There are two things we love here at Bernina Northwest. Fabulous embroidery projects, and learning from mistakes. Today we will review an embroidery project gone slightly awry, highlighting common pitfalls and how to avoid them. We use the term "slightly awry" since the end result could potentially live on in some capacity... Maybe a bag? We'll let you be the judge:
Not too shabby for our embroidery novices; Casey and Caitlyn. Let's go to the markup:
#1 - Stabilizer:
Stabilizer is a type of material used to stabilize your fabric while machine embroidering. In many cases, embroidery designs rely not only on line stitching, but also on heavy amounts of satin stitching. Alone, fabric tends to fail under this abuse, thus stabilizer is crucial to giving your project the support it needs. There is no shortage in variety of these types of materials, so rather than build a library here on the blog, we'll refer to this excellent quick-reference table developed by the fabulous
Jill McCloy:
| Used For: | Best Used On: | Comes In: | Removal: |
| Cut-away stabilizers | Permanent support | Knits, loosely wovens | Light to heavy weights | Not removed, except for cutting away excess |
| Tear-away stabilizers | Temporary support | Firmly woven, natural-fiber fabrics | Light to heavy weights; fusible and nonfusible | Torn away, but not always completely removable, depending on brand and stitch pattern |
| Heat-away stabilizers | Temporary support | Nonwashable, delicate fabrics and for off-the-edge stitching techniques | Woven sheets, plastic film | Completely removable with iron and caution |
| Wash-away stabilizers | Temporary support | Delicate, mesh-like, and difficult-to-mark fabrics; also for cutwork and embroidered appliqués | Plastic film, paper sheets, brush-on or sprayable liquid | Completely removable with water |
All of these stabilizer types come in various forms. Some are adhesive-backed for extra support, while others are developed for use on the top side of the fabric (called toppers). If you're in a jam about what to use, call the store or come by. We love solving puzzles!
Back to the photo - This is what can happen if you don't choose the correct stabilizer. While the entirety of the fabric is puckering, it is quite noticeable in item #1. We thought we could skate by using two layers of wash-away stabilizer, but it just wasn't in the cards for this design which employed layers-upon-layers of satin stitching. Sad.
#2 - Hoop On Grain
All Bernina hoops include a plastic grid insert to help you with fabric and design alignment. Once you've hooped your fabric, place your plastic grid into the hoop and match your lengthwise and crosswise grains to the lines, making adjustments as necessary. If the fabric has a complex pattern that obscures the grainline, find a thread and mark it with chalk or a temporary marker, then use these markings to compare against the grid. If your fabric is hooped off-grain, the bias will stretch during the embroidery process and distort your design, as in item #2 of the photo above. The photo below shows a standard Bernina oval hoop with plastic insert.
#3 - Use a Fresh Needle for Every Project
While difficult to see in the photo, there is definitely a problem here. We forgot to change the needle at the beginning of our project, so about halfway through, it started to snag on pre-existing stitches. The embroidery is still intact, but it is slightly shredded and looks shoddy. Don't let this happen to you. Choose the correct needle for the job and change your needle between each project. Needles are probably the most inexpensive, yet supremely critical piece of sewing equipment.
Ok, so now to test our own advice. This project was stitched out using the new 830, and the design is included with the machine! You saw the before - now scope the after:
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