One of the best innovations for machine and hand embroidery is a stabilizer that dissolves in water. This product, which is also known as a wash-away stabilizer, can be used as a backing or a topper for embroidery projects.

It not only aids in clean stitching on challenging fabrics, but it also removes without leaving any traces on the back.

Let’s talk about the different kinds of wash-away stabilizers, how to use water-soluble stabilizers for embroidery, and how to get rid of water-soluble stabilizers if you’re interested!

What is a topping made of water-soluble stabilizer?

On the off chance that you have some weaving experience, you know that it is so critical to incorporate a stabilizer while sewing your weaving plan. Uses for various stabilizers vary. You may have heard of water-soluble toppings, which are also sold under the brand name “Solvay.” This might be something you should keep in your embroidery stash if you don’t already know what water-soluble toppings are!

Anything with a high nap—thick fabric—can have water-soluble embroidery stabilizer topping applied to it, such as terry cloth, golf shirts, fleece, and other textured materials. Discover the primary materials utilized in machine embroidery by clicking this link.

The way the embroidery is stitched is affected by the texture of these fabrics, which have various hills and valleys. If you don’t use WST, your embroidery thread may have trouble properly penetrating the fabric, resulting in damaged embroidery. Using WST on your project makes it possible for the stitches to remain on top of the fabric fibers. The grooves become denser as a result, giving your Embroidery digitizing a fuller appearance while maintaining crisp satin stitch lines.

Topping with a Water-Soluble Stabilizer:

An excellent embroidery topper is a lightweight, film-like water-soluble stabilizer like Silky Solvay.

Use a layer of water-soluble topping if your fabric has any kind of fluff, pile, nap, or even squishiness.

The stitches are held in place by this topping, which keeps them from sinking into the fabric. I get better results using a topping that dissolves in water, even when embroidering t-shirts that are soft and squishy.

Backing with Wash-Away Stabilizer:

Fibrous fabrics and heavy-film water-soluble stabilizers are two types of Wash-A backing.

To use it as a stabilizer, choose the stabilizer’s weight and number of layers based on your fabric’s characteristics and the density of your embroidery design. The Embroidery Stabilizer Guide has more information.)

The back of the fabric that will be machine embroidered can be stabilized with a wash-away stabilizer. Alternately, the fabric can be floated directly over the hooped wash-off. Additionally, there are excellent sticky wash stabilizers!

How to Get Rid of Water-Based Stabilizer:

Trimming the stabilizer close to the back of the design with your preferred embroidery scissors is the best way to remove it if you used a wash-away stabilizer as the backing for your embroidery. I use applique scissors for my duckbills!

1. Tap Water:

Put the blank through the washer, dunk it in water, or run it under the tap. Although this vacuum is comfortable, drying time is lengthy.

If you want the towel to dry more quickly, you can also use a wet paper towel or a damp cotton swab. Some people have used baby wipes, but the brand I use on my youngest daughter leaves a lot of lint behind. I’ve seen some people use them.

2. Use a seam-fixing product:

I was eager to give the Seven Fix method for removing toppings that dissolve in water a try after seeing a recipe on Craftsy. Sincerely, it was kind of lacking. It worked well for some clothes, but not so well for others, like the towel above.

However, if you detest having to expose your fabric to water in order to remove the topper, you might enjoy experimenting with this alternative!

3. Iron and a damp paper towel:

Silky suggests pressing your finished design with an iron on medium heat and no steam after placing a damp, textured paper towel over it.

When you take the topping off, all of it will stick to the paper towel. I prefer to control the pressed area with my mini iron.)

Despite its effectiveness, I do not use it regularly.

To begin, you must ensure that you only hold the iron for a split second. Additionally, it is not a good idea to iron the embroidery from the front if you are using metallic threads or a particular kind of fabric. I simply do not risk it with my delicate projects.

4. A Ball for Tennis:

I recently learned that tennis balls can be used to remove toppings that dissolve in water. A John Deere instructional video on this method can be found here. It sounds interesting, but I have never tried it!

Reusing Water-Soluble Stabilizer as a Liquid Stabilizer If you’re like me and like to be thrifty and recycle, you’ll be happy to know that small pieces of water-soluble stabilizers can be used to make liquid spray stabilizers.

Before embroidering, this is a great way to stabilize thin fabrics (you still need a real stabilizer on the back).

It can also be used in place of starch or Terrell Magic for many projects to prevent knit fabric from curling at the edges. It is washed the first time you wash your item. Check ZDIGITIZING Embroidery digitizing services.

Conclusion:

You should now have a better understanding of when and how to use water-soluble stabilizer toppings thanks to this tutorial. We’ve demonstrated how to use it to remove any small, difficult-to-reach pieces in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. The next time you’re out and about, pick up a cheap tennis ball because you never know when you’ll need it for an embroidery project.