will be interesting to see what others do use it for since I'm always learning new things too. I used to be a tech for the wood finishing industry and I always found new ways of using products other than what they were designed for.
Thanks for the info Jim. Actually I am working with this customer and cost isn't necessarily the main concern. I am trying to match the same stitching as a previous sample. It does not look like they used standard 40wt thread as the pattern in the background looks different.
I would assume using 50wt thread, the stitch count will go way up as the thread is thinner.
I'm wondering if anyone has tried 50wt for a solid patch and whether or not it looks better than 40wt when embroidered if thread count is not important.
I'm wondering if anyone has tried 50wt for a solid patch and whether or not it looks better than 40wt when embroidered if thread count is not important.
As Jim mentioned, if your patch has fine detail, then 50 wt may be appropriate. But if it is a 100% embroidered area patch, it may not look as full with 50wt, if that makes sense.
I would do a sample sew out with each thread and decide.
I would use 60 wt. thread for small lettering only as a last resort. I would digitize for small lettering, use a smaller needle (70/10 or 65/9), use tear away backing in addition to cutaway & slow machine speed down first.
Thank you everyone so far for some useful information (especially Jim who was a great help). So I managed to get the reference sample back from the customer and three things I noticed:
1. I know with most standard embroidery you will have some sort of weaving pattern. See the image I have linked (I highlighted the weave with red lines)
2. Oddly enough, the reference sample, you can't see it. When I did do a high resolution scan, it sort of looks like the weave is at 45 degrees but with the naked eye it is very difficult to tell. This is what I am trying to match.
3. I'm not sure if this matters or not but the sample I am trying to match doesn't feel as stiff. You can sort of bend it easier and it is relatively soft. Whereas the standard embroidery is hard (as expected).
Anyone have any ideas? I thought it was thread weight but could it be anything else?
I am a little confused. Which image is the one you had sewn? The first or the 2nd?
If you are trying to get the first one to look like the 2nd one, the embroiderer may just need to increase the stitch count which would make the stitches tighter for a smoother surface. The additional stitches would also make the design "harder".
Have you shown the client sample to your embroiderer?
The first image is the one I had sewn which shows the weave and is hard.
The second image is the client's sample which I want to try and match and it is soft and flexible.
So it seems like the client's sample has more stitch count (because I can't see the weave) and it is not hard. That is sort of odd isn't it? Could it be the type of thread being used?
Henry,
When I sewed out the pattern, I didn't have any vertical lines at all. I think that when you are talking "hard" and "soft", you are comparing new embroidery to older (used) embroidery. All patterns "set" or get softer with use. You can't expect a new patch to be as soft as an older patch. You are working with the laws of physics here and unless they know something the rest of us don't, that would be my best guess. I used an 11/75 needle and like I said, it did not have the verticle lines you are talking about. Be sure not to compare pictures of embroidery to the actual embroidery. They are nothing alike
Most industrial embroidery thread are made from Rayon or Polyester usally they are made to a thickness of 40 wt or denier, It could be that your problem is not from the thread or tension but more from the pattern digitising
Thread weight for solid embroidery 
