Embroidery Stabilizer Guide: Cut-Away, Tear-Away or Water-Soluble?
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Stabilizer (also called backing) is the layer hooped with your fabric that keeps it from shifting while the machine stitches. Brother says without the right one, fabric can move too much in the frame and the design won't line up. Here's how the makers say to choose.
The four types (per Brother)
- Cut-away: stays in the garment permanently; you trim the excess. Brother calls it excellent for medium to heavyweight knits and usable on wovens. Brother suggests polyester mesh cut-away for light-colored fabrics and baby garments.
- Tear-away: torn off after stitching. Brother lists it for medium-weight wovens and sturdy fabrics like canvas, poplin and denim.
- Water-soluble: dissolves in water. Used as a topping on pile or nap fabrics (terry cloth, corduroy, velvet, faux fur) and as a backing for lace where only the stitching should remain.
- Self-adhesive: for fabrics that are hard to hoop.
Brother also warns against backings that stretch diagonally, and says to cut stabilizer larger than the embroidery frame.
Brother's fabric chart (starting points)
| Fabric | Backing | Topping |
|---|---|---|
| T-shirt | 1 lightweight cut-away or adhesive tear-away | — |
| Sweatshirt | 1 cut-away or adhesive tear-away | — |
| Golf shirt | 1 cut-away | — |
| Denim, canvas, cotton sheeting, dress shirt | 1 tear-away | — |
| Terry cloth, corduroy | 1 tear-away | 1 water-soluble |
| Sweater knit | 1 cut-away or adhesive tear-away | 1 water-soluble |
Source: Brother's fabric/stabilizer compatibility chart for its PR-600, which it says is a guideline only; sew a test sample. Brother's separate stabilizer page also lists water-soluble as a backing option on towels.
For knits, Sulky says it generally recommends a cut-away stabilizer, with lighter cut-aways for baby items and heavier ones for sweatshirts and outerwear.
Stabilizers on Amazon
Cut-away
New brothread's cut-away is a 2.5 oz medium weight on a 10 inch roll, listed for knits, fleece, denim and unstable fabrics. HBI's is also 2.5 oz, on a 12 inch roll.
New brothread Cut-Away Stabilizer, 10 in. x 50 yd
- Permanent (cut-away) stabilizer, 2.5 oz medium weight, per the listing
- Listed for knits, fleece, denim and unstable fabrics
- 10 in. wide roll; polyester
HBI Cut-Away Stabilizer, 2.5 oz, 12 in. x 50 yd
- Cut-away (permanent) backing, 2.5 oz medium weight, per the listing
- Listed for knits, fleece, denim and stretch fabrics
- 12 in. x 50 yd roll
Tear-away
New brothread's tear-away is 1.8 oz medium weight on a 12 inch roll, listed for firmly woven and natural-fiber fabrics.
New brothread Tear-Away Stabilizer, 12 in. x 50 yd
- Temporary (tear-away) stabilizer, 1.8 oz medium weight, per the listing
- Listed for firmly woven and natural-fiber fabrics
- 12 in. wide roll
Water-soluble topping
A clear 25 micron film that dissolves in cold or warm water, listed as a topping for towels, velvet, corduroy, terry and fleece.
New brothread Water-Soluble Topping Film, 12 in. x 25 yd
- Clear film that dissolves in cold or warm water, per the listing
- Listed as a topping for towels, velvet, corduroy, terry and fleece
- 25 microns thick
FAQ
T-shirts?
Lightweight cut-away or adhesive tear-away, per Brother; Sulky leans cut-away for knits.
When is tear-away right?
Stable wovens like denim, canvas and poplin.
What's water-soluble for?
Topping on pile fabrics, and backing for freestanding lace.