Neckline cutout machine embroidery designs

Decorative Neckline Cutout Tutorial

Watch the Video Tutorial

This tutorial provides standard embroidery instructions for all decorative neckline designs.

Materials Needed & Their Purpose

• T-Shirt or Desired Garment: This is the fabric you will be embroidering on. Any soft or stretchy fabric may require extra stabilization.
• Iron-On Lightweight Stabilizer (Optional for Stretchy Fabrics): This helps reinforce soft or stretchy fabrics, preventing distortion during embroidery. It is especially useful for T-shirts and knit fabrics.
• Medium-Weight Tear-Away or Wash-Away Fabric-Type Stabilizer:
  • Tear-Away Stabilizer: Used for stable fabrics and designs that don’t require a see-through finish. It provides support and can be easily torn away after stitching.
  • Wash-Away Stabilizer: Best for delicate fabrics or lace designs. It dissolves in water, leaving no residue behind.
• Pins or Fabric Marker: These help mark the garment's center and align it properly with the embroidery placement guide. Pins are preferred to avoid leaving ink marks.
• Scissors: Used for trimming excess fabric after tack-down stitching and for making clean, precise cuts around the neckline.

Recommended Scissors

I use scissors from Fiskars and Kai, which I truly adore. You can find them on Amazon at the following links:

• Kai 4-inch Curved Needlecraft Scissors: https://www.amazon.com/Kai-4-inch-Curved-Needlecraft-Scissors/dp/B008AY90PY

• Fiskars Curved Craft Scissors, Orange: https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-98087097J-Curved-Scissors-Orange/dp/B000B7OSS2

While I find Kai scissors to be superior, they pose a higher risk of cutting through the base fabric. Fiskars scissors, on the other hand, may require sharpening after some use. For that, the Fiskars Clip-Sharp Scissors Sharpener is an excellent choice, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-6411501960078-Clip-Sharp-Total-Length/dp/B001GHV3AM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

Overall, my preference leans towards Kai for their quality.

• Water-Soluble Topping (WSS Topping): This is placed over the fabric before stitching to prevent stitches from sinking into soft or textured fabrics. It enhances stitch clarity and is removed with water after embroidery.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Garment and Stabilizer

• Turn the shirt inside out.
• If your fabric is soft or stretchy, iron a lightweight stabilizer onto the wrong side where the neckline will be. This helps keep the fabric stable while stitching. This step is optional.

• Mark the center of the shirt using a pin or a disappearing fabric marker. A pin is recommended to avoid ink residue.

Step 2: Stitch the Placement Line on Stabilizer

• Hoop a medium-weight tear-away stabilizer and stitch the placement outline using the embroidery machine.
• This outline ensures the correct neckline shape and serves as a guide for alignment.

Step 3: Align and Secure the Garment

Proper alignment is crucial for achieving a professional and symmetrical neckline. Follow these steps to ensure accuracy:

1. Find and Mark the Center: Before placing the garment on the stabilizer, identify the exact center of the design area. You can do this by folding the T-shirt in half lengthwise and pressing lightly to create a crease, then using a fabric marker or pin to mark the center point.

2. Place the T-Shirt Over the Placement Line: Lay the garment on top of the placement outline that was stitched onto the stabilizer. Ensure the center mark on the garment aligns perfectly with the center of the outline.
3. Set the Sides for Even Alignment: Once the center is set, smooth out the fabric and ensure both sides of the neckline align symmetrically with the placement line. Adjust the fabric as needed.

4. Secure the Garment: To prevent shifting, pin around the edges of the neckline (outside the embroidery area), use embroidery tape, or apply a light mist of temporary embroidery spray adhesive to keep the fabric flat and secure on the stabilizer.

5. Ensure the Fabric is Completely Flat: Smooth out any wrinkles or folds before starting the embroidery. Double-check that the neckline is evenly positioned.

Step 4: Stitch the Tack-Down Seam

Once secured, you’re ready to proceed. Run the next step in the embroidery design, which will tack down the fabric to the stabilizer before cutting.

Step 5: Trim the Fabric

• Before continuing, carefully trim the excess fabric from inside the neckline along the tack-down stitches.
• Cut close to the seam for a clean finish.

• If you are using an additional appliqué technique for decorative elements, stop the machine after the placement and tack-down stitches for those elements, trim the extra fabric, and then resume stitching.

Step 6: Embroider the Satin Edge

• Stitch the decorative satin edge around the neckline to give it a polished, professional finish.

• If the design includes extra details like lace edges or other decorative elements, complete those steps as per the embroidery file sequence.

Step 7: Finish and Remove Stabilizer

• Carefully trim or tear away the excess stabilizer from the back.
• If using a water-soluble stabilizer for lace edges, rinse it under warm water to dissolve it. Now your embroidered neckline is complete!