Embroidery on jersey: How to make it work every time!

Embroidery on jersey isn't difficult at all. In this guide, we'll show you how it's done!

The essentials at a glance

• The basics: What do you need to embroider jersey?
• Which materials are best suited?
• How to properly stabilize and tension your fabric
• Which needles and threads are suitable for jersey?
• Step-by-step guide for your first jersey project

Embroidery on jersey: How to get started with ease!

Want to know how to embroider jersey with an embroidery machine? Don't worry, embroidery on jersey isn't as difficult as it may sound. With a few tips, the right materials, and a little practice, embroidering jersey will be effortless. In this guide, you'll learn step by step how to embroider stretchy fabrics like jersey and achieve professional results.

Embroidery expert and designer Kasia Hanack has a few extra tips for you in this post. This will ensure that your embroidery on jersey not only looks beautiful but also fantastic.

Recommended reading: Embroidery with an embroidery machine

Why embroider jersey?

Jersey is a stretchy fabric often used for clothing such as T-shirts, baby bodysuits or hoodies. It feels pleasantly soft, is flexible, and provides a great foundation for creative embroidery projects.

But precisely because it is so stretchy, it requires a little more attention when embroidering. With the right technique, your jersey will remain smooth, and your embroidery will look fantastic.

What you need to embroider jersey

In this section, we'll look at what you need to embroider jersey and other elastic fabrics. The better prepared you are, the more beautiful the finished embroidery will be.

The best materials for embroidering jersey

Before you start your embroidery project, you should make sure you're using the right materials. Here's an overview of what you need:

1. The right fabric

Jersey is a stretchy fabric that is usually made of cotton, viscose, or polyester. If you have a particularly soft fabric, such as a thin jersey, it can be helpful to use a top layer like water-soluble stabilizer. This prevents the stitches from disappearing into the fabric.

2. The right stabilizer

A stabilizer is a type of fabric backing that prevents your jersey from stretching during embroidery. Without a stabilizer, the fabric will wrinkle, and the embroidery may become distorted.

Recommended stabilizers:

• Cut stabilizer: Perfect for permanent stability. Ideal for embroidering stretchy fabrics. Cut stabilizer prevents the fabric from stretching during embroidery and ensures that your embroidery remains smooth and free of waves. It stays on the back of the fabric after embroidery and prevents the embroidery from wrinkling.
  • Examples: Weblon Stable, Soft’n Sheer Plus^*
    
    
• Sticky stabilizer: Some embroidery machines can work with sticky stabilizer. It is glued directly onto the fabric to stabilize it. However, keep in mind that sticky stabilizer does not always work perfectly with loose embroidery designs – the fabric can shift during embroidery, which can lead to inaccurate borders. If you use this stabilizer, make sure not to stretch the fabric. If you feel that the stitches are sinking into the fabric while embroidering, a water-soluble stabilizer can help, which you can simply rinse out after embroidery. It ensures that your stitches remain clearly visible. It is useful for loose designs, but is not recommended for large embroideries.
  • Examples: Filmoplast^*, Cotton Fix^*
    
    
• Water-soluble stabilizer: For the top of your fabric, so that the stitches do not "sink" into the soft jersey.
  • Examples: Sulky Solvy^*, Madeira Avalon Film
    
    
• Cover stabilizer: If your embroidery is scratchy on the back, you can use a soft, iron-on stabilizer to cover the back of the embroidery. This stabilizer is particularly popular for baby clothes.
  • Example: Vlieseline H609^*

3. The right needle

To embroider jersey, you need a needle that is suitable for stretchy fabrics. Here are three good options:

• Universal embroidery needle^*: This needle has a special ball point that moves easily through stretchy fabrics without damaging the fabric.
• Jersey needle^*: This needle is specially designed for stretchy fabrics and helps to pierce the fabric evenly without fraying it.
• Super-Stretch^*: For elastic fabrics that are worked with sticky stabilizer; the needles are coated with a special coating so that the stabilizer does not stick.

The thickness of the needle should be adjusted according to the thread thickness. For embroidery thread with a thickness of 40, a needle size of 75 to 80 is ideal.

4. Suitable embroidery thread for embroidering jersey

Embroidery thread with a thickness of 40 is ideal. It is robust enough to hold up well on stretchy fabrics and gives your designs a beautiful shine. You can choose thread in many different colors to give your design a great look.

5. Machine settings when embroidering jersey

Before you start embroidering, there are a few settings on your embroidery machine that you should adjust:

• Thread tension: Reduce the upper thread tension to about 2.5. This helps to reduce the tension in the fabric and ensures that your embroidery looks even. If the tension is too high, the bobbin thread may become visible on the top.
• Speed: Make sure to reduce the speed of the machine. At a slower speed, the fabric can stabilize better and your embroidery will be more even.

