How to Create 3D Hat Embroidery - E15 Embroidery Machine Tutorial

Today, we’ll show you how to create 3D hat embroidery on the E15, a powerful Hat Embroidery Machine. If you’re new to standard cap embroidery, we recommend starting with our foundational tutorial: How to Embroider a Hat - E15 Embroidery Machine Lesson 3. This guide focuses specifically on 3D hat embroidery, where EVA foam is used to create a raised, dimensional effect.

Introduction

3D hat embroidery adds height and dimension to cap designs, making logos and lettering stand out with a clean, professional finish. The process is similar to standard cap embroidery, but the key difference is the use of EVA foam and a design digitized for 3D effects.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through hooping the cap, preparing the design, adding EVA, and embroidering on our multi-needle embroidery machine.

Materials You’ll Need

Before you begin, gather the following items:

• Blank cap
• Cap embroidery stabilizer
• EVA foam
• 3D embroidery design

Most importantly, you’ll need a 3D embroidery design. These designs are digitized with the proper underlay and coverage to work with foam.

Note: Hat embroidery files and apparel embroidery files are not always interchangeable. We recommend choosing an embroidery file designed specifically for hats.

Part 1: Hooping the Cap

1. Insert the stabilizer into the hoop slot.

   

2. Fold the sweatband outward.

   

3. Center the cap on the hoop.

   

4. Position the metal retaining strip of the cap frame along the seam between the cap brim and the front panel.

   

5. Lock the clips to secure the cap in place.

   

6. Press both side locks down and remove the cap hoop.

   

7. Then, go to Frame Select and select Cap Hoop.

   

8. Next, install the hooped cap onto the machine.

9. Keep the brim horizontal and attach the cap to the Cap Driver.

   

10. Rotate the cap to align the positioning grooves.

    

11. You will hear a click from both sides when the cap is locked in place.

    

Part 2: Setting Up the Design

1. Select a Design

Select a design file made for 3D hat embroidery.

2. Confirm the Hoop Type

Make sure the hoop type is set to Cap Frame.

3. Set Thread Colors

Next, tap Color Setup. Adjust the design colors based on your preference.

4. Use Pattern Trace

Next, use Pattern Trace to check the embroidery area.

Part 3: Adding EVA and Embroidering

1. Next, place the EVA on the cap surface and secure both ends with tape.

   

2. Next, set the speed to 500 SPM. The E15 embroidery machine supports cap embroidery speeds up to 800 SPM, but we recommend 500 SPM for 3D hat embroidery. Once you’re more comfortable with the process, you can gradually increase the speed.

   

3. Then switch the machine to embroidery mode and press the Start button to start embroidering.

   

4. After embroidery is complete, press both side locks and remove the cap hoop.

   

5. Rotate the brim until it is parallel with the X-axis, then remove the cap hoop and cap completely.

6. Finally, release the locks on the Cap Hoop and remove the cap.

   

Finishing Your 3D Hat Embroidery

Your 3D hat embroidery is complete!

Tutorial Video

If you prefer to follow along visually, the video below walks through the same process from hooping the cap to removing the finished cap. You can watch it before you start or use it alongside the steps above.

Conclusion

You’ve now learned how to create 3D hat embroidery on the E15 Embroidery Machine. By combining the right stabilizer, a 3D-ready design, and EVA foam, you can produce raised embroidery with a clean, professional finish. Be sure to test different EVA thicknesses and designs to see what works best for your project.

Next tutorial: Large Flat Frame Embroidery. In the next lesson, we’ll show you how to set up and embroider large flat frame projects on the E15. Stay tuned!

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