Investigation of the Effects of Embroidery Parameters on Physical Properties and Thermal Comfort

Abstract

Embroidery is the process of transferring a pattern to the textile surface by sewing. Embroidery, which increases the value-added of the product with ornamentation technique, is indispensable for clothing manufacturers that particularly care about the brand image. With the development of computerized sewing machines, embroidery, which is a traditional ornamentation technique, can be performed using different methods and materials in multi-needle and multi-head embroidery machines. As a result of technological developments and the effect of fashion, embroidery has become an important field of ornamentation on textile surfaces, especially for industrial branches such as clothing, home textile and footwear. Since the primary aim of embroidery is pattern transfer, special attention has been paid to visual quality, while the quality factors related to usage have remained in the background. This research studies the effects of embroidery on clothing comfort in terms of embroidery parameters. Growing embroidery sizes, because of the reasons such as emphasizing the brand image and the fashion trends, enrich the product visually. However, growing embroidery sizes affect the physical and clothing comfort properties. In this study, the main two embroidery parameters, which add visual richness to the product, the embroidery stitch length and the weight of the fusing paper are used. The fusing paper increases the stability of the embroidery by remaining between the lower thread and the fabric. By using the same yarn on two types of fabric, single jersey and pique, the effects of embroidery stitch length and fusing paper properties on physical and thermal comfort properties are analyzed. As a result of this study, it has been observed that embroidery affects the clothing comfort properties of a garment. The increase in the weight of the fusing paper used and the increase in the needle penetration number affect the thermal behavior. As an outstanding conclusion, when the same fusing paper is used, the increase in needle penetration number relatively decreases the thermal and water vapour resistance, due to the increased number of needle holes.