! ! ! Stabilizer ! ! !
The Ultimate Guide To Embroidery Stabilizers
This article contains some industry terms that most of you willbe familiar with as well as some that only a few of you will befamiliar with. For clarity sake, I will define terms as we go along.Our most important consideration for embroidery projects is gettingperfect registration (the ratio between bobbin thread and top threadto create a clear and perfect design). In general, the key to properregistration is to create a "tambourine skin" type tension with thematerial within the hoop. If the material moves, bounces or slips,you will lose registration. What a stabilizer does is aid inachieving this drum skin type tension. A stabilizer should be stablein all directions.
People have used all sorts of things for stabilizing. I have evenheard of people, some who should know better, advocating the use ofcoffee filters, newspaper, paper towels etc as a backing (throughoutthis article, backing and stabilizer will be used interchangeably).Sewing through these items is like taking you favorite fabric shearsand cutting cardboard with them - OUCH!
Paper will also break up and shred - causing excessive lint in yourbobbin cases and machine parts, please note here the LARGE differencebetween paper and a non-woven (non-woven: fabric-like material madefrom long fibers, bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat orsolvent treatment).
Let's talk about non-wovens. As far as the embroidery world isconcerned, non-woven stabilizers are manufactured by two differentprocesses-saturate/chemical bonded non-wovens and wet laid non-wovens.
In the first process, saturate or chemically bonded non-woven, thecontents are polyester, rayon and some kind of chemical binder(something that holds the fibers together). It is a dry sludge (amixture of solid material and water) and as it comes off the machinethe fibers are dispersed via 2 methods.
Method 1-Carded or directional saturate:
The fibers are raked or aligned in the machine direction (MD). Howdoes this happen? There is a giant card or rake that combs the fibersin one direction, resulting in a definite direction to the fibers.
Also called chemical bond - the fibers are raked orcombed (carded) in one direction (MD). The fibers arethen impregnated with a binder. It stretches in onedirection & tears in one direction. You will need 2 piecescross-wise to achieve proper tension for embroidery.
Please note that these goods do stretch in one direction crossdirectionally (CD). Therefore every time you use a carded ordirectional saturate you will need 2 layers laid crosswise in order toachieve a drum skin type tension. Most of these goods are made forinterlinings and for other end uses besides embroidery. This type ofnon-woven addresses the drapability factor but NOT the stability factor.
Method 2-Random Saturate:
The second method of dispersal of this saturated sludge is by a randommethod, therefore called a random saturate.
As an easy analogy to understand the method of fiber dispersal letsassume that the sludge is in a giant vat, similar in texture to cookiedough. A giant spoon comes along and mixes the fibers and the fibersare dispersed randomly.
Also called chemical bond - the same solution as withcarded saturates- only dispersed randomly. Notethe uneven quality and holes insaturate (thick and thin spots)
What happens when you hit a thin spot while embroidering? The answeris that you lose tension and registration in that area.
Random saturates are made for many industries, roofing, road building,house wrapping, etc. In most cases they are NOT made for embroidery.You will see many saturates on the market, many of them areinexpensive non-wovens made in Mexico. Some of these are greatproducts, for roofing or road building, but for embroidery there arebetter choices.
The second process is Wet Laid Non-Wovens
'Wet Laid' stabilizer, much like a high quality paper, where fiber isdispersed in a solution. A screen rises and the solution dries(alluvial formation) yielding a multi-directional and uniformnon-woven. These are made in different weights, the idea being toalways use only ONE layer.
Even quality, won't stretch, non-directional. We do an Elmendorf teartestto assure that it tears somewhat equally in all directions
There are 2 types of wet laid non-wovens, delta formed and rotaryformed. For the purpose of this article, we will only discuss deltaformed wet laid non-wovens (rotary formed wet laid non-wovens havesimilar properties with slight differences in density).
The wet laid process is similar to the fine paper making processbut there are differences. The process used to take place in rivers,but they are now manufactured in a few plants worldwide with giantmachines.
There is a slurry of water running through a trough in a machine andthere is a wire screen sitting in this trough or bath. We mix in thecomponents polyester (a short fiber) for softness, rayon fortearability and stiffness, in varying percentages, depending if it is atearaway or a cutaway being made. Cellulose is also added asinexpensive filler.
All the fibers are then bound together with an acrylic binder and weadd silicone as a sewing aid. The screen then rises and dries,similar to an alluvial formation, like a river delta. Evenly spread,there is no direction to the fibers. This is your "tambourine skin".
The resulting wet laid stabilizers are both non-directional, denseand soft for drapability. They can also be made firm! We do anElmendorf tear test to make sure that they tear equally in alldirections, machine directionally and cross directionally. They do.
These are specifically made for sewing (the addition of silicone) andeven more specifically for embroidery. They are made in weightsbetween 1 osy (ounces per sq yard) and 3 osy.
The idea is to match the weight and density of the stabilizer to yourstitch count and stitch density, taking into account the weight andstretch of your fabric. Again, this is your tambourine skin. Thisshould result in you only needing to use one layer of wet laidstabilizer.
