Applique Help

Any recommendations out there for what I need to get started w/ applique?

Machines to cut the fabric and which machine/machines would be ideal to get it down?

Thanks!

as FLINT54 said only for small quantity
I know a company witch made,in time,around 200 000 embroidery with appliques using his way
the most important problem is TIME
you need time to cut manually the apliques

So true, our plant is small and due to our function our labor is very inexpensive. We are a prison industry/training facility. Manual cutting we will use for runs under 100. Our cutter is used for all others, upgrade to a laser system is not cost effective and would not be unless our Main Nich was Appliques then possibly it could be bugeted in over a period of time.

I would sure like to have a Laser setup though, I have seen them in operation and WOW!:)

You can also use Stahls ... stahlsid.com they can do everything for you. Make your sew disks, cut, and all that. so you basically just put the disk in your machine. Stahls is expensive though. I think Flint said it best. If you are doing a very small run, there is no need to buy expensive cutters and plotters. Yes its a time saver, but if you don't have the volume, in the short term, your time will cost less than the toys.

If you need help let me know. I'm not trying to be "that guy" but I do have a laser, and can give you a hand if you are in a pinch.

Hope all works out well!

you need cutter(laser)plotter to cut the applique first(or another company to cut the applique for you),and after to make the embroidery
embroidery machines with laser heads are very expensive

You will need a laser cutter or a source for cutting. I send my appliqué out for cutting.

Any digitizer should be able to get the tackdown file creates for any machine. It's as simple as using the appliqué cut file as the artwork to create the trace, tack, and border.

Any questions....just drop a line.

Susan Conte, Streetlights Designs

First it depends upon how many you need to do.

If you are only doing a small quantity a good sharp pair of scissors is all you need or require! The next item to consider is what kind of material is your applique going to be?
If you will be using a nylon twill give Beacon Graphics a try with their Cad Cut PS Twill. http://www.beacongraphics.com/heat_transfer/ps-twill.html this is a pressure sensitive nylon twill and it cuts beautifully on our Graphtec CE5000-60 Cutter. We use the mid size blades and blade holder. A lot easier on the pocket than a Laser Attachment!

A vast majority of appliques will be attached with a Satin Stitch or Stile Border, in a nutshell you do not need applique software for most appliques. Most can be done manually.

1) Determine the area you want your applique, its shape etc.

2) Create a fill area for it and create your Satin Path around the fill be sure to use a fairly wide Satin Stitch as you will be using this to fully attach your applique.

3) Delete/Remove the fill.

4) Create a run stitch in the middle of the Satin Path. This will be your placement guide for the applique.

5) Create another run stitch between the middle of the Satin Path and the inside edge of the Satin Path. Try to run this as close to the inside edge as possible. This run stitch path will anchor your applique.

6) Be sure to run a good zig-zag underlay under your Satin Path. Run this Satin where feasible in your sequence, The sooner you can the better.

That is about all you need for an applique. We use the PS Twill in ours due to it reducing our stitch counts drastically as it provides the color fills that we need.

For manually cutting your appliques just use the run stitch created in #4 above and sew it on the fabric you want to use as the applique and cut it out following the stitches, instant guide!

It is a very simple process, just take your time initially and future items will come very easily.;) ;) ;)