Welcome to Part 2 of my Embroider-along. In Part 1 we discussed the four basics of machine embroidery. Hi, my name is Sue O&#;Very, BERNINA Ambassador and machine embroidery expert. Today, I will teach you about the relationship between stabilizers and materials.
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Did someone say material? If you are like me you love to feel fabric, touch something soft and watch the project come to life while stitching it. Machine embroidering on various types of materials and watching the design come to life and stitching perfectly is exactly the same. When you&#;ve done it right, it&#;s magical!
Today we will discuss the four types of materials and some basic stabilizers to use on them:
What is a knit? During my Embroider-along I will refer to anything that has stretch to it as a knit. I would say the most popular knit material in the world today is a T-Shirt. This is probably the most popular when it comes to stabilizers and materials. They are a lot of fun to embroider on and make for fantastic personalized gifts. We will discuss different weights of knits such as baby Onesies, ladies T-Shirts and polo shirts.
If a knit is a material which stretches, a woven would be a material which doesn&#;t stretch. Woven materials are considered to be more structured. Consider a kitchen towel, pillow case and denim. Even though each of these materials is a woven, I will show you how it&#;s important to use the correct type of stabilizer to get the best results.
This might be my favorite type of material to stitch on. Napped fabrics are anything with a pile or loft. My go-to example is a bathroom towel. Thick and fluffy! Another popular material for machine embroidery would be Luxe Cuddle® Rose by Shannon Fabrics. This fabric is super soft and makes beautiful things like blankets, pillows and even stuffed animals. Depending on the type of material I will guide you to use the perfect stabilizer.
Sheer material is a nice general term for anything you can see through. When it comes to stabilizers and materials for sheer, the materials are very different. The type of stabilizer though is very much the same. Sheer materials can be tricky. If you use too much stabilizer the material will become stiff and if you use too little the material will pucker. I will cover these different materials and I will show you some fun projects which can be made with them, such as a Organza, Pet Screen and even the classic Handkerchief.
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Over the next four Embroider-along blog posts I will show you how to properly select stabilizers and materials for perfect stitching results. This next portion will begin with knit materials, move to woven materials, then onto napped materials and complete these stabilizers and materials lesson with sheer materials.
Here is the Embroider-along schedule:
Which material are you most curious about? Let me know in the comments below and please ask any questions you might have about stabilizers and materials.
Until next time I hope you have a creative day, bye-bye!
Sue
Use embroidery backings and stabilizers to prevent puckering. Puckering happens because embroidery thread is stronger than the fabric and pulls the fabric as it is being embroidered. The result is wrinkled, lumpy work as shown on the left. Our Llovet backings and stabilizers solve this problem by temporally strengthening the fabric while it is on the hoop so it resists the pulling that causes puckering. They are removed by tearing, cutting or washing when the job is done.
How to buy the right backing - Understanding backing types and styles, weight in ounces, color, the difference between sheets and rolls and how to do price comparisons are key to buying the right backing.Type and Style - Experienced sewers will tell you that selecting the right type and style backing is more important than the brand. Type refers to a class of backings such as tearaways or cutaways. Style refers to specific kinds of backings. By convention, we use Hollingsworth and Vose style numbers that are used by many in the industry. Download their Embroidery Backing Guide
Ounces - As a general rule the backing's weight should increase as the fabric's weight decreases. Backing weight is expressed in ounces per square yard. It refers to the backing's density not its thickness. Backings are soft and spongy meaning measuring it's thickness with calipers is pointless.
Color - Most of are backings are white, but we do sell some black backings at a price. The conventional wisdom is to use white backings with light fabrics and black backings with dark fabrics. In practice, the backing's color does not matter if it is completely removed from the finished garment.
Sheets and Rolls - We sell backings in precut sheets and large rolls. Precut sheets are convenient and easy to use one at a time. Rolls are heavy, bulky, and must be cut into sheets before they can be used. But, they are much less expensive. We stock 8" x 8" sheets for all styles and sell them in 100 and 500 sheet packages. Other sheet sizes and rolls are shipped within four business days. Please call if you have an ongoing need for a specific putup. Also call for special pricing on ten or more rolls or 500 sheet packs.
Prices - The best way to understand backing prices is to know their cost per square yard. Please download our Backing Price Comparison Worksheet. It shows our prices and cost per square yard helps you calculate our competitors' cost per square yard.
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