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    Interfacing, Filmoplast, Solufix and machine embroidery threads

    Using high-quality stabilizers is key to making high-quality machine embroidery designs with a variety of stitches, appliqué and other sewing techniques.
    Because fabrics tend to stretch during sewing or embroidery, a stabilizer is placed under the fabric.
    There are several types of stabilizing materials:
    Tearaway stabilizer, made of fibers that tear easily. Use it when embroidering on woven fabrics. On completion, tear the stabilizer away. Small leftover bits on the wrong side of the embroidery won’t get in the way.
    Water-soluble stabilizer – looks like a film but dissolves in water. Place it on top of the fabric to be embroidered.
    Tear-resistant cutaway stabilizer. This one is ideal for the designs with large stitch count and density, multipart embroidery appliqué, as well as logos and inscriptions. On completion, trim the extra bits.
    The adhesive stabilizer is used when it’s impossible to hoop the embroidery or the hoop will leave traces (velour, for instance).
    FILMOPLAST® – a multi-purpose non-woven material.
    The most convenient stabilizer to use: embroider without hooping. So, no traces on a delicate fabric. It has a sticky side and provides good support for open-mesh and knitwear fabrics, while also enhancing the look of the embroidery. It is perfect for embroidering small parts of the item which are impossible to hoop. Also, you can embroider baseball caps without a cap frame – simply stick them to FILMOPLAST® and push the start button.
     
     

    Types of stabilizers in machine embroidery.

    There are two types of stabilizers: toppings and backings.
    A top stabilizer (topping) is used to prevent stitches from sinking into loosely spun and textured fabrics. Use a top stabilizer when embroidering on knitwear, velvet or velour to help stitches to stay in place. A top stabilizer won't prevent fabric from puckering. For this purpose, use backing.  For laces, the backing is used as a base fabric.
    Machine embroidery stabilizers (interfacing, etc.) in our shop.
    Backing
    Backings are special, primarily non-woven materials, that provide support and stabilize the fabric during the embroidery, prevent creasing, distortion, and stretch. They are put under the fabric being embroidered.
    There are several types of backings: tearaway, adhesive, cutaway, water-soluble, heat-away.
    Tearaway stabilizers
    Tearaway stabilizers usually consist of paper of varying density (thickness).
    Tearaway stabilizers are good for most natural fabrics and give only a temporary support. This kind of stabilizer is easily removed and can be successfully used in cases where the wrong side will be seen (towels, plaids, scarfs and so on). It is also widely used with non-transparent fabrics of fair colors, with thick and densely woven fabrics made of natural fibers (denim, for example). Not recommended for any kinds of knits.
    Adhesive stabilizers
    These are glued to the wrong side of the item, thus giving it stability.
    There are several types of adhesives:
    An ordinary adhesive stabilizer with glue on one side. The item is attached to it with an iron.
    Adhesive paper with a sticky side covered with a protective layer. This paper is necessary when embroidering tricky fabrics: velvet, cashmere, leather, which are better not to be hooped. And also for the items that are hard to hoop: collars, cuffs, small details.
    An adhesive paper is placed in the hoop with a sticky side facing up, then the protective layer the size of the embroidery area is removed, and the item is placed on top. Having embroidered the item, tear the paper away. Example: FILMOPLAST®.
    Cutaway stabilizers
    Cutaway stabilizers (backings) are used for stabilizing highly stretchable fabrics and provide constant support during the embroidery. One needs them to embroider a machine embroidery design with a lot of stitches, in order to avoid fabric distortion, preventing the appearance of bulges or concavities (the effect stays even after several washes).
    A cutaway stabilizer is always thicker than a tearaway. It consists of a non-woven fabric made of long fibers on the basis of polyester or rayon. The way the fibers are arranged in a stabilizer defines its purpose.
    If the fibers are mainly single-oriented, it stretches and tears in this one direction. Therefore, to stabilize the fabric properly you need to use 2 layers of backing, positioning them perpendicularly. There are backings of varying density.
    Bonding short fibers (polyester, rayon, cellulose) together by solvent treatment, you'll get a non-woven fabric of high quality, which is soft like a tearaway stabilizer, has a smooth surface and does not stretch in any direction. This stabilizer can be of varying density and just one layer of it is sufficient. It is considered the best embroidery stabilizer because it does not add extra volume to the embroidery and does not show through the fabric.
    Among the cutaway stabilizers, one should note spunbond – a thin, very soft material that resembles a waffle. USA Poly Mesh or No Show Mesh stabilizers. This kind of backing is good because it does not stretch at all, providing support all the time, and is not visible through the fabric. It comes in various colors and densities. It is used for knits.
    Solvent stabilizers
    Solvent stabilizers include a water-soluble fabric-like stabilizer and a water-soluble film of varying density. They are used for stabilizing the embroidery when it is necessary to remove the backing without traces. For example, organza, transparent fabrics, FSL, and cutwork.
    Water-soluble stabilizers come in two varieties: textile interfacing materials and films
    100% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) stabilizers Both are dissolved in water. Time of dissolution depends on the temperature of water. Approximate valued by Gunold:
    20 °C about 3 min 25 °C about 2 min 30 °C about 1 min 40 °C about 15 sec In real life, water-solubles are not so easily removed, and it takes more than one round to get rid of it completely.
    The intended purpose of a water-soluble film depends on its thickness:
    Thin (20 microns) Used as toppings for lightweight fabrics.
    Medium (35 microns) are used for textured fabrics (velour with and without pile, velvet, fur and loop fabrics). When embroidering small details and letters on textured fabrics the film should be placed on top for better results.
    Dense (80 microns) are used as a base fabric for so-called 3D embroidery, FSL, chevrons, cutwork, and as a stabilizer for the fabrics where the wrong side should look good, also for transparent fabrics.
    Heat-away stabilizers
    They are used when it is necessary to stabilize the fabric, which shouldn't get wet and you need to remove the backing leftovers. They can be successfully used for creating FSL, as well as water-soluble film. They are removed with a very hot iron (no less than 120°) through the paper. Under no circumstances should steam be used with fusible stabilizers.
    Upper stabilizers (toppings)
    These are necessary to prevent the stitches from sinking into the pile, loops, fur and other materials of that kind, also with loosely-knitted fabrics. Gelatin-based toppings are widely known because they can be easily solved in water. This is what is called a water-soluble film.
    There are two types of water-soluble film: thin and thick (dense). Thin film is used practically with everything, thick one – only with high piles.
    Next kind of stabilizers is a fusible stabilizer. They are used in cases when the fabric cannot be washed, and therefore, the use of water-soluble film is not possible.
     

