Complete Guide To Stabilising: Books for Textile Artists, #4

INTRODUCTION

If you’re new to thread sketching, thread painting, and free machine embroidery, or simply encountering problems with puckering and pull-up when you stitch, this guide will help you make informed decisions when choosing a stabiliser for your next project.

Any experienced textile artist or machine embroiderer understands that creating your designs on the proper foundation is the key to success. At some time, every stitcher has experienced the frustration of seeing their project begin to pucker—often as they’re close to finishing. It’s enough to bring tears to your eyes! And I understand how this feels because I’ve been there, too.

So, throughout my career and development as a textile artist, I have learned one vital thing:

Like building a house, creating successful thread sketches and thread paintings—projects you are genuinely proud of—begins with plans and foundations.

Once you have these established, the fun of stitching can begin.

Now, when I talk about ‘plans’, I’m not suggesting you must have a formal pattern or blueprint for your project. Instead, many textile artists elect to create freely, uninhibited by traditional designs, using their ideas and vision to complete their work.

Whether you intend to work with or without a pattern or design, questions must be asked, and decisions made before you begin. Most importantly, these include:

What am I making, and why?

What will this project be used for?

What materials do I want to use in the project?

Why do some projects pucker?

How will I lay the foundations for success? i.e. How will I stabilise my work to prevent puckering and pull-up?

Overcome puckering frustration

Watching your beautiful project warp and buckle during the stitching process is heartbreaking. You may have tried to solve the problem but are still seeking satisfactory results.

Many years ago, when I was new to free motion stitching, I knew little about stabilising my work. My early background was in dressmaking, involving only the stiffening and reinforcement of collars, seams, buttonholes, etc. From age five, I was taught to sew by my aunt, a professional dressmaker and tailor. And living up to her exacting standards was a necessity. Following patterns, learning the fundamentals of the ‘rag trade’ and pattern-making, was what I did.

Of course, this formal training left little room for letting my hair down and being artistic. Years later, I made a few traditional quilts and wall hangings, but none involved intricate stitch embellishment. So a simple quilt sandwich or interfacing provided sufficient support to keep my work flat.

Consequently, when I seriously started thread sketching and thread painting, my early works were more often disastrous than delightful!

Select the best stabiliser for your project

Choosing a stabiliser may not be your first consideration when designing a textile project, be it a thread sketch, thread painting, 3D vessel, or free-machine embroidery. Selecting fabric and thread and planning your design is much more exciting.

But here’s the thing—ignore the subject of stabilising at your peril! If you do, your results may be disappointing if they lack the proper support structure.

The good news is, understanding the fundamentals of stabilising fabric and setting up correctly from the outset, will save you many hours of frustration and heartache.

With the proliferation of stabilisation products available, choosing a stabiliser can seem overwhelming. But once you have a little experience, you’ll develop an innate sense of what will work and what won’t. In addition, you’ll discover which products suit your style and budget, and the materials you most enjoy using.

The motivation for writing this book emerged from seeing people’s frustration when working free machine embroidery or thread sketching with inadequate stabilisation and preparation.

Everyone beginning a new project has high expectations. But disappointment ensues if the finished piece is puckered or out of alignment. After much experimentation (and my share of disasters), I finally developed the ability to (almost) never worry about puckering or pull-up again. It’s time for me to share what I’ve learned and help you prevent problems before they occur.

Who is this book for?

This book is designed to help thread sketchers, thread painters, and free machine embroiderers who want to understand the different types of stabilisers and how to use them.

The topics covered include: