How to embroider T-shirts and knits without puckering

To embroider a T-shirt without puckering, back it with cut-away stabilizer (a fusible no-show mesh is ideal on light shirts), hoop the shirt flat but never stretched, sew with a ballpoint embroidery needle and choose an open, light design rather than a dense fill. A water-soluble topping on top keeps the stitches from sinking into the knit.

Why do knits pucker?

Because a knit stretches and every stitch pulls on it. If the fabric is stretched while it's hooped, the fibres relax unevenly once the hoop comes off, and the embroidery puckers. OESD describes the result: pull the knit in the hoop and "you may notice the garment has puckering/rippling once you remove the hoop."

Madeira's FAQ lists the other usual suspects: the stitch sequence or stitch count, top-thread tension set too high, hooping, and the wrong backing. OESD adds what too little stabilizer does: puckers, holes in the fabric and gaps between the fills and the outlines. Each step below removes one of these causes.

What you need

• Cut-away stabilizer: a no-show or poly mesh for light shirts, preferably fusible; a 2.0 oz cut-away for heavier shirts. Madeira's chart suggests a 2.0 oz cut-away or a 1.0 to 1.5 oz no-show mesh for a medium 4 oz T-shirt.
• Water-soluble topping. Sulky, OESD and Madeira all use one on T-shirts so the stitches don't sink into the knit; it matters most on ribbed and textured knits.
• Ballpoint embroidery needles, size 75/11.
• Temporary spray adhesive or sticky stabilizer if you float the shirt.
• 40 wt polyester embroidery thread, which handles frequent washing; the thread guide compares it with rayon.

Step 1: Prewash and press the shirt

OESD's T-shirt tutorial starts here: "Prewash and dry the t-shirt to preshrink before embroidering. Turn the shirt inside out. Press without stretching the fabric." A shirt that shrinks after it has been embroidered puckers around the design, however well it was stitched.

Step 2: Back it with cut-away

Cut-away stays behind the embroidery and keeps supporting it through every wash. OESD calls it "required when stitching on knits and any garment that will be subject to frequent washings," and Madeira puts it this way: with cut-away, the backing supports the design throughout the life of the garment.

For light shirts, a no-show mesh doesn't shadow through. OESD's left-chest tutorial recommends two layers of poly mesh cut-away "because it won't shadow through the T-shirt." A fusible mesh is easier still: ironed onto the back, it makes the knit behave almost like a stable woven, as Sulky describes its fusible cut-away. Fuse it with the shirt lying relaxed, not stretched.

The stabilizer guide compares cut-away weights and covers the exceptions, such as sticky stabilizers for hard-to-hoop knits.

Step 3: Hoop it relaxed, or float it

The fabric should lie in the hoop as it lies on the table. Sulky's chart says it in seven words: "Always hoop fabric in its relaxed lie." Sue Hausmann, writing for Sulky, describes her own lesson: "Only the stabilizer needed to be taut!"

You have two ways to do it:

1. Hoop the shirt and stabilizer together. Fuse the mesh first, smooth the shirt into the hoop without pulling, and tighten the screw. BERNINA's educator prefers this for knits, because the hoop keeps the stretchy fabric from shifting.
2. Float the shirt. Hoop the cut-away alone, spray it lightly with temporary adhesive (spray the stabilizer, not the shirt), and smooth the shirt on top. OESD notes that a floated project should be watched while it stitches.

Use the smallest hoop that fits the design. For a left-chest design that is usually a 4x4; the hoop sizes guide lists the fields.

Step 4: Use a ballpoint needle

A ballpoint needle slides between the knit loops instead of piercing them. OESD's needle tips explain the risk of a sharp needle: if a fibre in a stretchy fabric is cut, it "can cause a tiny hole to form." OESD recommends a 75/11 ballpoint embroidery needle for light to mid-weight T-shirts.

Schmetz's standard embroidery needle (130/705 H-E) already has a medium ball point. Its jersey needle, made for knits, comes in sizes 70, 80, 90 and 100. For very stretchy fabric with elastane, Schmetz suggests its stretch needle.

Step 5: Choose a design that suits a knit

Knits look best with open, light designs. OESD's knit guidance warns that dense designs "may be too heavy for the knit fabric," causing "wrinkles, puckering, and a heavy appearance." BERNINA's educator recommends "low to medium density and lots of open areas," and Brother's stabiliser table says to avoid heavily filled areas and wide satin fillings on light knits.

Practical choices:

• Outline-led designs over solid blocks of fill. A design built from outlines and smaller colour areas flexes with the shirt.
• The right size, not a scaled one. Our default 50 mm suits a small chest motif and baby bodysuits, 70 mm small children's shirts, 95 mm a left chest and 125 mm a front. Shrinking a big design makes it denser, which is the last thing a knit needs.
• Heavier knits for denser designs. A design you love that is heavy on fill belongs on a sweatshirt rather than a fine jersey.
• Compare stitch counts. At the same size, a higher stitch count means a denser design. Design pages show the count, and the embroidery file viewer shows it for any file.

Step 6: Stitch, finish and wash

1. Remove the topping: tear off the excess, then dab the rest away with a damp cloth.
2. Trim the cut-away about ¼ in (6 mm) from the design. OESD advises against cutting closer, which risks nicking stitches and can leave a ridge.
3. Press the area. Brother notes that pressing can get rid of minor puckering and distortion.
4. Cover the back on baby clothes with a soft iron-on cover so the stitches don't scratch; see our baby designs for motifs sized for small garments.

Where to place a T-shirt design

The left-chest figure comes from Embroidery Library's placement guide. When in doubt, follow Gunold's advice and place a chest design a little high rather than low. Names and initials on shirts are covered in the monogram guide.

Troubleshooting T-shirt embroidery