July 30 Dime Live

Which White stuff do I use? (not that they are all white)

Ask yourself two main questions:

1. What are the properties of the fabric?
2.  What type of design do I want to apply to the fabric?

Wet-laid stabilizers remove the necessity of laying two layers of stabilizer in opposing directions.

Two Main Types of Tearaway

When you use a crisp tearaway, it breaks down after fill stitches, but soft holds up in those conditions.  Stitch knits with a cutaway or a soft tearaway.

Cutaway

• no-show nylon mesh
• fusible no-show mesh
• non-woven cutaway
• Poly-pro Performance 
• Stretchy Knit Stabilizer

Deborah generally likes to use stabilizer that doesn't change the hand of the fabric.

How to test your hooping for tension:

To remove your cut-away:  Hold the cutaway so that you can see the fabric, glide your scissors along, leaving 1/8" to 1/4" of the stabilizer along the edges.

Great Fabrics for Tearaways:

• Bed linens
• Stable nylon or polyester (use a sharp point embroidery needle)
• children's clothing or workwear that is flame-resistant

For fabrics that could have a problem with stabilizer show-through:

 Use Sew'n Heat, and a sharp, slender point embroidery needle like 75/11.

Self-adhesive tear-aways:

great for continuous embroidery, pieces too small for the hoop, and fabrics that "crawl away" from the needle.

Water-soluble film topping tips: 

Embroiderer's Compass:

Put the wheel on the fabric you want to embroider, and the top window will show you choices of stabilizers and needle types recommended, and the bottom gives you more tips for that type of fabric.  27 fabric types are included on the wheel.

Did you know that if you have puckering on quilt squares, it can be due to the wrong needle point type? The Compass can help!

Additional Q&A

Deborah and Eileen fielded questions throughout the video, and you can also find more questions and answers in the end.

Including how to fuse water soluble stabilizer to itself to create a heavier weight or patch holes in used pieces.

Deborah Jones joined Eileen to demonstrate a great tool for helping you find the right stabilizer for every project:  The Embroider's Compass

One ring to rule them all!

Put the wheel on the fabric you want to embroider, and the top window will show you choices of stabilizers and needle types recommended, and the bottom gives you more tips for that type of fabric.  27 fabric types are included on the wheel.