water soluble stabilizer

**tracsimon** · August 12th, 2009

Okay i was play with one of the snow flakes design today and was using water soluble stabilize and i notices that it seam too be tearing way all around the edge of it. what do i do too this from happening aging?

**windstar** · August 12th, 2009

How may layers of WSS are you using. Try using at least two layers to see if you make a difference.

**tracsimon** · August 12th, 2009

Originally Posted by windstar

How may layers of WSS are you using. Try using at least two layers to see if you make a difference.

I was only using one then i started see the little whole and tried putting little peaces here and there. that make more scent too me too me now i thought i did some wrong at first.

Thank you so much

Tracy

**annap** · August 12th, 2009

I have made my snowflakes by sandwiching the stabilizer between layers of netting.

**brownabel** · August 12th, 2009

Tracy - I use any of three choices: the extremely heavy water soluble stabilizer, the water soluble stabilizer that looks like white interfacing, which dissolves in water and the netting sandwiched between 2 lightweight pieces of WSS. It never fails. That's great that you stopped and asked before wasting any more thread or WSS. Good luck with your next set. Let us know how it goes. Cathy

**Salsabil** · August 13th, 2009

So hope you are lucky now with this great advices!

**tracsimon** · August 13th, 2009

thank you all so much for the wonderful advice I took a brake from and walked a for a bit. I just wish i know that before i bought the stuff fron jonna's fabric

**windstar** · August 13th, 2009

Whatever you bought at JoAnn's will still be able to be used. I don't think you are giving up embroidery so it will come in handy when you are working on other projects.

**clkeck** · August 13th, 2009

Some kinds of wss are best for putting on top of fabric to hold the nap while embroidering (towels,etc.) and others are best for fsl. I have had the best luck using the type of wss that looks woven for fsl, and the type that looks like plastic for topping.
Connie

**windstar** · August 13th, 2009

The woven type is the one that is recommended for FSL. I usually use the wash away from wal mart.

**jstitch** · August 13th, 2009

Good info,all. Haven't tried fsl yet.

Haven't found any stabilizer at our wal-mart here. Wish I could, you all seem to have found some good things there. I thought most wal-marts carried the same things?

**gartner** · August 13th, 2009

There are 2 types of Water soluble stabilizer.
One looks like plastic such as solvy
One looks more like light weight tear away stabilizer and is the Fibrous type.

For Free standing lace you can use Badgemaster or Ultra Solvy which is the heaviest plastic types of water soluble.

There are lighter plastic type water soluble stabilizers but they will not work for FS Lace they are better to use as a Topper Stabilizer on the top of towels or napped material that you don't want your embroidery stitches to sink into the nap.

For Free Standing Lace you can use the Fibrous type such as Vilene water soluble, or Wash Away or H2O Gone , Aqua Magic etc..

The Plastic Type of water soluble stabilizer can punch out as you embroider depending on the number of stitches or layers of stitches in your lace design.
Also you have to keep it in an air tight container when not using it.

The Fibrous Type of water soluble will not punch out when stitched on.

Most Embroiderers will use 1 or 2 layers of these stabilizers when stitching FS Lace depending on the number of stitches in the design.

Use a size 75/11 or 80/12 sharp point embroidery needle for stitching FS Lace.

Denise in Calgary

**gartner** · August 13th, 2009

Designs by Sick sells the Fibrous type of water soluble stabilizer named Wash Away Fibrous.
You can go to the website and have a look at this product so you can see what it looks like.
There is also a Video to watch showing how to do lace on the same page.
Look under the Backings Section on the DBS webite.

Denise in Calgary

**debbsie** · August 13th, 2009

Two layers of stabilizer is a must for that type of embroidery.

**elitharp** · August 16th, 2009

I have found the WSS from Floriani works well. You can order it online from them. For smaller designs and less stitch dense designs one layer has worked fine. I don't rinse it all away if it is for an ornament - as the WSS helps keep it "stiff". Save all your scraps too. You can "melt" them in water and use it to stiffen up your projects even more! Good luck!

**loual5757** · September 25th, 2009

I am doing the spider webb. it is a disigns bysick. just wanted to brush up on the stabilizer to use. I only did one layer, but I do have oesd aqua film #15. I hope it will work. Sewing on sun bridge of our boat, and really damp. But it is stitching out. our WalMart is supppose to be a supper store but not like in large city. I am in Fulton, Ms

**gartner** · September 25th, 2009

Loual5757

Is the Oesd Aqua film #15 a see through plastic looking Film type of water soluble stabilizer?

The water soluble stabilizers that look like see through plastic will stretch while on your hoop in damp conditions. These types of water soluble stabilizers also have to be kept in an air tight bag or container as they will dry out over time and become brittle.

The fibrous type of water solubles that look more like a light weight tear away stabilizer will not stretch from damp conditions and do not have to be kept in an air tight bag.

Denise in Calgary

**gartner** · September 25th, 2009

Loual5757

Let us know if the spider web sitiches out okay!

They are not real stitch intensive so if you are using the plastic looking Film type of water soluble you may have trouble with the parts and outer edge that are satin stitching.

This is usually where the trouble shows up with the stitches punching out the stabilizer and the stabilizer comes apart before you are done stitching the design.

Denise in Calgary

**tweetee** · September 25th, 2009

I did my first fsl project just the other day with a dbs design the fsl squares i think it was. I just used 2 layers f solvy, the one that looks like plastic and it came out perfect.

I dont know about the fibrous stableizer but the solvy does need 2 layers as it will tear.

**gartner** · September 25th, 2009

tweetee
You are lucky the FSL squares turned out using solvy.

I find the FSL designs on DBS are not really very stitch intensive, so many of them may stitch out on the solvy type stabilizer okay.

When you try to stitch FSLace with over 20,000 stitches or more you will find that most plastic type of water slouble stabilizers will punch out before you are finished embroidering and that can ruin a FSL design.

I have stitched many designs that are far more than 30,000 stitches and they have many layers of stitches that stich over each other.
The fact that the needle has to stitch in the same small area many times over is what causes the plastic type water soluble stabilizers to punch out or rip.
This will not happen if you use the Fibrous type of water soluble stabilizer.

Denise in Calgary