How to Embroider a Toboggan

Embroider a knit toboggan for extra punch.

A toboggan hat -- also known as a ski hat, a beanie hat ore even a toque if you're in Canada -- is a close-fitting knit cap. With the advent of embroidery sewing machines, home sewers as well as commercial embroidery operators have taken on embroidering nearly every article of clothing, and the toboggan hat is no exception.

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Knit cap
Embroidery machine
Cut-away, non-woven embroidery backing
Water-soluble topping

Instructions

- 1
  
  Chalk the placement of the design onto the cap. If the toboggan brim folds up, remember to chalk the pattern on the "inside" of the cap. Be sure the planned design fits on the toboggan.
- 2
  
  Put a sheet of the tear-away backing into the machine's embroidery hoop. Place the toboggan on next, stretched to about the pull it will have when worn.
- 3
  
  Once the hoop is in place, use a topping over the area where the design will be embroidered.
- 4
  
  Program the design into the machine and stitch.
- 5
  
  After the design is stitched, trim threads and cut away the backing.

Tips & Warnings

Stitching that is too dense pulls knit fabrics. Test the design on a similar hat if possible.
Without a backing, embroidery on knits tends to pucker and pull. Use a medium to heavyweight backing on all toboggan embroidery.