This is an interesting question. I embroidered a 60000 stitch design on a sweatshirt recently. I used one layer of iron-on tearaway and one layer of a heavier tearaway. That obviously wasn't enough because the final outline was not quite where it should have been - but the front of the sweatshirt doesn't bend. (I can't fold it to put it away!) I'll be interested to see other peoples answers.

I have to admit, I have never heard the recommendation of 1 layer per 8,000 stitches. I do use 2 layers if I am embroidering a dense design on thinner material like cotton. And I use a cut away stabilizer on the bottom and vilene or WSS on the top of T-shirts and sweatshirts.

I've read something like that too, but it didn't take into consideration the type of stabilizers that could be used. So it was pretty useless advice.

If you go to Fred Lebow's website he has discriptions of the newer stabilizers that he has recently helped develop.

The link below takes you to the Product page on his website.

Click on each product name and read the information on each.

He does state on many of the products how many stitches of a design a layer of the product will support.

He also states what to do if the design is has more stitches than the layer of stabilizer will hold.

The trick to so many of the stabilizers is to use the right type of stabilizer and weight of stabilizer for the number of stitches in the design and the type of stitches in the design and for the type of fabric the design will be stitched on.

In some cases more than 1 layer of one type of stabilizer is necessary and sometimes using 1 layer of 2 types of stabilizers will support more stitches.

Most good brands of stabilizer should say how many stitches 1 layer of the product will support but that is not always so!

The Floriani Stabilizer website has similar information too.

EastWitch2

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