Cut-away stabilizers should be used for knit fabrics, thereby preventing the fabric from stretching as the design is sewn.
I find heavy cut-away to be essential for dense designs, giving the stitches more support. An alternative to cut-away for knits is poly mesh, a light weight but strong fabric that does not show underneath light colored, thinner fabrics.
Tear-away stabilizers are manufactured of different materials, but they all can easily be ripped away from the back of the design after the embroidery process. Most medium weight fabrics can be embroidered using tear-away stabilizers. Although easy to remove, it is important to be very gentle when tearing away this backing from delicate designs or those that are not filled in with stitches. It is easy to rip the stitches right out of the item if you are not careful!
I find water dissolvable stabilizers to be quite interesting! After soaking the embroidered item, if any residue remains spray the surface with water, place face down on a towel and iron on the back. It can be used underneath the hoop, and is wonderful to use on items with a high pile, such as towels, to prevent the stitches sinking into the fabric or the foot catching in the loops. This is the perfect stabilizer to use when making lace. However it is a good idea to also use a layer of tulle when sewing lace designs, as many will completely fall apart when the stabilizer has dissolved! I know!
Heat-away is a great product for sewing designs with open areas such as cutwork. This stabilizer will turn light brown and fall away from the design when the heat of an iron is applied. A soldering iron or electric stencil cutter may be used to get into the intricate areas.
Adhesive backed stabilizer, also commonly known as "sticky-backed stabilizer", allows one to avoid having to hoop. The stabilizer is hooped and the item to be embroidered is simply placed onto it. It is wonderful to use for items that are too small to hoop, such as collars and cuffs. Although it is often a time saver to use sticky backed adhesive stabilizer, it does not always produce the best sewout. If you are having trouble getting the outline "right on" try to sew it out by hooping the fabric along with a compatible stabilizer. The results are often vastly different. A fine spray of water to the backing will make it easier to remove any of the stabilizer that remained after tearing it away.
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As mentioned above, perhaps proper stabilization is the biggest "secret" for a perfect outline. Always use fresh needles. Some manufacturers recommend changing the needle for every design. Of course, these are the manufacturers of needles, but you cannot go wrong by starting with a new needle! If the needle is changed right before the outline stitch is sewn out your chances of proper outline placement are increased. Often a design will have a more pleasing appearance if the outline is sewn in another color than black. A dark, dark gray is not as harsh as black. Use dark brown for many designs of nature and primary colors for children's designs. Metallic thread can successfully be used to jazz up a project. If you are really having a problem with the outline being off, consider leaving the outline off completely. In "real life" there are no outlines! As a digitizer it is very important to work on getting your outline to sew out as a continuous line. Nothing is more frustrating to be merrily sewing through all the fill stitch areas and then come to the outline and have it jump back and forth all over the place.
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The use of different color combinations and values can dramatically change the appearance of a design. Try sewing out the same design in a traditional color scheme and then sewing it out again using unconventional colors. The design can instantly go from classic to contemporary. You can experiment with colors without actually having to sew them out by using Realistic View if your software allows you this option. This will save you time and thread, but allow for a totally different perspective. I most always pick colors by eye, but I know many people are more comfortable having an exact color number to follow. For those who like to follow a color chart, this thread comparison chart may prove helpful.
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It has been said that there are no mistakes, just creative opportunities. If that is indeed the case, I personally have been given many creative opportunities! When I first acquired my embroidery machine I threw away a brand new shirt because I had a thread nest that in turn became a hole in the garment. There are several methods of rescuing a seemingly ruined project. One of the fastest is to sew an
appliqué right over the top of the offending area. Print out a template of the design you are going to embroider and place it over the garment to make sure it will cover the problem area. Another rescue trick is to slightly enlarge the original embroidery design, sew it out on dissolvable stabilizer or tulle. If using tulle, gently tear or cut along the outside edges of the design. This enlarged motif may then be placed over the goof and sewn down
inconspicuously by hand or zigzagged by machine. Patches are an excellent way to cover up an error, also. The patch can be sewn to the garment with a satin stitch or the edges of the fabric could be frayed. A product such as Aileen's Tack It Over and Over could be applied to the patch so that it could be taken off whenever desired. Permanent fabric marking pens are an embroiderer's best friend. Their ink can easily fill in small gaps that might otherwise prove offending. I have also been known to take my embroidery project to the standard sewing machine and do a little free form embroidery in an area where the stitches did not fill in properly. Be sure to use your embroidery thread in your sewing machine when using this method. If all else fails, use the rest of the fabric as patchwork squares or for sample trial runs!
If you'd like to see a couple of my mistakes and how I recovered from from them
visit my Error of My Ways page.
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