Understanding Different Embroidery Stitch Types
Embroidery At Its Finest
Artwork made from thread! This article covers different types of stitching used during traditional embroidery.
"Who is Embroidery and what does he do?"
Have you ever ordered a traditional embroidery product design and wondered about the different types of embroidery stitching that make up the entire finished product?
In one embroidery, it is entirely possible that many different stitch types will need to be employed to bring your embroidery to life.
We'll point out some of them, and discuss their strengths, and when one type may be utilized over another to bring your embroidery to life. We also hope that these insights may assist you when creating embroidery-specific artwork to achieve the type of embroidery you are looking for.
The 3 Staple Stitch Types: Running, Satin & Tatami
The Tatami Stitch, or Fill Stitches
This is used for the background, and has a lot of stitches going in patchwork like directions to fill up an entire area or shape. This stitch type is not used for line work and is best used for background fill to cover a wide area.
The Satin Stitch, or the Column Stitch
This Satin Stitch is also called the Column stitch as it creates a column whose width can change and this style is more traditional for text. The stitch direction is perpendicular to the lines and this type uses a medium number of stitches when used in an embroidery.
The Running Stitch or Triple Running Stitch, a line
The Running Stitch is great for very thin lines right at the minimum required thickness and the stitch direction follows the lines. Of the three stitch types we will discuss here, the running stitch uses the fewest number of stitches to affect your design. We can also use the Triple Running stitch as the three times the thickness can embolden the line when appropriate.
When to Use Each Embroidery Stitch Type
Here's more info about each stitch type and ways to use it for your embroidery to turn out great!
| Stitch Name | Tatami | Satin | Triple Running | Single Running |
| Look of Stitch | ||||
Mostly Used For | Fill space like a background | Text or Details | Thin lines or Details | Super thin lines |
Requirements | Large shape or area | Minimum thickness of 2mm or 0.08" is required and can be up to about 7mm or 0.27" | Details less than 2mm or 0.08" thickness | Details about 1mm or 0.04" thickness |
Stitch Direction | Stitches are multi-directional to cover an area | Stitch direction is perpendicular to line | Stitch direction follows the line | Stitch direction follows the line |
Stitch Coverage | Full Coverage | Medium Coverage | Minimal Coverage | Least Coverage |
Supported Garments | Best used on thick, sturdy garments like:
| Great for hoodies or thick tees such as:
| Great for thin garments (because it helps avoid puckering of the fabric), or areas where small details are needed, like:
| Great for thin tees, such as:
|
Multiple stitches may be used in a single artwork to create the right look and feel for your artwork and may depend on the garment you're using as well.
Here's the Key to Picking the Right Font and Achieving High Quality Text
One of the hardest part of designing high quality embroidery, is making sure your fonts will be legible.
Make sure you consider how a specific font will translate into stitches. Best to consider the height and width of the text or font you wish to use. Sometimes spacing out the letters (even if you don't make them taller) can really help with better clarity and legibility. Also, make sure that the font being used is thick enough at the size and scale you want.
You can see example of fonts at 0.25" tall and 0.50" tall below. We generally recommend bigger fonts, as they'll be more clear and clean for embroidery. We do not recommend going smaller than 0.25" tall (that's something like 36pt for common fonts, but can vary based on the specific font).
Keep in mind that sometimes a simple cursive font can also look clean too because all the letters are connected and smooth. Less trims (or thread cuts) between each letter will reduce misalignment in your fonts.
You're awesome, and so are you embroidery designs, especially after following these tips and tricks!
Avoid this Common Pitfall To Create Amazing Embroidery
Size Matters
You'll notice the smaller the font, the more simple it should be to achieve high quality embroidery. Too much detail at a small area can cause loops, gaps, bunching, holes and misalignments. Avoid small fonts for consistently great embroidery!
(Remember, in some cases the best option might be to print your design if you need small, legible fonts.)
Check out the stitch details and corresponding height of the font in each example below.
You can see above that even at 1/4 inch this simple font can look too cramped and tight. In some cases, we'll recommend running stitch instead of satin stitch to best suit your small details.
Devils in The Details
Drop the Serifs and Move into the Modern 21st Century
We recommend simple sans-serif fonts like Helvetic, Century Gothic, and Arial. These are fonts that don't have tails at the tops, bottoms, or edges of the letters, which can often make embroidery look messy, instead of clean and high quality.
It's always best to consider these stitch types and font tricks while designing your artwork to produce embroidery of the highest caliber that you'll love.
No Worries, Be Happy
We're Here to Help You on Your Embroidery Journey
Help us, help you by following these guidelines for great embroidery right from the get-go while you create your artwork. But don't stress, the good news is that when your Apliiq Artist reviews your artwork files for embroidery, we keep all of these details in mind for you and will help guide you to creating the best quality embroidery possible!
Happy embroidery designing and stitching :)
For more information on creating the best embroidery, check out our recommended guidelines on how to prepare your artwork for embroidery here.
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