Lagniappe Peddler
  • LAGNIAPPE PEDDLER BLOG
  • ABOUT OUR DESIGNS
  • DESIGNS BY CATEGORY
  • SALE SALE SALE
  • FREE EMBROIDERY DESIGNS AND SEWING PATTTERNS
  • CONTACT LAGNIAPPE PEDDLER
  • ABOUT LAGNIAPPE PEDDLER
  • VIDEO TUTORIALS AND SEW FOR A CAUSE

Solving Cap Design That Breaks Needles

8/28/2019

 
Picture
When I have been in seminars or classes for embroidery, the question always arises from the instructors: "Who in this room embroiders caps?"  Most of the time only a few people raise their hands. Then the second question is " Who loves to embroider caps?"  This is almost always answered by grumbles and even fewer raised hands.  If this is you, don't feel alone. My "relationship" with caps is still developing and as such some days I am in love and other days I want some alone time.  Caps are a unique item to embroider  because they are not flat and your embroidery machine really likes to sew flat things. So you have tools that help get around the curves on the cap; like special cap hoops, and extra clips that can hold things taut.  Heavier weight stabilizers that give more structure to your cap to prevent flagging are also important. My machine even has a separate needle plate that is slightly raised around the needle hole. This helps isolate the needle to make sure it can penetrate where it needs to. I have even used steam in the past to try and loosen up the cap before doing my embroidery. This does work, but worrying about the possible watermarks or color changes on the cap and the extra time can slow your production process. 
Picture
 All of these things are very helpful, but you still have to contend with the design of each cap, materials they are constructed of and the person who sewed it all together.  When sewing a group of caps, you will see that even if they are the same brand, color, style etc. each one will be slightly different because they are sewn by individuals.  Until you start working with a lot of caps, you may not realize this.

So you are not crazy and stop pulling your hair out.

If you have a design that has been digitized to sew on a cap, you may see that each time you press start on your machine, you get a different reaction.  Sometimes it may sew just fine, and other times you may get a needle break.  There are so many variables to work through and your inner detective may need to come out. This is very frustrating when you are in the middle of an order and worried your needle supply is dwindling. The picture above shows a structured cap and I am pointing to the root of a lot of problems. The middle seam on a six panel structured cap can be quite thick.  Depending on the design you are stitching, the results of your sew out can vary. 
Picture
On this cap, the inner material includes a piece of buckram and a finished seam which overlaps. So the needle is dealing with several layers.  When a cap design is digitized, it usually starts in the center and moves out to either side then moves up. This is to promote even stitching as the material is pushed along.  When I digitized this design, the letter C was the very first thing to start sewing.  As you can see, it is right smack dab in the middle of the cap front. Since the design itself is text and I was constrained by size, I couldn't move the text around too much to avoid that middle area because you would see it.  Sometimes, depending on the cap, it would sew on just fine. Then other times, the minute I pressed start, my needle would plunge into the cap, get stuck and the tip would break.  
Picture
I was able to workaround the issue by going into my design in my Embroidery software.  I first changed the sewing order to start with the letter O and move to the left. This kind of goes against that whole start in the middle concept, but it is still close enough that the push of the material is in the same vicinity as the letter 'C". Then when my machine moved back to the right to sew that letter C right in the middle, I added a small meandering tie in stitch. That way, I could know for certain exactly where my needle would make the first penetration and the stitch line would meander toward the first part of that letter C. I was able to hide the meandering stitch underneath the "C". By adding that little bit of machine stitching, I had movement from the left outside the bulky middle materials.  Instead of my needle plunging and fighting with the force of downward movement, the motion of the previous stitches helped it move through that middle bulk. Remember Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Motion? An object at rest stays at rest but an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by another force."  Those small adjustments made all the difference and the remaining caps I sewed all performed much better.
Picture
If you are digitizing designs yourself this would be an easy addition or your digitizer can add something similar for you.  Of course this will be different depending on each design and having the option to hide any tie or beginning stitches.  The key is to watch your stitches, look at the cap and try to diagnose the problem. I made sure all of the mechanical areas were good on my machine first, then I looked closely at the cap and then I looked at my design.  So for this particular one, I should be able to move forward confidently no matter what cap I am sewing it on.  I do have a video that goes into more detail on the cap parts and also shows my actual software and the changes I made to the design. You can watch it below. I hope you have enjoyed this post, share what you learn and are generous with what you create. Someone will appreciate your hard work! 
Kevyn Wood
9/20/2021 10:33:45 am

I have read your example of stitching through the center of the cap but my problem is the flagging of thick structured caps. I have a lot of gap between the cap and needle plate on this one certain cap. I use the Gen 2 frame and the problem accurse anyway. I do my own digitizing and the problem seems to be my presser foot moving in to my needle and bending it. I have a melco machine and I have noticed the presser foot to be different than other machines.

Lagniappe Peddler
9/20/2021 10:54:07 am

Kevyn, I have heard other people state similar issues across machines and caps so it is common. I can only speak to my machine but in my manual there are two changes I make when stitching caps. One is to change the needle plate with a higher center. My machine came with two needle plates. One for flats and one for caps. The alternate plate had a thick round center that lifts the cap slightly where the needle penetrates helping with the deflection you mentioned. Also, I lower the presser foot with a small screw on the side of the foot. One screw stays in and one can be removed while the foot is lowered and then set into a different hole. Hooping results will also vary on different caps depending on the stretch or thickness of the material. I still have certain caps that are harder than others and even similar styles in alternate colors react differently. Your owners manual or dealer might be able to help with a different needle plate and changing the foot height. I hope this helps and thank you for stopping by my site.


Comments are closed.

    Follow Me On Facebook

    Author

    Lagniappe Peddler believes that the process of working with our hands can be one of the best forms of healing the hurts in our lives and welcomes all who visit this safe little corner of the world.

    What is a Lagniappe Peddler?

    ˌlanˈyap,ˈlanˌyap - something given as a bonus or extra gift
    ped-ler - a person who offers merchandise for sale or promotes something

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Blog Categories

    All
    Amore Restore
    Home And Garden
    Knitting
    Machine Embroidery
    Quilting
    Sewing

    Picture

    This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies.

    Opt Out of Cookies

Lagniappe Peddler LLC

Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2015-2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.