When fabric is produced, manufacturers don't anticipate that anything will be added to it. When embroidering onto fabric, we're adding weight and tension of thread and stitches. The fabric needs to be stronger and more "stable" to support the stitches - and that is why stabilizer is used with every embroidery project.
If the fabric isn't stabilized properly, you'll see less-than-stellar results. You might find shifting and gapping, puckering, dimpling, and more. Choosing the right type of design and stabilizer for your fabric is the key to getting great results.
The Fabrics 101 articles are an excellent guide for your stitching projects, and you can find them all here. This chart is a quick reference guide that summarizes those articles. Below you'll find the type of fabric, along with our recommendation for type of design, stabilizer, and needle. To read the full Fabrics 101 article for a type of fabric, click on the fabric name.
| Fabric | Stabilizer/Backing | Design | Needle | |||
| Aida Cloth | Cutaway | Any. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Balsa Wood | Cutaway | Choose light designs, such as Redwork, toile, or vintage. | 75/11 embroidery or universal needle | |||
| Batiste | Water soluble or tear-away | Choose light and open designs. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used |
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| Broadcloth | Cutaway | Choose light designs, such as toile, vintage, Redwork, or designs with light and open areas. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used |
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| Burlap | Cutaway | Choose solid, stitch-filled designs. Avoid light designs (they will get lost in the weave of the burlap). | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used |
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| Canvas | Cutaway | Any. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used |
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| Chamois | Cutaway | Any; but be cautious of running-stitch designs (like Redwork) that may get lost in the nap of the fabric. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Charmeuse | Cutaway | Any, but consider draping (choose open designs for better draping). | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Chiffon | Water-soluble | Open, airy, and light. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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Cutaway |
Designs of any complexity will work well. Choose small designs or designs with open areas to avoid leaking |
75/11 sharp needle. |
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| Confetti Dot | Cutaway | If using a large design, choose open, airy, and light; if a small design, solid-filled. | 75/11 sharp needle (necessary to penetrate the "dots) | |||
| Corduroy | Cutaway | Any for narrow wale; for wide wale, choose solid-filled designs (avoid running-stitch or Redwork designs). | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Denim | Cutaway | Any. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Faux Fur | Cutaway | Solid-filled designs; avoid Redwork or light designs. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Faux Suede | Cutaway in most cases; tear-away with light designs | Any, but consider draping. | 75/11 sharp needle (necessary for penetrating thicker fabric) | |||
| Faux Leather | Cutaway | Any, but consider draping (open designs will give the best draping). | 75/11 sharp needle (necessary for leaving small perforations in the material) | |||
| Felt | Cutaway | Any. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Flannel | Cutaway | Any. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Fleece | Cutaway; tear-away may be used for simple and light designs | Any (but in some cases, running-stitch or Redwork designs may get lost in the fabric). | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery or universal needle may also be used. |
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| Gabardine | Cutaway | Any (but consider draping). | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Handkerchiefs | Cutaway, tear-away, or water-soluble can be used. | Choose light designs, such as Redwork, toile, or vintage. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Hemp | Cutaway | Any, but can depend on the weight of the fabric. | 75/11 sharp needle. An embroidery needle may also be used. |
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| Homespun | Cutaway or tear-away depending on the fabric blend | Light and open designs for cotton/poly blends, solid-fill designs for sturdier 100% cotton homespun. | ||||
&a
Brands of stabilizer:
Each brand and type of stabilizer has strengths and weaknesses, and everyone has their favorites. Here's what we use:
Cutaway. Choosing a soft and pliable cutaway stabilizer (nothing stiff) will bring the best results, both during embroidery and during wear/use/laundering of the item as well. We use a 2.5 ounce cutaway called Soft-n-Stable made by Brother. We also enjoy a wide variety of the Floriani cutaway products (in particular, No-Show Mesh).
Tear-away. We get great results with Terradon Clean Tear, as well as Floriani tear-away products.
Water-Soluble. Vilene (a fibrous water-soluble product) is a dream to work with when making freestanding lace items. We've also used Sulky Ultra Solvy with excellent results.
Notes about needles: We prefer to use a size 11 sharp needle (not an embroidery needle) in all of our projects. A sharp needle has a fine and small point, whereas an embroidery needle has a rounded tip. A sharp needle will give a crisper and neater look to the stitches than an embroidery needle.
When embroidering and using a cutaway backing, you can use an embroidery needle instead of a sharp needle (the difference in the results will likely be negligible). However, if you are using tear-away
or water-soluble stabilizer (for in-the-hoop or freestanding lace projects), always use a sharp needle. Using an embroidery or universal needle will rip, tear, or leave large holes in the stabilizer. That can cause misalignment issues, as well as thread looping, breaks, and other tension problems.
