Embroidery Stabilizer Guide: How to Choose the Right Stabilizer for Your Project

What is Stabilizer?

Stabilizer is the supportive material that stabilizes the fabric and keeps it from moving, puckering, or stretching while embroidering. Stabilizer keeps designs from puckering, helps reduce the risk of holes in fabric, helps ensure clean embroidery designs.

Types of Stabilizer

• Cut Away
• Wash Away
• Tear Away
• Specialty

Cut Away

Cut Away stabilizers keep stitches in place, prevents them from breaking and causing distortion, perfect when you need continued stabilization through many washes and wearings (big benefit of cut away - it holds its shape after washing). Perfect for t-shirts, sweatshirts, denim, and most wearable items. Cut away stabilzers remain attatched after embroidery - simply trim the excess around the design when finished.

• Heavy Weight Cut Away - best for knit and woven fabrics, sweatshirts and fleece, or high stitch count embroidery designs on any fabric
• Medium Weight Cut Away - ideal for medium weight stretchy fabric like knits and lightweight denim, or for large or high stitch count embroidery designs on any fabric
• Poly Mesh Cut Away - use on light color or thin fabrics to prevent showing through the fabric, extra soft so it does't irritate the skin (perfect for baby projects), soft but strong and keeps your stitches looking good
• Fusible Polymesh Cut Away - fuses to the wrong side of the project, not permanent so the excess is cut away, good choice for knits and lightweight wovens to maintain softness. Perfect for sweater knits.
• Stabil Stick Cut Away - medium weight stabilizer with light adhesive coating, use on stretch or knit fabrics such as jeans, and hard to hoop items like t-shirts, sweaters, and slippery fabrics. Ideal for multiple hooping projects.

Click Here to See Cut Away Stabilizers

Wash Away

Wash Away stabilizers create a smooth surface for embroidery, ideal when stabilizer needs to be completely removed. Ideal for techniques like freestanding lace and badgemaking.

• AquaMesh Wash Away - mesh, water-soluble stabilizer, best for freestanding lace, sheer, or lightweight fabrics. Use when all trace of stabilizer needs to be removed, doesn't dry out and absorbs moisture, easily removed with lukewarm water.
• AquaMesh Plus - mesh, water-soluble stabilizer with a water-soluble adhesive coating, Use when using hard to hoop items like low stitch count embroidery designs and when all stabilizer needs to be removed. Ideal for sheer, fine, and lightweight fabric like chiffon and organza. Rinses out with lukewarm water.
• StitcH20 - water-soluble topping that doesn't stick to your embroidery foot, has a textured finish, excess stabilizer tears away easily - remove any extra by dabbing with water. Use on top of items so embroidery design doesn't sink into the fabric
• BadgeMaster - heavy weight, water-soluble stabilizer that is ideal for freestanding lace and freestanding applique designs. Best for embroidery on sheer, lightweight and fine fabrics, and when all stabilizer needs to be removed. Rinses out easily with lukewarm water.

Click Here to See Wash Away Stabilizers

Tear Away

Tear Away stabilizers are ideal for projects when most of the stabilizer needs to be removed, like towels and linens. Often the most preferred becuase it is easier to remove and gives the back of the project a cleaner look. Ideal for woven, dinem, towels, and linen.

• Heavy Weight Tear Away - ideal for high stitch count embroidery designs, has a stiffer texture giving extra support and stability
• Medium Weight Tear Away - ideal for embroidery designs with medium to high stitch counts
• Light Weight Tear Away - best for lightweight fabrics and low stitch count embroidery designs, it is easy to remove and ideal for techniques like paper piecing
• Ultra Clean and Tear - provides stabilization for medium to high stitch count embroidery designs, tears away cleanly and easily. Use on woven fabrics, towels and linens, projects where no permanent backing is needed.
• Ultra Clean and Tear Fusible - iron on, medium weight stabilizer that is ideal for medium to high stitch count embroidery designs. Use on woven fabrics, towels and linens, projects where no permanent backing is needed.
• Ultra Clean and Tear Plus - medium weight tear away with a water-soluble adhesive coating, easily removable without distorting stitches. Ideal for hard to hoop items like collars, napkins, and towels. Ideal for tightly woven and slippery fabrics that do not stretch. 
• Hydro Stick - medium weight tear away with a starch based, water-activated adhesive coating. Ideal for hard to hoop, firmly woven items like ball caps, collars, and bulky items helping ensure items stay in place.
• Stabil Stick - medium weight with a light adhesive coating. Best for hard to hoop items like collars and napkins, for tightly woven and slippery fabrics with no stretch. Ideal for projects that need multiple hoopings

Click Here to See Tear Away Stabilizers

Specialty

Specialty stabilizers have specific applications for specific types of embroidery projects. Some examples of specialty stabilizers would be using Fuse and Fix for easier applique, or Fuse and Fleece to add loft to your embroidery.

• Applique Fuse and Fix - used for applique, one side is sticky and one side is fuseable, helping to make applique easier. It doesn't gum up the needle or leave the applique feeling overly stiff.
• Fuse and Fleece - lightweight fusible fleece that creates loft for embroidered designs. Use to add texture to projects like tote bags, quilt blocks, trapunto, etc.
• Fiber Form - ideal for projects that need a firm base such as boxes, hats, in the hoop projects, bags, etc. Holds its shape and is easy to manipulate, easy to trim with scissors. Machine washable or dry cleanable.
• Gentle Touch Backing - used as a backing on embroidery designs that may irritate the skin and used for covering uncomfortable seams
• Fuse and Seal - clear iron-on film that is used for applying embroidery without sewing, used for applying pre-stitched designs to shirts or towels. The heat activated bond withstands repeated washing.
• Fusible Woven - lightweight woven fabric with all-over fusible, adds lift and helps prevent puckering. Can be used with tear away or cut away stabilizers and is best for large embroidery designs and multi-hooped projects
• SoftWeb - paper-backed fusible that helps keep projects soft but flexible, holds the applique securely without adding bulk, soft enough to quilt through, and fuses evenly
• Top Cover - permanent topping that prevents shadowing on contrasting embroidery, ideal for fleece or textured fabrics
• Heat2Go - medium-weight clear film that can be used as a topper or as a stabilizer, can be easily removed without distorting stitches. Ideal for moisture sesitive fabrics, best for holding lofty fabric in place under embroidery like towels, couduroy, velvet, wool, and fleece. For use with all fabrics that can tolerate ironing temperatures between 260°-300°F (120°-140°C) or cotton setting on most irons.

Click Here to See Specialty Stabilizers

Companies like OESD even offer helpful stabilizer reference guides like the one pictured and linked below!

https://shop.oesd.com/content/resources/OESD_stabilizers.pdf