Here's How to Embroider A Sweatshirt or Hoodie with A Machine

I love embroidering sweatshirts and hoodies for Christmas and adding a touch of personalization to my wardrobe. So, let's learn how to embroider a sweatshirt with a machine. Eagle Digitizing will discuss stabilizers, design, then go through a step by step example with pictures. Then you can start stitching together your own projects!

The best embroidery stabilizer for sweatshirts

The best stabilizer for embroidered jerseys, especially for elastic or unstable jerseys, is cut or no mesh cut stabilizer.

On the other hand, if you are embroidering a dense filler stitch design with a large stitch count, you may consider a two-layer cut stabilizer for extra stability.

You can choose a viscous stabilizer, a fusible stabilizer, or a conventional stabilizer. In this tutorial, I'll use a regular stabilizer with a thin layer of temporary fabric adhesive.

How to embroider a sweatshirt or hoodie

This is a step-by-step tutorial of the process.

Step 1 Get a sweatshirt

First, you need to mark the location of the embroidery design on the sweatshirt

I usually use a water-soluble fabric pen to mark the fabric, but since this is a black sweatshirt, I used a chalk wheel to mark the vertical and horizontal centers of my design. (Ignore how badly I need a lint roller!

If you need help with design placement, please refer to this guide for standard placement.

Another useful way to mark designs is to print templates from embroidery software to place on sweatshirts. This will help you visualize how your design looks in different locations.

Next, it's time to add the stabilizer to the back of the jersey.

A little fabric spray adhesive can go a long way, so use caution! Also, always spray stabilizer instead of sweatshirt.

Finally, make sure that each side of your stabilizer is also at least 1 inch larger than your hoop size.

2. Hoop sweatshirts

Now, it's time to strap on your sweatshirt and stabilizer.

I'm a big fan of using hoops to enclose everything possible, but if you don't like hoops, you can float your sweatshirt. If you decide to float, all you need to do is use a hoop regular stabilizer, lightly spray it with adhesive, and slide the sweatshirt onto the stabilizer.

Make sure to line up the center of the hoop with the center of the marked point on the jersey. If you can't do it perfectly and your machine allows you to move your design within the embroidery area before stitching, that's fine.

If you are able to hoop a water-soluble topping with a sweatshirt and stabilizer, continue to do so. However, if it is too difficult, you can float it on top of the hoop.

I ended up floating it because it was too hard to see through to properly arrange my design on my machine! Plus, things are a little bulky.

3. Set up machine + start stitching

Attach the embroidery hoop to the machine, then pull the back of the sweatshirt out from under the hoop.

Secure it away from the embroidery area. You don't want to stitch the two sides of the project together! I like to hold it in place with bobby pins, clothespins or artist's tape.

Then, load your design and align it with your markup. This is how I arranged the design at the bottom. And then this is the water-soluble topping that I added before pulling. Water-soluble toppings prevent stitches from sinking into soft, pliable fabrics and provide better design stitches on sweatshirts.

Next, double check that your design orientation, needle, and thread color are correct.

Then, start your embroidery machine! Look very carefully first to make sure everything is stitched up the way it should be.

Step 4 Finish

Once the embroidery is done, tear the water-soluble toppings off the embroidered sweatshirt. Any excess stabilizer pieces you can remove later with water. Next, remove the sweatshirt from the embroidery circle. Then, using small, sharp embroidery scissors, trim off the excess stabilizer from the back of the sweatshirt. The stabilizer is permanent, but softens after the first wash.

That's it! You have successfully embroidered a sweatshirt with the embroidery machine. Enjoy what you're wearing this fall and winter, or snuggle up in your house.