In my last post, I talked a lot about stabilizers and how important they are when it comes to embroidering on clothing, so I thought I should make a quick post with some needed information about them.
Where to put them
When working with clothing, as I mentioned, you should use a stabilizer. Do they go on the inside or outside of the clothing? In most cases, I would say put it on the inside of the clothing or shoe, but you don’t have to with the wash-away stabilizer, since it goes away no matter what. You can still put it on the inside. The reason to put them on the inside of the fabric is that it helps provide stability to the stitching, especially against wear and tear.
If put on the back, how does writing look
If you put the stabilizer on the back, I would suggest doing it over the whole design after finishing. Have your design printed or drawn on a washaway or right onto the fabric. If you don’t feel comfortable drawing straight onto the fabric, you can trace it on. You might not need to put a backing stabilizer on the fabric if you do not plan to wash and wear it often, or if it is one of the fabrics listed under the washaway stabilizer below.
The different kinds of stablizers
- Cut-away
- Best for stretchy fabrics, knits, fabrics washed and worn often
- Examples Fabrics: T-shirts & Polos, Sweatshirts & Hoodies, Performance fabrics, kids’ & baby clothes
- Best for longevity
- Tear-away
- Best for stable, thicker woven fabrics
- Example Fabrics: cotton, canvas, denim
- Best for quick and efficient removal
- Wash-away
- Best for sheer fabrics, freesanding lace, and projects when no backing should remain
- Example fabrics: freestanding lace, tulle, towels(topping stabilizer), and decorative edges
- Best for a flawless look
How to print on them
There are stabilizers that say printable on them, and they can run through the printer as normal and then cut the paper to the size you want. Make sure to leave enough so the hoop holds the fabric and the stabilizer, so it is extra secure when stitching.
How to put hand-drawn designs on them
If you don’t have a printer or don’t want to print your designs, you could use carbon paper to trace the design. Another way is to use iron-on transfers or water-soluble stabilizers. All of these are ways to put a design onto your fabric without a printer.
Backing Over the whole Design
As mentioned earlier, you could put a backing over the whole design in place of the stabilizer or with the stabilizer. A backing is a soft material ironed onto the back of a design. When applying the backing, you cut it to size to cover the stitches and have it be a little bit bigger than the design as a whole. Place the rougher side down on the embroidery, and use medium heat on your iron for 15 seconds. Double-check that it fused to the fabric; if not, repeat the process.
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