Choosing & Using Tear-Away Stabilizers for Sewing & Machine Embroidery

As I mentioned, stabilizer comes in four categories based on the removal process from the final project. It’s essential to keep this in mind when selecting a stabilizer! In addition to the removal methods, stabilizers have properties that make it easier for you to work smarter within each category.

Today, I’m working with stabilizers that are removed by tearing. I’m using several Sulky products, one stabilizer from HeatnBond and two from UNIQUE. I’m not comparing the results between products but to use different tear-away stabilizers to highlight properties or weights.

There are guidelines to help us choose one stabilizer over another, and sometimes, we may need multiple products. As these are guidelines, not set-in-stone rules, the more familiar you become with the properties and weights, the easier it is to choose the correct product(s) for the job.

I’ll start in sewing mode. Wide and/or dense stitches in sewing mode require a stabilizer. If not, the result can look disastrous.

I’ll use a basic tear-away stabilizer for the sewing mode samples.

I used the satin stitch to demonstrate why a stabilizer is essential and tested what happens at various stitch widths. In these samples, the length is 1.0 mm, which is not dense, but the stitch reaches a maximum width of 9 mm. The numbers on the sample indicate the stitch width. I used a bobbin-weight thread (60-weight) and a 40-weight decorative thread in the needle.

There’s one layer of fabric and zero stabilizer. Let’s see what happens.

As you can see, the puckering started around the 3.9 mm stitch width and got significantly worse as the width increased. No one would want these results on their project.

What do we do about it? We add stabilizer, of course. I’m using a tear-away stabilizer because typically, but not always, decorative stitches, particularly satin stitch, will be hidden within the final product. If the back were going to be visible, I’d choose another stabilizer, which we’ll discuss later this week.

I used the Sulky Soft, Lightweight, Tear-Away Stabilizer (Tear Easy) and started with one layer. My samples include only 5 mm to 9 mm stitches, as there were no issues with the narrower widths.

With one layer of stabilizer, there’s still a lot of tunneling and puckering in all widths.

So, I tried two layers of Tear-Easy. This sample looks much better than using a single layer; almost all the puckers have disappeared. I have NOT pressed any of the samples, so this is excellent quality.

However, the packaging stated that I might want to use one, two, or three layers (or more) of stabilizer, so I added a third layer. Notice that the samples are labeled. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but it needs to be functional and something you can refer back to.

With a good press, I could probably get away with two layers of Tear-Easy stabilizer for this wide satin stitch, but do you see what a difference a little bit of stabilizer makes to the final look?

There’s another tear-away product called Sulky Stiffy, which is a medium-weight stabilizer. Let’s try that out and see what happens. All the stitches are perfectly flat. I did not press these samples.

I thought I’d try two layers just for fun. There would be no need even to press this. It’s flat and likely overfill, at least on this fabric.

The samples above are a great example of why we need to test. It’s not enough to grab a stabilizer to put under our stitching; you need to think about the type of stitches and the weight of the stabilizer. The fabric type can also influence what kind of stabilizer to use. I’m not looking at the cost of these stabilizers,  but I would assume that the medium weight is more expensive.

If you have used more than one layer of tear-away stabilizer, it’s best to remove one layer at a time. Multiple layers mean more effort to clean up the project. Tearing one layer at a time is less likely to damage the stitches.

So buying the lightweight, thinking it’s a bargain, isn’t always a bargain if you have to use twice as much to do the same job, and it takes twice as long to remove. See how choosing the correct stabilizer makes more sense?

The stabilizer will tear away from the straight edge of the satin stitch with no problem; however, if you use a more decorative stitch, that is not the case. In this example, I used a feather stitch with a tear-away stabilizer. If I tear the stabilizer away, I may damage (loosen) some stitches.

Instead of tearing, I would fold the stabilizer along the edge of the fly stitch and cut it with applique scissors.

I want to mention that in this sample, I replicated the seams from my quilt to test whether I needed a stabilizer. I used lightweight interfacing (permanent) on the blocks, so I made the sample using the same materials, with the seams pressed to one side. I attempted to stitch without a stabilizer, but it started to pucker, so I added a tear-away. Again, was this the best stabilizer? The inside won’t show when the quilt is together, but I could have used a different product. More on that later this week.

Here’s another situation you may run into. As mentioned, I’m always experimenting to determine what to use when needed. I had a pair of child’s shorts that I wanted to stitch a decorative stitch along the hem. Do I need a stabilizer? And if so, which one? Experimenting with a ready-made garment is tricky because there’s no fabric to sample.

I positioned an open stitch on the hem and did NOT use a stabilizer. If I had put the line of decorative stitch higher so it didn’t fit on the hem, I could have used a tear away, but there would be bits of paper between the stitches, which would not have been pretty, and the paper would have been scratchy on the skin. So, I would have chosen a different kind of stabilizer. Stay tuned to know what I would have chosen.

Now, let’s move to machine embroidery.

Tear-away stabilizer is a very common stabilizer used for machine embroidery. It’s readily available, has multiple widths to accommodate various hoop sizes, and is economical. However, if the back of the embroidery will show, it is NOT the best product to use. And you’ll see more about that later this week. Once you remove the excess tear-away stabilizer, here’s what the back of an open machine embroidery design looks like.

