Ann The Gran Community

I've been monogramming some thick towels.  Most of them ended up with at least 1 embroidery thread loop on top, and some have several.  Usually I can carefully pull them through to the back, but not this time.  I'm going to have to take the stitching out and redo it on some.  How can I keep this from happening in future?

Hello.

There have been many discussions on embroidering towels on this site.  You can do a "Towels" search above and it will bring you to all the discussions in the Ann the Gran Forum; everything you wanted to know about embroidering towels and more!

I read (it may have been on Ann The Gran site) to iron the nap of the towel in one direction.  Also to iron the reverse side in the same direction.  Afterwards, i place Water Soluble Stabilizer on the top of the towel (embroidery field) prior to embroidering.

Joan/NJ

I used two layers of Solvy on top because the towels were so fluffy, but I didn't iron it. Would changing the needle help -- either to a larger size (I am using an 11 at the moment) or just a new needle?

You may want to change out your needle.  An overspent needle could be bringing up the loops especially since you are placing two layers of Solvy on the top embroidery field.  I am, however, the worse when it comes to changing needles.  Try to get the most I can out of the little sucker.  I do everything else in maintaining the machine, but lack in Needle 101.

Joan/NJ

I agree that towels can be a serious situation in ME.  There are tons of ideas on what to do, and frankly, some are contradictory and some do/don't make sense.

I suspect, and certainly could be wrong, that you have a tension issues.  Loops are generally a tension issue.  Loops sometimes look like a 'nest' on the underside of your design.  May I invite you to check my Needles Blog?  Towards the bottom, there are test methods for checking tension on your particular machine.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me about them.

Take a photo and post it here for this community to look at and make suggestions.  You can post it here in the forum or in the "Challenges and Advice" area.  The users on this site are so helpful, I am sure we can assist you to have a project you will be proud of.

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

Hi Ladybug,  Sometimes when you embroider monograms, there is nothing you can do about the loops. If it is only one or two, don't fret. Dritz has a little tool that is called snag nab it. I bought this about 8 years ago and believe me, it is a life saver. You ensert it on the loop and push thru to the back. No need to rip out your embroidery. I believe I paid about $1.50 for it. If it is more then one or two loops, you may want to check your tension.

I do believe that your needle is too small for a heavy towel. I use a 12 and sometimes a 14 for heavy towels. I also use med. weight stabilizer or cut away on the bottom. Two layers of solvy on the top should be fine. Remember that you should change your needle every 6-8 hours of embroidery time. I have a Viking D1, which keeps track of my sewing time. I love that feature. I would just start out with a new needle and make sure the machine is correctly threaded.

Let us know how you make out.  Marlene