Mastering 3D Puff Embroidery on Hats: A Step-by-Step Guide

Elevate Your Cap Game

3D Puff embroidery adds a premium, raised effect to logos, especially on snapbacks and dad hats. It involves stitching over a piece of craft foam.

1. The Foam

Use 2mm or 3mm high-density craft foam. Match the foam color to your thread color! If the foam pokes through (which it often does), matching colors makes mistakes invisible.

2. Digitizing for Puff

You cannot use a standard file for puff. It requires specific modifications:

• Capping: The ends of satin columns must be capped (closed off) to slice the foam.
• Density: You need almost double the standard density (roughly 0.15mm - 0.20mm spacing) to cover the foam completely.
• Underlay: Do NOT use centerline underlay. It will cut the foam prematurely.

3. The Heat Gun Trick

After tearing away the excess foam, hit the design with a heat gun. The heat shrinks the tiny bits of remaining foam, making the design look crisp and clean.