I really like stitch-n-tear, which might be a brand name. It acts like
nonwoven stabilizer, but doesn't have the drag on the needle that the
poly nonwovens have. It was designed for machine stitching, but would
work anywhere the stitches were packed tightly (small stitching for
beadwork?).
You can't just tear it off any way you please: it helps to hold one
side (as in opposite sides of the stitching line) in place while
tearing gently on the other side. This disturbs the stitching the
least amount. The second side then pretty much lifts away.
What a stabilizer is supposed to do is prevent distortion and
buckling. On light fabric, the tendency is to pull threads more
tightly than the fabric alone can support, simply because the buckling
fabric makes the stitches look too loose as they are going in. With
stabilizer added to the equation, you can sew things on evenly and
either leave, or remove, the stabilizer. If the fabric is thin enough,
perhaps it's best to leave the stabilizer (in which case, stitch-n-
tear is counterindicated) to support the beadwork.
== Marjorie Wilser
=:=:=:Three Toad Press:=:=:=
"Learn to laugh at yourself and you will never lack for amusement." --MW
http://3toad.blogspot.com/
On Dec 12, 2009, at 8:53 AM, Chris Laning wrote(in part):
On Dec 12, 2009, at 5:23 AM, landofoz wrote:
What I'm not *getting* is why it has to be stiffened at all. If
it's an applique it's decorative and has no structural function,
and not having a third layer of anything would make it easier to
sew pearls on, wouldn't it?
It's often difficult to get an appliqué to lie flat and smooth while
you're trying to sew it down. The tension on the cloth must be
absolutely even, otherwise you end up with wrinkles or ripples. This
is especially true for any material that's slippery, such as silk,
and that goes double if the fabric is thin or limp and slithery.
Stiffening, pasting, or backing the fabric used for the appliqué
pretty much eliminates the problem. (Pins don't work nearly as well
-- at least for me -- because they create bumpy areas.)
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