Effects of Supertwist

A good embroidery design has to have the right balance of textures and colour play. When choosing Supertwist for your design, you need to take these three points into consideration.

• 1. Supertwist is a very domineering thread type. Because of its thickness and rough texture it has more volume making it more puffed up when stitched. This puffing effect is more prevalent when digitised with satin stitches. With filling stitching the puffing effect is more noticeable with Supertwist #12, because the thread itself is thicker than # 30 and you get a more raised appearance.
• 2. The shimmering and sparkling effects of Supertwist make this thread very attractive to the eye.
• 3. The multi colours of both Supertwist #30 and #12 are gem-like and when light hits the thread, these mixtures of colours begin to dance and twinkle. Just using one multi colour of this thread can bring lots of activities into a design.
• 4. Supertwist #12 is a very thick thread and should be treated differently than Supertwist #30. Because of its thick and airy texture, Supertwist #12 is used best for covering large areas with loose decorative stitches or as an accent thread in combination with other thread types. Because of its volume, it creates more texture than the Supertwist #30.

When digitising for Supertwist, the distance (density) needs to be set greater. Because of its thickness this thread type needs room. Not only should the density be looser but also the elements of the design to be assigned with Supertwist should not be too small.

When digitising lettering for Supertwist  #30, the letter height should be at least 7mm or larger and the density setting  should be 20% lighter than that of a normal #40 weight thread type. Supertwist number #12 can be stitched for letter styles that are at least 20mm and higher with fat columns. The density should be set 50% lighter than normal. Tall thin letter styles and tiny types are not at all recommended for the thread thicknesses of the #12.

Creating running stitches with both Supertwist #30 and #12, the stitch length should be set around 3mm or higher. Too small stitches will only create headaches for the machine operator.

Fill stitches digitised for Supertwist: adjust the stitch length of the fill to 3 or 4 mm and lighten the density by 50%.

It is important when applying underlay stitching just to use enough to stabilise. This thread type covers well because it does not lay as flat on top of the fabric like normal embroidery threads. Too much thread build up will cause not only problems in the sewing but also can make the embroidery look too heavy and thick. 

Stitching with Supertwist

The first thing that you need to change on the machine when stitching with Supertwist is the size of the needle. For Supertwist #30 you need a needle size number 90. For Supertwist #12 you need a needle size 100.

The next thing to change is the top thread tension on the embroidery machine. For Supertwist #30 it's recommended to lighten the tension. However, if it is too loose, the thread will start to loop. Supertwist #12 needs a much tighter tension. If it is not tight enough, it will create what is called a bird nest. This is when the thread is sucked down into the bobbin case that is directly under the throat plate. If this happens on a one head it is not as bad as if on a multi head. Run a test in order to get a feeling for the tensions before going into production.

Threading the needle with Supertwist for some people can be a bit aggravating because of the loose twist of the thread. Trying to keep all the thread fibres together and push it through the needle can be a bit tricky. One trick to get around this is to tie a normal # 40 weight thread around the Supertwist and then thread that through the eye of the needle. This helps to pull the Supertwist easily through.

Applying Supertwist to Designs.

Generally, Supertwist # 30 is thought of as a decorative and fancy thread used only in fashion designs. The design in the picture below shows a close up of a tile of embroidery, taken from a pair of embroidered jeans. This demonstrates how Supertwist #30 can change basic jeans into something special.

 Even small and simple embroideries can be sewn with Supertwist # 30 like a label where the lettering alone is stitched with this special thread.

 The powerful effects of Superwist #12 and #30, especially when combined with standard embroidery threads, can create unique stitching effects. The shimmering colours of the Supertwist can bring in focal highlights into the design, even when placed against or on top of threads that do not have sparkling qualities.

Supertwist #30 can also be used to blend fill stitches when used in combination with Classic #40. You do not need a lot of thread density when punching the fill stitch of the Supertwist. The shimmering colours will mix in with the Classic thread and in return break up the sparkling effects, making them not so prominent. Here are two embroidery samples where Supertwist #30 was blended in to the fill stitches. In the Boffin design, the white background filling was made with Classic #40 and opal Supertwist #30, blended on top, creating a feeling of snow. The next sample of the flower shows how small and simple designs become more attractive when Supertwist is used. These two samples show that you do not need to use a lot of Supertwist in a design in order to create special effects.

 Another technique using Supertwist #30 is blending it with other thread types with satin stitches. The sample of the GR, a basic monogram, demonstrates how Supertwist looks when sandwiched between two layers of Classic. First, a satin stitch in Classic 40 was digitised, then the Supertwist multi colour. Both of these satins are of the same size and both with light densities. As a last step, another layer of satin was laid on top, using a different Classic #40 colour. This was done with a smaller width so that the edges keep a stronger glance than the middle of the satin.

 The sample of the embroidered heart shows a combination of Madeira's X-TRA brilliant and Supertwist #12, along with the astro Classic #40. The background of the heart is made with X-TRA, then with Supertwist stitched on the top. The astro Classic #40 is stitched using a feather stitch. Then the Supertwist #12 was placed on top with a bean stitch. The astro Classic #40 brings in colour and accents to the design by raising up the Supertwist #12 that lies on top. The thickness of the Supertwist #12 creates lots of texture with sparkling effects.

The thickness of Supertwist #12 allows you to create loose, decorative stitching, covering larger areas. The next sample shows Supertwist #12 in a multi colour with random running stitching to cover the background around a Burmilana pattern. The Supertwist was punched using only one line of running stitches. Since it is so thick, it is not necessary to use repeated running lines. The thickness of the #12 is nicely complemented when using it with the woolly Burmilana thread.

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