Friends, I could use help with stabilizing a sweatshirt/jacket for redwork on the back. Would you use tearaway or cutaway? The design is large, wouldn't cutaway be bulky? Thanks, Marji

Thanks for all the help! I'm hem-hawing on the cutaway for the back because it's a 5x7 design, and the jacket is black, and all I have is white cutaway. This is for a neighbor for a gift for her niece, and I'm too lazy, snowed in, and poor to go find one piece of black cutaway! Black is not a color I'd use very often, and my dealer is close but only sells whole rolls from Floriani, and Wal-Mart doesn't have black, except some super heavyweight stuff like tent canvas! Grouse. She may just have to deal with white. Thanks again, friends! Marji

I agree that the material of a sweatshirt is very stretchy and my experience says to use cut away. Check out what this website says about what stabilizers to use with different fabrics. They have an excellent chart!

1 comment

by tmjanecek 27 Feb 2008

Oops... It didn't add my link... Here it is: http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elpr...

marji, I find the cutaway works for the long haul - please let us know - what you decide and please - please post a picture of your finished project. A flower for you and for each of the others that have answered - so far. Hehehe!

Since the design is redwork, you could use either, but if you do use cutaway, you can cut out the center parts as well to remove bulk.

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by marjialexa 27 Feb 2008

Cutting out the center is a good idea, thanks!

Love your little Hee, Hee's.

Marji, I always use a cut away on my sweatshirts. It seemed like when I only went tear away it looked good at first, but didn't hold up in the washing. Sweatshirt material is so stretchy that the design is distorted if you don't have it stabilized well. I always either hoop it with the stabilizer that I have used temp.adhesive on or use a sticky cut away and LOTS of pins. Good luck and I am sure that you will do fine. P.S. try it first on an old sweatshirt and see how that comes out. ;)

2 comments

by dlmds 26 Feb 2008

Thanks jrob, I did not realize that many washings would make my design not hold up. Thanks for the lesson. Hugs and flower.

by clawton 26 Feb 2008

I have had the same experience as jrob. Most of the help pages on various site are saying to use cut away.

I am no pro, on the sweatshirts I have used a light cutaway, and others I have used a tearaway/washaway. Both have given me nice results. Redwork is not a dense design, so I would not think it would need a heavey stabilizer. Hugs & flowers

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by marjialexa 26 Feb 2008

Thanks, 'D', I'm certainly no pro either, and I seem to always offer to do things for people that I don't know how to do....hee hee hee. Marji

by jrob 26 Feb 2008

dlms, I am not saying your way won't work, just commenting on what I have personally found. ;)