If you’;re new to embroidery, learning machine embroidery terms is essential for success. These key terms will help you use your machine and materials correctly.
Dans ce guide, we’ll break down the most important terms in simple language, making it easier for you to create beautiful designs with confidence.
Termes essentiels de la broderie machine que vous devez connaître
Understanding Your Embroidery Machine
To use your Machine à broder properly, it’s important to know the main parts and how they work together. This will make your embroidery projects much easier and more successful.
Key Components of an Embroidery Machine
Your embroidery machine has several essential parts that allow it to create designs on fabric. Understanding these machine embroidery terms will help you operate the machine efficiently and achieve better results.
Here are some of the most important components:
Cerceau de broderie: A frame that holds the fabric tight during stitching, ensuring smooth and even embroidery.
Aiguille: The sharp tool that moves up and down to create stitches through the fabric.
Bobine: A small spool providing the lower thread, working with the top thread to form stitches.
Stabilisateur: A material placed under the fabric to prevent stretching or puckering during embroidery.
Thread Tension Dial: Controls the tightness of the thread to ensure even and smooth stitching.
Pied-de-biche: Holds the fabric down while it moves through the machine, allowing precise stitching.
Feed Dogs: Metal teeth that move the fabric forward during stitching.
Throat Plate: A metal plate with an opening for the needle to pass through while stitching.
Needle Bar: Holds the needle and moves it up and down during the embroidery process.
Needle Clamp: Secures the needle in place, ensuring stability during stitching.
Spool Pin: Holds the thread spool, allowing it to unwind smoothly as the machine stitches.
Panneau de contrôle: The interface where you adjust settings and select designs for stitching.
Embroidery Frame Holder (Arm): Moves the hoop to follow the pattern coordinates for accurate design placement.
Coupe-fil automatique: Cuts the thread automatically after stitching or color changes.
Jump Stitch Trimmer: Trims excess thread between sections of the design to keep the back neat.
Color Change Mechanism: Automatically switches between couleurs de fil on multi-needle machines.
How an Embroidery Machine Works
Embroidery machines use a computerized system to stitch designs onto fabric. You load a design file into the machine, set the fabric in the hoop, and the machine follows the design’;s instructions to create the pattern with thread.
Essential Machine Embroidery Materials Terms
Understanding the right outils de broderie and materials is crucial for successful machine embroidery terms. These tools and materials help ensure your designs come out smooth, accurate, and professional-looking.
- Tissu: The base material on which the embroidery design is stitched. Différents tissus, comme le coton, lin, or polyester, react differently to embroidery, so selecting the right fabric is crucial for the best results.
2. Fil à broder: A special type of thread used in broderie à la machine terms.
It is typically made from rayon, polyester, or cotton and is available in a variety of colors to add vibrancy to your designs.
Embroidery threads are designed to be strong and provide a smooth, shiny finish.
- Stabilisateur: A backing material that is placed under or behind the fabric to provide extra support during embroidery. Stabilizers prevent the fabric from stretching, déplacement, ou plissement, ensuring the design stitches smoothly. Common types include tear-away, en coupe, and wash-away stabilizers.
- Cerceau: A frame that holds the fabric tightly in place during the embroidery process. The hoop consists of two rings: an inner ring and an outer ring, which clamp the fabric to keep it steady, ensuring accurate stitching.
- Aiguille: A sharp tool used to stitch the design into the fabric. Embroidery needles are designed to handle delicate threads and fabrics without causing damage. Different sizes and types of needles are available depending on the fabric and design complexity.
6. Interfacing: A material used to reinforce fabrics that may be too thin or delicate for embroidery.
It helps to stabilize the fabric and prevent distortion during stitching.
Interfacing is often fused to the fabric using heat before embroidery begins.
- Water-Soluble Stabilizer: A special type of stabilizer that dissolves when soaked in water. It’s often used for freestanding lace or delicate fabrics where the stabilizer should disappear after the embroidery is complete.
- Temporary Adhesive Spray: A spray used to temporarily hold the fabric, stabilisateur, or appliqué in place before stitching. It helps to prevent fabric movement during the embroidery process and is especially useful for tricky fabrics.
- Applique Fabric: A piece of fabric placed on top of the base fabric and sewn down using embroidery stitches. Appliqué is a technique where shapes are cut out and sewn onto a larger piece to create designs, often adding texture and color to projets de broderie.
Digitizing Basics for Embroidery
In the world of machine embroidery terms, digitizing is an essential process where designs are converted into a format that embroidery machines can read. Here are the key terms used in digitizing, along with their definitions.
