Fleece is comfortable to wear and hostile to embroider. The pile swallows stitches, the surface slips, and the hoop leaves permanent marks. The good news: with four settings, a logo on fleece holds as well as on cotton.
Why fleece makes everything harder
- It absorbs the stitch. Pile height drowns a loosely spaced stitch: the logo looks washed out.
- It is unstable. The material stretches slightly then springs back — the design distorts after unhooping.
- It marks. A hoop that is too tight leaves a ring that heat does not always remove.
- It is thick. At the needle, you are stitching through several millimetres.
The four settings that change everything
1. Density
Run 10 to 15% denser than on cotton. A fill tuned for jersey disappears into fleece. Beware the opposite extreme: too dense and the panel stiffens while the fabric puckers around the design.
2. Underlay
This is the most important setting on this fabric. A running-stitch underlay followed by a light zigzag underlay flattens the pile before the fill goes down. Without it, the logo floats above the surface and outlines gape.
3. Needle and thread
- 75/11 sharp needle to cut through cleanly — never a ballpoint on thick fleece.
- Polyester thread rather than cotton: it handles the heat generated by friction better.
- Drop speed by 10–20%: less friction, fewer breaks, fewer heat marks.
4. Pull compensation
Add 0.2 to 0.3 mm to outlines. Fleece relaxes after unhooping: without compensation, letters close up.
Backing, in the right order
| Backing | Use | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Light fusible | Almost always | Stabilises without bulk, apply with a cool iron |
| Heavy tearaway | Large areas | Do not tear hard: fleece distorts |
| Water-soluble topping | Looped fleece, small text | On top, it stops stitches sinking |
Topping is the most underrated trick: on heavily textured fleece it rescues the legibility of small letters.
The hoop
- Tighten just enough: fleece should be flat, not stretched.
- Use a magnetic hoop if you have one: pressure is more even and marks are shallower.
- Unhoop without pulling, and let the garment settle back flat.
- A pass of steam (without pressure) removes most rings.
Test before running the batch
Stitch a scrap, not the final piece. Check three things:
- The logo does not float above the surface.
- Fine letters stay legible after unhooping.
- The hoop left no visible ring.
If any of the three fails, fix density and underlay before trying again.
In practice
On fleece, the file matters as much as the machine. A DST digitized with proper underlay and increased density runs clean the first time; a generic file shows immediately. You can prepare your file here, then check the stitch count before stitching.