Stabilizer Tips

When we first started with a home machine, we were constantly getting
conflicting advice. It seemed like the retail shops, however well intentioned, just did not KNOW what the best practices were. When we made the move to a commercial machine, and we HAD to know how to create beautiful embroidery every time...ON PURPOSE...and not by accident, we consulted with the best commercial shops and educators. These were people who built their reputation on creating beautiful embroidery. Here's what they, and we, do.

Stabilizer has to do 2 things.

1. It has to stabilize the fabric, keep it from moving during stitching. To do that, it has to resist movement in all directions. It has to do that all the time, even after a lot of stitches.
2. It has to add fiber density for all of the stitches in the design to hold onto. Think of it on a larger scale. If you have a sweater and are adding stitches to it using knitting needles, you can only add so many more stitches before the sweater begins to push and pull where you are adding stitches. Shrink that down to fabric size and it is the same picture. Most fabrics are not dense enough to hold all of the stitches in the typical design. If the design is not digitzed well, and the stitches are too close together, and it is even worse. So...stabilizers add fiber density to the fabric to hold all of the stitches and help keep the fabric from pushing and pulling.

What type to use?

Cutaway...if it is worn, it gets cutaway. The fibers in a cutaway are longer than in a tearaway. It's the reason you have to cut it rather than tear it. That means that more stitches can grab onto the same fiber and the interlocking creates a stronger bond helping to resist pulling and cupping even after many washings.

Tearaway...only used on heavy dense fabrics, and only if it won't be washed...and...only if production speed is an issue. For home embroiderers, the seconds saved in trimming does not add up to any significant dollar savings as it does in a large shop running hundreds of heads. The shorter fibers that allow for easy tearing do not hold up as well in the wash.

Tearaways are used primarily for caps and bags, but quality oriented shops never use tearaway on garments. Another reason to not use tearaways is that they loose the stability when repeatedly perforated with a needle. Try it. Take a sheet of tearaway and punch your needle into it in a very close together pattern. Then pull on the tearaway and see how well it stabilizes.

Water Soluble...films such as Solvy® are not stable, they stretch and as such do not stabilize fabric. Fiber based water solubles such as our Washaway are stable and do a decent job of holding the fabric stable...but not as well as a cutaway. They are not going to add appreciable fiber density, and so will not aid in puckers and pulls. When to use them? They are ideal for free standing lace. They also work well to help hold down loops and plush of towels so the needle doesn't catch. Some have used a light spray adhesive to hold towels during embroidery and have reported good results. If you have difficulty hooping towels, that technique may be a good solution.

How heavy?

2oz cutaway is the workhorse of the industry. It is ideal for 80-90% of all embroidery. We always test using 2oz. If the design pulls, it means that the stabilizer is not adding enough density for the design. If you know how to adjust the design, that is usually the best solution, otherwise, going to the heavier 3 oz cutaway will almost always do the trick.

If the drape of the fabric is important, you may be able to use one of the mesh products. Make sure the mesh you choose is stable. Many are not and will easily stretch in one direction. If it is, then test the design using the fabric of choice and see how it turns out. If there are pulls and puckers, you need a heavier cutaway to hold the stitches.

Layering?

You can, but it is preferable to use one sheet of the correct weight. The only time I recommend layering is for those who have difficulty hooping without stretching the fabric. Then, I will recommend fusing a sheet of fusible mesh to keep the fabric from stretching when hooping. If the mesh is not heavy enough for the design, all you need to do is "float" a sheet of cutaway or tearaway under the hoop during stitching. The fabric is already stabilized with the fusible mesh, so all you need to do is add fiber density under the stitches.

Hooping

Hoop fabric and stabilizer very loosely. Finger tighten hoop nut. You only want it tight enough to not fall apart when picked up. Take hoop apart and tighten the nut 1/4 turn. Reposition the hoop, smoothing the stabilizer and fabric. Now, when you hoop, the movement of the hoop will tighten the fabric and stabilizer to the ideal tension. You want it taut so it doesn’t bunch, but not stretched.

You don't want to be able to rub your thumb across the fabric and create a roll in the fabric. If you can, that will happen when you start stitching and you lose registration.

Hoop Marks

Unless you scuff the fabric by sliding the hoop when it is too tight, hoop marks are merely moisture or sizing that has been squeezed out while hooped. Removing them is a simple matter of replacing the moisture. We use a steamer, but a mist of water and a light rubbing will do the same. Magic Sizing that you can find with laundry supplies at many supermarkets is also used by many pros. It has to be sizing, though, not starch.