To Sew or Not to Sew, That is the Question

by Matt DeLaere, Marketing

See the woman to your left? That’s Sue, a sometime seamstress whose sewing skills are only so-so (unfortunately for the cat). Luckily, Sue makes her living with garment decoration, not alterations, so she can rely on her heat press instead of her somewhat sketchy sewing skills. Problem is, Sue the so-so sewer isn’t sure about the differences between sew and no-sew products in new Any Word. Any Way.™

Emily is an eminent embroiderer who can empathize. Emphatic about emblazoning T-shirts and hoodies with the emblem of her embroidery emporium, she often uses Any Word. Any Way. and its custom lettering designer to make great-looking sublimated twill and distressed appliqué text designs for her customers. But she’s hesitant to venture into the no-sew options available.

Well, Sue’s skepticism and Emily’s embarrassment can now be things of the past. Any Word. Any Way. allows you to create text designs your customer will love whether you only do heat printing, specialize in embroidery, or offer both services.

Here’s a quick guide that will have Sue and Emily taking advantage of all the options available in Any Word. Any Way.

You Can Go with This, or You Can Go with That

Classic Standard – Text arrives in individual pieces for custom layout. Classic is available in Poly-TWILL™, Appliqué Fabrics (metallic gold and silver), and felt, all of which must be sewn. Classic designs can also be ordered in Thermo-FILM^® and Thermo-GRIP^® heat transfer materials, which do not need sewing.

Sublimated Twill Appliqué – Perma-TWILL^® text with sublimated fill patterns. Applies permanently with a heat press, but can be sewn for the look of embroidery.

Appliqué Options

Kiss Cut Appliqué – Foreground and background layers come pre-assembled for quick and easy placement before sewing.

Distressed Appliqué – The popular “vintage” look, available in acrylic felt, pressure-sensitive acrylic felt, uncoated chino, and pressure-sensitive chino twill, all of which require sewing. For a no-sew distressed look, try Distressed Flock (see below).

Pre-Aligned Distressed Appliqué – Two-color distressed appliqué without having to worry about alignment. Designs are shipped with the foreground tacked down to the background for easy placement and sewing.

Remember that with appliqué options, sew disks are available, but can only be used with an embroidery machine.

No-Sew Options – Apply with a Heat Press

CAD-CUT^® Heat Transfer Materials – Designs arrive pre-aligned on a clear carrier and don’t require sewing. This option is available in a variety of CAD-CUT heat transfer materials, including special effect materials like Glitter Flake, Pebble Puff, and Hologram.

SimStitch^® – This Perma-TWILL^® product features a zig-zag design for the look of embroidery without the sewing.

Sublimated SimStitch – The no-sew embroidered look of SimStitch featuring a variety of designs printed with sublimated ink. Available designs include animal prints, camouflage, checkers, plaid, polka dots, and special effects.

Distressed Flock – The popular distressed look in a no-sew option, with a soft, velvety texture.

As you can see, Sue and Emily can both expand their product offerings and their profits with the many options available in Any Word. Any Way. Plus, with our new online custom lettering designer, they can see what their text will look like as they design it. Now if Scarlett the screen printer could cease being scared….