    Making a stylish summer bag by hand

    A summer bag is a necessity for every girl. You can make a stylish summer bag out of a plain linen fabric. A simple design and a fair-colored fabric will make it fit for every occasion

    Such an accessory will look equally good in the office and on the beach. It harmonizes with a business suit and a simple tunic.
    Originally, the bag and the following masterclass were intended to showcase a  flower machine embroidery design from our collection. A fake flap immediately beneath the zipper and a pocket with a metal clasp will be used as a decoration.
    These last two elements are made of a machine embroidered fabric. Silk threads will give a beautiful glitter under the sun and in the artificial light of the lanterns.
    Materials:
     • 0.35 m of a thick cotton fabric (1.5 m wide);
     • 0.15 m of a printed fabric;
     • 0.35 m of a lining fabric (1.5 m wide);
     • 0.5 m of an interfacing fabric (1.5 m wide);
     • 1 metal clasp;
     • 1 handle with carabiner-style clasps;
     • 1 zipper with big size teeth (no less than 30 cm);
     • 0.25 m of a corded silk ribbon 1 cm wide;
     • white threads.
    Instructions
    First, you need to cut out the pieces of your future bag from the main fabric: front and back – 35 x 30 cm each; bottom part – 8 x 27 cm; pocket – 15 x 12 cm. From the printed fabric, cut out the rounded flap (27 x 12 cm) and a strip (19 x 5 cm) that will be used as a pocket decoration. Photo 3.

    Glue all the elements to the interfacing. This will make the bag thicker thus enabling it to maintain its shape. 
    Put a pattern piece on the sticky side of the interfacing fabric and iron it. Photo 4.

