lest ye forget…

choosing the right fabric  

for anyone who knows squat about machine embroidery, this is pretty much a given, but i pride myself on being thorough so i figured i’d say it anyway: choosing the right fabric is extremely important to embroidery success.

although it’s basically possible to stitch on just about anything you can get a needle through, the fabric type you choose will be one of the most important factors that determine how the final project will look.  you want something great, or something disgusting?  pick the right fabric, the right needle, and the right stabilizer and you’ll have a fighting chance.  

other no brainers, but for the sake of completeness: 

not every design will stitch well on every fabric. for example, a design with a high stitch density might stitch well on a heavy woven fabric, but pucker or tear the fabric (despite stabilizer) on a lightweight one.

choosing the right stabilizer and the right thread is just as important as choosing the right fabric. for example, a knit that stretches out of shape during embroidery might receive stitching with ease with an appropriate stabilizer.

some fabrics are not meant to be embroidered. the best way to determine whether a fabric is embroidery-friendly is to test stitch on it.

many items that cannot be hooped in a conventional hoop can still be embroidered on using on of the hoopless embroidery methods. in a nutshell hoopless embroidery involves hooping a backing or piece of material and adhering the goods to be embroidered to the hooped backing. the best method to use will depend on what you are embroidering on.

try using heavy linen and linen-cotton blends, since these types of fabrics don’t get stretched too much and are not too delicate for large and dense cross-stitch designs. evenweave and canvas can also be used very successfully. if you think the canvas is too thick for your hoop, you might try to 1) apply sticky back to your hoop; 2) take the fabric with the iron on stabilizer on the back and stick it to the sticky back 3) embroider with crossed fingers. i’m not guaranteeing it’ll work, but it might. 

good luck and stitch on, kids.

basic overview: seeking stability in an otherwise unstable world

types of stabilizers 

these are the most commonly used stabilizers, and the low down on how to use them correctly:

cut away – normally used for non-woven or unstable fabrics like knits, or on projects where visibility of the stabilizer is not an issue.  sometimes it’s possible to use woven fabrics as cut away backing – it may give fairly good stability and can be used on projects that must be soft. but once you wash it, some woven backings may become too soft, lose the sizing and cause distortion with repeated launderings.

non-adhesive tear away – usually used for woven, stable materials that do not stretch. tear aways are temporary stabilizers that are fairly easy to remove, but be careful to do so without pulling or stretching the fabric. when a fabric or project requires strong support and you want to use a tear-away, use several layers of a light or mid-weight stabilizer, rather than one heavy product. then gently remove the layers individually. it’s worth the extra effort.

self adhesive tear away – love it! this stuff can stabilize unstable material with fairly loose frame tension or can be used without a hoop. i use it primarily for computerized embroidery, especially when something is too small to fit in an embroidery hoop. for use in the hoop, remove the paper backing within the hoop to reveal the sticky surface. if using it under the hoop, remove the paper backing, then stick it to the bottom of the hoop. this stabilizer is also good for items that are too bulky to hoop successfully.

iron on fabric tear away – similar to self adhesive, but uses heat from an iron for application. 

temporary adhesive spray – used when there’s a need to keep two or more layers of fabric in place. especially useful for applique designs, adhering backing to garments and positioning difficult to hoop items. 

water soluable film or spray – creates a clean look on the back because the edges are washed away, but i wouldn’t use this on stuff you need to wash frequently because it loses its stability. this can be used as topping for stabilizing and clarifying the embroidery to create clear, sharp stitches. water soluble topping can keep the design above the fabric surface and prevent stitches from sinking.

water soluble gauze – often used for free standing embroidery and lace work. you’ve got to put it in boiling hot water to remove it, which is time consuming, somewhat messy, and not applicable for all types of embroidery. it gives no stability after it’s washed. i stay away from this and would use it only when working with lace.

usually i prefer to use fabric-type water soluble stabilizer, because it doesn’t stretch much, “sits” great in the hoop, and behaves like regular non-woven fabric until you wash it away.  gauze/fabric type water-soluble stabilizer also doesn’t stiffen at all and can be stored for many years without quality degradation.  

heat away (fusible) – gives good stability and appearance of no backing and is commonly used in allover embroidery.  it’s a little time consuming to remove (use a hot iron-this speeds up the process somewhat). 

so when do you use this?  when the fabric is too delicate for a tear-away, too sheer for a cut-away, isn’t washable or when you’re working with a special technique like making lace at an edge. 

