For the Business of Apparel Decorating
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/178902
headwear embroidery By using a fuzzy-felt appliqué, the design on this simple low-profile cap went from plain baseball script to a vintage showpiece. (Image courtesy Erich Campbell) Above: This simple design came to us as a single-color marker sketch. We utilized 3D foam to create a high texture and embroidered over the side seam and onto the mesh back of the cap to create a stunning look without resorting to a panel program. Left: In a fully-filled design like this one, it's easy to add a 'tree' underlay at the beginning of the design in order to firmly attach the fabric of the crown to your stabilizer. (Images courtesy Erich Campbell) panels before construction are amazing and can be quite cost-effective. For customers who can't meet these conditions, there are other options. In this case, we must first manage customer expectations—embroidering on a finished cap can never accomplish everything possible through a panel program and it's okay to point that out. Even so, we can achieve decoration on the brim through other methods; the simplest of which is heat-printing. A cap heat press provides several options for applying decoration to the bill. If you 60 | Printwear PW_OCT13.indd 60 are working on a light-colored polyester cap, sublimation can give you photographic, full-color designs with no sheen or plastic feel, but even if you are working on dark materials, print and cut transfers can do the job. For simple, single color text and graphics, cut material works just as well, and the explosion of finishes, colors, and styles available from vendors can really create interesting products. Though the customer will have to release dreams of logos that pour from the crown over the bill continuously, a little multimedia will allow you to create a coordinating look that presents a retail feel without the panel program. Remember, multimedia isn't just for the bill. Other ways to achieve that retail look are available through the use of multiple processes or materials; distressed appliqué, felt, printed backgrounds surmounted by embroidered logos, three-dimensional foam, and even rhinestones can take a blah design and add a fashionable edge. continued on page 111 October 2013 9/18/13 3:05 PM