The scanner is a great tool when the challenge is saving previously embroidered garments, such as these chef coats. Even if the font is unfamiliar, a quick scan brings it on board.

I think embroiderers are right up there with the most talented individuals I know. I am constantly fascinated by the ideas and stories of those who attend my seminars at the Printwear Shows, and the imagination and inventiveness of my Embroidery Line members (www.embroideryline.net) just puts a fine point on my admiration. Whether we find our tools at the shows, the sewing shop, the hardware store or just rig them ourselves, we always seem to have a way of getting the job done.

One of my favorite inventing success stories is the Hoopmaster, the hooping aid designed by the Mack family in Wisconsin. The story goes that Jesse and Charley were charged by Margie to come up with a hooping aid that would allow her to hoop precisely and accurately each time and be able to document the positions to reference for subsequent orders.

The result was the Hoopmaster and the Mack family ended up selling their embroidery equipment and concentrating on providing other embroiderers with an amazing and useful tool. The refreshing part of their story is that they do not rest on their laurels but are still hard at work devising ways to make our stitching lives easier. Whether we are inventing our own or using jigs and devices made by others, we are an amazing industry. My embroidered cap is always off to those who make the embroidery world hum.

Not long ago, I wrote this column on using your scanner to advantage. Since then I have heard from many who use their scanners in their embroidery work, and one of the best ideas was from  John Mullen of Silk Screen Printers & Embroidery Inc., Wenatchee, Washington.

Mullen’s use of the scanner to save a job was inspiring so I thought I would share it with you. One of his customers brought in four chef jackets, each with a name and title. He wanted the name removed and another put in its place above the title. So Mullen carefully scanned in the image of the name and title and saved it in a file.

He then removed the stitches in the old name, being sure to let the customer know there might be small holes left. He used the scan as a backdrop to digitize the new name. He then stretched the new name as much as needed to in order to cover where the old name had been stitched. If there were any holes in the garment he compensated the letters to cover where he could. He then digitized the center point of the logo to a specific spot on the title—let’s say the title is Sous Chef—and put the exact center of the new name at the last stitch of the second “s.” Then the operator hooped the jacket and used a T-square and the title to make sure the name was perfectly straight. The operator then moved the machine’s needle as close as possible to the last stitch on the second “s” of Sous. The name then stitched out in the appropriate position above the title.

According to the author, if various locations—of both garments and designs—can be reduced to digital information using a common desktop scanner, significant time and resource savings—to say nothing of additional precision—may be the result.

While taking out the stitches of one of the jackets, the operator accidentally started removing part of the title. Since Mullen didn’t have the exact font, he used the same scan to digitize the part of the title that had been removed. Using the same technique already described, he corrected that mistake as well.

He recycled four chef jackets—saving them for a more than pleased customer—and made $100. My guess is he also made a customer for life. In his words, “All four of the jackets turned out great and the customer was thrilled.”

Mullen used a variation on a technique I’ve previously described, where the pocket of a denim shirt was scanned and the start- and stop-point of the design set to the corner of the pocket. Many above-the-pocket designs can then be stitched in exactly the same location using the corner as the needle-placement guide when hooping.

Scanning and patches

If you have a two- or more head machine, sewing on patches can be as simple as preparing an appliqué-type file. You can also use this method if you have a single-head and no sewing machine. (A sewing machine might be quicker if you just have a single head.)

Scan the patch. Use the scan to digitize a running-stitch outline which will be used to set the patch in place. Digitize a low-density zigzag stitch or a run stitch to secure the edges of the patch in place. Digitize a satin stitch to finish the edge of the patch.

Scanning and color choice

I have written about color choice in Printwear and it remains one of my favorite subjects.

The most difficult color challenge is when we are faced with fixed color and fixed form. This is generally what we have in embroidery as most commercial logos are set in stone and the thread colors are what we can get from the manufacturers.

Add to this the fact that color is comprised of three parts and we have more to learn and more information to feed into our color selection. The three components of color are hue (red, yellow, blue and so on), value (the darkness or lightness of a color from black to white), and chroma (the brightness or dullness of a hue).

The most important of these in embroidery is value. Value is graded from ten (white) to one (black). If you have a shirt that is a medium value, say a five, it is important that your color choices be two or more steps away from that five on the value scale if you want your design to be compelling.

In order to facilitate my choices, I place thread on my racks from light to dark based on value rather than by hue. That way I know what spools are available to me if I want a seven or three value.

The question always arises in my workshops at the Printwear Shows: “I can figure out the lightest and the darkest, that’s easy. And maybe the mid-range wouldn’t be so difficult. But how do I get the rest of the values in place?” The question is more than valid as we are blessed with less than eagle eyes when it comes to the scope of our color vision.

The answer is to scan.

Scan the thread spools or the color chart of the thread you use and view and/or print it in shades of gray. You will then be able to arrange your thread in a manner that will allow you to make color choices that really pop.

More scanning tips?

Just when I think I’ve heard it all, someone sends me another tip. And that’s what makes learning and doing fun.  If you have one you would like to share, send it to me at HelenHart@EmbroideryLine.net. We can’t be too rich, too happy or have too many tips to make our profession easier!

—HHM