With water soluble stabilizers (WSS) being a bit pricy, most of us hate just tossing out the scraps.Keep those scraps close to your sewing machine in a Ziploc bag and use them as stabilizer when stitching long rows of decorative stitches on your sewing machine.These extras also work beautifully under buttonholes.
Save those extra pieces of heavy-duty water-soluble stabilizer (WSS) - like BadgeMaster or Aquafilm - for use in making buttonholes where you don't want stabilizer to show.Long strips of WSS scraps can also work well to stabilize long lines of decorative machine stitching or chains of embroidery.
I've recently been reminded of a need for the knowledge of stabilizer basics for the best embroidered projects.I've been reading stories about crafters using paper towels, plastic wrap, and all types of other paper goods to stabilize.Please, from a digitizer who puts a lot of time into creating quality designs, use a quality stabilizer that is best suited to both the design and the project piece.Tear away stabilizers are fine for light, woven fabrics and can be ideal when you don't want the itchy remnants of a cut-away on the back side of the embroidery.If you're working with stretch knits, I can't stress enough to use a quality cut-away stabilizer for best results.(Editor's Note:always try different stabilizers and use what works best for you based on your research and trials, and always buy the best that YOU can afford.)
If you're new to embroidery on fleece or other fuzzy fabric, and a bit frustrated with the fuzz peeking through your design, adding the right stabilizer layer will give you great results.In addition to the stabilizer under your fleece, add a layer of water-soluble stabilizer on top and stitch as usual.This should cure those icky pokies.(Editor's Note: add a layer of tulle or organza on top as well for even more control.Just gently tear or cut away the excess around the edges when you're done stitching.)