Embroidered Garments Guide

In this guide we intend to highlight a number of our most popular garment types and provide some basic information on how embroidery is best suited as a means of personalising the garment.

Within each garment type there are sometimes anomalies that can affect how the garment responds to being embroidered. For example, t-shirts can be made from a number of different fabrics such as 100% polyester or 100% cotton. Cotton and polyester accept embroidery thread in different ways depending on the size, complexity and number of stitches within the logo. It is therefore sometimes difficult to group garments together and provide a definitive guide as to how best to embroider them. Please bear this in mind when reading the guide.

So let’s begin with one of the most popular clothing items. The T-Shirt:

T-shirts are an item of clothing that never seem to go out of fashion. One of the reasons for this is the different ways in which they can be decorated with any number of personalisation methods to provide a unique and bespoke look.

When considering an embroidered t-shirt you need to think carefully about the size of the embroidered logo you are applying. T-shirts by their very nature are lightweight and designed to be worn in warm weather or as an under garment. The problem when it comes to placing embroidery on them is the added weight of the embroidery stitching and how the t-shirt reacts to this. If the embroidered logo is too heavy and the t-shirt fabric too light the shirt will lose its shape and be pulled down by the embroidery. There is also a backing to the embroidery which adds to the overall weight.

JKL can advise on both the t-shirt you select and the style of embroidery you apply and as we stock over 100 different styles of t-shirt we are sure we have the right garment for your logo.

Probably the most popular item of clothing to embroider is the Polo Shirt:

Embroidered polo shirts are the most common type of clothing that we embroider. The many uses of this garment make it a very popular choice when it comes to purchasing a personalised item of clothing. From clubs, groups and societies to uniform and workwear the embroidered polo shirt offers the perfect garment to decorate with your logo.

As pointed out above the t-shirt fabric can often be too light to accept an embroidered logo. This is often not the case with the polo shirt which is made from a slightly heavier fabric. As with most garments polo shirts come in many different fabrics, so you need to be aware of the fabric content of your chosen shirt and how the embroidery will sit on it.

The most popular position for an embroidered logo on a polo shirt is the left chest. A logo in this position sits nicely alongside the buttoned placket of the shirt and is easily seen. Another increasingly popular position is the sleeve. A more discreet area to place an embroidery but never the less equally effective in displaying your chosen logo

Polo Shirts are usually either 100% cotton or a polyester and cotton mix. Either are ideal for embroidering onto and the weight of the polo shirt, which is usually approximately 180 to 200gsm make it perfect for putting an average size embroidered logo on

For large logo design, an embroidered sweatshirt may be the answer:

Embroided Sweatshirts can complement your personalised clothing order or be used as a standalone garment on which to display your logo or message. The heavier fabric of a sweatshirt means that there is usually no problem in displaying almost any size of embroidered logo.

Sometimes the problem with embroidering onto a sweatshirt is that if the logo or text is too small the fabric weight will not allow it to stand out and be seen clearly.

The sweatshirt fabric, which is usually a mix of cotton and polyester make for an ideal surface on which to embroider with almost no possibility of garment stretching and distortion as a result of the embroidery.

As ever we are here to help and can advise on your choice of sweatshirt or hooded sweatshirt and how to make the most of the embroidery that you wish to place onto the garment.

Want something for when the weather is not that warm, well what about a fleece?

A fleece jacket or top is one of the few garments that you are unable to print onto. Embroidery or an embroidered badge is therefore your only option if you want to personalise a fleece garment.

Fleece fabric comes in many different forms and both the look and feel can affect how well an embroidered logo is displayed onto the garment. Fleece garments that are made from a thick pile fabric can be difficult to embroider successfully onto and can end up with a disappointing embroidery result.

A Normal fleece which has a smooth finish can be embroidered on with great end results and as with the sweatshirt fabric the weight of the garment means it accepts large embroidered logos well.

A relatively new fabric to the fleece group of garments is softshell. A softshell garment has an even smother finish so embroidering onto these types of garments is not usually a problem and the finished embroidered product is often superior to a fleece garment that has a deeper pile of fabric.

Now we come to the final piece of outer wear, the embroidered jacket:

It is difficult to produce a guide on how to select a suitable jacket for embroidery. This is due to the fact that there are a number of jackets available which are all manufactured slightly differently and therefore will all have their own quirks when it comes to personalising them with an embroidered logo.

Embroidering a jacket can be a difficult process simply due to the size of the garment and getting it framed and onto the embroidery machine. Often jackets have many pockets, some of which are located in the area you wish to place your embroidery.

An aspect of embroidering a jacket to bear in mind is that the stitching of the logo may need to go through the pocket therefore effectively stitching the pocket up and making it unusable. You therefore need to be careful where you opt to have your logo embroidered.

Many of the brands we have selected for our store have addressed this problem by having zipped access points on the jacket where an embroidery frame can be inserted. This allows us to place a logo onto the most popular locations such as the left or right chest areas or on the sleeves. By having an access point for our embroidery frame it also means that we can embroider onto the outer layer of fabric only. Many jackets have more than one layer so by embroidering onto the outer layer only we can maintain the integrity of the garment which is often crucial if the jacket needs to be 100% waterproof or protective in any way.

The final item to be considered for embroidery is the cap:

We have added the cap to this guide as it is one of our most popular embroidered items and therefore worthy of being in the list of clothing items to discuss

We stock and supply a wide range of caps and headwear. From baseball and snapbacks to beanie and pomp om hats, we have a range of headwear to suit all requirements.

When it comes to embroidering them there are a few points that you need to consider. Firstly, the size of your logo. Obviously caps are only a certain size and there is only a small amount of room on which to place a logo. Added to this is that we have to first of all place the cap in a special cap frame before we embroider it, which further reduces the area available to place a logo.

Why is size important when it comes to embroidery? Embroidery is basically thread stitched onto fabric. Therefore detail within logo’s can often not stand out especially if the logo is reduced in size. Text is also an issue. If the text is too small it may not be clear enough to be easily read and in some cases can look messy and unprofessional. So when considering ordering embroidered caps think about your logo and how it will look within the size constraints of the cap you wish to personalise

So there you have JKL’s guide to embroidering some of our most popular clothing items. We don’t expect our customers to be experts on embroidered clothing.We have trained sales staff and account managers to help and advise you through every step of ordering, from garment selection to personalising with your logo.

We have tried to make the process of ordering from us as easy as possible and have invested heavily in both our staff and technology to achieve this.

There are any number of ways you can order from us from fully online through our super-fast website, www.jklclothing.co.uk to picking up the phone and speaking to one of our staff, 0114 239 8000. So please get in touch and allow JKL Clothing provide your embroidered clothing requirements.