How to Choose the Right Backing

Learn the many varieties of stabilizers and how to select the best backing for the fabric you're embroidering.
March 1, 2008

When stitching applique designs like this one, the twill helps support the stitches, so it requires just a medium-weight cutaway backing.

When I think about the subject of choosing the right backing or stabilizer for embroidering various types of fabrics, I am reminded of that traditional children's Sunday School song, "The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock."

Yes, even in embroidery, the work needs a strong foundation, and many of the substrates upon which we place designs have too much "give" to provide a rock-solid foundation. Hence, there's a need to know the proper stabilizers for various fabrics.

The second verse of that childhood song starts, "The foolish man built his house upon the sand." Most fabrics are like sand. Without a proper foundation, they will shift during the embroidery process.

There are many embroidery stabilizers available on the market today, and manufacturers are continually challenged to make innovative products to meet the needs of creative embroiderers.

BACKING'S ROLE
The first thing that an embroiderer must come to terms with is the need for stabilizer, commonly called backing. Fabrics, whether woven or knit, stretch as they are stitched. This is most commonly known as the push/pull factor, and is caused by the additional thread forced into the fabric and the movement of the machine. Woven fabrics, of course, are more stable than knits but still stretch on the bias (angle). Placing backing under the fabric and adhering that backing to the substrate in the area on which the design will be placed is the solution to the problem.

Stabilizer must do two things. First, it keeps the fabric from moving. (It's important to say here that the digitized design must include proper underlay stitches to adhere the fabric to the stabilizer.) It is that combination of proper stabilization and the support of the stitches that will enable the substrate to resist movement in all directions, no matter how many stitches the design has. Secondly, the stabilizer provides support for the stitches in the design.

The challenge comes in the choice. You know that saying that seamstresses use, "So many fabrics, so little time." That's what makes the challenge. The garments and accessories that we decorate on a daily basis are constructed from that wide variety of fabrics, and consequently, require different methods of support during embroidery.

As a digitizer and the owner of a stock embroidery design company, I deal on a daily basis a customer base whose skills span the entire spectrum of embroidery experience, from beginners to experts. The most common complaint of beginning embroiderers is a lack of registration on the designs. This complaint rarely comes from experienced customers. Why not? Beginning embroiderers have yet to learn about and experiment with the wide assortment of backing products available to them. Good backing and good hooping techniques are keys to quality embroidery.

Eighteen years ago, when I entered the embroidery industry, there were no choices when it came to stabilizers. Cutaway was it! Or, if there were others, I didn't know about them. Throughout the years, many other products have been developed that both aid in the embroidery process and are more suited to the garments that are decorated, creating a more professional-looking finished product.

Normally, backing is to be hooped with the substrate, but some of the products listed below are hooped separately because of the nature of the backing.

Fabric stretch is the primary consideration when selecting a type of backing. The backing must be stable enough to support both the fabric and the stitches that will be placed on that fabric.

Cutaway backings range in weight from 1.5 ounces per yard to 3 ounces per yard. Cutaway products are the most resistant to needle penetrations and should be used with all knit and stretchy fabrics. As the name implies, excess backing needs to be trimmed from the finished garment with scissors. Medium-weight cutaway is often regarded as the universal stabilizer, but the seasoned embroiderer will certainly want more choices.

Tearaway stabilizers can be used on more stable fabrics, generally wovens, and are available in weights from 1 ounce per yard to 3 ounces per yard. There can be many advantages to using a tearaway product. It saves time, pulling away from the design as it stitches and allowing the embroiderer to easily remove any excess backing from the garment by hand.

Tearaway leaves no potentially uncomfortable edges poking out around the inside edges of the finished design. And on nonwearables, like towels, where both the back and front of the design can be seen, tearaway leaves no unsightly backing showing once it has been removed.

BACK THAT CAP
Cap backings are generally tearaway products, come on a roll, and are cut to the correct height for hooping caps. In a commercial setting, time is of the essence, and using cap backing over regular rolls of backing saves valuable cutting time.

