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Squad numbers, club letters & felt

Appliqué Digitising

Appliqué digitising builds a three-stage file (placement line, tack-down and satin or zigzag cover stitch) plus a PDF cutting template, so fabric replaces solid fill. On a 250mm (about 10 in) squad number that can cut stitches from about 40,000 to 8,000. Appliqué digitizing comes at one flat price per design, with 4–8 hour delivery and a VAT invoice.

Exact-size PDF cutting template with every file
Three colour stops for each fabric piece
VAT invoice on every order
Upload your appliqué design → See all prices
Digitising since 2015
Send your appliqué artwork
Staged file and cutting template for twill or felt
From £12 per design
Placement run marks where each piece sits
Tack-down holds the fabric before the edge
Satin or zigzag border set for your fabric

Free quote, nothing to pay now. Need rush, formats or notes? Use the full form

All
Machine formats included
250mm
Squad number in our example
~8,000
Stitches, down from ~40,000
~70%
Fewer stitches than solid fill
3
Colour stops per piece
At a glance

Appliqué digitising at a glance

What it isA file that stitches around a cut piece of fabric instead of filling the whole shape with thread
Used forSquad numbers on club kit and training tops, club and varsity letters, large back designs
StagesPlacement line, tack-down, then satin or zigzag cover stitch, each on a separate colour stop
TemplatePDF cutting template at exact finished size, in millimetres, with every order
FabricTackle twill, felt or your chosen fabric: tell us what it is and how you cut it
Stitch savingTypically around 70%; a 250mm number goes from roughly 40,000 stitches to 8,000
Files deliveredDST, PES, JEF or your machine's format, a stitch preview and the PDF template
What to sendArtwork, finished size in mm, fabric, cutting method, border style and thread colours
PriceFlat rate per design including the template; rush +50%; VAT invoice. See the price table below
TurnaroundStandard 4–8 hours · Rush 2–4 hours · Super rush 1–2 hours, 24/7
Why appliqué

Why big numbers are cut, not filled

A squad number or club letter the size of a hand, stitched as solid fill, takes a long time on the machine and leaves a heavy, stiff patch on a lightweight training top. Appliqué puts a piece of fabric in that space and stitches only where it needs holding and finishing.

Each fabric piece needs three stops in the file. The first marks the position, the second tacks the fabric down and the third covers the cut edge. Merge them and the machine never pauses to let the operator lay the fabric.

For club kit, see how we handle squad numbers across a teamwear order; for school and college lettering, schoolwear files; and for large marks across the back of a coat, back-of-jacket designs.

The PDF cutting template comes at exact finished size, so pieces cut in your workroom match the outline the tack-down stitches, whether they are cut with scissors, a plotter or a laser.

What we build in
01
A stop for every stage
Placement, tack-down and cover each sit on their own colour stop, so the machine halts when the fabric needs laying or checking.
02
Template from the same outline
The cutting template uses the tack-down shape at full size in millimetres, so the cut piece and the stitching agree.
03
Border width for your fabric
We set the satin or zigzag width to hide the raw edge of the twill or felt you name, allowing a little for cutting variation.
Colour stops

The three stages, stop by stop

This is the sequence for one fabric piece; a two-layer number runs it twice, bottom layer first.

Colour stopStageOn the machineAt the stop
1Placement lineOne running outline shows where the piece belongsLay the cut fabric squarely over the outline
2Tack-downLight stitching just inside the edge fixes the fabricCheck it has not shifted before the border runs
3Satin or zigzag coverA border stitched over the raw edgeContinue to the next piece, or take the garment off the frame

If you trim fabric on the frame rather than cutting pieces first, say so when you order so the stops match how your workroom runs.

Stitch count

A 250mm squad number, two ways

Our worked example: a single number about 250mm (roughly 10 in) tall.

MethodStitches (approx.)What fills the shape
Solid embroidered fillAround 40,000Thread across the full area of the number
Appliqué in three stagesAround 8,000Twill or felt, stitched at the outline, tack-down and border
SavingAround 32,000Typically about 70% fewer stitches across appliqué work

Shape, size and border width change the real figures. Check a design of your own with the free stitch estimator.

Cutting and fabric

Using the template with twill and felt

Your template arrives as a PDF at finished size. Print at actual size with page scaling switched off, check a known dimension with a ruler, then cut to the line or set your plotter or laser to match.

