How To Create Manual Underlay For More Control In
Your Embroidery Designs
Do you ever have the issue that no matter what you do or what type of underlay you apply to your
lettering, you cannot make it look the way that you want it to? This is very common when you are
always depending on the automatic features of your embroidery software. Sometimes these
automatic features just do not work right and they do not give you the control that you need to
create lettering that looks crisp and clean.
In today’s corporate logos you need to know how to work with lettering that is less than one quarter
of an inch and many times, creating your own manual underlay is the key to making it look great!
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Focus of Presentation
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5 basic functions of underlay
The 4 Basic rules of underlay
When to use manual underlay
Why it is important to know how to create underlay manually
Slide 3
What is Underlay?
Underlay is the most important and most under rated element of creating your embroidery design.
Underlay is the very foundation of your embroidery design. It is just as important as the foundation of
your house!
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Basic Functions of Underlay
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It attaches the garment to the backing creating a stable surface and platform for the top stitching
It helps to reduce the amount of give in the fabric
It hides the color of the fabric that will be covered with top stitching
It helps to reduce the density of the top stitching
It stops the fabric from puckering
It keeps the stitches from sinking into the fabric
Slide 5
The Basic Rules Of Underlay
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Run stitch length can vary
Underlay stitching must be consistent
©Joyce Jagger, The Embroidery Coach
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Underlay density needs to be increased or decreased depending on the effect that you are trying
to achieve.
Underlay should be created at the same time as the object or lettering
You can use multiple types of underlay in one segment.
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Types of Automatic Underlay
Each embroidery Software has its own names for the underlay but they all create the same types of
underlay.
• Contour or Edgerun (This is a Run stitch that is created just on the inside of the column or
letter. It runs around the entire edge of the column or letter)
• Perpendicular or Center Run (This is a run stitch that runs down the center of the letter or
column. In some programs such as the Pulse program, you can create as many columns as you
need)
• Zig Zag (Can be a low density Satin Stitch across the column or letter or a run stitch created in
the form of a zig zag across the column or letter. It can also be created on an angle)
• Lattice-Tatami or Grid Stitch (This is a low density fill stitch usually created at the opposite
angle of the top stitching-Can be a complete lattice for more coverage)
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These same types of underlay stitches can be created manually.
Slide 8
When Do You Need To Create Manual Underlay?
• When the lettering or column does not look crisp or clean
• When the lettering is smaller than .25 inches
• When the columns are narrower than 1 millimeter
• When the areas of a complex fill segment need to remain open and they have lines across them
that were created by the underlay
• When your embroidery software program will not allow you enough choices or the ability to
create multiple layers of underlay.
Slide 9
Show sample of uneven underlay- The lettering would look jagged on one side because the underlay is
in further on the right side than the left side. It will not give you a crisp clean edge.
Slide 10
Carbone Sample of narrow lettering less than 1 millimeter in width. This edgerun or contour underlay
is .30 mm from the edge of the stitchpoint. You can create a run stitch closer to the edge if you do it by
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©Joyce Jagger, The Embroidery Coach
hand rather than using the Automatics. You have more control over the outcome. Make sure that you
have enough space between your letters and on the inside of your letters before you start.
Slide 11
Small lettering from Carbone sample. I was able to do a edgerun or contour underlay .30 millimeters
from the edge. This Is what was needed on this sample to keep the lettering from sinking into the fill
stitches. They sewed out very crisp and clean.
Slide 12
Sample of manual Underlay 3MM from the edge. Only .1 pull comp on this one. This lettering had a
wide column although it is only 3.7 millimeters high and I could only apply a very small amount of
pull comp to this. I digitized this lettering and it was a wide lettering to begin with.
Slide 13
Here is the design that had the word empire in it. I also had to digitized 1 mm stars along the side. I
wanted to show this to you so that you could see how good the stars looked. They are run stitches and
they turned out very good. They are simple to do. I have shown this to you in a previous video but I
wanted to repeat it here.
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This is a design that requires fill stitches but you absolutely cannot apply the automatic underlay to it.
Each time I tried, it would end up showing in the areas that are to be left open. Applying underlay to
this takes a little time and how much you add depends on what type of fabric it is going to be sewn on.
