Main materials: including embroidered materials such as knitted, woven, woolen or non-woven fabrics, cut pieces or garments, and threads used to form flower shapes. The materials to be embroidered are basically provided by the customer, while the embroidery thread is purchased by the embroidery factory. Embroidery thread is different from clothing thread, but the quality requirements are basically the same. Embroidery thread needs to be inspected for color difference, color fastness, thickness, composition, and tensile strength in several main aspects. For garment dyeing embroidery, attention should be paid to checking whether the embroidery thread matches the dyeing performance of the garment. For contrast embroidery, attention should be paid to checking the water resistance and hot fastness of the embroidery thread, such as bright red and sapphire blue embroidery thread and the embroidered material.
Auxiliary materials: including resin lining for reserving embroidery positions, double-sided adhesive for fixing embroidered materials, and various backing materials for embroidery.
(1) Resin lining, also known as gauze in the embroidery industry, is used to reserve embroidery positions. Reserved embroidery position, also known as opening position in the embroidery industry, refers to cutting off the resin lining in the shape of the flower to be embroidered with a slight gap on the four sides before embroidery, so that the resin lining will not be stuck during embroidery. It is also possible to directly embroider fabrics without resin lining, but due to size requirements for clothing cutting and garment embroidery positions, as well as mass production, without resin lining, it is inconvenient to re align each embroidery end, and it cannot guarantee that the size of each embroidery position is consistent, which affects quality. Therefore, the resin lining mainly plays a role in embroidery alignment and fixing the embroidered material to prevent its movement and wrinkling. When making embroidery plates, as it involves embroidering all the embroidered materials in one go, some embroidered materials may not require resin lining. The resin lining requires toughness, colorless, odorless, and non peeling resin, and the specific specifications are selected based on the performance of the embroidered material.
(2) Double sided adhesive, used to fix the embroidered material. If the embroidered material can be fixed with embroidery stretcher clips, double-sided adhesive tape is not required. Double sided adhesive is usually used together with resin lining. After cutting the embroidery position on the resin lining, double sided adhesive is used to stick along the four sides of the embroidery position, making it easy to fix the embroidered material. This type of embroidered material is mainly cut pieces, ready-made clothes, etc. The width of double sided adhesive is about 1cm, which is similar to the sewing of clothes. During the embroidery process, if the double-sided adhesive loses its adhesion, it needs to be reapplied. Otherwise, the embroidered material will shift due to looseness, causing the embroidery position to deviate or the shape to wrinkle, affecting the effect. Therefore, the embroidery factory requires embroidery workers to check the double-sided adhesive adhesion after each bed of embroidery is completed.
However, double-sided adhesive with poor quality or too sticky can easily stick to or damage the embroidered material, such as some cotton knitted fabrics, suede fabrics, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to choose high-quality double-sided adhesive or use something like wax to treat the too sticky double-sided adhesive. For some fabrics that are prone to loose seams, it is necessary to lock or place raw edges before embroidery to prevent insufficient sewing caused by loose seams after embroidery. Generally, white double-sided adhesive is better than yellow double-sided adhesive. Yellow double-sided adhesive should not be used on light colored, especially white embroidered materials. Before finishing, the embroidered product should be inspected for any residual double-sided adhesive on the embroidered material to prevent contamination of the embroidered material.
Similar to double-sided adhesive, there is also adhesive spraying, which is mainly used for fixing such as pasting cloth. When spraying glue, evenly spray it on the opposite side of the adhesive, and cover it with a glass cover to prevent contamination of the human body and the environment. It should be sprayed immediately to prevent loss of adhesion over time. Although spray glue with poor quality is cheap, it will form yellow particles after drying, which will affect the embroidered material and embroidery, and is not easy to remove. Therefore, light colored, especially white embroidered materials should choose high-quality spray glue. Japanese produced spray glue has better quality.
(3) Embroidery backing materials: mainly include paper, hot melt adhesive paper, and water-soluble adhesive paper, which serve as embroidery backing and fixing the embroidered material.
A. Paper bags are usually divided into three types: cotton paper bags, crispy paper bags, and cotton crispy paper bags. There are common colors such as white, black, and red, which are suitable for different embroidered materials and customer requirements. Usually, single clothes (without lining) need to be cleaned of paper bags, so choose crispy paper bags for cleaning. However, after embroidering, it is necessary to clean it in a timely manner, otherwise it will be difficult to clean the fragile paper after it becomes soft; Embroideries such as Zhangzai generally do not need to clean up the paper. The paper inside the embroidery line helps Zhangzai maintain a straight and three-dimensional appearance, so cotton paper is chosen. The cleaning of paper is done manually.
B. Hot melt adhesive paper, thin films such as plastic, look like paper, so they are called hot melt adhesive paper in the industry. It has a smooth surface on one side and a pitted surface with bumps on the other. Usually colorless and slightly transparent, there are also common colors, and the specifications (mm) are distinguished by thickness to ensure the tensile crepe of the embroidered material. For example, when embroidering ordinary cotton fabric, choose 1.0mm specification hot melt adhesive paper. Hot melt adhesive paper is widely used in embroidery factories due to its ease of cleaning and low cost. But its quality must meet environmental requirements, and some exported clothing, especially children’s clothing, do not require the use of hot melt adhesive paper, such as the Next brand.
When embroidering, tighten the hot melt adhesive paper at the bottom, and stick the hemp surface of the hot melt adhesive paper to the embroidered material to prevent it from moving and wrinkling. The hot melt adhesive paper on the four sides of the embroidery frame should be clamped with a long strip clamp, without leaving too much margin to save costs. Generally, 3-4 cm is enough. When collecting embroidered materials after embroidery, it is necessary to consider whether the embroidered materials are resistant to pulling, to prevent deformation, holes, or needle holes that may affect quality. Otherwise, the embroidered material needs to be cut off with scissors on hot melt adhesive paper, such as woolen sweater embroidery or fabric embroidery with loose texture.
To inspect qualified embroidery products, it is necessary to remove the hot melt adhesive paper from the bottom. The hot melt adhesive paper on the bottom can be removed by manual or machine use and hot pressing method, which is known as “hot glue” in the industry. When hot gluing, first place several layers of clean hot melt adhesive paper on the heating plate to facilitate adhesion of the hot melt adhesive paper on the embroidery product. When the heating plate reaches a predetermined temperature such as 120 ℃, lay the bottom hot melt adhesive paper to be removed flat on top, press for a few seconds, and then lift it off. When ironing the adhesive, it is necessary to consider the ironing resistance of the embroidered material. For non ironing materials, a “mask” method should be used, that is, only the embroidered part should be ironed quickly; Embroidered materials that are prone to deformation can only be pulled onto the embroidery area or with a larger area to ensure that they do not deform. Usually, the thread ends should be cleaned before hot pressing to prevent staining; The cloth wrapped by manual glue pressing tools must not have color or be prone to hair loss to prevent damage to the embroidered material. It is recommended to use white cotton knitted fabric for wrapping.
C. Water soluble adhesive paper, thin films such as plastic, look like paper, so they are called water soluble adhesive paper in the industry. Usually colorless and slightly transparent, with the same specifications, uses, and usage as hot melt adhesive paper. It is divided into room temperature water-soluble and high temperature water-soluble, suitable for different embroidered materials and customer needs.
The water soluble adhesive paper needs to be thoroughly degummed, usually according to the water soluble adhesive paper