Dimensional puff embroidery adds visual and retail appeal to any logo or artwork, whether you choose to lift the entire design (like a team name on a cap) or just raise select elements. Want a winning combination? Decorate higher-margin, higher-perceived-value garments and accessories to make more – and repeat – sales. Here are four hot trends in three-dimensional embroidery:

Jacket Backs & Full-Front Designs
For bigger-ticket items like jackets, sweatshirts and hoodies, you can pull out all the stops on larger, more elaborate front and back designs. According to the latest ASI Global Ad Impressions Study, people keep outerwear for an average of 16 months, longer than any other branded item. In the U.S., outerwear also generates the most impressions (6,100) because it’s usually worn in public places.

3-D foam is a popular technique for creating statement-making headwear. Photo courtesy of Emily Tanko

Totes & Other Bag Styles
With puffed logos and monograms (one cool idea: flowers with a few 3-D petals for a landscape company)a bag offers endless opportunities for a brand to be seen. Plus, with more than a few states instituting plastic bag bans, tote bags – which score brands 3,300 impressions – are a great item to pitch to clients as giveaways or point-of-sale purchase. Colleges and Greek organizations, athletic teams, fitness facilities, retail and resorts are all great candidates for embellished totes, book bags, hobo bags, duffels and more.  

Caps & Hats
“Word” embroidery is hot on the runway and at retail – and what better place to showcase a beloved team, brand name or cause than on someone’s head? Headwear also delivers a large number of impressions (3,400), so it’s a great way to create brand and team awareness. Tip: You can use 3-D foam to mask the underlying fabric or product texture such as on straw hat brims with monograms.

3-D Embroidery Over Screen or Digital Printing
Multimedia designs achieve two goals: They create a desirable, retail-worthy look, plus they save on valuable production time in terms of stitch count. Lots of decorators screen print or direct-to-garment print full-color, photorealistic artwork on garments and accessories with words or specific elements puffed up to create dimension, interest and flair.

Foam Embroidery Done Right

Here are six tips to ensure your puff designs are on point:

1. Don’t skimp on digitizing. Work with a digitizer who understands how to program 3-D elements. Tip: You’ll need longer stitches to account for the space the foam occupies. Plus, foam works best on designs that have a solid underlay border and satin stitches across the foam.

2. It’s better to be dense. Don’t use delicate, slippery or lofty fabrics (like towels). You’ll need denser, sturdier fabrics like cap material to support the in-hoop movement and greater stitch density.

3. Use a larger needle. For 3-D designs, a larger needle such as an 80/12 will make larger holes in the foam, which will help perforate it more, making it easier to tear away excess foam once the design is complete.

4. Go thinner. Use as thin a foam as possible to produce the effect you want; this makes the whole 3-D embroidery process easier.

5. Vary your stitch density. For puff embroidery designs, the top stitch layers should be denser than the base layers. You can use a thick top satin layer for loft. Plus, always keep your underlay stitches close together.

6. Know your limitations. Not every design will look good in foam. If you use too much underlay or a heavy fill stitch over foam, you probably won’t love the effect. Tip: Always sew out a test sample so you can troubleshoot any issues for your clients.

Executing crisp puff embroidery requires skill and experience, but once you’ve mastered it, this special imprinting service will hook clients and keep them for years to come.

Ed Levy has more than 25 years of apparel-decorating experience. The director of software technologies for Hirsch Solutions, Levy speaks at trade shows and is a regular contributor to industry magazines.