Flat Embroidery
Embroidery performed on a flat panel of fabric, typically before the garment is sewn together or on items that lie flat in a hoop.
Flat embroidery is stitching on a single layer of fabric clamped flat in a hoop, with no garment tube beneath. It is the default for patches, towels, blankets, single-panel garment cuts (before sewing), and any decoration on items that are not yet assembled into a closed loop.
In a custom-decoration shop, flat embroidery applies to patches, table linens, banners, panel goods, and items like aprons that lie flat in a large hoop. Apparel manufacturers sometimes embroider on flat panels (unsewn pocket pieces, unsewn shirt fronts) before the garment is assembled, which is faster and more precise than tubular embroidery on the finished piece.
Flat embroidery generally allows larger design areas than tubular, because there is no tube of fabric limiting the hoop size. Jacket-back designs and large patches are flat embroidery. Chest-logo embroidery on a finished polo is tubular, even though the embroidered area itself is flat.
The operator decisions are similar to tubular: choose stabilizer, hoop the fabric flat and taut, align the design area with the placement template, and stitch. The main practical difference is that flat goods often need extra trim or finishing (cutting patches off the backing, hemming embroidered linens) after stitching is complete.
Related Terms
- Tubular Embroidery →
- Embroidery performed on tubular garments and items (sleeves, pant legs, finished hats, socks) using a sash arm or tubular fitting.
- Embroidery Hoop →
- A two-piece circular or rectangular frame that holds the fabric and stabilizer taut during embroidery.
- Hooping →
- The process of clamping a garment and stabilizer in an embroidery hoop to hold them flat and stable for stitching.
- Twill (patch backing) →
- The woven polyester base fabric that patches are stitched onto, providing a smooth dense surface for embroidery.
- Merrowed Border →
- The classic thick overlocked edge stitched around the perimeter of a patch, named after the Merrow sewing machine that produces it.