Sleeve embroidery size

Here width means across the arm and height means along it. A single sleeve logo or icon is usually about 3 × 3 in (76 × 76 mm). Narrow vertical text or a border can be about 1.5 in (38 mm) wide and run several inches down the arm. Embroidery Library notes that borders and sprays suit sleeves because sleeves are long and narrow. Anything taller than about 4 in (100 mm) needs a larger hoop, such as a 5 × 7 in (130 × 180 mm), or a repositionable hoop. These ranges are general practice for logo work; your garment's width at the placement point sets the real limit.

Short sleeves and long sleeves behave differently. A short sleeve is wide near the shoulder and tight at the hem, so the upper arm is the easiest spot. A long sleeve narrows toward the cuff, and a hoop often will not fit over it. There are three common ways around that. You can open the sleeve seam from cuff to shoulder, embroider flat, then sew it back with a ¼ in (6 mm) seam. You can use a specialty sleeve frame: Ricoma, for example, lists two sleeve frames in its multi-frame kit. Or you can hoop only the stabilizer and float the garment on it, as Embroidery Library suggests for items that are hard to hoop. Stay away from thick seams and ribbed bands.

Adult and child sleeves need different scale. A 3 in (76 mm) logo that suits an adult's arm can swamp a child's, so scale it down and check it on a paper template. Cuff monograms show the difference: Embroidery Library gives 1⅜ in (35 mm) right of the buttonhole for adults, 0.75 in (19 mm) for children's sizes 4–16, and 1 in (25 mm) for infant and toddler sizes, all about ¼ in (6 mm) above the cuff edge.

Use a medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive, and trim it to about ½ in (13 mm) beyond the design. Knit sleeves stretch, so keep the design simple and the lettering bold. Brand names on this page are for reference only. We are not affiliated with Embroidery Library, Ricoma or Sulky.