Ask Wendi - T-shirt Stabilizer for Embroidery

Do I have to pick out all the stabilizer from the back of a T-shirt when I'm done stitching?

No!

Let me back up a little. If you plan to embroider on a T-shirt (or any stretchy fabric) you MUST stabilize the fabric to keep it from stretching while you're working on it. It's really not optional. I use this Sulky Totally Stable and I love it.

You iron it on to the back of the fabric you're going to embroider. It has a papery feel and you stitch right through it and the fabric together. It does a great job of keeping everything neat (and non-stretchy) while you stitch. (This video shows step by step how I prep things to embroider on stretchy fabrics.)

When I'm done stitching I peel up any of the excess stabilizer I can easily get at. That means I cut/tear away all the excess around the edge of my design, but I don't worry much about the interior.

Why not?

I'll admit that it's mostly because I'm lazy. Lazy. Lazy. Lazy. I find that after just one washing the stuff is pretty dang soft. Like Kleenex. Both my daughter and I are are extremely sensitive to itchiness and the excess stabilizer doesn't bother either of us one bit. So why mess with it?

I also don't like tugging at my stitches, and to get every bit of stabilizer out from every single stitch would definitely take some tugging. After you wash it a kajillion times most of it works its way out anyway. (See the note about laziness, above.)

So no. You do NOT need to pick out all the stabilizer after you're done stitching. Use that time to stitch something else!

Got any other sewing or embroidery questions? Send them to me here.

Happy Wednesday!

Best,
Wendi