Stabilizer is the base of all embroidery items. I felt like I was hearing Forrest Gump discuss how many ways to make shrimp when I was reading about stabilizer. In layman's terms, stabilizer is the backing of your embroidery and is what holds up the stitches. There is quite a variety to decide on. As a beginner, I didn't know what I needed so when someone mentioned it, I ran to Amazon and bought it. Some I like, some I don't. World Weidner is the brand I prefer.
Types of stabilizer:
Tear away - It is exactly what is says. It is torn away after the project is completed. It feels like a really thick paper. Walmart carries one that looks like shelving liner. It is called EZ stitch tear away. I kind of like that brand for the back of shirts because it is more "cushy" feeling than some others but it isn't as stiff to hold the project. Tear away is primarily used with thicker items that you don't want to see left behind on the back side like blankets, towels, fleece and sweatshirts. The thicker material can hold up the stitches. I have seen people use it for totes and purses too. I have played around with it because I bought 10 yards. I don't do many blankets and can only make so many towels. If you buy tear away, get it at a local shop and don't buy more than a yard or two. That being said, I have used it when the material is so thin that 2 layers of stabilizer may help the stitches. I will use tear away and cut away, leaving only the cut away behind. I probably wouldn't do this if I didn't have 10 yards of tear away collecting dust.
Cut away - Cut away is mainly used on thinner fabric, like knit. The first cut away stabilizer I bought, I hated. It was very stiff. It made the item look like it had a big ole patch behind the stitching. That isn't attractive. For clothing, I learned of "no show" stabilizer. It is polymesh material. It is soft and doesn't show through material but you still cut it away on the back side of the fabric. When you buy cut away, be sure to buy polymesh. You will become embroidery friends for life. It will be your most used stabilizer if you are doing shirts.
Fusible - This is an iron on, cut away, polymesh stabilizer. It is used on the back of stretchy knits so the material doesn't pull in the hoop. Iron it on the back of the fabric, hoop or float your item and stitch. You can use an iron to release it from the fabric but don't expect it to be a permanent stabilizer. It will come loose, it will also shrink a tad in the wash causing design to pucker and distort. It isn't one of my preferences but I bought it because someone else did. Refer to the polymesh cut away above.
Sticky - Now this is an interesting stabilizer. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Sticky is great for hard to pin items such as big tote bags or shirts that are being floated. I love how I can press a shirt on it and it won't budge or shift. No pinning is required. To use, just put the sticky in the hoop with the paper side up. Use scissors to "score" the paper and peel back the paper to reveal the sticky stuff. My problem with this is, I love how sticky it is and I hate how sticky it is. My machine will act up with it. I have shredded and broken thread every time I use sticky stabilizer on shirts. It gums up the needle and the thread can't flow as easily through the hole. I did buy a different type of needle to try and will post on that later. I am still up in the air on this stuff. I discovered that double sided tape works just as well but my needle never touches the tape.
Water Soluble (WSS) - WSS is used on the front of the project to hold the stitches up. You can tear it off or cut it away from the stitching when the project is complete. You can also put a warm cloth on the stitching and it will dissolve kind of like glue. It was fascinating to play with. Some people don't use it. Most do. It is a personal choice BUT be sure to compare before you decide. I did and found the stitches look much fuller and much prettier when I use WSS. If you order WSS, don't fret if what you receive looks like a type of saran wrap. It is kind of "plastic-ky" to touch. It is very thin so I didn't see any way that it could be effective but it is.
How much to use will depend on the item being stitched. What type to use, will depend on the item being stitched. Nothing in embroidery appears to be simple!!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Getting started with Embroidery Thread
As a totally naive newbie embroiderer, I went to Joann's thinking ok, I will grab 3 or 4 spools of thread and will get going with my new machine. I quickly realized there was more to it. I grabbed a drink and went back to my trusty buddy, google. Here is what I have learned so far:
Bobbin Thread - The 770 machine requires 90 wt bobbin thread on a Class 15 style A bobbin. You can't just use the embroidery thread in your project to wind a bobbin and get going. Embroidery thread is 40 wt. Big difference. I also read many posts that this machine is temperamental. It knows what it likes and won't accept anything else. Trying to wind my own bobbins didn't work. It has to be tightly wound just so or my machine would just eat up the project. I discovered I could actually buy prewound bobbins. That became my new best friend, for the day. Amazon had a great deal, for $29.95 I got a box of 144 bobbins. I thought "Sheesh, that is a lifetime of bobbins". I was wrong, AGAIN. Just for the record, I am getting about 45,000 - 50,000 stitches out of each bobbin. That sure sounds like a lifetime of bobbins to me. That is actually 3 -6 projects, depending on the design.
