EMBROIDERING ON GOLF SHIRTS
Digitizing and Embroidery Tips
WHEN TO CHOOSE EMBROIDERY
When adding a design or logo to a golf shirt (also called sport shirt, polo or corporate casualwear), embroidery makes a powerful statement. It adds depth and dimension to any garment and is often used to designate a quality manufacturer or an upscale country club as well as help build name recognition for a company, group or organization.
Golf shirts were literally designed for the golf course, cut with larger chest sizes and different armhole angles to allow for extended arm movements during a game of golf. In recent years, however, the golf shirt has moved beyond the golf course to casual business events and dinners out. Not just for men, golf shirts are also cut and styled for women and have made an appearance in children?s attire. Embroidery, a traditional choice for the versatile golf shirt, adds style and interest and is always a quality choice.
LOCATION
Left and Right Chest - The industry standard is to have a logo on the left chest and personalization, such as an employee?s or member?s name, on the right chest. Make sure that designs are small enough to fit comfortably in the space provided. This is especially important on women?s apparel. Standard left chest placement on medium through extra large shirts is 8? down from the shoulder seam and 4? over from center of the shirt?measuring from the center of the of design. A logo on a woman?s shirt may need to be reduced up to 10% to 15% in size to display appropriately in the left chest area. The maximum width for a left chest design on a golf shirt is about 4?. Less is usually better, even for a shirt designed for men. (Be aware that as the logo or design is reduced in size, the text sizes will also reduce and may become too small to digitize properly. Re-designing the logo may be necessary to keep text no less than 3/16? or ?? in height.)
Sleeve ? Adding a logo, design or slogan to the left sleeve adds variety and interest as well as providing name recognition for a vendor or business. A country club might want to add the name of a favorite golf club or ball to its own embroidered golf shirt, for instance.
Collar ? The back of the collar presents another opportunity to add a unique design or message on a golf shirt
Back ? below the collar (yoke area) can also add some variety to design placement. One consideration for this area is to avoid designs that could be irritating for the wearer due to backing. Certain designs that require heavy backing may not be advisable.
FABRIC
Jacquard, bird?s-eye, herringbone, rugby?s, blended jersey, rough grained pique, 100% combed cotton, cotton blend, fine-gauge pique, peached twill, lyocell, tapestry, waffle weaves, polyester and today?s micro fiber fabrics?all of these describe fabrics used in today?s golf or polo shirts. Each fabric has its own characteristics and must be made known to the digitizer before a design can be appropriately digitized for the embroidery process. Pique, for example, will tend to bury thread in its knap and requires larger sized text or an underlay of stitching for small lettering or numbers. Also, keep in mind that thinner fabrics may cost less, but may actually cost more in the long run due to increased backing required for the sewout process. You may pay a bit more for a quality fabric, but it may save you money in the sewout process, last longer and provide a polished appearance that keeps your customers coming back.
THREAD
With its vibrant colors and high sheen, the traditional choice of thread for golf shirts is rayon. Keep in mind that a cooler temperature with color-safe bleach will need to be used for shirts designed with rayon thread to safeguard its color and sheen. Polyester may be a better choice for shirts that will be washed in hot water with large amounts of chlorine bleach.
Not all fabrics are created equal when it comes to determining an appropriate stitch density level for your chosen thread, whether it?s rayon, polyester, metallic or other specialized thread type. Make sure you choose an experienced digitizer who is familiar with many different types of fabrics and a variety of thread types. If, when a design is sewn out, the fabric pulls and puckers, there?s a good chance the density of the stitching is too heavy. If the fabric is showing through, the stitch density is probably too low. Letting your digitizer know the type of fabric in the shirt and specifying the type of thread preferred will help them to provide you with a digitized tape that creates a quality image and sews out well and easily?the first time.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
Letter size is an important consideration when creating a design for the embroidery process. Script or serif fonts are not advisable for small text. For best results, use capitalized letters in a sans serif font such as Arial (for text under ??). (Your digitizer can advise you if the text in your design will sew out well at its original size.) The minimum letter heights listed below are for sans serif, block letters, sewn in a satin stitch. For large lettering, you may choose a fill stitch rather than a satin stitch. This increases the stitch count in the letter area, making the stitches smaller and more resistant to snagging and tears.
Suggested minimum Letter Height by Fabric:
Pique, Terry cloth, Fleece .?. 1/ 4?
Twill, Most other fabrics ?? 3/16?
SEWOUT PROCESS
An important tip for the sewout process is to make sure the purchase order is received by your embroiderer before the goods to be sewn reach their shipping docks. If your purchase order doesn?t arrive first, your items may wind up buried in a warehouse or shipping room, and you may find yourself bumped back on their work schedule.
MARKETING IDEAS
If you?re customer comes to you and says, ?I need embroidered golf shirts for an upcoming company golf tournament,? you might suggest other items to accompany the shirts at the event. Windbreakers and hats make great souvenirs and are always appreciated by golfers. Embroidered golf towels, umbrellas, golf bag covers and golf shoe bags can also help make your customer?s tournament a memorable event that stands out from the ordinary and creates long term advertising for your customer?s company.
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