Impressions - March 2014 - 65

Figure 5

recommended that a woven stabilizer be
used instead of traditional non-woven
stabilizer. Rather than offering the cotton
fabrics used in the 1970s, Gunold provided
100% polyester fabric that has the appearance of cotton or cotton/polyester blended
broadcloth. This stabilizer turned out to be
the magic bullet for these super-stretchy
technical knits.
Branded as Action Back, this superstable woven stabilizer has gained quick
acceptance. A similar stabilizer is sold by
The Embroidery Store under the Stretchmaster brand name.
You only have to use this stabilizer once
to understand its qualities. It's the perfect
example of one of the sayings I use to illustrate why you must hoop stabilizer completely in the hoop: Pretend that you're
embroidering the stabilizer and the fabric
is just getting in the way. This woven synthetic material embroiders beautifully and
the stretchy knit comes along for the ride.

WOMENSWEAR TIPS
I use soft tearaway on high-stitch-count
and highly detailed designs on stable fabrics.
Years ago, I bought a beautiful turquoise
T-shirt-weight rayon blend top that was
impressionsmag.com

Figure 6

lightly embroidered. The manufacturer had
used a crisp tearaway backing to support
the embroidery, making this dry-clean-only
shirt unwearable. Normally, the laundering
process softens the harsh properties of crisp
tearaway, so my experience made me aware
that I should use the soft variety when selecting tearaway for items that will be worn
next to the skin and will not be laundered.
Of course, soft cutaway also is a good
choice for womenswear and children's
wear. In smaller hoop sizes, I like to use
a no-show polymesh type of stabilizer
that is 1.5-1.8 ounces in weight. This type
of stabilizer can support up to 15,000
stitches in a 3- to 4-inch hoop size. Larger
hoop sizes, such as those used for fullchest embroidery, mandate selecting a traditional non-woven cutaway stabilizer.
To protect the delicate skin of ladies
and children, and make embroidery very
comfortable to wear, high-end manufacturers use a fusible product in the ﬁnishing process. Not a stabilizer, this product is
like fusible tricot, except it has a more aggressive fusible adhesive. This soft covering
material can be cut slightly larger than the
size of the embroidery and fused to the reverse side of the fabric (see Figure 6). When

cutting, round the corners to prevent lifting
over the life of the garment.
Deborah Jones is a commercial and
home embroiderer with more than 30 years
experience in the computerized embroidery
ﬁeld. She runs myembroiderymentor.com
and regularly speaks at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS). For more information or
to comment on this article, email Deborah at
djones@myembroiderymentor.com.
Hear Deborah speak on embroidery
topics at the 2014 Imprinted Sportswear
Shows (ISS). Individual seminars are just
$25 if you pre-register: isshows.com.

Suggested

Reading

Like this article? Read these other
embroidery articles at impressionsmag.com:
* "How to Choose the Right
Backing"
* "Backing Basics"
* "Embroidery Backings: What
Goes Where?"
March 2014 | Impressions

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Impressions - March 2014

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