Let's just say I'm learning a whole lot about stabilizers since I got my embroidery machine. Have you ever noticed the white stuff peeking out from the back of your embroidered sweatshirt or polo shirt image? That's the stabilizer! It's something you may totally ignore in your ready-made garment but when you are the one embroidering that design, it is a very important component of the process!
I never would have imagined that I now have an entire drawer filled with various stabilizers. There are 4 main categories: cut-away, tear-away, wash-away, and heat-away. There are even several choices within each category! It's important to use the correct stabilizer for the project.
Cut-away is permanent and eliminates pulled or sagging stitches. It stays on the project for continued stabilization and is good for stretchy fabrics because of its stretch resistance.
Tear-away is temporary and is ripped away after the design has been stitched. It's good for more stable fabrics and prevents stitch distortion. You can add more layers if you need them.
Wash-away is (obviously) temporary and rinses away with washing (or with water) and is a good choice when you don't want any stabilizer to show on the top or bottom of a project. Besides embroidery use, wash-away stabilizer can be used as a pattern guide or for paper piecing!
Heat-away is temporary and brushes away easily after heating with an iron. It's used when water or tearing removal is not an option, for example with delicate lace work.
I started by purchasing some small sample packs of stabilizers. The sulky sampler included nineteen 8x10" pieces - different colours, different weights, and different choices from each of the 4 categories.
The Madeira Starter Set has twelve preminum stabilizers from the tear, wash, and cut-away categories of various sizes, from 9.5x8" to 12x24"and includes an instructional booklet explaining each one. This is a great reference tool to have because each product is described in detail with suggestions as to where to use it and for what purpose, as well as instructions on HOW to use it. There are even diagrams!
Although it is great to have all these different stabilizers to try, I quickly realized that the small sample sizes don't go very far. Stabilizers need to be cut to extend beyond the hoop so they are secure. Basically I could get one or two small hoopings per sheet. Even if you are only stitching a small embroidery design you have to still use a piece of stabilizer bigger than the hoop - there is a lot of waste. (I'm sure there are tricks to re-using or stretching the life of a piece of stabilizer but I haven't learned them yet!).
I have a bunch of Pellon Stitch-n-tear tear away stabilizer packets from back when I first got my sewing machine and made my purple flower applique quilt . The stabilizer was on sale at the chain store for .78 cents so I bought a lot of it. However, I think the stabilizer of choice for most machine embroidery is cut-away. It is stronger and holds dense stitches better, especially on stretchy fabrics. I had a hard time finding cut-away in Canada (they didn't have it at the chain store) so I bought a tiny tube
of the Madeira Super Strong on-line. It is quite expensive so I was really happy when I discovered Marathon Threads Canada carries a whole range of stabilizers and specialty stabilizers in big rolls at awesome prices (more about this amazing company next week!). Now that I know what I need I can order a large supply right from Marathon and I don't have to worry about running out!
I also bought a roll of sticky stabilizer. It's great for hard to hoop items or items that are too small to hoop. I find this is a really great way to avoid having to fight with the hoop!
Now that you've learned all about stabililzers I have to mention permanent toppings! lol! Yes, there is another product that's needed when embroidering certain items, like towels. Permanent vinyl topping prevents stitches from sinking into the nap of fabrics. If you embroidered a towel without it, the stitches would get lost in the loops of the terry cloth. The vinyl topping prevents the fabric from showing through the embroidery stitches (like if you were using white thread on black fabric). It completely covers the fabric. It offers excellent stability for dense embroidery and is washable. I bought a packet from Amazing Designs which contains 1 sheet 26"x36". Since you just need to cut a piece to go ON TOP of your towel before your embroider, it doesn't have to be hooped and one big sheet should last a while. I bought a TopCover set from CutAway as well that has 8"x9" pieces in white, black, and ivory. It's nice to have a selection of colours for different fabrics.
Class dismissed.
