Stabilizer for T-shirts
For T-shirts, use medium cut-away (2.5 oz) for a typical logo, no-show mesh or light cut-away (1.5–2 oz) for light designs and heavy cut-away (3 oz) or two layers for dense ones. Topping: not usually needed. Needle: 75/11 ballpoint. Hoop the backing with the shirt, smooth but not stretched.
| Design | Examples | Backing |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Text, outlines, open designs | No-show mesh or light cut-away (1.5–2 oz) |
| Medium | A typical logo | Medium cut-away (2.5 oz) |
| Dense | Full fills, patches, big logos | Heavy cut-away (3 oz) or two layers |
Topping
Not usually needed
Needle
75/11 ballpoint
Hooping
Hoop the backing with the shirt, smooth but not stretched.
Good to know
On light-colored shirts, no-show (poly) mesh doesn't shadow through. Avoid tear-away: knits stretch and the design distorts.
Settings tuned for T-shirts
Pick the Knit (T-shirt, polo) fabric setting and Embrizo adjusts density, underlay and pull compensation for you before it makes the stitches.
- Fill spacing
- 0.43 mm
- Satin spacing
- 0.42 mm
- Pull compensation
- 0.3 mm
- Underlay
- Heavy
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Designs made for T-shirts
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Stabilizer questions
The quickest way to see what it does with your artwork is to try it. With a free account, digitizing and previewing cost nothing and take about a minute.
What stabilizer should I use for T-shirts?
For T-shirts, use medium cut-away (2.5 oz) for a typical logo, no-show mesh or light cut-away (1.5–2 oz) for light designs and heavy cut-away (3 oz) or two layers for dense ones. Topping: not usually needed. Needle: 75/11 ballpoint. Hoop the backing with the shirt, smooth but not stretched.
Do I need a topping on T-shirts?
Not usually needed. A water-soluble topping keeps stitches from sinking into piled or textured fabric and rinses away after sewing.
What needle is best for embroidering T-shirts?
75/11 ballpoint. Change it every 8 to 10 hours of sewing, or sooner if it starts to skip or snag.
How do I know if a design is light, medium or dense?
Light designs are mostly lettering, outlines and open line art; a typical logo with some fills is medium; patches and designs filled edge to edge are dense. The stitch count chart shows typical counts by size.
What digitizer settings suit T-shirts?
In Embrizo, pick the Knit (T-shirt, polo) fabric setting: fill rows 0.43 mm apart, 0.3 mm pull compensation and heavy underlay, tuned for this kind of fabric.
Sizes for T-shirts
Other fabrics
Read: How to embroider a T-shirtReady to stitch on T-shirts?
Sign up free, upload a logo or picture, pick the fabric and get a ready-to-sew file tuned for it.