When I created this design, it was going to be sewn on golf towels so it had to have a lot of underlay in
order to make the loops of the terry stay down and be completely covered up.
Working in the Software
Working with Text lettering
Create your text lettering in the font and size that you want your finished lettering design to be.
You must convert it to segments, break it up or ungroup. Whatever way that your lettering or editing
program will allow you to break it apart so that your lettering is in pieces. Each letter may be in one
piece or it may be in several pieces.
I typed in the word PROGRAM all in upper case at 5 mm in a basic block font.
I also typed in the word Program in upper and lower case in 5mm in the same basic block
I then typed in the word PROGRAM all in upper case at 5mm in a font with serifs.
I also typed in the word Program in upper and lower case in 5mm in the same font with serifs.
Apply the automatic underlay so that you can see how it is lacking in some areas.
Go through the following steps to create the manual underlay
1. Remove the auto underlay if any has been applied.
2. Apply the pullcomp. For this example I am going to apply .30 pull comp for a knit fabric. You
must know how much pull comp you are applying before you even create your underlay. If
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©Joyce Jagger, The Embroidery Coach
you are placing a .40 millimeters inset distance for your underlay it will be .40 millimeters from
the penetration point of the needle when you do use the auto underlay settings in your software.
When you are creating your underlay manually, you do not have this luxury. You must know
where the stitch points are going to be so that you have the underlay in the proper location for
the best control and outcome of your embroidery.
3. Measure the distance from the end of the stitch point to where you want to start creating the
underlay. For this example I am going to create it at .40 mm from the edge of the stitch point.
Before you can do that, you must know what .40mm from the edge looks like.
4. Create a guide line in your software so that you have something to see what .40 millimeters
looks like from the edge of your stitch point. You must apply the pull comp first so that you
know exactly how far from the edge you will apply your underlay. On some programs the auto
underlay is tied to the stitch points so they will move in or out if you change the pull comp
settings. On other programs the underlay is tied to the wireframe of the letter or the outline file.
What I mean by that is, if you change your pull compensation setting so that your stitches are
longer or shorter, the underlay will move in our out as you make these changes.
5. Pick up your run stitch tool and start plotting around the inside of your letter using this .40 MM
guide line as your guide. It does not have to be perfect, but be as consistent as you can. You
will see when you sew it out if you need to make any changes. When you are creating your
underlay, you can go even closer to the edge than the .40 mm. I regularly will create it .30 or
even .20 mm from the edge depending on the design, and what type of fabric it is being sewn
on. You can adjust the length of your run stitches to go around the curves better. If you have a
tight curve, you will need to bring the six=ze down to 1.8, 1.6 or even 1.25 if necessary. I start
out with 3mm. You can vary your stitch length throughout your design.
6. After you finished plotting around the inside of the letter, move it to be in front of the letter.
Do this as your are creating your underlay. Do not forget to create a lock stitch at the
beginning if this is on the first letter of your word. If your letters are connected, you only need
to create one for the first letter. If you have trims between each letter, you will need to create a
lock stitch on your underlay for each letter. You will not create a lock stitch on the letter itself
when you are creating your own underlay.
Working with Small Digitized Lettering
I digitized the word Program on the design. It is much too small to work with but I wanted the
lettering to look exactly the same as the design. I started by outlining the letters in the size that they
are on the artwork. I then increased the size of them to a size that I knew would work, sew out good
and look great on the finished garment. They were only 2.4 mm high, so I increased them to 4mm.
This is a manageable size even though it is still very tiny lettering. 6mm is only one quarter of an
inch. 3 mm is an eighth of an inch so 4 mm is pretty small.
After increasing my size, I apply my stitches, and then go through the same procedure as I did for
working with the text lettering.
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©Joyce Jagger, The Embroidery Coach
Creating Underlay Under A Complex Fill Segment With Holes
Many times you are faced with designs that have fill areas in them that also have holes inside of the
fill. The customer wants these areas left open and the automatic underlay wants to show inside of
these areas. In some programs you can automatically create a complex fill with holes and the
underlay will follow along perfectly. In other programs it will create lines of underlay under the holes
that are in the design. In the Tajima by Pulse program I do not have these issues as a general rule and
this is also true in Wilcom and in Design Shop, but there are other programs that do not always take
these area that are supposed to be left open into consideration when they are automatically creating the
underlay. You need to know how to get around that issue.