    Repeat with the rest of the pieces. You can leave the pocket and the decorative ribbon as they are. Photo 5.

    But the flap must be strengthened. Cut the interfacing close to the edges. Photo 6.

    On your sewing machine, sew the bottom and the sides of the bag together. Photo 7.

    You should get a template which will become the front side of your bag: Photo 8.

    Sew up the side seams. Photo 9.

    Pin and sew the side seam on the bottom of your bag. Photo 10.

    Now, let's make a pocket. Fold the upper edge twice with the right side inside and stitch it. Fold the other sides and iron them. Turn in the edges of the decorative ribbon and stitch them. Run the ribbon through the metal clasp. Put it onto the pocket. Pin it. Stitch it to the bag. Photo 11.

    Pin the pocket onto the front side. Turn in the edges of the ribbon. Stitch it to the bag. Photo 12.

    Out of the underlay fabric cut out the parts of your future bag (except the pocket and the decorative ribbon). Photo 13.

    The underside is sewn in the same way as the front. Photo 14.

    Put the flap parts together with their front sides facing each other. Stitch them together, leaving a 7 cm clearance gap. Make incisions in the rounded edges. Cut the sharp corners close to the stitching. Turn it the right side out. Iron the clearance gap. Photo 15.

    Put the flap onto the front side of the bag. The distance from the upper edge should be 2.5 cm. Stitch it to the bag. Photo 16.

    Now, you'll make bag handle hinges out of the corded silk ribbon. Sew them onto the bag near the side seams. To make them more durable, fold the ribbon in two. Photo 17.

    Now, sew in the lining and zipper. Photo 18.

    Attach the ready handle with carabiner-style clasps to the hinges. Photo 19.


    A few words about the rules of creating monograms for machine embroidery

    Monograms are stylized initials of somebody’s name, surname or patronym. A monogram is a personal logo of sorts. Known since the 4th century BCE, monograms have a very long history.

    Embroidering a monogram is an excellent and popular way of creating a personalized gift. You can embroider on anything, including bath and kitchen towels, clothes, bed linen, handkerchiefs, pillows, lambrequins, bags and toys. These are just a few of the things that can be given as gifts.
    A thought struck me just now that there are common traditions one must stick to in order to avoid making a blunder. It turned out, there exists a monogram creation and usage etiquette. According to it, you need to know for whom the monogram is intended and to separate a person from a couple, a man from a woman, a kid from the betrothed. This knowledge will define the typography. In every case, there are nuances. Everybody knows, for instance, that monograms are always read from left to right and from top to bottom.
    A traditional way of creating monograms
    Choosing a font
    According to the tradition, all the letters in a monogram are capital and should be of the same type.
    Square letters are for men, slant handwritten letters – for women and married couples, and calligraphic script is for women only. You can read more on the topic in my article about Fonts. Types of monograms.
    The outer look
    In a woman’s monogram the first initial is a name, a small letter. The second is a surname. This is the biggest letter in the monogram. And the third initial is a patronym, again, a small letter. In a man’s monogram, the order is the same, but all the letters are equal in size. It is possible to omit the patronym in a monogram. If that’s the case, you first write the name, then the surname, the initials being equal in size.
    As a rule, a child’s monogram consists of only 1 letter.

    In a monogram for a married couple, the first, small, initial belongs to the wife. A big initial denoting a surname follows, then comes the husband’s initial – again, small. The levels at which the letters are placed, may be different.

    If a couple has double surname, these 2 initials are made big and positioned in the center. For household use, you might employ just one letter in a monogram – a surname.
    Naturally, there exist simple monograms, consisting of separate letters, and also of linked ones.

    Monograms usage
    If a monogram contains several letters, it is intended for official use. One letter is for unofficial cases.
    A modern way of creating monograms
    It’s XXI century now, many things have been changed and simplified, so now we have an opportunity of using any style we like, even the most bizarre. Yes, the way you like, not the conventional way.

