working with twill

[the_original_sean]

the embroidery route isnt really panning out for me so i was thinking about screen printing some twill for some one off jerseys. anyone have any tips on cutting, sewing- just working with twill in general? does it fray? is it easy to cut? could a blade be used for more accuracy?

[greyraven8]

the embroidery route isnt really panning out for me so i was thinking about screen printing some twill for some one off jerseys. anyone have any tips on cutting, sewing- just working with twill in general? does it fray? is it easy to cut? could a blade be used for more accuracy?

i've used tackle twill (material generally used for sewn on numbers). if you want simple crests, you can do it in all tackle twill. you can layer tackle twill colours on top of each other to make the simpler crest (like the original canucks "stick in the rink crest", the colorado rockies crest, etc.)

tackle twill generally has a glue adhesive on the back - you can iron it on for a temporary hold to sew on a jersey (works somewhat) or if have a local shop you frequent that does the heat press vinyl numbers, they may heat press your crest onto your jersey for free (better hold).

if ironing on tackle twill, would recommend putting some damp thin cotton material (old white t-shirt) between the iron and the twill. high heat with steam. i've done crests without the material in between, but you have to careful about leaving marks then (colour is a bit darker). the only problem i've ever had with actual burning or melting of tackle twill was with a metallic silver colour.

i haven't done screen printing.

cutting isn't a problem - i usually just use scissors; occasionally have used a blade.

as long as you use a tight zig-zag stick, there isn't usually fraying.

be sure too get a needle for you sewing machine that is for more heavy duty material.

if you find you machine is skipping a stitch every so often, that usually means you needle is too dull and you need a new one.

here's an example of one crest i made and sewed on a blank green jersey. also have other pics on webshots - some that have crests i made - nordiques, rockies, original canucks, stingers, german eagle.

if my explanations aren't clear or you need additional info. - feel free to ask.

shamrocks crest

[the_original_sean]

wow that was obscenely helpful. that's nice work on the crests you've made.

is there a difference between twill and tackle twill?

[JustAnothaVictim]

Isn't it called "tackle" twill because of the heat fix backing? There's also the term "poly twill"

[the_original_sean]

i think twill is an umbrella term for fabrics with a certain type of weave. so as justanothavictim pointed out, it's polyester woven in a twill fashion. or rayon. rayon is shiny so i think that explains the sheen jersey letters have. or maybe a composite of both? here are a few definitions i found for tackle twill.

# A tough fabric invented and patented by R. J. Liebe. It was originally used for American football pants.

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tackle_twill

# Letters or numbers cut from polyester or rayon twill fabric that are commonly used for athletic teams and organizations. Tackle twill appliqués attached to a garment have an adhesive backing that tacks them in place; the edges of the appliqués are then zipzap stitched.

www.qualitylogoproducts.com/Glossary-T.htm

# Twill material with a heat-seal backing, usually used for letters or numbers that are cut and sewn onto garments with a zigzag tack-down border.

dickssportinggoods.com/info/index.jsp

# Text characters cut from twill fabric with an adhesive backing; typically used for athletic applications, the backing allows the character to be ...

myitsabout.com/index_files/glossary.htm