For Sparkle, Look to Supertwist by Madeira USA
Bling is the thing! Defined as adding sparkle, glitz, etc. to the everyday wardrobe, Madeira USA provides embroiderers a Supertwist thread that delivers sparkle, shine and the ability to stand out from the crowd. The “wow” factor of Supertwist can be used as an accent to create a warm tone in a classic design or to create a dazzling modern twist to a typical motif such as a Christmas tree.
Pat Williams, a digitizer in Arizona, advocates adding Supertwist to your inventory, even if you do mostly corporate designs. “Adding sparkle to the water in a swimming pool logo, or digitizing a glass in a restaurant logo with Supertwist thread will set your work above that of your competition,” she believes, adding, “I love having the ability to add sparks of creativity to my designs.”
Rich Medcraft, a digitizer in Washington, has perfected the art of producing high quality embroidery designs with Supertwist by reducing density settings. “The metallic Supertwist thread is thicker than regular rayon, therefore lighter densities are used,” Rich explains. “This allows the stitches to lie side by side without overlapping, which enables the embroiderer to produce a very polished design.”
Madeira Supertwist #30 comes in an array of sparkling solids, iridescent shades of opal, as well as multi and crystal colors. With a greater weight than rayon, high quality embroidery may be achieved by using lower tensions on your embroidery machine and lower density in your embroidery designs. Supertwist #30 comes in 68 sparkling solid colors. In addition, there are 17 opal-colors, 17 multi-colors and 34 crystal-colors, resulting in 136 glittering shades. Each 1100-yard spool yields approximately 200,000 stitches. Supertwist is constructed from 30% metalized polyester and 70% polyamide. It can be washed at up to 60 degree wash water.
Q & A
Do I need to change my needle when switching to Supertwist?
Yes, when using Supertwist #30 you should use a 90/14 size needle. If you have any problems threading the needle try this: Make a loop of a length of regular rayon thread and put the two ends of the regular thread through the eye of the needle. Drop the end of the Supertwist that is thread onto your machine through the rayon loop. Pull the ends of the rayon thread through the eye of the needle, the Supertwist will be pulled though with it.
If I want to use stock designs and add the sparkle of Supertwist to them what changes need to be made?
You will need to do one of two things to reduce the density. First, if you have a stitch processor in your embroidery software, reduce the density in the areas for the Supertwist by about 20%. If you don't edit in your software, try increasing the size of your design by 10%. That should reduce the density enough to allow for the thicker thread. Tension is slightly different with these 30 weight threads, too. Lighten up on the pre-tension to allow the thread to pass through them; control looping by tightening up the regular tension knob. Machine speed may have to be adjusted as well. A slower speed will smooth the progress of embroidering more difficult designs. (Madeira recommends an embroidery speed of 650 - 700 spm for Supertwist.) The bobbin thread should also be changed to the thinnest thread when using Supertwist.
Is there a recommended backing for designs sewn with Supertwist?
Supertwist doesn’t require any specific backing. Your choice of backing will still depend on the type of fabric you are sewing on.
Lantern and Holly:
In digitizing her holiday hurricane lamp, Pat used Supertwist #312 to create the look of glass surrounding the candle. The subtle reflection created by the metallic thread worked well to create a delicate 3-D effect. Pat adds, “Supertwist threads are great around the holidays to give sparkle, or the effect of snow, to seasonal embroidery. But remember, since Supertwist is a little heavier than regular 40 weight thread, it requires less density in the design, as well as a larger needle.”
Christmas Tree:
Rich explains the technical detail behind his contemporary Christmas tree design: “The background for my holiday tree is created with Classic Rayon #40.. A layer of Supertwist is stitched over the top, using a gradient density, or slightly greater density, on the top half. This provides a nice 'sparkle' effect. The tree and star are stitched using all Supertwist. The tree is digitized with only an edge-walk underlay and light top density. This design will sew well on knits as well as woven garments. I recommend a medium Cut Away backing, like 2 oz., for knits and a medium 2 oz. Tear Away backing for wovens.”
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