The secret to perfect embroidery design placement is all in the planning. Sticky paper and templates are the key. Remember to center your design in your software before you “save it as”. Print off a template and tape it to your garment to set the stage. Stand back and look at the effect before you decide to embroider.
Sticky paper stabilizers definitely have their place in the embroidery world. I have relied on sticky paper as long as I have been doing machine embroidery and that has been over 20 years ago. Jenny’s Sewing Studio offers several brands. Here is a roll of Peel N Stick and here is Stitch and Tear. Either brand works well for the machine embroidery perfect placement. If you are using sticky paper with a napped fabric, fuzz can build up on the needle. Use a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol to clear the needle occasionally.
Place the sticky paper in the hoop, shiny side up and hoop. Score the top side making a big X and peel off the shiny paper to reveal the sticky side. Print off a template from your software. I use a awl to cut holes in my template crosshairs to mark the crosshair location on the garment or project. Mark through the template and draw a cross hair on your garment to mark the design center by connecting the dots. Draw a cross hair of the center of the hoop on your sticky paper using a permanent marker. Align the 2 cross hairs (garment and hoop) and push the garment into the sticky paper so it is flat. Use the software trace feature to check the placement before you embroider.Jenny
