The Fine Art of Stabilizers

 

Recently I was invited to Jackman's www.jackmansfabrics.com in St. Louis for their November Embroidery Club. First let me say that it is a fabulous store. The staff is experienced and knowledgeable, the fabrics are gorgeous and they carry the very coolest buttons and trims.  I just wish I lived closer so I could hang out there more often.

I've made a lot of cool stuff (its what I do) to show them. But the same question came up over and over again. "What stabilizer did you use?" So I'd like to give y'all a little bit of what I've learned about stabilizer.

First of all, do not cheap out and use paper towels or used dryer sheets for stabilizers. I've seen that suggested as a frugal alternative. Don't do it. Your time, your threads, your garment or project are worth much more than a little sheet of stabilizer so please use the real thing.

The function of stabilizer is to counteract the pull of the threads (ahhhhh, physics!). A very dense design will need more stabilizing power than a loose or "airy" design. A base fabric that stretches will have less ability to resist the pull of threads and will also need more stabilizing power. A stretchy base fabric that will be washed a gazillion times (just think of the things babies do all day) will need more stabilizing support than a project that hangs on the wall to be enjoyed.

That said, there are three basic types of stabilizer: Tear Away, Cut Away and Wash Away. In general Tear Away is for woven fabrics, Cut Away for knit or stretchy fabrics and Wash Away is for items where the threads cover the raw edge of the fabric, like an embroidered scalloped edge.

 

These stabilizers come in different weights.  Light weight for light weight fabrics or "airy" designs, Medium weight for heavier designs and Heavy Weight for really dense designs. Here's an example...most of my embroidering happens on lightweight cotton quilting fabrics so I use a Tear Away light (woven fabric, lightweight, not too dense design). If I were stitching on a sweatshirt to give to my favorite nephew I would use Cut Away Light or Medium (stretchy fabric, weight depending on how dense the design).

The other question that came up was "What brand of stabilizer do you use?" I've used every brand out there at one point or another. While at Market this past Fall I met some folks who manufacture some truly awesome stabilizers. I haven't talked much about them until now because I wanted to make sure that I had thoroughly tested every single product they make. I've done that and I can tell you every stabilizer they make is top-notch first quality!

The company is called Bosal, there's a photo of some of their goodies above. I like the products and I like that they use a minimum of packaging which is better for the earth. I couldn't find it locally (I live in the boonies, remember?) so I will be carrying their products for you to order. Call or email me if you'd like some. I hope to have it up on the website soon.

This is just a little overview of stabilizers, I'll be posting more as I write some tutorials on specific techniques.

Check back soon.

Winter Crafting AKA Making Cool Stuff and Being Green

It's the end of November here at the cat ranch. The sky is gloomy and it's too chilly to play outside in the dirt.

Yep, it's the perfect time to make cool stuff. I've spent my whole life making stuff so I know that winter can be my most productive time...so long as I turn off the TV.

So what kind of stuff have I made lately. Well, since you asked. There's a new Celtic embroidery design collection. I named it Eire just to keep it simple. But the designs are sooo pretty with some big knotwork patterns and lots of designs that can be used for in the hoop quilting. I've been quilting for 30 years but doing it in the hoop on the embroidery machine is just too much fun and easy enough to be accessible to everyone.

I also find November is a good time to reassess the garden space and to take at look at what I'm doing in my efforts to be green. Being green, what is that? I hear it all day now; on the news, in the paper, everywhere on the web. When I first started going green I found an endless list of ways to do it right. Yes, it was intimidating. It seemed every effort I made to live sustainably came under fire from someone who thought I wasn't doing it right.

Kinda made me want to give up...but I didn't.

First I decided to follow my own path towards green living and tune out the critical voices.

I picked one thing to change, just one thing. I switched from regular light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. Did I spell that right? They were a little pricey but they last a really long time and save money on the electric bill.

Next I got rid of the dryer. Well, I just didn't get a new one. My dryer died just before I moved here so I didn't replace it. I have a clothesline. It took some getting used to. Let's just say the Weather Channel is my new best friend. I have to pay attention to the weather forecast because rain=no laundry. I take that back. I can dry a load or two in the house. I went to WalMart (the evil empire) and bought a retractable indoor clothesline. I set it up on the utility porch in case I need to do a load and the weather is not cooperating. I also use that line to dry my undies. The idea of my unmentionables swinging in the breeze for all the world to see is a little more than I can bear.

BUT, and its a big but, I figure I save about 20 bucks a month on my electric bill and avoid 4lbs of CO2 for every load I hang on the line (that's how much CO2 every dryer load produces). That's worth a little advance planning.

What's next? Winter has just begun so we'll be making lots more cool stuff. There's a garment embellishment kit based on the applique border in that Sakura quilt. I love putting cool designs on my clothes and this kit comes with dupione silk and a lovely polished cotton.

Check back soon for more updates on making stuff and results for The Great Winter Garden Experiment.