Removing the stabilizer between the stitches would require a lot of time, and you risk the danger of loosening a stitch or two. Leaving this inside is OK, provided the back will not be visible. It will eventually break down.

Let’s see what happens to the stabilizers when we move on to some denser embroideries. Please note that these are not scientific experiments; I’m just doing some quick stitch-outs, and there are MANY iterations I could do. I just want to show you the value of experimenting while giving you some idea of what these stabilizers do. I’m also NOT comparing one brand of stabilizer to another. All brands worked equally well within the limits of the experiment.

I used a bobbin weight thread (60-weight) and a 40-weight embroidery thread for the needle. The fabric is one layer of muslin, and each sample uses a different stabilizing method. I used a metal hoop for these samples and gave the samples a quick press directly on my ironing surface. I should have used my wool mat to prevent flattening the stitches.

Pressing brings up a whole other question, which I don’t have time to explore this week. But what surface works best for pressing machine embroidery? Should I press before or after the removal of the stabilizer? Hmm – more exploring! But you can see what happens during the experimentation stage. You do something, and then you have more questions. I love this process and have learned so much!

For these two stitch-outs, I used the HeatnBond StitchnSew Tear-Away stabilizer as the principal stabilizer. For the sample on the left, that is the ONLY stabilizer I used. I removed the stabilizer from the left sample and then pressed it, and there are some puckers and a few ripples. While I’m using a full-coverage embroidery fill, it’s not overly dense, so imagine what would happen with a more dense design.

In the sample on the right, I used the same HeatnBond StitchnSew Tear-Away stabilizer on the bottom. Before I hooped the fabric, I ironed a piece of Sulky Totally Stable stabilizer to the wrong side of the fabric.

Remember, we talked about different properties within the tear-away category. Well, here’s a new property. Totally Stable has a coating on the underside that allows it to be fused temporarily to provide extra support for thin fabrics or any fabric that is not stable and could shift in the hoop during the machine embroidery stitch out.

Sulky Totally Stable is a fantastic product that can control those “shifty” fabrics! Plus, it adds extra support for the overall pattern fill, as I typically slide another layer of stabilizer under the hoop just before I press Start.

FYI: Sulky Totally Stable comes in black and white.

In this next sample, I used two different, UNIQUE branded stabilizers. The first one (UNIQUE Tear Away) is for medium to heavy-weight fabrics, and I slid an extra layer of HeatnBond tear-away stabilizer under the hoop before I started.

The second sample uses the UNIQUE Easy Stitch stabilizer for light to medium-weight fabrics, and it also has an extra layer of HeatnBond tearaway stabilizer. I pressed both samples on my ironing surface. The stabilizer is still attached.

Both samples work very well with the second layer of stabilizer. What is critical to know is that all the brands performed equally well, but because of the somewhat dense fill pattern, the second layer was key to the integrity of the design.

Here’s a look at the UNIQUE Easy Stitch, which is perforated. This product looks quite different, so keeping the labels attached is essential. Would you remember what it is if you ran across this in your stabilizer stash?

You can see the extra layer of tear away on the back.

One final property I want to discuss in the tear-away category is a sticky stabilizer, which allows you to do machine embroidery on a fabric that would be hard to hoop. Sometimes, you do NOT want to hoop your fabric, such as a fabric with a nap, like velvet, or perhaps the hooping process will bruise the edges, which can happen with solid, dark colors.

While you could use a metal hoop for those fabrics, the sticky stabilizer serves two purposes. It allows you to hoop odd-shaped or small items and keeps thin or shifty (bias) fabrics in place.

It’s easy to use. Simply hoop the Sulky Sticky + stabilizer with the shiny paper face up.

Score the paper with a pin and remove the protective paper to reveal the sticky surface on the stabilizer.

I embroidered the same motif on a lightweight piece of chambray that was too small to be hooped. The sticky stabilizer held that fabric firmly in the hoop, and the result looks fantastic. I only used one stabilizer.

To sum up, using the correct tear-away stabilizer is essential to a beautifully finished item, whether with decorative stitches in sewing or working with machine embroidery designs. When selecting the type (and weight) of tear-away stabilizer, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Density (width) of the design/stitches
• Type and weight of the fabric
• Easy to hoop if doing machine embroidery

And remember the various properties of the tear-away stabilizer:

• weight
• iron-on ability
• sticky
• color

Above all, remember that tear-away stabilizers are often used for items where the back will not be visible, so if small bits of the stabilizer remain during removal, it’s no big deal. Those remaining bits of tear-away stabilizer can also be itchy if they stay in a garment.

Sort your tear-away stabilizers: check if you have different colors or special properties, and make sure they are labeled! If your product gets separated from its label, simply attempt to tear a corner, and if it tears easily, then it’s very likely a tear-away product.

Next, you should run a couple of tests using multiple combinations. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn.

I have only scratched the surface of tear-away stabilizers, but the more you use them, the more you understand the properties and the removal process, and the better your projects look. Be sure to read the labels and check out the links above to find additional details.

Stay tuned, as I’ll be back tomorrow to discuss cut-away stabilizers.

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Mastering Sulky and UNIQUE stabilizers for sewing & machine embroidery

Go back to part 3: How to choose and use SULKY Cut-Away stabilizers for machine embroidery