    Choosing a font
    There is a great variety of fonts that can be used in monograms. Traditional types with serifs are still popular, but there are also the ones without; fancy fonts with excessive decoration in the form of flowers, leaves, berries in a so called “French style” are very common. And of course, one cannot forget to mention the convoluted calligraphic script, which is widely used to this very day. Men’s and women’s preferences in the character style have changed as well. Nowadays women prefer simple elegant fonts. One multicharacter monogram may contain fonts of different styles, in order to reflect the personality of its owner.

    The outer look
    Many women’s monograms of today consist of just 1 letter (denoting either a name or a surname), and men’s still have 3.

    If all 3 of the letters are of equal size, their sequence is changed: first comes the name, then the patronym, and the surname is the last.
    Personal monograms of 2 letters (name and surname initials) are possible. Both 2-letter (two names) and 4-letter (two names, two surnames) monograms can be used for the betrothed. The sequence of letters is not fundamental as it used to be. But those in the know advise following the tradition when creating monograms for bed linen, decorations and silverware. Monograms are often fit into a geometrical figure: a circle, an oval, a diamond, etc.


    Garlands of flowers, crests, crowns and wreaths of various kinds may be used as well.

    Apart from the initials, an entire name is often embroidered today – one should keep this in mind.
    The collection of ancient monograms, now in public domain, can be found on the Web and used as a starting point for your own creative effort. The only thing you’ll need to do is to follow the rules above.
    There is a huge variety of the already existing monogram templates. They can be incorporated into the average embroidery software.
    Some editors are even tooled for the creation of monograms only. Here you can find free monograms from the (Stitch Era Universal). You can see similar ones in any other editor, only chances are that there will be more of them there than coming from a free source.

    Well, they’re not the sharpest tools in the shed, but these monograms are better than nothing if you need to create a present.
    Read how the embroidery designs, monograms included, are usually positioned on an item.
    So, if you cannot draw or don’t like what you see in the free circulation, you can turn to a professional that creates various monograms to order. And if you need something simple to embroider it on an item, you can use a very handy application that has a built-in set of various fonts, vignettes, monograms, emblems and crowns.

    Color in machine embroidery. Basics

    Original text by Marina Belova
    I wonder if anyone will ever argue that blending thread colors in machine embroidery is slightly different from blending printing colors or paints? But then again, even in painting, there have long been attempts to prove I.Newton’s classic theory of colors wrong. For those who are interested, there’s a book by Michael Wilcox called Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green – go and read it.
    But let’s get back to the topic. All guides, books, and other information materials on color formation in machine embroidery are nevertheless based on Newton’s classic color wheel. For the sheer reason that you have nothing except them and your own experience to rely upon. Besides, choosing a right color with the help of the color wheel is much better than without it. Especially for the neophytes.
    That’s why I will take the liberty of touching on the subject of color in a machine embroidery design.
    Colors can be divided into 2 groups:
    Chromatic – the colors of the spectrum. Achromatic – white, black and all shades of gray. Let’s look at the canonical 12-part color wheel made of chromatic colors:

    It’s basis is formed by just 3 colors: yellow, red and blue (marked “I” in the photo). These are called primary colors, as they cannot be obtained by mixing other colors together.
    Secondary colors result from the intemingling of the two primary colors. In the photo, they are marked “II”. These are orange, green and purple.
    Tertiary colors are made by mixing two of the secondary colors (marked “III” in the photo). These are yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.
    Also, there are such concepts as:
    Color hue – a property of color that defines its tone; we usually have separate names for them (lilac, magenta, etc.).
    Lightness – the shade of lightness/darkness. To get a shade you add some white or black to your source color. A mixture of color with white is called tint, and a mixture of color with black is shade.
    Saturation is the degree of intensity and purity of the color.
    Color temperature is connected to the idea of colors being “cool” or “warm”. On the basis of this idea, all colors are divided into warm, cool and neutral.
    There are several ways of creating harmonious color schemes, containing 2–4 colors, with the help of the wheel. For example:
    Mono – includes one color in different values. In this case, we only add shades and tints.

    Complementary – mixing of 2 (contrasting) colors on the opposite sides of the diagonal.

    Triadic – mixing of 3 colors that are located at the corners of the equilateral triangle:

    Mixing 3 analogous colors: Analogous colors are those that follow each other on the color wheel.