Tackle twill is the usual fabric for squad numbers and club letters, and felt works for softer pieces. Each behaves differently at the edge, so let us know the fabric and your cutting method and we will set the border width to cover it.

Pricing

Appliqué digitising prices

A flat price per appliqué design, and the cutting template is part of it.

DesignPriceNotes
Appliqué file and PDF cutting template£12All three stages, sized in mm to your garment
Rush (2–4 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design
Super rush (1–2 hours)+50%Added to the base price of the design

Flat rate per design, not per 1,000 stitches. Every price includes all machine formats, a stitch simulation preview and unlimited revisions with no time limit, with a VAT invoice on every order. Standard delivery is 4–8 hours, 24/7.

Get a price for this design → See the full price list
Common problems

An unstaged file vs proper appliqué

Every fault on the left is one your operator discovers with fabric in hand.

What goes wrong
Numbers placed by eye. Without a placement run, no two shirts in the set match.
Pieces cut to a guess. Twill overlaps the border or leaves a gap.
Border too thin. Cut edges show and fray in the wash.
No pause for fabric. All stages merged into one colour stop.
Layers stitched out of order. The outline piece cannot sit where it should.
How we build it
Placement run first. Each piece lands in the same place on every garment.
Template at finished size. Cut pieces match the stitched outline.
Border set for the fabric. Raw edges fully covered.
Separate stops. The machine waits while fabric is laid.
Layers built from the bottom up. Every piece registers to the last.
What to send

What we need for appliqué work

  • Artwork: AI, EPS, PDF or SVG is ideal; a JPG, PNG or photo is fine
  • Finished size in millimetres, for example a 250mm number height
  • Fabric: tackle twill, felt or another fabric
  • How you cut: scissors, plotter or laser, and whether you trim on the frame
  • Border style: satin or zigzag, with thread and fabric colours
  • Layers: one fabric or a number with an outline layer
  • File format your machine uses (DST, PES, JEF…)
Upload your appliqué design →
How it works

From artwork to finished squad number

1
Send artwork, size and fabric
Include the size in mm, the fabric and how you cut. No account or minimum order.
2
We digitise the stages
Placement, tack-down and border on separate stops, plus a template from the same outline.
3
Approve, cut and run
Check the preview, ask for any changes, cut to the template and stitch. Your VAT invoice comes with the order.
FAQs

Appliqué digitising questions

The machine stitches a placement line and stops so the operator can lay the fabric, stitches a tack-down to hold it and stops again, then runs a satin or zigzag border over the cut edge. Each stage has its own colour stop.
Print the PDF at actual size with page scaling turned off, then measure a known dimension to confirm. The template is supplied at exact finished size with every appliqué order.
Yes, or by hand. Whichever you use, cut to the template and tell us the method when you order, so the border allows for the cutting variation that method tends to have.
That is a common way of working: you lay oversized fabric, let the tack-down run, then trim close to it before the border stitches. Tell us you work this way so the stops in the file suit it.
Typically around 70%. In our example, a number about 250mm tall drops from roughly 40,000 stitches as solid fill to about 8,000 as appliqué. The stitch estimator gives a figure for your own design.
Tackle twill is the usual choice for squad numbers and club lettering because it cuts cleanly and takes a satin border well. Felt suits softer, more casual pieces. Tell us which you use and we set the border width for it.
Yes. Each layer has its own placement, tack-down and border, stitched from the bottom layer up so the outline piece lines up with the number above it.
An appliqué file has one flat price per design, including the PDF cutting template, every machine format, a stitch preview, unlimited revisions and a VAT invoice; see the price table on this page or the UK price list. Rush (2–4 hours) and super rush (1–2 hours) add 50%.
Related appliqué pages

Send your numbers or letters for appliqué

Tell us the size in mm, the fabric and how you cut, and we'll send back a staged file and a finished-size PDF template, at a flat price per design.

Cutting template included with every file
Every machine format included
VAT invoice on every order

New registered business? Your first design is free: one Simple or Medium design at standard turnaround. How the free first design works
Ordering for clients or in volume? See trade & distributor accounts.

1
Standard: 4–8 hours
Flat price per design, 24/7
2
Rush: 2–4 hours
+50% on the base price
3
Super rush: 1–2 hours
+50% on the base price
Upload your appliqué design →

VAT invoice from Zorixo Ventures Ltd · VAT GB 506 4612 12

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