Logiciel de numérisation
This is the computer software used to create or convert a design into an fichier de broderie. It allows the user to map out stitch paths, select stitch types, and adjust settings to create the final design that the embroidery machine will follow.
Numérisation automatique
A feature in logiciel de numérisation that automatically converts an image or graphic into a stitch design. While this is a faster option, it may not always produce the highest quality design as manual adjustments might be necessary for complex details.
Manual Digitizing
This is the process where the user manually creates the conception de broderie point par point. It offers complete control over the design, allowing for better precision, especially with intricate or detailed patterns.
Formats de fichiers de broderie
These are the specific file types that an embroidery machine reads to stitch out a design. Different machines use different formats. Common formats include:
- heure d'été (used by many brands, including industrial machines),
- PSE (used by Brother and Babylock),
- JEF (used by Janome),
- EXP (used by Melco and Bernina).
Points de sous-couche
These are the first stitches laid down in a design to stabilize the fabric and prepare it for the main stitching.
Underlay stitches are usually hidden in the final product but are critical for providing structure and ensuring the design holds its shape.
Compensation de poussée et de traction
A setting in digitizing software that compensates for the movement or distortion of fabric during the embroidery process. It ensures that the stitches remain aligned with the original design despite fabric shifting or pulling during stitching.
Pathing
Pathing refers to the sequence in which the stitches are laid out during embroidery. Proper pathing minimizes unnecessary jumps or thread cuts, making the machine work more efficiently and producing cleaner results.
Densité
Density refers to how close the stitches are placed within a design. Adjusting density can affect the appearance, texture, and stiffness of the design. Too much density can make the fabric stiff, while too little can result in gaps or loose stitching.
Stitch Types: From Basic to Complex
Different types of stitches create different effects in your embroidery designs. Here are some of the most common stitches:
- Point courant: This is a simple stitch that forms a straight line and is often used to outline designs or add small details.
- Plumetis: Satin stitches create smooth, shiny areas of thread and are great for borders, des lettres, or filling in small areas.
- Point de remplissage (Tatami Stitch): A fill stitch is used to cover large areas of a design with tightly packed stitches. It adds texture and fills shapes with color.
- Point zigzag: A stitch that moves back and forth in a zigzag pattern. This stitch is often used for decorative borders or finishing the edges of fabric.
- Point de croix: A stitch that forms an ‘;X’; shape on the fabric. It’s often used in hand embroidery but can be adapted for machine embroidery terms to create intricate designs.
Mastering Machine Embroidery Terms: Advanced Techniques
Learning advanced techniques can help you take your embroidery projects to the next level. Here are some key techniques to master:
Layering Stitches
Layering stitches involves stacking different types of stitches on top of each other to create depth and texture in your design. This technique adds a more professional and dimensional look to your embroidery.
Gradient Thread
This technique uses thread that gradually changes color, creating a fading or blending effect in the design. It is perfect for adding a dynamic and artistic touch to your embroidery.
3D Broderie
3D embroidery uses foam or other materials placed under the stitches to make the design pop out from the fabric, creating a raised three-dimensional effect. It’s commonly used for bold logos or decorative items.
In-the-Hoop (ITH) Projects
ITH projects are made entirely within the cercle à broder, meaning you can create full items like bags, toys, or coasters without removing the fabric from the hoop. This technique combines sewing and embroidery in one go.
Appliqué
Appliqué is a technique where pieces of fabric are placed on top of the base fabric and then stitched down using embroidery. It allows for different textures and colors, making designs more vibrant and interesting.
Dentelle autoportante (FLS)
Freestanding lace involves creating intricate lace designs that can stand alone without a fabric base.
This is done by stitching onto water-soluble stabilizer, which dissolves after the embroidery is complete, leaving only the lace behind.
Conclusion
Learning these machine embroidery terms will make using your embroidery machine easier and more fun. Knowing these terms will help you avoid mistakes and create beautiful designs quickly and easily.
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FAQ
There are primarily two types of machine embroidery: free-motion embroidery and computerized embroidery. Free-motion relies on manual control, while computerized embroidery uses pre-programmed designs for precise stitching.
The six essential embroidery stitches include the running stitch, point arrière, plumetis, point de tige, noeud français, and lazy daisy. These stitches form the foundation for creating various textures and patterns in embroidery.
The top embroidery machines in 2024 inclure:
- Frère SE600
- Frère SE1900
- Bernette b79
- Artisanat de la mémoire de Janome 14000
- Artisanat de la mémoire de Janome 9850
The bullion knot is considered one of the most difficult embroidery stitches. Its intricate coil-like appearance demands precision, as it requires wrapping the thread around the needle multiple times before pulling it through the fabric.
