Stick and Stitch Embroidery: Using Water Soluble Self Adhesive Stabilizer

Stick and stitch is my favorite tool in hand embroidery. Printed on water-soluble self-adhesive stabilizer, stick and stitch simplifies the process of transferring a pattern and ensures your stitches are stabilized.

In this blog, we will explore what water-soluble self-adhesive stabilizer is, how to use it, and I'll provide beginner stitches and information to help you on your journey!

What is Stick & Stitch Water-Soluble Self-Adhesive Stabilizer?

Water-soluble self-adhesive stabilizer is a temporary, water-soluble material that you are able to print designs onto and it adheres to your fabric, providing stability during the embroidery process. Once your embroidery is complete, you can easily dissolve it in water, leaving behind your beautiful stitches without any residue.

Supplies Guide:

Prepping a Stick & Stitch Pattern:

Find a Pattern

If you purchase stick & stitch, it comes printed on the stabilizer and ready to stitch. If you plan to print yourself, you will need a printable pattern to print onto the stabilizer. These digital patterns are ready to stitch onto the 8.5×11 sized pages.

Resizing & Adapting Digital Patterns

Resizing On Printer:

  • Use the scale function on your printer settings to scale the images up or down to increase or decrease the size

Resizing & Rearranging On Canva or Word:

  • Save your digital patterns as a PNG
  • Upload your PNG file into Canva or Word.
  • Drag the patterns into a 8.5 x 11 inch document.
  • Use the crop tool to crop the patterns and pull different images that you want to rearrange or resize.
  • Export your adapted file as a PDF to print on your printer.

How to Print Digital Patterns

  • Resize it as needed to fit your embroidery project.
  • Insert a sheet of stick and stitch paper into your printer with the adhesive side facing down.
  • Be sure to follow your printer's instructions for loading specialty paper. For the best printing results on my specific printer, I have found the following printing settings to produce the cleanest images: "Matte Presentation Paper" as paper type & quality set to draft print or regular so the ink is less aggressive and doesn’t bleed on your projects.
  • Ensure that the design is centered and aligned correctly on the paper.

Cut the Stabilizer

If you are using a digital pattern, you will want to cut out your pattern after you have printed your sheet. 

Using Stick & Stitch Patterns:

Threading Your Needle

  • Cut an arm’s length of thread.
  • Pinch the end of the thread with your fingers and snake through the eye of your needle.
  • Pull your thread through the needle until it hangs 1/4 of the way down leaving a tail. 

Sticking On Your Pattern

  • Lay your clothing/project down on a flat surface.
  • Remove the stabilizer pattern from the backing and place it onto your project.
  • Ensure that there are no wrinkles under the pattern & that it is securely on the fabric.

Tying a Knot

  • Tie a knot on the longer end of your thread.
  • Try to create 2-3 sturdy knots as close to the end as you can manage so your knot doesn’t come through your fabric.

Beginner Embroidery Stitches:

Read my blog on beginner embroidery stitches for 10 basic stitches & common shapes with stick & stitch patterns.

Washing Off Stabilizer:

The last and maybe most important step after stitching! If not done properly, you can have ink bleeding or color spread.

  • Make sure the area is clean.
  • Rinse your project with soap (mild dish soap or hand soap) under the running water for a whole 3-5 minutes making sure that EVERYTHING has been removed.
  • Carefully but meticulously work your fingers under and around your embroidery to get any stabilizer stuck underneath the stitches! If your ink bleeds it’s likely because stabilizer was left under the stitches.
  • Air dry or run the project through your normal laundry. My personal preference is laundry, because most projects will end up getting washed anyways. 

** If you are using white yarn or thread and feel like it’s not washing off well, go ahead and apply 2-3 more rinses of soap and then run the sweater through your normal laundry. 

** If you dry your project and it feels stiff, or you have any ink bleeding, then you will need to rinse the project again and repeat step 1-4.

Water-soluble self-adhesive stabilizer is a valuable tool for embroiderers of all levels, offering a convenient way to stabilize stitching on fabrics and create stunning, detailed designs. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can confidently incorporate sticky stabilizer into your embroidery projects, elevating your craft and achieving professional-looking results. So, grab your stabilizer, choose your design, and watch your embroidery skills flourish with this versatile tool. Happy stitching!

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