two types of heat away stabilizers – woven & plastic-like film. the woven one turns brown and flakes when heated with an iron, and the flakes can be gently brushed away. never use steam iron or water on heat aways – the chemical that causes the stabilizer to crumble when heated is water-soluble and will seriously mess up your fabric.  

to remove woven heat-away from a project, split a sheet of two-ply paper towel and lay the fabric between the plies. press with a dry iron until the stabilizer is a light toast color. then crumble the stabilizer and remove the flakes use a little brush. Gently, though, or your project will look like you rubbed burnt toast on it.

heat disintegrating – primarily used for creating bulk within the embroidery to make the embroidery stand out, and it creates dimension. frequently used for free standing embroidery, and it can stabilize an unstable material with fairly low frame tension.  The downside is that heat disintegrating fusible backing can be quite time consuming to apply and is sometimes difficult to remove.   

many stabilizers look alike and are available in different weights, so if you’re new to stabilizers or easily confused, you may want to keep them in the original packaging or in clearly marked, separate bags. the identifying information you should put on the bags is name and type of stabilizer, weight, manufacturer, and what you’re using it for.   

heat-and-melt and wash-away film stabilizers should be stored in ziploc bags because they tend to stiffen with continued exposure to the air. don’t be a sheep and just rely on what i’m saying—always read the manufacturer’s instructions too.  baaaaah  baaahhh baaahhhh

completely unstable

each stabilizer’s main function is to create a tight, sturdy surface for the embroidery stitches. the stabilizer (backing) beefs up the fabric during embroidery, making it able to withstand a large amount of stitches and reduce puckering.  some embroidery is done with a stabilizer also on top to keep the embroidery stitches from sinking into a nap or pile.

this kind of stabilizer is called “fronting” or “topping” and is usually clear.  don’t get confused and mix up fronting with your backing stabilizers, or you and your machine are screwed.

using the right backing and topping for your embroidery will improve the quality of both the stitchout process and finished products.  the best way to learn which backing is best is by trial and error.

and a whole load of practice.  unlike what i said about embroidery thread in this instance, it’s ok to start out with the cheap stuff while you’re practicing. 

this doesn’t mean that there are no common rules for smart stabilizing. more on this at another time.

thread for machine embroidery

 

 

bottom line–you want to do some kickass machine embroidery, always use high quality machine embroidery threads.  why? because you read it here, and also because their fiber content is such that they produce fabulous results.  oh, and there’s a brilliant array of colors and fiber combinations available, so get out of walmart and go to a fine stitchery store near you.  

 

some embroidery threads have a reputation for being difficult to work with, but most likely a few slight adjustments can reduce the breakage problems.

 

the three parameters that can effect breakage level are thread tension, bobbin fillament thread & needle.  try using prewound bobbins of lighter weight than the needle thread, and similar fiber content.  prewound bobbins should be as fine as possible, but at least 60 or 70 wt.   fine bobbin thread allows less build up on the back of the embroidery and the machine will proceed more easily.

 

there are several lightweight bobbin threads specifically designed for machine embroidery, mostly made from polyester.  don’t use regular sewing thread for embroidery projects just because it costs less.  not only the results will be different (in most cases much worse), but eventually your embroidery machine will get seriously messed up. 

use a bobbin thread of lighter weight than the needle thread, and one with similar fiber content.  bobbin thread should be as fine as possible, but at least 60 or 70 weight fine bobbin thread allows less build up on the back of the embroidery and the machine will proceed more easily.  there are several lightweight bobbin threads specifically designed for machine embroidery, mostly made from polyester.

varied effects can be obtained by taking advantage of thread weight. machine embroidery threads come in variety of weights from 30-weight rayon to 120-weight cotton.  the rule here:  the higher the number, the finer the thread.  if you’re looking for a three-dimensional effect and/or better fabric coverage, try using a lower number of thread.  yeah.  good results will be had.  

different thread fibers-like cotton and rayon-may have different thickness in the same weight.  for example, 40-weight cotton usually looks thicker than 40-weight rayon.  the same holds true for polyester thread-since polyester is more elastic than rayon, it often appears thicker when stitched (but yet thinner than cotton).

it takes a bit of trial and error, and it’s important to remember that similar weight and material thread may also slightly vary from brand to brand.  find a brand you like, and stick with it!