Stabilisers
What is stabiliser?
Stabiliser (or stabilizer) is a thin material that goes into the hoop to prevent the garment from stretching or distorting during the embroidery process. This also stops puckering. Different types of stabiliser are used on different types of fabric.
Some stabiliser is water soluble and can be placed on top of the item being embroidered to help prevent the stitches sinking into the material. This is especially useful to get a professional finish on a fleece jacket for example.
As well as water soluble, you can get stabiliser that tears away from the back of the embroidered area, and some that you will need to cut off.
You might hear stabiliser referred to as:
- backing
- interfacing
- topping
- stabilizer
You can buy it in leaves (ready cut into handy squares), or more economically on the roll.
Find out more about:
Cutaway Embroidery Backing
Tearaway Embroidery Backing
Water Soluble Embroidery Backing