Thursday, February 28, 2019

Can you embroider on the bill of a cap?

If you have paid any attention to cap embroidery, you have seen some fairly elaborate designs embroidered onto caps.  Some of those designs include embroidery done on the bill of a baseball style cap.

Or sometimes you see a tagline or some other information embroidered on the bill of a cap.  When done right, embroidering on the bill of a cap is a very effective tool to draw attention to your brand.  And it offers another palate onto which someone can highlight their art or their logo.

Emboidered-Bill-HatHere is a good example of embroidery on the bill of  a cap.

We often times get customers asking us if we can put their logo or some other design on the bill of a cap.  It is a good question.

In order to get an embroidered logo or design on the bill of a cap, it must be done during the manufacturing process of the cap.  The design is first embroidered on the piece of material that will then end up over the bill of the cap. Then the material is stretched over the bill of the cap and attached to the crown to make the cap.

Essentially what is created is a custom cap.  In order to create a custom cap like that during the manufacturing process there is a minimum quantity required for that order.  Often times that minimum quantity is in the hundreds of pieces.  Therefore, it is generally not economically feasible for many companies to order that many caps.

At Thread Logic, we only embroider onto finished caps-caps that are already made.  That significantly reduces the cost of the cap and allows customers to order a smaller quantity at a reasonable price.

One might ask why we can’t embroider directly onto the bill.  Good question.  The bill of a cap is a generally made of a piece of plastic or cardboard which creates the shape.  It is impossible to get a needle used for embroidery through that piece of plastic or thick cardboard.  They just weren’t made to penetrate that kind of material.

As you can see, embroidering some kind of design onto the bill of a cap is more complicated that you might think when first seeing it.  Obviously, if you are interested in a larger quantity order, it can be done.
Thursday, February 21, 2019

Tone on Tone Embroidery Can Make Your Logo Look Special

Many people chose logo embroidered apparel for identity reasons.  They want their company logo to stand out on a shirt and be easily seen from a distance.  That helps build a brand, create identity and confidence with customers that they are dealing with a professional individual or company.


Sometimes however, being seen and standing out is not the desired effect.  Have you ever heard the quote, “If you want to get someone’s attention, whisper”?
There is a technique in embroidery called “tone-on-tone” embroidery.   The tone on tone effect is the embroidery equivalent of a whisper.  It uses color to create subtlety.  Tone on tone effects are used by customers where the branding may be less important but still necessary.

TonT-Lime-Green

Tone on tone embroidery involves using a logo color that is a tone or color similar to the tone of the shirt.  Therefore it blends with the color of the shirt and doesn’t “stick out” as much if the logo color contrasted the shirt color.  A logo done in a tone on tone effect  blends in with the shirt color to create a more subtle appearance.

Yes, it is still visible on a shirt, but just more subtle and less obvious.
Really good tone-on-tone images are usually just one shade darker or lighter than the shirt color similar to these examples in this post.

Tone on tone embroidery is very classy looking because of the subtle nature of the effect.  It offers a good mix of branding and identity for your logo apparel.  It also presents your logo in a classy and subtle way that does not create a distraction of any kind.

TonT-Light-BlueThe best tone on tone effects are achieved with logos that are just one or maybe two colors.  The more colors in your logo, the harder it is to achieve a great tone on tone effect.  Some logos that are two or even three colors can be converted to one color logos and look really good in tone on tone effects.

So next time you are looking to do something different with your logo embroidered apparel, consider a tone on tone effect.

In a future post we will discuss what colors work best for tone on tone embroidery.
Friday, February 15, 2019

What’s the difference between direct embroidery and a patch?


There are a number of ways to apply an embroidered logo to a shirt or some other item.  Two of the most common are direct embroidery and embroidered patches.  There is a difference between the two.  Understanding that difference can be confusing for people because patches are generally embroidered and many people refer to direct embroidery as a patch.


The key difference is really in the way the image is applied to the shirt.



1055-Brewing-proof
Direct Embroidery
Direct embroidery is a process of applying an embroidered logo directly to a polo shirt, cap, bag or other item. With direct embroidery, the item to be embroidered is placed in a hoop and put into an embroidery machine.

Then the logo is embroidered directly onto a shirt. Or it may be more accurate to say the logo is embroidered to become a part of the shirt. This happens because the embroidery is woven directly into the fabric.


Patches are still embroidered images, but they are different. Patches are embroidered onto a substrate of material often a number at a time-not individually like direct embroidery. Patches then lay on top of the fabric and are either ironed on or sewn on.


The most common application for a patch is on the sleeve of public safety personal like police officers, paramedics and fire fighters.



police_embroidered_patch_01
Embroidered Patch
One of the big advantages/differences of patches is that they can generally be removed from one shirt and placed on another shirt. With direct embroidery, it is very difficult and time consuming to pull out or remove the embroidered logo of a shirt without damaging it.

Another difference is the flexibility to embroider more detail. Because the substrate of a patch is more stable than the material of shirt, it offers the embroiderer the flexibility to embroider smaller details and text on the image than direct embroidery.


One of the disadvantages of a patch however is they can be heavy when placed on a shirt and it some cases it feels like you might be wearing a bullet proof shield.


A patch is also has a perceived lower value than direct embroidery. Most people would not choose to wear a patch on a nice golf shirt. Patches are best used for uniform situations like law enforcement or the military vs. branding situations like the promotion of your company.
Thursday, February 7, 2019

What’s the difference between sleeve types on a polo shirt?

It’s not the kind of question one asks every day.  But as fashion trends come and go, the finish on the sleeve of a polo shirt has really brought some attention to those seeking custom logo embroidered apparel.

There are basically two ways to finish a short sleeve on a golf shirt.  For years, a very popular way to finish the has been with a band.


k420Let’s start with a clarification.  This is a picture of a banded sleeve.  You can see a small band of material is attached at the end of the sleeve that finishes off the sleeve.

The banded sleeve has been around for decades.  It has been the most popular style for finishing off a polo shirt.


The advantage of a banded sleeve is that is finishes off the sleeve.  It creates a uniform look around the arm.


Recently, customers have been asking for short sleeve golf shirts that are finished with a simple hem on the sleeve.


k800In this picture you can see how a hemmed sleeve it different.  In this case, the shirt maker extended the length of the sleeve, folded that extra material under the sleeve and finished it off with a sewn hem.

The hemmed sleeve is less constrictive, creates a more open look.  As hemmed sleeves first became available, they were mostly found on higher quality golf shirts.  But shirt makers are now introducing them on golf shirts of all price points because buyers have requested it.


The difference in these sleeve styles really comes down to personal preference.  Is there any real difference in performance? No.  It is more about the look you like and the comfort of the shirt.