I agree with Louise. When I do FSL I use the same color for the bobbin as the top thread. It stands out better than using the white fine embroidery thread for the bobbin, but like Louise said, it is a personal preference.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a FREE demonstration/lecture on basic machine embroidery. The instructor was very good. She showed so many features on a high end embroidery machine and most apply to about all embroidery machines. She explained the different stabilizers and the whys of when and how to use them. I learned so much and had a very good time. It was designed for anyone who has any brand of embroidery machine.

I have a stabilizer question. I want to embroider baby quilt blocks that have an outline-type design with many small spaces so I could not pick all of the tear-away stabilizer out if I use tear-away. I do not want to cut-away around the design so the edge of the cut-away would show around the design on the block. Could I...Should I...:
leave the cut-away the same size as the block and quilt over it? If so, what cut-away type and thickness?
use fabric wash-away?
...???
I will appreciate your recommendations. I used tear-away when I had denser designs on some quilt blocks and I have used embroidery to 'quilt' some areas and did not use any stabilizer on the sandwich, but I would like to have these baby squares embroidered before I start to add other blocks for the quilt top.

This is probably soooo technically incorrect that many embroiderers out there will be cringing when they read it, but it seems to work for me. I use a very light weight knit iron on interfacing and cover the back of the block, especially when I'm using white fabric. Actually, I am doing flannel right now and still use the interfacing over all. For the actual embroidery, I hoop WSS and the fabric, and then have been putting another piece of WSS on the top. Stitch the design and rinse out the stabilizer. The designs I am using are not densely sewn, but are more open like redwork designs and I am not noticing any distortion. I have measured both before and after and there is no change in the size of the block. I get the interfacing about 5 yards at a shot at Joann's with a 50% off coupon. May be all wrong, but hey - it works great for me! Jane

I have used the Floriani Stitch n wash and just love the way
it works.

I used it on a "redwork" embroidery block recently on the bottom
the results were that after I did the "tear away" it left the rest inside
of the design area to which I soaked it in water and it started softening
or "breaking down" the fibers of the stabilizer. It was fairly easy to go
in and tear away the larger areas but the rest would wash away in a
few washings.

This worked wonderfully for me on a couple towels that I made for a
friend.

Other people might have some other ideas also. I just mention this
kind of stabilizer because I really like the way it works.

BJayne, I always use the same thread on the top and bottom. I've tried the bobbin thread and don't care for it. If I'm doing FSL or my bottom thread will show on the top then I use the same color but if it doesn't show then I don't worry about the color. There are many ways to do it and if you go to classes with different teachers they all have what works for them and that's what you need to do. I just try to make sure the thread weight and type match, not necessarily the brand name.

If you are going to sandwich it, then yes, you can use a sheer cut away and just leave it on. I always do with great success! I sew my block seams with the stabilizer still on then quilt.

If you are not going to sandwich it, then I recommend a wash away.

Just wanted to share what I made today. This was embroidered on a white hand towel for my daughter. In several weeks she will be moving with her boyfriend and wants to make the guest bathroom Americana. She had fun watching it embroider out (no unfortunately she doesn't like to sew) but I think it came out beautiful!

Great job! That turned out beautiful.

Very cute towel and nicely done, too!

Lil,
LOVE the towel.



I am TRYING to work on a design but had 3 mess ups yesterday
with it so I gave up.
Yesterday I tried not hooping the fabric, and just holding it in place
until there was some stitches that didn't work.
Next I tried using a Aileen' "tacky glue stick" that didn't hope the fabric
in place either.
Last I tried a basting stitch, still didn't like results.

Today I am going to try doing it the "correct" way which is hooping
the fabric with stabilizer. Sometimes I don't like hooping the fabric
because if not careful it will distort, or stretch the fabric wrong and
when the design is finished it doesn't look as good.

Will post pics IF it turns out right.

I hope someone can help me with a problem. I have a Singer Futura and I need to insert a message with my design, but cannot find any information at Singer help or u-tube. Can anyone give me any info. to do this?

Have you tried hooping the stabilizer, spraying with the 505, and then pining your fabric on top of the hooped stabilizer. I do it all the time putting the pins on all 4 sides so the fabric is held steady for the embroidery process. I hope this makes sense.

