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From: lovetosew9955
Date: 11-08-2006, 02:43 PM (1 of 3)
| What Is The General Rule Of Thumb For Stabilizers. I Use The Iron On Alot. When Do You Use A Topper? |
User: lovetosew9955
Member since: 10-10-2006 Total posts: 6 |
From: paroper
Date: 11-08-2006, 08:47 PM (2 of 3)
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Be sure that you use a STABILIZER, not interfacing. Interfacing is meant to give body to the garment while reacting to the body's movements. It is not meant to withstand great pressure or prevent the movement of the fabric, it is meant to compliment the fabric with which it is used. Stabilizer, on the other hand is very strong and is meant to withstand the movement of the fabric and hold it tightly in place against tremendous pressure and motion. If the fabric stretches, use a cut away. Bonding the stabilzer through a spray adhesive liike HR5 or 505 helps keep the fabric from stretching as you go, also bonding stabilizers, those that bond with a spritz of water or heat work well. If you use a tear away or a water soluble stabilizer on a knit, when the knit is stretched, the design will pull apart. The exception might be if applying a free standing lace design to a knit with water soluble stabilizer as your base. If the fabric is woven, a tear away or a water soluble is OK. You can still use a cut away if you want. The weight of the stabilzer should match the weight of the fabric. Heavy weight for heavy fabrics, light weight for light weight fabrics. More than one layer is just fine. Polymesh cut away works very well for fabric that is light weight like sweat shirts, etc. A water soluble topper is used to keep things from "poking through" and it holds the pokies down. Things like velvet, towels, anything with a nap or fuzzies that can peek out through your design and become trapped between the stitches need some sort of topper. Some people find that colored tuille or organza works well too. Many people just randomly use a topper for almost anything but it is an unnecessary expense in many cases. A good quality water soluble like Badgemaster or Villene is used for free standing lace also. When you use stabilizer you are not stabilizing your embroidery, you are stabilizing the fabric so that the motion and pull of the machine will not cause your fabric to pucker or pull (have you seen things that stuck out after they were embroidered...that is part of what you are trying to avoid). The stabilizer should be taut in the hoop...like a drum head. You should have the stabilizer taut but do not pull the fabric or when you do it will pucker when you release it and it relaxes. ONLY STABLIZER THAT IS HOOPED WILL STABILIZE YOUR FABRIC. The hoop holds the stabilizer so that it can't twist or pull as the needle motion pulls, making it pucker naturally. There is no real benefit in adding floated stabilizer to your design in terms of helping to stabilize the fabric. However, if your tear away starts to release as you go, floating the stabilizer underneath can help to keep the design from coming apart as it happens. The stitching will naturally attach the floated stabilizer and keep the design from coming loose...works well if needed. Your tear away is designed so that as you stitch, your needle perforates the stabilizer both inside the design and around the edges. By the time your design is finished, the tear away that is in the design is so torn away that it does not add any special support to the design from within. Tear away is also designed to dissolve over time so that each time the garment is washed, the stabilizer that remains will become a little weaker. In other words, there isn't just a whole lot of difference between tear away and a good wash away stabilizer. To remove the tear away, gently hold the stitches and pull gently, pulling the tear away from the design, but putting min. pressure on the stitches that are there. Adhesive stabilzers or spray adhesive can help with many projects, bonding the stabilizer to the project so that it doesn't move as you work. pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: lovetosew9955
Date: 11-09-2006, 04:19 PM (3 of 3)
thank you very much, that was most helpful.
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User: lovetosew9955
Member since: 10-10-2006 Total posts: 6 |
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