Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. A characteristic of embroidery is that the basic techniques or stitches of the earliest work—chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch—remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today. Machine embroidery, arising in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, mimics hand embroidery, especially in the use of chain stitches, but the "satin stitch" and hemming stitches of machine work rely on the use of multiple threads and resemble hand work in their appearance, not their construction.

It is generally too expensive to stitch very large letters or designs. You can capture a fully embroidered look by using a combination of stitching with other processes.

Digitizing your image
Every design when received for embroidery must be digitized - convereted to a computer program. The program "instructs" embroidery equipment.

Each logo has a final "stitch count" and that determines the amount of time it takes for the machine to complete the work and ultimately determines the price per unit. True high-quality digitizing needs to be done by a highly skilled digitizing artist who understands the embroidery machines. Developing the embroidery process is complex and the degree of success usually falls with the digitizer. If this process in not completed correctly, the finished product will not look right. With low quality digitizing, letters may not be straight, the garment color may be seen through open areas that should be filled, or portions of the artwork may not even be legible. A job well done creates an exceptional look with the fewest stitches. The charge is always one-time unless there are chages, referred to as edits.

It is always best to have two seperate files: one for flat garments and one for caps as caps have a curve that impacts the stitching sequence.

Large scale embroidery, such as the full back of a jacket is generally cost prohibitive. The larger or more complex the artwork, the more stitches it takes to create, therefore the more expensive it is to finish. Embroidery uses thread and a control program to stitch images right into fabric. Embroidered garments carry a more professional, formal and more luxurious look. Embroidery is very popular on polo shirts, oxfords, jackets, hats, and bags. Embroidery tends to draw more attention because of the way it catches the eye.

Applique
An applique uses flat material to cover large areas of a design. Stitching is generally used around the edges and can pass through the design to give the impression of a completely embroidered look. Appliques are produced by specialty houses and this type of work is most cost effective with large orders.

Tackle Twill
For large letters or numbers such as team uniforms, Tackle Twill is generally used. In this process polyester twill material is cut to form the letter(s). It is then stitched to the garment with a perimeter stitch.

Chenille
A chenille is a patch that is produced by a specialty house. Letters, numbers and/ or designs have a fully stitched and raised interior and it attached to a garment with a perimeter stitch. Chenilles can add dimension and depth to a garment and are most often seen as school athletic initials.