Stabilizers: The Foundation of Embroidery

Couple the inherent instability of the fabric with our effort to draw a picture on it with stitches, and you can readily see why a stabilizing backing material is crucial.
March 31, 2008

By Steven Batts

Decorating apparel with embroidery would be nearly impossible without the stabilizing backing materials we use today. Yet, a lot of confusion exists as to why it's used, when it's used and what kind should be used. In this article and the next, I'll try to answer all these questions to give you a better understanding of this foundational element of embroidery.

The main reason for a backing (or stabilizer) is to minimize the inherent stretch of the material. Garments stretch…a lot. Some stretch more than others, and they stretch more in one direction than they do in another direction. The typical materials we embroider on are just not stable enough to stay still while they're embroidered. In addition, newer fabrics have even more stretch, and in turn, less stability.

Couple the inherent instability of the fabric with our effort to draw a picture on it with stitches, and you can really see the problem. It isn't like sewing the garment together. These stitches have to be placed accurately, within 0.1 mm in some cases. And there are a lot of them, as many as 2,000 stitches per square inch. It's no wonder the fabric needs a little help staying put!

Stabilizers are made in such a way that they have little to no stretch. We put this stabilizer behind the item to be embroidered (hence the term "backing") to form a solid foundation for our embroidery. The material then needs to be secured to this foundation. Usually, this is done through underlay, a light pass of stitching before the heavy pass of top stitching. However, a few embroiderers prefer to use an adhesive, such as a spray adhesive, to fasten the two together. This procedure works well but is very time consuming.

As machine speeds continue to go up, the need for stabilization is increased. If we were embroidering by hand, then no stabilizer would be needed. Sewing at 1,200 stitches per minute is another story. Each time the needle and the presser foot come in contact with the fabric, they want to nudge it one way or the other. The stabilizer helps minimize this distortion.

That's it in a nutshell: lots of stitches in a small area, unstable materials and high machine speeds. This is what creates the need for a stabilizing backing material. Now that we have explained the why, next time we'll explain the what and where.

Steven Batts, a 14-year veteran of the embroidery industry, is a regular speaker at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows. He owns Righteous Threads Embroidery, Greensboro, N.C., which offers digitizing, embroidery, machine maintenance and repair, and consulting. Call him at (336) 379-9380 or e-mail righteousthreads@gmail.com.
 

For Further Reading
"Backing Basics"
"How to Choose the Right Backing"
"How to Tackle T-Shirt Embroidery"
"Tame the Terrycloth Beast"

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