There are several ways that you can approach this issue. You can create your entire underlay manually
which is what I generally do. You can also create the underlay using a light density fill stitch segment
and create it in sections under the fill area. You can divide the area into several sections, depending on
your design. You may be able to create automatic underlay under some of the sections but many areas
in the center section where the holes are you would have to create it by hand. Sometimes this will
leave a ridge under your design, but you can try it and see if that method will work. You have to be
careful when you are doing this, you must overlap your underlay at the edge of the sections or you will
have gaps. This method will save you time if it will work with your particular design. All designs are
different. What will work for one piece of artwork may not work for another.
I prefer to create all of the underlay manually and then I do not have that issue.
1. Create the fill area with the holes.
2. Apply the pull comp depending on the fabric
3. Start creating the underlay.
4. It is easier to apply it in pieces rather than all at once. It is easier to go back and make
adjustments if you need to.
5. Create the edgrun or contour underlay first.
6. Start in the opposite direction or angle to create the underlay under your fill segment. Use a
different color of thread for each underlay segment that you create. This too makes it easier to
find areas that need adjusting. When you are finished you will sew it out the same color as the
top stitching.
7. Move all of the underlay to sew in front of the segment.
If you decide that you want to create it in sections, I will go through and show you how I approached
this particular design.
1. Create guide lines so that you will know where you are going to create each section. I created 4
sections. Start with the left side first. Pick up your complex fill tool and draw around the edge
of the first section of your design.
2. Make each section a different color. You will move all of this to go under your fill area after
you are finished. With each section a different color it is easier to find an area that needs
adjusting if that is necessary. You will make it all the same color after you are finished.
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©Joyce Jagger, The Embroidery Coach
3. Draw around the top section of the center area, then the bottom section of the center and then
the left side. Make sure that you place the start points on the section that you are creating the
same place that you placed the stop points on the previous section that you created. If you
program is one that you can move your start and stop, then move it to the correct location. If it
is not, then you must plan out where you are going to start and stop each section.
4. Determine how heavy your underlay needs to be to be correct for your fabric. Move your angle
lines to go 45 to 90 degrees to your top stitching fill.
5. Create a contour or edgerun underlay around the outside section. When you are finished
continue your run stitch to the first area in the center that has the holes and start creating that
area of the underlay manually. Make sure that you overlap each section so that you do not have
a gap in your underlay especially if it is going to be on a heavy fabric like a terry cloth. This
particular design was going on a heavy terry golf towel and I had to be careful that I had
enough underlay to hold down all of the loops.
You can also fill in the entire area, not leave any holes at all and then create small areas inside of the
design that were supposed to be left open. These small areas can be embroidered the same color as the
garment and sometimes the customer is totally happy with that. This is not my preferred method, but if
you have a customer that does not want to pay a lot of money for their item it will save your digitizing
time and it may work for a one of a kind project. Most of my customers would not accept this type of
work, but it all depends on what your customer would be willing to accept.
I went through the process of creating a sew out of each one of the 3 methods. The method that I
prefer, all manual underlay looked the best in my opinion. The second method, where I created part of
the underlay manually and the remainder using automatic underlay came in a close second. Honestly,
most customers would not know the difference.
The third method, creating the entire tree with no holes, using all automatic underlay and adding the
sections on top in a satin stitch looked like blobs on the tree. To me, this is not acceptable, but for
some customers, this too would probably be OK. They may not know the difference in high quality
and decent quality.
I hope that I have helped you to learn how to create your own manual underlay. It is not hard, it just
takes more time than using the automatic settings, but your end result is well worth the time. Am I
saying always create your own, absolutely not, just in the cases where you cannot seem to have any
control on how your letter or segment is stitching out. Learning these small and to be simple
techniques makes a huge difference in the outcome of your finished product!
You want to set yourself and your designs apart from the competition and this is one way that you can
do that!
Joyce Jagger
The Embroidery Coach
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©Joyce Jagger, The Embroidery Coach