Machine embroidery glossary
The words you will meet in manuals, design shops and software, explained in a sentence, then in detail.
Most stitch problems come down to a few ideas: stabilizer (what supports the fabric), density and underlay (how the stitches are built), and tension (how top and bobbin threads meet). Start with those terms.
3
- 3D puff embroidery
- 3D puff embroidery sews dense satin stitches over a layer of foam, so that part of the design stands up from the fabric. The extra foam is removed after stitching.
A
- Appliqué
- Appliqué is a technique where a cut piece of fabric is stitched onto a base fabric and its raw edge is covered with stitching, so fabric fills the shape instead of dense thread.
B
- Basting box
- A basting box is a rectangle of long, temporary stitches sewn first to tack floated fabric to the stabilizer so it does not shift during embroidery.
- Bird nesting
- Bird nesting is a wad of tangled thread that piles up under the fabric in the bobbin area, most often because the top thread was not threaded correctly.
- Bobbin thread
- Bobbin thread is the finer thread wound on the small spool under the needle plate. It forms the underside of each stitch and locks with the top thread inside the fabric.
C
- Color sequence
- Color sequence is the order in which a stitch file tells the machine to sew its thread colors, one block of stitches at a time.
D
- Digitizing
- Digitizing is turning artwork into a stitch file, the list of needle positions, stitch types, thread colors and trims that an embroidery machine follows.
E
- Embroidery field
- The embroidery field is the largest area your machine can stitch in one hooping. It is set by the machine and the hoop, and it is not the same as the hoop's name or outer frame.
- Embroidery needle sizes
- An embroidery needle size is a pair of numbers such as 75/11 that gives the shaft thickness; a bigger number means a thicker needle for heavier fabric or thread.
F
- Fill stitch
- Fill stitch covers an area with many rows of short stitches sewn back and forth, the usual way to color large shapes in machine embroidery. It is also called tatami fill.
- Floating
- Floating means hooping only the stabilizer and laying the item on top of it, so thick, delicate or tiny items never have to sit between the hoop rings.
- Free-standing lace (FSL)
- Free-standing lace is machine embroidery stitched on water-soluble stabilizer with no fabric, so only the thread is left once the stabilizer is rinsed away.
J
- Jump stitch
- A jump stitch is a move where the machine carries thread across a gap between two parts of a design without sewing, leaving a loose strand that gets trimmed, hidden or cut off by hand.
P
- Pull compensation
- Pull compensation is a digitizing setting that makes a stitched shape slightly wider than drawn, to offset the way stitches drag fabric inward and leave gaps.
R
- Registration
- Registration is how accurately the parts of an embroidery design line up with each other, such as an outline sitting exactly on the edge of its fill.
- Running stitch
- A running stitch is a single line of evenly spaced stitches that follows a path. It is used for outlines, thin details, hidden base stitching and travel between parts of a design.
S
- Satin stitch
- A satin stitch is a dense, zigzag-style stitch that runs back and forth across a narrow shape, covering the fabric with smooth, even thread for borders, letters and outlines.
- Stabilizer
- Stabilizer is a support layer hooped under (or on top of) your fabric so the stitching does not stretch, pucker or sink into it.
- Stitch density
- Stitch density is how tightly stitches are packed together, usually measured as the gap between rows; too sparse shows fabric through, too dense causes puckering and thread build-up.
- Stitch file vs vector file
- A stitch file (DST, PES, JEF) is the list of needle moves a machine sews. A vector file holds shapes and settings that software turns into stitches, so it can be resized and re-edited.
T
- Tackle twill
- Tackle twill is appliqué made from twill fabric cut into letters, numbers or shapes, stitched onto a garment with an embroidered border over the cut edge.
- Thread weight
- Thread weight is a number (such as 40 wt) that shows how thick a thread is. A higher number means a finer thread, and 40 wt is the standard for most machine embroidery.
- Topping
- A topping is a thin, usually water-soluble sheet laid on top of fabric before stitching, so stitches stay on the surface of towels, fleece and other pile fabric instead of sinking in.
- Trim
- A trim is a command in the stitch file that tells the machine to cut the thread, usually after a section, so no long jump thread is left running to the next part of the design.
U
- Underlay
- Underlay is a hidden base layer of stitches sewn first, under satin or fill stitching, that flattens the fabric and gives the top stitches something firm to sit on.