hats help please

Some designs that are digitized for flats will work OK on some hats, but as a rule of thumb hats stitchout better if you start at the bottom of the design and stitch up and stitch from the center of the designs and work out to the edges. This helps solve registration problems that you will typically see when stitching a flat file on a cap. That requires a totally new way to digitize the design. Generally, if I know I will have hats to do at some point I get my digitizer to do one file for hats because designs digitized for caps will stitch just fine on flats.

I would like to also point out that flats and hats require a different sequence. On hats go from center out so you should do the oval first then the gavle followed by the D then "auction", B, I, the and final guy. Also use a heavy tearaway backing with a spray adhesive/tacking spray.

Another trick to 6 panel hats with a large fill is to fill the center seam with a section of satin stitching first to fill the gap. Then the fill will look even without the seam in the center. :cool:

I would suggest you spend a few bucks, just to satisfy yourself, and have the design done professionally. Then check the quality versus what you're doing yourself.

Find a digitizer you like, and ask them to do the design for both left chest and hat, and see what they offer you price wise. They should make you a deal.

I'm new as well, and I've learned from all my mistakes.

Good luck.

We are thinking about offering caps. I have lost several jobs that wanted shirts and caps with the same logo. The info is very good here. We have a Babylock bmp 9 and would appreciate any suggestions on what kind of cap frame you would recommend.

the flexfit 6277's are some of the "easiest" sewing hats that i have used--its 99% of what i end up sewing...they usually hoop really easy also.

im not familiar with hooping on a babylock, but on my SWF, you have to start the designs about 1" up from the bill or you're just asking for problems. Text sewn at the bottom usually has a tendancy to distort. 2" tall is about the max I can sew on a flexfit on my machine, anything larger, again will have issues.

as far as your oval not meeting up, consider your start/stop point to be behind one of the big letters to 'hide' the flaw?

Regarding the start/stop point.
Work in design mode (not artistic)
On your edit toolbar select the oval (Will show up pink if you digitized it with the Bernina software)
Then hit the "reshape object" (Third icon down on the edit toolbar)
You should see all the nodes you can use to change the shape.
You should ALSO see a green diamond (start point) and a red cross (end point) somewhere on the oval.
Click and drag the diamond and then the cross to the position you would like them to be.
Hit "enter"
This should have moved the start/stop position.
Good Luck.

was the design that you are doing digitized for the hat , or just the shirt. They need to be digitized separately as they run on two different types of material and one is curved while the other is flat. Another thing you might consider, not all machines can do all hats.