Embroidery Thread - First things first, you can NOT use sewing thread for embroidery. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 if you try to use sewing thread to embroider. Embroidery machines stitch at a minimum of 350 stitches per minute slowed down. Mine will stitch 650 and that is a beginner machine. I have seen some that will stitch as many as 1500. It takes a strong thread to handle that speed. Rayon used to be the thread of choice for embroidery but Polyster has taken its place. After finally figuring out what type to buy, I was ready to go......or so I thought.
Based on feedback of what thread is recommended, Floriani is the BEST embroidery thread out there - and the most expensive. A beginner needs lots of thread to get started so unless you have deep pockets, I wouldn't recommend Floriani to start with. For a 100 spool set of Floriani, it will cost over $400. Here is a list of some other polyester brands available: Robison Anton, Isacord, Madeira, Mettler, Sulky, Exquisite Polystar, Sigma, Metro, and others on Amazon. After much research and thought, I chose to go with the Metro brand. For 66 spools, it was only $49.50. I always heard to be careful, you get what you pay or. There are a couple FB groups specifically geared towards the Brother machines. MANY stated they use Metro thread without any issues. Some did say their machine would shred it. I had to start somewhere and didn't want to invest a lot of money on a machine that I haven't turned on yet. (note: since then I have bought Sigma, Isacord and Exquisite to try). Metro thread does feel a little thinner than other brands but that isn't necessarily a bad thing when flowing through the tiny needle hole. Metro has a beautiful sheen to it and works up nicely. The one thing I would go back and change if I could would be the package I bought. I would have purchased the All 166 colors for $124.50. Sigma is 148 colors for $111. You would think 66 spools would give all the choices in the world for a project and you wouldn't need anything else. As with many things in my embroidery journey, that was wrong as well. There are 7 colors in the rainbow but thousands of shades per color. I ended up going back and buying 75 more colors. Here is a sneak peek of just one thread drawer.
Bobbin Thread - The 770 machine requires 90 wt bobbin thread on a Class 15 style A bobbin. You can't just use the embroidery thread in your project to wind a bobbin and get going. Embroidery thread is 40 wt. Big difference. I also read many posts that this machine is temperamental. It knows what it likes and won't accept anything else. Trying to wind my own bobbins didn't work. It has to be tightly wound just so or my machine would just eat up the project. I discovered I could actually buy prewound bobbins. That became my new best friend, for the day. Amazon had a great deal, for $29.95 I got a box of 144 bobbins. I thought "Sheesh, that is a lifetime of bobbins". I was wrong, AGAIN. Just for the record, I am getting about 45,000 - 50,000 stitches out of each bobbin. That sure sounds like a lifetime of bobbins to me. That is actually 3 -6 projects, depending on the design.
Embroidery Thread - First things first, you can NOT use sewing thread for embroidery. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 if you try to use sewing thread to embroider. Embroidery machines stitch at a minimum of 350 stitches per minute slowed down. Mine will stitch 650 and that is a beginner machine. I have seen some that will stitch as many as 1500. It takes a strong thread to handle that speed. Rayon used to be the thread of choice for embroidery but Polyster has taken its place. After finally figuring out what type to buy, I was ready to go......or so I thought.
Based on feedback of what thread is recommended, Floriani is the BEST embroidery thread out there - and the most expensive. A beginner needs lots of thread to get started so unless you have deep pockets, I wouldn't recommend Floriani to start with. For a 100 spool set of Floriani, it will cost over $400. Here is a list of some other polyester brands available: Robison Anton, Isacord, Madeira, Mettler, Sulky, Exquisite Polystar, Sigma, Metro, and others on Amazon. After much research and thought, I chose to go with the Metro brand. For 66 spools, it was only $49.50. I always heard to be careful, you get what you pay or. There are a couple FB groups specifically geared towards the Brother machines. MANY stated they use Metro thread without any issues. Some did say their machine would shred it. I had to start somewhere and didn't want to invest a lot of money on a machine that I haven't turned on yet. (note: since then I have bought Sigma, Isacord and Exquisite to try). Metro thread does feel a little thinner than other brands but that isn't necessarily a bad thing when flowing through the tiny needle hole. Metro has a beautiful sheen to it and works up nicely. The one thing I would go back and change if I could would be the package I bought. I would have purchased the All 166 colors for $124.50. Sigma is 148 colors for $111. You would think 66 spools would give all the choices in the world for a project and you wouldn't need anything else. As with many things in my embroidery journey, that was wrong as well. There are 7 colors in the rainbow but thousands of shades per color. I ended up going back and buying 75 more colors. Here is a sneak peek of just one thread drawer.
