Save Your Project from a Bad Embroidery Job

By Lacey Stephens, Supplies Specialist

You just started an embroidery job. Halfway through or after it’s finished, you realize it’s the wrong color. Or wrong design. Or some other mistake you didn’t catch beforehand. Instead of throwing away the garment, you can erase the design and start over.

How? I suggest using a Peggy Stitch Eraser to save your embroidery work. This handy tool can be a lifesaver and end up saving you from a headache and wasted materials.

First, you need to make sure the replacement blade on the tool is in good condition and sharp. I never recommend sewing over the mistake to try and cover it because it can eat the garment since there is already so much thread gathered. There is a high possibility that the previous color of thread that was already embroidered will show through also. Try to keep your garment hooped while shaving off the thread, if possible. It will be easier to save the design since everything will be in the exact same spot. Shaving a garment or hat will shave out your backing as well, so make sure you tape on a new backing on the garment before placing it back onto the machine. If your garment has come unhooped, then do the best you can to hoop it as close as it was. These can be tricky and difficult but with practice, it pays off. Keep in mind in some cases when the garment goes unhooped, it may not work at all when trying to rehoop, and you will have to redo the embroidery job on a new garment.

Be careful when using the Peggy Stitch Eraser for shaving a polo, thin garment, or unstructured hat. It will shave holes in the material if pressed too hard. Always shave the back of the embroidery along the bobbin and then gently scratch the top of the garment, removing all of the thread pieces.

Once you have your garment nice and clean, place back onto the machine and do an outline of the logo to make sure you are still centered. Sometimes, it helps to enlarge the logo by 2% or to raise the swing on letters by 1%, to help cover those pesky holes showing. If you have a small tear or hole showing in your hat or garment from a needle break or from shaving, it is possible to save this, but only if it is small and will be covered by the embroidery. You can use a small piece of Scotch tape or Solvy and place on the front over the hole for a quick fix. This will give the thread something to hold on to and give it some structure allowing it to cover.

Back up your design and resew through where the mistake was made. Once you have sewn past the mistake, stop your machine and remove all the excess tape or Solvy before continuing to embroider. I would also suggest slowing your machine down when trying to fix mistakes. It will allow you to see where those stitches will be going, especially on a more expensive project.

Please remember if your garment unhoops during embroidery, there is a possibility to save it, but it is the most difficult. Always try to center it exactly where it was before. In my experience with these, I have ran outline after outline trying to match these up and sometimes they still won’t cooperate, so always make sure your hoops are tight and nothing will get caught while embroidering.

Being mindful of these adjustments and with practice, the Peggy Stitch Eraser should be able to erase mistakes as you rework embroidery designs on the same garment.

If you would like to purchase a Peggy Stitch Eraser and to see a tutorial video from Gunold, click here.

Please visit our online store at www.siistore.com to check out more of our embroidery accessories to help with your projects.