Embroidering on fabrics with a noticeable texture, often referred to as nap, pile, or loft, presents a unique challenge: the design can disappear into the fabric’s texture. While adjusting factors like stitch density, design size, or thread weight can assist, an effective solution is the knockdown stitch, sometimes called nap-tack or laydown stitch.
So, curious souls, let’s dive into the magic of knockdown embroidery designs! I’m here to guide you on understanding the knockdown stitch, its application, and even crafting your own with popular embroidery software.
This base layer stitch is a game-changer for fabrics with a pronounced texture, such as plush towels, sherpa fleece, and snuggly robes. The key is that it’s a light stitch, prepped before the main design, compressing the fabric’s fibers. If this base layer were dense, placing a design on top would be challenging. Also, a chunky stitch alters the fabric’s feel.
When to Consider a Knockdown Stitch
Let’s travel back to one of my embroidery adventures with a sherpa blanket, which turned out to be quite the hilarious mishap. Spot the “Daddy” text? It was barely visible! That’s when I realized that a foundational layer for sherpa fabrics, paired with bolder text, would work wonders.
Although I often embroider on towels and fluffy blankets without using a base stitch, it’s essential for designs at risk of being swallowed by the fabric’s texture. For instance, when embroidering a name on a fluffy towel, the towel’s texture might cover certain letters, making them barely visible. A knockdown stitch ensures each letter shines through.
Thread Color Choices
If you’re aiming for subtlety, pick a thread shade that blends with your fabric. However, for the more adventurous souls, variegated or contrasting threads can offer a bold statement with the base stitch. Have fun experimenting!
Base Stitch Styles
There are primarily two embroidery base designs you can craft. The left design below is versatile, fitting numerous internal designs, while the right one is tailored to a specific design. Your project, desired effect, and software will guide your choice.
Supplementary Materials
Even with a base stitch, I always recommend using a water-soluble topping. Comparing results, the boundaries are cleaner and more defined with a topping. The type of stabilizer you choose should factor in both your design’s density and the fabric’s nature. If you’re a newbie, check out my guide on stabilizer selection!
Where to Find Knockdown Designs?
In my initial days, before I had embroidery software, I depended on free designs and purchased ones. Here are two free designs for your perusal:
- Embossed circle design by Creative Appliques
- Simple rectangular design by Creative Appliques
For more tailored designs, Etsy or other designer websites are treasure troves.
Creating Your Knockdown Stitch
I’ll walk you through creating these stitches in three renowned embroidery software tools. Customizing these stitches allows for the perfect fit for your design.
- Embrilliance Enthusiast: While the Essentials version lacks knockdown stitch creation, Enthusiast has it. Navigate to Utility and select “Add Knockdown Stitching”. This action creates a perimeter stitch. For shaped stitches in Embrilliance, a bit more effort is required.
- SewWhat-Pro: This software terms the foundational layer as the nap-tack stitch. After importing your design, navigate to Tools and then “Add Nap-Tack stitches”. You can then tailor the stitch’s properties and appearance.
- Hatch 3: The recent update, Hatch 3, introduced an easy laydown stitch creation. Perfect for monogram embroideries. Simply select “Laydown Stitch” and set the desired parameters.
| Key Points | Details |
|---|---|
| Fabric Challenges | Embroidery can sink into fabrics with pronounced nap, pile, or loft. |
| Solution | Use a knockdown, nap-tack, or laydown stitch as a base layer. |
| Thread Choice | Choose matching for subtlety or contrasting for a statement. |
| Supplementary Materials | Always use water-soluble topping. Choose the appropriate stabilizer. |
| Software for Creation | Embrilliance Enthusiast, SewWhat-Pro, Hatch 3 |