    Split-complementary: mixing 3 colors – two analogous and one contrasting.

    Mixing 4 colors: 3 analogous and 1 contrasting.

    Tetrad: mixing 4 colors arranged into two complementary pairs.

    Besides the ones above, there are other color harmonies that can be found in books and on the Web. The only thing left is to do is to practice, and don’t forget that the threads cannot blend together like paints. Also, the stitch types, stitch angles, textures selected will make their not so small impact on the end result.
    I’m curious if any software has algorithms helping to choose threads automatically, on the basis of the existing thread color palette, but using the methods described above?

    Sewing in the hoop: a decorative element

    Author: Seva Brother
    Embroidering a decoration is not difficult. Our website offers numerous masterclasses and step-by-step guides into embroidery on knitwear, cotton, wool, and velvet, choosing the right kind of stabilizers and threads. This masterclass was done on the Brother machine.

    Besides beautiful brightly colored photos, it offers some insights into making a ready-to-use item that could afterward serve as an appliqué. The machine was running in the embroidery mode.
    Sewing in the hoop: a decorative element
    There are no clear recommendations on the subject. Use any cotton fabric as your base. In this masterclass, I didn't use any stabilizers, but you can strengthen the fabric with a thin adhesive one if you are not sure of the result. This will add some density and will make turning the item inside out and forming fine sharp angles more difficult. You can use any kinds of embroidery threads (polyester or rayon).
    Depending on the fabric and the design color scheme, use black or white bobbin thread.
    Sewing in the hoop: a decorative element
    Hoop the fabric with its right side up. Open the design on your machine, choose the color scheme and embroider. Owners of Brother embroidery machines that have this nifty Color Shuffling option, may use it to create a color palette according to one of the available charts. Others will have to rely on their artistic flair.
     



    Sewing in the hoop: a decorative element
    Choose a 02-001 frame from the ones your embroidery machine offers. Change its size to fit your design and your preferences. In any case, see that it is not smaller than your design and bigger than the hoop you intend to use.

    Cut a square out of a different fabric. The square should be larger than your frame. Place it on top of the design, with its wrong side up, as shown in the picture. Using an adhesive tape, stick it to the hooped area, to prevent it from slipping away during the embroidery.
    Embroider the frame.

    Unhoop. Trim the extra material, as shown in the picture. Please mark the way in which the fabric at the corners was trimmed! Cut small slits in the center on the side that doesn’t have the embroidery. Turn your item the right side out.


    Please note that the size of the resulting embroidery will be defined by the size of the chosen frame!

    Now let’s think where you can use this decorative element.

    Your little needle replacement helper

    Original text by Marina Belova 
    I consider it to be a common knowledge that one should turn a replacement needle 0–5° to the right.  That’s what every embroidery machine manual says. 

    A long time ago Vera Osinina asked me about a device that helps to position new needles whem you sew machine embroidery designs. I was quite a bit surprised then, so I only shrugged and said that such a contrivance was unknown to me, and that I didn’t know where to find one. 
    But the cat always comes out of the bag, sooner or later. The answer came from a wonderful Melco Bravo website. They offer a cylindrical-shaped orientation magnet – you can buy it here. You need to attach its butt perpendicular to the long groove, to see at what angle and in what direction the needle is positioned.  
    You've set the right angle if the magnet is turned approximately 1 minute on a clock face, or 6 degrees. Genius lies in simplicity, as they say. 
    Of course, there is no need here to order a magnet from the U.S., at an astronomical price.  I guess a simple magnet instead of a brand one, will do for me
    There was a long argument about the diameter: I insisted upon buying a thin cylinder, as my American colleagues use, and my husband stood for a thicker one as more visible. 5 mm cylinders were purchased eventually. We tried the magnets and saw that they worked: the positioning of the groove was no longer the problem. One only needs to get used to it so that it doesn't hamper the replacement. I checked all my needles only to find out that all of them were set higgledy-piggledy – one of them was even turned let; that was immediately fixed. Small wonder that my threads kept breaking. 


    The magnet turned out to be a real helper to those whose eyesight and eye estimation leave something to be desired. 
     