Yes it made sense to me.

No I haven't the 505 spray and pins method yet.

Since my fabric was just 100% cotton I decided to just hoop
fabric with the stabilizer and it worked the way it should.

With that being said I did use a new (to me) kind of tear away
stabilizer that I got from Joann's, it is a Pellon not exactly sure
what the item number is but it looks like perforated paper or a
holey stabilizer.

The design I did was from the watercolor birds on Emb. Library
which has 63,789 stitches, and on my machine it took 113 min.
to stitch out (not counting the thread change time).

I will post pictures later of my actual design that I stitched.

Louise that is a beautiful design (went to the link). The perforated paper you speak of I have also and it works well with dense to medium dense designs. Its much easier to remove since it is perforated and find it easy to manage. Thank you to all for your comments on the towel. I was supposed to do another one differently today but as always housework came first with little time later. Will post it though when its done.

Stabilizer question....no more puckering
 

Stabilizer question....please advise.
i am a newbie to embroidery and practicing with different fabrics and designs. Recently, I practiced on a piece of sample medium weight fabric that Joanne's sells - it's shiny on the back side and looks like linen on the front. The design has over 97,000 stitches. This is my third embroidery ever on my Horizon 12000.
After watching multiple videos, I decided to spray baste medium weight cut away stabilizer to the shiny side of fabric and hooped it securely. No puckering when in hoop. When I removed the hoop it had some puckering. Want to redo this design and now I am thinking that maybe I need two layers of stabilizer and use the baste stitch mode before starting the actual design.
Your thoughts? Thanks.

I have the Bernina 440QE with embroidery module. Still learning.....

The type stabilizer is what determines the outcome of your hooped project. Also the type fabric you use also determines the outcome of the project.

I use to think you just put the fabric in the hoop and have a go at it. DOES NOT WORK!

I took some classes earlier this year locally and found that there are just as many thicknesses of stablizers from water soluable to not as there are fabrics to use in the hoop and if you don't use the right size weight for each project it will not yield good results.

Many projects just using a back tear away stabilizer is not enough. You also need to put a water soluable one on top.

Although I have not yet needed the 505 (and I do have it) when taking classes we did do just what you mention here.... hooped stabilizer and pinned fabric on top of it and it works well.

As I mentioned in an earlier message the type stabilizer one uses depends on the type fabric one uses. There are different thicknesses of stablizers just like there are different thicknesses and textures of fabric. Check out emlibrary . com I think it is and they have info about what type stabilizer to use with various types of fabrics.

Nanny's Dollface. this really is pretty but is very dense. It would serve to have heavier fabric. Its alot like the stained glass Nativity Schene I made my daughter. I made it on duckcloth or you could use canvas and then it would be a pretty wall hanging. If you stay with the lighter fabric use double stablizier and even possibly a WSS on the top to keep the stitches on top. Good job for a beginner and it would be pretty in the middle of a throw pillow, you wouldn' t noticet the puckers which aren't bad anyways.

rnkdistributing (Floriani) has a workbook on stabliziers and it may help. Even if you don't use thier products it will tell you the different types of it.

http://rnkdistributing.com/cid-35-1/...-Products.html

I have a question about embroidery software. I have a Brother PE780 and use a MAC. Does anyone know which software would be most useful for me to use? Will pay the price for the new Brother software if it s the best but wonder if there is something less costly. Also I wonder about USB drives can I use any drive if its the right size or do I need to have USB drives formatted to accept MAC? If so does the machine accept MAC usb? I am so confused...i. Are there MAC usb availble to purchase...Anyone know ? thanks Tina

Some things that I have learned after embroidering for many years, wash and press your fabric and if the embroidery design is very dense use 2 layers of stabilizer. Everything takes practice, practice, practice and I think we all find the thread and stabilizer that works best for us, it might not be the same products that others like. Maybe that has something to do with where we were taught!:o

I just read this on artistic threadworks. Lots of great articles there. "If you have a VERY dense or VERY large design and you want to use two stabilizer thicknesses, then lay them at 90-degree angles to each other. "

Tina blake; as far as I know Viking is the only one who makes embroidery software for the MAC and that was as of this past yr. Its the 5D for Mac. I'm not sure on formatting the USB; in my Viking machine I can use any usb. I actually store the one that came with the machine so that if I ever trade it in I'll have it. I also want to add, there is a way to partition you mac to also operate a windows software and if you take it to an Apple store they'll do it for you. Also ask them about the formatting of usb for their machines. You can find software in all price ranges, even free ones they all have different features that make them unique. I have the Viking 5D Professional Plus and love it, its the same that Pfaff uses and it recognizes just about all formats. Floriani has a good software package and I know they work with Brother too. If you do a free software search on google you should be able to find others. Good luck.

