Itchy Designs

Do you know someone with sensitive skin, who removes labels because they irritate? Do they complain that anything you embroider is too itchy? Are you worried that embroidery will irritate a newborn baby's delicate skin?

Start with the stabilizer. A tear-away or water-soluble stabilizer will not itch, but sometimes you need the support of a cutaway stabilizer, especially on knits. My favorite is polymesh by Madeira, a woven stabilizer that frays into soft edges.

The next problem is the bobbin thread. Be sure to use cotton. Check the design for unnecessary tie-off stitches, as these can make little knots on the back of the design that will irritate the skin. Yes, you need to secure thread ends, but a few stitches will suffice. Lettering will often have tie off stitches at the end of each letter, even where there is no jump stitch to clip.

Now look at design placement. You want the design to float over the skin, not press into it, so stitch the design where it will be most comfortable. On a shirt, a left chest placement is better than centering the design. Embroider in unusual places. If embroidering boxer shorts, place the design near the hem on the front. Embroider near the sleeve hem of a t-shirt.

If the design is still too itchy, try covering the back with a layer of soft stabilizer. You can place a layer of polymesh under the design just before stitching the outline (if that is the final part of the design). That way, all the stitches are covered except for the outline. If the garment is 100% cotton, a layer of fusible tricot interfacing can be ironed over the back of the design (fusibles tend to peel off of synthetic fabrics after several washings). Or you can hand sew a soft fabric over the back of the design, catching the edges of the design with hand stitches.

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