6. Additional accessories

• Embroidery hoop: For even tension of the fabric.
• Iron: To iron the stabilizer before embroidery or smooth out waves at the end.

7. Properly tensioning the fabric

Properly tensioning the fabric is one of the most important steps when you want to embroider jersey. The fabric must be well tensioned to avoid distortion and wrinkles. If the fabric is loosely tensioned in the hoop, it can shift during embroidery, which leads to unsightly results.

• Use a sturdy embroidery hoop that holds the fabric firmly.
• Make sure that the fabric is not stretched too much. A light tension is fine, but the fabric should not be stretched too tightly, as wrinkles may form during embroidery.

How to embroider jersey: A step-by-step guide

1. Preparation

1. Choose your design: Loose designs such as doodle or redwork embroidery are particularly well suited for jersey.
2. Choose the stabilizer: For permanent projects, cut stabilizer is recommended. Cut it to the appropriate size.
3. Prepare the fabric: Iron the jersey smooth so that no wrinkles or waves affect the result.

2. Applying the stabilizer

• Iron an iron-on cut stabilizer onto the back of your jersey. Make sure that the fabric is not stretched during this process.
• Alternatively, you can use sticky stabilizer. Peel off the protective film, place the fabric on it, and press it down gently.

3. Tensioning the fabric

• Tension the fabric together with the stabilizer drum-tight in your embroidery hoop. It should feel tight, but not overstretched.
• Tip: Many machines offer a stitching-out function. This borders the fabric with a helper stitch and prevents it from moving.

4. Setting up the embroidery machine

• Reduce the speed and thread tension.
• Load your embroidery design into the machine and position it on the fabric.

5. Embroidery

• Start the embroidery machine and watch the process. If waves form, pause and check that everything is properly tensioned.
• For very soft fabrics: Place a water-soluble stabilizer on the top.

6. Finishing

• Carefully remove the excess stabilizer.
• Cut out the cut stabilizer on the back, but leave a small border around the embroidery.
• Iron the fabric to smooth out waves or wrinkles.

✂️ By the way, all these tips also help you when embroidering sweatshirt fabrics!

Tips from embroidery expert Kasia Hanack

• Don't be afraid of mistakes: Everyone makes a crooked stitch sometimes. With a little practice, you'll quickly become more confident.
• Test beforehand: Try your embroidery design on a fabric remnant to make sure it looks good.
• Care for the embroidery: Wash embroidered jerseys at a low temperature and turn them inside out to protect the embroidery.
• Cover the back: Is the embroidery scratchy? Iron a soft cover stabilizer like Madeira Comfort Wear onto the back.

Why the right technique is so important

If you follow the tips in this guide, you'll avoid common problems such as wrinkles, shifted lines, or distorted designs. Jersey is a beautiful fabric, and with the right materials and a little patience, you'll soon achieve great results.

Embroidery on Jersey: Avoiding Mistakes

Sometimes jersey fabric puckers when embroidered. This happens especially when the fabric is only placed on an embroidery stabilizer or adhesive backing and not securely hooped.
This can cause the fabric to stretch during embroidery. It then snaps back, creating bumps.

➡️ In this case, using an embroidery hoop and reducing the upper thread tension will help.

TIP: For large, densely stitched designs, generally use cut-away stabilizer (e.g., Madeira Weblon Stable).

This prevents the knit fabric from stretching during the embroidery process. Furthermore, such a large design needs the support of cut-away stabilizer when washed so that the embroidery stays beautiful for a long time and does not distort after washing.

❗️ Adhesive backing with fabric placed on top cannot guarantee stability for large embroidery designs.

Kasia Hanack, Embroidery Expert & Designer

Conclusion: Easy Embroidery on Jersey

With the right materials, a little preparation, and the proper technique, embroidery on jersey becomes child's play. Just try it out – you will be surprised how much fun it is to embellish your clothes or accessories with custom embroidery.

We wish you lots of joy and success with your next embroidery project! 😊

Happy simple sewing, Sabine & Kasia

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Embroidery on Jersey

1. Can I use any embroidery design on jersey?

No, not every design is suitable for stretchy fabrics. Loose designs work better, as they do not overstress the fabric.

2. Do I need to remove the stabilizer?

Cut-away stabilizer stays permanently on the back, while water-soluble stabilizer is washed out after embroidery.

3. What should I do if the fabric puckers?

You can iron out slight puckers. Make sure not to stretch the fabric too much.