Where do you all find CUTaway stabilizer? I'd like to buy it in a bigger roll but seems like tear away is more popular. Do any of you have a website where you can buy it?

I get mine at Joanns and discountembroiderysupply.com

What about increasing the size a little. Doe this make it more dense? Gale

I know that the Embrilliance Software can be used on BOTH a PC and MAC.

Go to their website and to find out more.

I want to get the Embrilliance Essentials software some day.

Good luck and let us know if this works for you or not.

I LOVE that design.

Monday I stitched out a design that had 63789 stitches. Was not thinking
about the massive #number of stitches when I hooped my fabric and the
stabilizer I only used 1 layer and was amazed how well it came out WITHOUT
any puckers.

The stabilizer I used was a Pellon (I don't know the Pellon #)tear away and it
looks like a holey perforated fabric/paper.

But from everything I have read, and experienced in the past from my own
trial and errors is to use 1 layer of stabilizer in the hoop and "float" 1 layer
under the hoop for every 10-15k stitches. The last design I made that had
107k stitches I used 1 layer of cut away hooped, and 3 layers floated under
hoop and a wash away on top of fabric. It came out with NO puckers.

But as I said this was from my OWN personal experience of trial and error.
I ALSO used a 90/14 Large eye needle (or topstitch needle) and slowed my
stitching speed down.



Good luck with you next try.

Floriani has great specials and if you save your upc you can get free designs. Go to rnkdistributing.com. Also, they have great info on stabilizers and how and when to use them. Most all of the emb machine co have tutorials as well, you don't have to use their machines to read their tutorials and get more info on the subject.

I buy mine at JoAnn's online in bolts and do so when I have a coupon. I buy it all (various ones) at JoAnns online.

Brother supports MAC and using MAC embroidery software.

That is the only embroidery software out there for MACs.

Totally agree!

However there are various thicknesses of stabilizer for the various thicknesses of fabrics we use.

Also agree with this. That was one of the first things I learned when taking classes earlier this year.

There are a few software programs for MAC for embroidery.

Do a search for macbroidery and you will find such as TruEmbroidery, MacBroidery, and Embrillance.

Yesterday I was at "Panda Express" picking up our dinner
(this is our weekly Tuesday night meal). I was showing the
Macaw feathers I embroidered the other day, and the manager
of the P.E. fell in love with the watercolor design.

What she said to me next about knocked me off my feet, first
she asked if I had a peacock feather in the watercolor just like
the one she was looking at. I replied "yes" I could get the design.
She said "good I would like to order 12 dinner napkins for my MIL,
as a Christmas gift. Let me know how much you will charge me".

So now I am working on figuring out a cost for these napkins. Never
had an order so large before.

Here is the PEACOCK FEATHER that she is wanting. But I KNOW
that I will have to get started soon on them just because of how long t
hey take to stitch out (approx. 2-1/2 to 3 hours each).

Thank you all for your recommendations. I didn't know about putting washable stabilizer on top of fabric if I use fabric that's washable. Unfortunately, the fabric that I have been using is dry cleanable only. I will try the double layer of stabilizer (perpendiciular to each other) and a size 90 needle to see if that works better. Should I us quilting basting spray between the layers and on back of fabric? I am not sure about basting the perimeter of the hoop - I wonder if stitches will show on dry cleanable fabric?

Hi, I just dug out a suitcase for a weekend trip, have not used it in a very long time....found a brand new Anita goodesign Baltimore appliqué disk in the pocket!! Nice surprise! Does that mean I have to many designs...old age, can't remember...or to many embroidery projects going at once??

I have a Brother Innovis 1500D. I love it. I, also, have an 8500, but it needs work on it. I do a lot of embroidery and love it. I have the PED Version 7, but haven't learned to digitize.