Custom T Shirt Screen Printing and Embroidery

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Basic Embroidery Techniques: Satin Stitch

To take advantage of all the great embroidery services that Broken Arrow has to offer, you should know there are two main embroidery techniques that are used when applying lettering or numbers to your garment: satin and step-satin stitch embroidery.

They create the same design, but bring different visual effects and textures to the design. The following information will help you choose the perfect embroidery for your garment.

Satin Stitch Embroidery

An example of satin stitch embroidery

Satin stitch gets its name from its sheen as it catches the light to reflect a soft, yet bright, color such as satin does. A satin stitch is often used for lettering, 2 inches or smaller in height. This stitch produces a lower stitch count overall, is used on simple designs and gives a smooth clean satin finish.

This is our standard embroidery stitch. If you would like to see some examples of our embroidery work, please visit our Custom Embroidery Design Samples page or our Art Approval Directory.

Step-Satin Stitch Embroidery

An example of step-satin stitch embroidery

Step-satin stitch is useful when enlarging lettering or creating a large design that is 3 inches or larger. Step satin is made up of smaller stitches that fill a larger area, whereas satin stitches use one stitch to cover an entire area. When used on large designs or letters, this stitch eliminates the possibility of snags or allowing your design to be vulnerable to everyday wear.

Embroidered letters and numbers can be done with either of the above applications to produce beautiful custom embroidered apparel.

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Our Showroom

Broken Arrow Showroom
4133 Merle Hay Road
Des Moines, Iowa 50310 USA
Phone: 515.251.6999
Toll Free: 800.810.4692

Showroom Hours
Monday-Friday: 8am-6pm Central Time