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Tear-away
Tear-away stabilizer is a non-woven material that tears easily in any direction and can be easily removed after
embroidery. Tear-away is extremely simple and fast to use, but the uses are limited because it offers little
support to unstable fabrics. Some examples of fabrics suitable for tear away are cotton sheeting, heavy
woven dress shirts, denim, terry cloth, and hats.
Tear-away stabilizer is a favorite among embroiderers because of its ease of removal. It is simply torn away
from the garment after the embroidery is finished.
It often has a feel that is similar to paper, and leftovers can be rough against the skin.
It is best used with stable materials, as the stabilizer offers little support for the material.
Specialty Stabilizers
Specialty stabilizers such as poly mesh and nylon mesh are also options. While they may not be as stable as
traditional cut-aways, they are much less visible through lighter-weight garments. They also tend to be softer
than other stabilizers.
Water soluble stabilizer is also available for jobs that require that no stabilizer be left after the completion of
the embroidery. Be aware that this would require a fairly stable garment as the stabilizer will be dissolved
completely and offer no support once the garment has been laundered.
Stabilizer Choice Example
The choice of stabilizer impacts the quality of the embroidery greatly. The following examples were sewn on
the same machine with all the same settings. The only difference was the choice of stabilizer.
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