The Ultimate Embroidery Backing Guide from Eagle Digitizing

When you're ready to embroider your designs, knowing which embroidery backing to use on a particular garment can make the difference between producing a mediocre product or a high-quality finish. Backing is needed to give more stability to the garment or fabric so that it can hold the stitches.The following content also has some reference value for Eagle digitizing.

Some people are under the impression, or even told by other embroiderers or instructors, that if your garment is heavy, such as a bag, hat or jacket, you don't need a backing. If you do use a backing, you'll get higher quality results for your finished design.

Usually if I have a garment, say one that is difficult to hoop with a backing, I hoop it without the embroidered backing and slide a piece under the hoop when I put it in the machine. This is only suitable for very stiff fabrics. This will give it the stability and crispness it needs for the finished product. It also gives you a backing instead of your garment if you happen to make a mistake. Believe me, we all make mistakes!

I'm going to share with you some pictures of the different types of garments, it might make it easier for you to see which embroidery backing to use for each type.

Two types of embroidery backing

There are basically two categories of embroidery backings, but within these, you will need to carry different types of embroidery in stock depending on the type of garment you will be using the embroidery on.

Cutaway 

Tearaway

Knit Fabric - Cut Embroidery Backing

In the picture on the left you will see several types of knitted garments. All of these garments should have a cutout backing.

There are several types of cutaway embroidery backings, but I will only discuss 2 of them here.

Basic Cutaway backings are popular and the most commonly used. It is a wet-laid non-woven embroidery backing specially designed for machine embroidery. Available in several different weights; I recommend the 2 oz backing for most of my applications. It can be used on all types of knits, but I use it specifically on heavier knits such as the left chest area of ​​sweatshirts and cardigans.

No Show Backing is a very lightweight waffle weave cut embroidery backing for all light and pastel colored jersey fabrics. Sometimes it's called a mesh backing. This is my favorite cutaway backing, it's very soft, and it's recommended to use 1 layer of tear-away backing underneath for extra stability, especially if you have lowercase letters in your logo.

Then peel off and the "not shown" backing will be cut off. You will not see the shadow of the backing from the front of the garment as you often see with normal basic cut backings. This is very important when you are applying embroidery to very thin fabrics such as Pima cotton or performance apparel fabrics.

The No Show backing is also useful if you're embroidering the entire front of your sweatshirt, as it will allow it to fall in a natural way rather than stiffen when the backing is removed. This type of fabric does not require the extra bulk of two layers of normal cut backing. A lot of people think that because it's a sweatshirt, you need to use a heavy backing; false. It's the stability you're looking for; not the weight.

The combination of 2 layers of No Show embroidered backing and 1 layer of 1.5 oz crisp tear backing is perfect for moisture wicking or performance apparel fabrics that are so popular today.

No show support costs a bit more than basic profile support, but for me the end result makes it well worth it. When I try to create high quality products, I need to use high quality materials to produce high quality products!

Woven fabric Tearaway embroidery backing

In the picture on the left you will see several types of woven garments. All of these garments should have a tear backing.

Tearaway backing for use on all woven fabrics such as denim, chambray, twill, dress shirts, nylon oxford, canvas, bags, aprons, flags, sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, napkins and more.

It is also used for towels and washcloths. I've found that the 1.5 oz weight works best for almost any application that uses a tear-off backing. For most applications, I usually use two layers; sometimes I only use one, and occasionally I use three. When I hoop my clothes, I only hoop two layers inside the hoop, but

After I put it in the machine, I put another layer under the clothes. This will provide extra clarity for small fonts. It actually makes the columns wider in the alphabet. It can also prevent wrinkling if the garment's hoops are tight enough and have the right amount of backing.

If your full back design has several thousand stitches, you will need a 3 oz. snap backing. This 3 oz. crisp torn embroidered backing is the same backing used for hats, but it comes in larger rolls instead of cut into 4" strips.

Cap Backing is a heavy 3 ounce tear backing for bottle caps, fronts, sides and backs. It is usually available in 4" wide strips to fit inside the front of the lid. I've found that one layer of hat backing works fine for most hats, but sometimes if you have an unstructured hat, 2 layers will create a cleaner look than using one. I would hoop one layer into the cap when I put the cap on the cap frame, then put an extra layer into the cap when attaching the cap frame to the cap drive on the machine. It really didn't take that much extra time and I noticed a huge difference. Fonts will be flatter and won't draw as much.

When hooping the hat back, I use flat or tubular hoops and don't hoop the backing hoop into it. I hooped the cover back, attached the tubular frame to the machine, and slipped a piece of cover backing under the hoop. It's really hard to keep the lid straight back when you're hooping it with the backing. I also sometimes use hat backing as an extra layer for extra heavy towels. It really helps to flatten the columns in the monogram. It softens after washing.