At this point I would like to make a disclaimer. Embroidery is asomewhat complicated business - yet it can be simple! Many people inthe industry, commercial or home, do things in unique ways. There aremultiple factors involved, weight and stretch of the material, stitchcount and density, hooping tensions, the weather, machine tensions,thread differences, top and bottom bobbin tensions and (hopefully)proper digitizing. Things that work for one shop or individual willnot always work as well for others. We can only give you a guide asper the best stabilizer. Cotswold and their distributors will behappy to send samples for your own tests:
http://www.lebowconsulting.com
Digitizing and Stabilization: Proper digitizing is as important ormore so than proper stabilization. Designs for sale are commonplaceas are free designs. Some of the designs that people download forfree from the Internet are not made for human beings to properlyembroider with. With a properly digitized design, you almost do NOTneed a stabilizer (in theory).
Luckily for me, you do need a stabilizer and we get back to the bestchoice, a single layer of a wet laid non-woven.
Major Question! Cutaways vs tearaways: We make both - in anon-directional wet laid non-woven. We just change our mixtures.Cutaways have longer fibers. These fibers allow the thread to wrapbetter and tighter. You should get better definition with a cutaway.Unless labor in trimming is a factor, as in large commercialoperations, we would advocate the use of a cutaway with most unstablefabrics. We recommend a soft cutaway on apparel.
Stable fabrics, like a nylon jacket, or a Carhart jacket, that arevery heavy almost don't need a backing. However - a wet laidnon-directional tearaway will aid in slippage of the hoop and also aidin achieving your tambourine skin, thereby adding extra punch to yourdefinition.
Proper stabilization is the foundation for good embroidery. Do notskimp on stabilizers and in the same vein do NOT over stabilize.Drapability and less bulk are the fashion bywords of today. You donot want to walk around with a bulletproof design on your chest. Trynot to get into the habit of solving problems by throwing in anotherlayer of backing. It is best to use one layer of a dense, soft, non-directional wet laid non woven.
Even quality, won't stretch, non-directional. We do an Elmendorf teartestto assure that it tears somewhat equally in all directions
There are 2 types of wet laid non-wovens, delta formed and rotaryformed. For the purpose of this article, we will only discuss deltaformed wet laid non-wovens (rotary formed wet laid non-wovens havesimilar properties with slight differences in density).
The wet laid process is similar to the fine paper making processbut there are differences. The process used to take place in rivers,but they are now manufactured in a few plants worldwide with giantmachines.
There is a slurry of water running through a trough in a machine andthere is a wire screen sitting in this trough or bath. We mix in thecomponents polyester (a short fiber) for softness, rayon fortearability and stiffness, in varying percentages, depending if it is atearaway or a cutaway being made. Cellulose is also added asinexpensive filler.
All the fibers are then bound together with an acrylic binder and weadd silicone as a sewing aid. The screen then rises and dries,similar to an alluvial formation, like a river delta. Evenly spread,there is no direction to the fibers. This is your "tambourine skin".
The resulting wet laid stabilizers are both non-directional, denseand soft for drapability. They can also be made firm! We do anElmendorf tear test to make sure that they tear equally in alldirections, machine directionally and cross directionally. They do.
These are specifically made for sewing (the addition of silicone) andeven more specifically for embroidery. They are made in weightsbetween 1 osy (ounces per sq yard) and 3 osy.
The idea is to match the weight and density of the stabilizer to yourstitch count and stitch density, taking into account the weight andstretch of your fabric. Again, this is your tambourine skin. Thisshould result in you only needing to use one layer of wet laidstabilizer.
At this point I would like to make a disclaimer. Embroidery is asomewhat complicated business - yet it can be simple! Many people inthe industry, commercial or home, do things in unique ways. There aremultiple factors involved, weight and stretch of the material, stitchcount and density, hooping tensions, the weather, machine tensions,thread differences, top and bottom bobbin tensions and (hopefully)proper digitizing. Things that work for one shop or individual willnot always work as well for others. We can only give you a guide asper the best stabilizer. Cotswold and their distributors will behappy to send samples for your own tests:
http://www.lebowconsulting.com
Digitizing and Stabilization: Proper digitizing is as important ormore so than proper stabilization. Designs for sale are commonplaceas are free designs. Some of the designs that people download forfree from the Internet are not made for human beings to properlyembroider with. With a properly digitized design, you almost do NOTneed a stabilizer (in theory).
Luckily for me, you do need a stabilizer and we get back to the bestchoice, a single layer of a wet laid non-woven.
Major Question! Cutaways vs tearaways: We make both - in anon-directional wet laid non-woven. We just change our mixtures.Cutaways have longer fibers. These fibers allow the thread to wrapbetter and tighter. You should get better definition with a cutaway.Unless labor in trimming is a factor, as in large commercialoperations, we would advocate the use of a cutaway with most unstablefabrics. We recommend a soft cutaway on apparel.
Stable fabrics, like a nylon jacket, or a Carhart jacket, that arevery heavy almost don't need a backing. However - a wet laidnon-directional tearaway will aid in slippage of the hoop and also aidin achieving your tambourine skin, thereby adding extra punch to yourdefinition.
Proper stabilization is the foundation for good embroidery. Do notskimp on stabilizers and in the same vein do NOT over stabilize.Drapability and less bulk are the fashion bywords of today. You donot want to walk around with a bulletproof design on your chest. Trynot to get into the habit of solving problems by throwing in anotherlayer of backing. It is best to use one layer of a dense, soft, non-directional wet laid non woven.