Sticky backing is also a tearaway product. It is used for hard-to-embroider areas of a garment, such as collars, cuffs and pockets. This type of backing is constructed of tearaway with a pressure-sensitive coating and a release liner. Hard-to-hoop items also can be conquered using this product, as they can be "stuck" to the backing rather than hooped. Brand names include Easy Stick, Peel & Stick, Perfect Stick and Sulky Stick.

A relatively new product, water activated adhesive backings make hard-to-hoop items easier to line up. Only the area that has been wet is sticky, as opposed to an entire sticky sheet. Recognizable brand names here are Stick and Stitch, Hydro-Stick, Wet n Set and Wet n Stick.

Water soluble or washaway backings allow for the creation of free-standing embroidery. The popularity of lace in recent years is responsible for the creation of this product, but it also works well on fabrics where the embroiderer doesn't want any backing residue, such as towels, blankets and napkins. Brand examples include Solvy, Vilene (a.k.a., Wet n Gone or AquaMagic) and Badgemaster.

Mesh backings are great when the embroiderer needs the stability of a cutaway backing but also is concerned that the backing will show through the garment. Mesh is translucent and lightweight, allowing for better draping of the garment than heavier traditional backings.

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Foam, a specialty stabilizer, is used to raise a portion of the embroidery. Unlike traditional backings, foam is placed on top of the substrate, usually somewhere in the middle of the embroidery process, to raise one specific portion of the design. Foam comes in a variety of colors, and you should use the color closest to the thread color of that section of embroidery. It is also important to note here that designs must be specifically digitized for the use of foam, with dense stitches on all sides. This enables the embroiderer to pull away excess foam after sewing that section of the design.

Water-soluble toppings, although not necessarily a backing product, are used to support stitches on fabrics with a nap, such as Polarfleece, corduroy and terrycloth. They are used in addition to other backing, which holds the fabric in a stable position. Stitches tend to sink into napped fabrics, resulting in a less-than-perfect design. Toppings tame the nap, hold the thread above it, and their use results in a design as perfect as if it were embroidered on a woven surface.

Black backing is a bit more expensive than standard white. However, it's worth the price when embroidering on dark garments, especially expensive items like leather jackets. Any good seamstress will tell you that the inside of the garment should look as good as the outside. While that's never entirely possible with embroidery, black backing often makes the inside more attractive.

Flame retardant backings should be used in children's sleepwear in order to retain the standards that have been set by law and by which the garments were constructed. This also holds true in fire retardant racing clothing, as well.

Fusible backings are used for very stretchy fabrics and can be applied to garments with a hand iron or a heat press. Once applied, the embroidery area is stable. A second purpose for fusible backings is application over threads that will irritate the skin. The most common culprit is metallic thread. Covering the underside of those designs makes the garment comfortable and wearable. The extra effort is worth it.

It's important to note that each backing type is available in various weights and sizes. Some are precut, some come in rolls of various widths. Knowing what works best in each individual shop comes with experience. As your business changes and grows, so will your needs.

It might seem that a person would have to invest a small fortune if they tried to stock every variety of backing and topping material on the market. That's probably true if you bought it all at the same time, but shops typically build up an inventory of various stabilizers over time. Most shops end up with a fairly comprehensive collection as they order specialty stabilizers for various jobs over the years.

No new business starts with every stabilizer and fabric type in the embroidery universe, and my best advice is to start with the basics. Cutaway and tearaway are the two universal backings, and no embroidery shop should be without them. The rest can be purchased as the need arises.

The main thing to remember is that just as the wise man builds his house upon the rock, your embroidery must also be built on a solid foundation, and that foundation is proper backing.

Barbara Geer has been in the imprinting industry since 1990 as the owner of Grand Central Graphics Inc., Middle River, Minn. Since 1995, she also has been developing and promoting her stock embroidery design collection, Grand Slam Designs. Barb has been a frequent contributor to many industry trade publications and a speaker/educator at trade shows.

For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Barb at barbgeer@wiktel.com.

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