How I started with my Brother PE770
My embroidery machine is a Brother PE770. Why did I choose that particular machine? Well mainly, because I didn't have a clue what I was doing so I went to the pro, google. I came across machines that cost as much as a used car. That was out. I needed an affordable machine for a crafter. Brother machines constantly came up. The Brother 400 has a 4x4 hoop. When I drew a 4x4 box on a piece of paper and held it up to a shirt, I knew that size hoop wouldn't work. Any machine with only a 4x4 hoop was crossed off the list for me. The 400 machine is embroidery and sewing combined. I can't sew, not a lick, not even a straight line. My mother was a professional seamstress. She made some GORGEOUS items but didn't pass that creative gene my way. If you just want to embroider, stick to an embroidery machine. The next machine up was the 770. The PE770 is strictly an embroidery machine. It has a 5x7 hoop with the option to use a smaller hoop and abigger hoop. I decided on this machine because it was a little under $500 on sale, had a bigger workspace with the 5x7 hoop and is the #1 beginner machine.
The exciting day finally arrived. My machine was delivered. I was worse than a kid in a candy store with excitement. I took it all out of the box, I looked everything over and put it all right back in the box. I was instantly overwhelmed with it all. What was I thinking, I can't sew. This machine was much more than a simple sewing machine. There is no way I can use this thing. So it sat.....and it sat some more. I heard laughter from that box, I heard taunts from that box, I heard lonely cries from that box. It terrified me in every way possible. After about 3 weeks, I finally decided to tackle this machine head on. I started to research and came upon terms like polyester thread, rayon thread, 90 wt thread, stabilizer, applique, duckbill scissors, schmetz needles, organ needles, blah blah blah. What??? I just want to sit down and do a simple monogram. What is all this stuff? The reality set in. It isn't as simple as I thought. So now what? There was a huge problem. I had NO thread so I couldn't do anything.
The exciting day finally arrived. My machine was delivered. I was worse than a kid in a candy store with excitement. I took it all out of the box, I looked everything over and put it all right back in the box. I was instantly overwhelmed with it all. What was I thinking, I can't sew. This machine was much more than a simple sewing machine. There is no way I can use this thing. So it sat.....and it sat some more. I heard laughter from that box, I heard taunts from that box, I heard lonely cries from that box. It terrified me in every way possible. After about 3 weeks, I finally decided to tackle this machine head on. I started to research and came upon terms like polyester thread, rayon thread, 90 wt thread, stabilizer, applique, duckbill scissors, schmetz needles, organ needles, blah blah blah. What??? I just want to sit down and do a simple monogram. What is all this stuff? The reality set in. It isn't as simple as I thought. So now what? There was a huge problem. I had NO thread so I couldn't do anything.
Starting Again with Embroidery
I had good intentions when I first started a blog years ago. I just didn't have enough creativity to write about my projects and honestly, I still don't. I need a journal for all my projects. I have tons of notebooks and I am really good about writing things down as I do a project. There is a huge flaw in my system. Have you ever found notebooks stashed in a bin, closet or drawer and have no idea what you made based on notes? Yeah, me too.
So what is new for the blog? My Christmas present from my wonderful husband was an embroidery machine and vinyl heat press. I have talked about an embroidery machine for a few years but I can't sew a straight line so what in the world do I need with an embroidery machine? Like most of my craft stash, I just wanted it. I am borderline craft hoarder! My husband likes to complain about my "stuff". I also think he likes when I am crafting because he can watch what he wants on tv. He is an enabler but we won't tell him! I will be adding projects I have made with tips that helped and even things that didn't. Stay tuned...
So what is new for the blog? My Christmas present from my wonderful husband was an embroidery machine and vinyl heat press. I have talked about an embroidery machine for a few years but I can't sew a straight line so what in the world do I need with an embroidery machine? Like most of my craft stash, I just wanted it. I am borderline craft hoarder! My husband likes to complain about my "stuff". I also think he likes when I am crafting because he can watch what he wants on tv. He is an enabler but we won't tell him! I will be adding projects I have made with tips that helped and even things that didn't. Stay tuned...
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