WHY DO YOU NEED A KNOCKDOWN STITCH?
Have you ever embroidered on fluff fabric like sherpa and towel that have naps or pile on them ?
If you have already gone through the experience and failed, you probably already know what went wrong. If you haven’t tried it then this article is for you and can help you avoid the blunder that I made while making my first embroidery project on a towel. I wasn’t aware about knockdown stitch and how it can help. Sure, there are elements like stitch density and color of the thread that can help highlight the design of monogram but the fuzziness will still be there regardless giving it unfinished look.
Similarly, if you embroider on a fabric with naps or piles using topping like water soluble stabilizer, it can help you to some extent but the end result will be very blurry or fuzzy and the outlines will not be clear enough since the stabilizer will wash off.
WHAT ISA KNOCKDOWN STITCH?
Knockdown stitch also known as nap-tack stitch, pile-down stitch or tack-down stitch is a thin layer of embroidery done to keep the fluff down the surface of the fabric so that your embroidery has a clean look with good visibility. The layer is thin enough to not interfere with your design and doesn’t change the feel of fabric and does not cause any nesting of threads.
PERIMETER VS SHAPE STITCHING
There are two ways you can create a layer of knockdown stitch. One is basic square/circle shape which can accommodate your design; other is known as perimeter stitch which is customized shape according to the design of the embroidery project.
WATER-SOLUBLE TOPPING
A lot of people often ask me if I still use water soluble topping and with pile-down stitch and my answer is yes. I have noticed prominent difference in clarity and sharpness of design when I add topping stabilizer to my designs. You can always experiment and see the difference yourself. You can also experiment with different density of stabilizers.
THREAD COLOR
The thread color for knockdown stitch is usually kept same as the fabric to ensure it doesn’t interfere with the embroidery design. However, there is no hard and fast rule, you can always use different color as well to make it pop. Choosing different color in case of perimeter knockdown stitch can add to the aesthetic value of the project and can make a unique design.
WHEN TO USE A KNOCKDOWN STITCH
An important question that I often come across on embroidery discussion boards is when to use the knockdown ?
Even though water soluble stabilizer can provide great support but when you wash a fabric with fur or nap, the fibers will interfere with the design as the stabilizer will be washed away. Hence, it is important to use knockdown stitch when you are embroidering on textured fabric that has monogram design or design with thin strokes. You can also use the knockdown stitch to add aesthetic value for decorative purpose.
HOW TO MAKE A KNOCKDOWN STITCH
Following are the three ways you can easily make the knockdown stitch.
PURCHASING THE FILE
Purchasing the knockdown stitch file is similar to buying the embroidery design file. You can explore many options available and choose according to the required dimensions of your embroidery design. As a general rule, your knockdown stitch design file should be half to one inch bigger than the embroidery design. For instance, if the biggest letter of your monogram is 5 inches tall, then the knockdown stitch design should be 5.5 to 6 inches tall to accommodate it.
You can purchase the knockdown file from various sources and can use it as you design different projects. One way to use the pile-down stitch file is by sewing it first and then running the embroidery design file on it as a second step. Alternatively, you can combine the knockdown stitch file with embroidery file on a software like SewWhat-Pro to see if your design file will not exceed the knockdown file and how the end result would be.
FREE INTERNET FILE
You can find knockdown stitch file that are free on the internet too, the only draw back is you can only have the basic shapes for free. When I am running short on time and don’t have time to generate it myself, I have downloaded the free files that have helped me.
GENERATING THE FILE
You can easily generate a knockdown stitch file on your own as many programs have this feature in built.
SewWhat-Pro, SewArt and Embrilliance Enthusiast are common programs that have the option of doing the tack-down stitch. There are many other programs that can help you with nap-tack stitch. If you want to create a basic shape like square and circle then go for SewArt otherwise go for the other two if you want to do in the customized shape as per the design.
ADDITIONAL TIPS
If the material you are using is faux fur, then you can use a thin layer of tulle below the embroidery and it won’t be noticeable. Try to use similar color to the fabric you are using and it won’t show.
CONCLUSION
It is very important to understand when to use pile-down stitch along with what colors and shapes to use. Once you get the hang of it, you will easily do it without being scared of the terry, fur and nappy fabrics.