    Snowflake-shaped pot holder  

    Original text by Olga Dushenkova

    Step 1 – put the “sandwich” you're going to embroider under the main fabric.  After an outline is stitched, you’ll need to trim the extra fabric (that is, everything beyond the outlined area). 

    Step 2 – put the second piece of fabric, of a contrasting color, and stitch the second outline (snowflake-shaped).  Now, trim the extras (the fabric beyond the outlined area). 

    Step 3 – embroider the design, take the hoop out and put the next piece of fabric under the wrong side of the embroidery.  Again, after an outline is stitched, you trim the extra fabric (from the wrong side) – that is, everything beyond the outlined area. 
    Step 4 – embroider what’s left. 
    Step 5 – attach an already prepared eyelet to the center, then fold the design in two and add the finishing stitch. 

    Oilskin and how to deal with it

    Original text by Marina Belova 
    On the map of my machine embroidery journey, I've reached another white spot – embroidery on the oilskin. As the rumor goes, this fabric, once washed, puckers like mad, and no matter how much ironing you do afterward, the damage will stay forever. So I've decided to try and see with my own eyes, what should be done and how to make the embroidery at least acceptable. 
    Little as I know about oilskin, it is enough to understand how to create a design and to plan the embroidery sequence: 
    It is a woven and, therefore, rather stable fabric.  It is thin.  And slippery, too.  It's coated with a special substance that repels water. And the embroidery damages the fabric, making it permeable to water in the places where it had been punctured.  Given all mentioned above, I can say that: 
    One would need the smallest hoop possible.  Cut-away stabilizer is the recommended choice for oilies. But I'm gonna pick the stabilizer I use for everything – a cheap middle-weight one with long fibers, made in Turkey, which was sold to me as a tear-away. It tears in any direction, leaving long fibers.  The type of the design does not matter. This is my own deduction: people usually embroider what they want or need to, and not what is recommended for this particular fabric. As a commercial embroiderer, you work with what the clients have brought you, and that includes simple designs as well as big and stitch heavy ones, with lots of fills.  There is not much sense in making the design denser, therefore, density value stays as it is. What you perhaps should do is to lower it, then adding a lot of understitching to compensate. Whether it works, we'll see after doing the test pieces. Don't forget, the more punctures I make, the less watertight the fabric becomes.  In my opinion, the only change one should do is to shorten the stitches in the underlay so that the fabric sits as tight as if it was nailed.  I decided to experiment a little and embroider several outlines with different stitch parameters. So I created 3 outlines: narrow 1.5 mm satins, also 5.5 mm satins and the filled squares. The density in the outlines on the left is 30% lower than my standard one (5 lines/mm or ~0.4 mm). The underlay stitch length in the less dense outlines is set at 1.5 mm along the perimeter and under 2.5 mm in the center.
    Under the wide satins and the fills lies the underlay is denser. The outlines on the right have standard density, but I used short underlay stitches only in the edge runs, and 3–3.5 mm ones everywhere else. 

    All of my test pieces (see below), while still in the hoop, were pulled in more or less the same fashion, but the outer look is different in every case. The lack of density is very much visible: the fabric is not entirely covered with stitches. 

    If you hold them to light, you can see that the perforation along the outlines is approximately the same, except the narrow satin column, top right: 

    After unhooping, the amount of pull in all three test pieces is roughly the same, no matter what stitch parameters were used: 

    Looking at how the tests came out, I reached the following conclusion: you can lower the density of the upper stitch layer only slightly, to avoid damage to the outer look, and you should use shorter stitches only in the edge runs; the rest should stay as it is. 
    This mosquito was the result of my efforts: One can see that, both before and after unhooping, the surface of the fabric stayed even, despite the 12000 stitches having been added to it. Nothing shifted. 

    Nor would I say that the puckering was oh so awful – this is how it looked before pressing: 

    It turns out that the embroidery on the oilskin isn't difficult at all. 
    And what about the punctures? Some say that you can lubricate the threads with 100% silicone or natural wax, that will fill in the holes, serving as a stopgap. Whether it is true, I do not know. But Gunold recommends strengthening the wrong side of the waterproof fabrics with a special film called THERMOSEAL, once the embroidery has been completed. 

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