18 Feb What is going on behind your embroidery, literally?
White Cut away Stabiliser
Black cut away stabiliser
If you have ever gotten embroidery done on your polo shirts, t-shirts, corporate or other work wear shirts and jackets, you would have noticed a white or black material on the underside of the garments right behind the embroidery.
What is it called? And what is it’s purpose?
It is commonly referred to as backing or fusing, however the actual term for it is stabiliser. It’s purpose is to provide extra strength to the garments in the place where embroidery is done on them, to avoid puckering and it prevents the fabric of the garment from moving out of place when it is under an extremely fast moving machine.
Machine embroidery puts a great deal of stress on fabrics – a stabiliser fights that distortion and keeps the embroidery and the surrounding area smooth and free of wrinkles for the life of the garment. It stabilises the garment, not only during embroidery, but in almost all cases, even after the process is complete. Every stitch is a loop trying to tighten around the fabric between the penetrations, and each stitch drives a permanent wedge between the fibers already present in a garment. The garment often needs help to stand up to these stresses- it needs additional stability. The fibers in the most common stabilizers are matted together in every which way, so they don’t stretch along any one direction more than another like our knit and woven garments do- that’s the secret.
There are stabilisers that are cut away after the job is done and then there are those used on certain items where any excess is torn away after the embroidery process is completed and it’s purpose is served. Apart from stabilisers that go under the garments, there are others that go on top of materials like fleece, terry cloth, fur etc.
Nowadays there are numerous options to choose from when it comes to choosing the right backing for the right job and a good embroiderer would never underestimate its importance.
So the next time you have any questions regarding the material that is or isn’t behind you embroidered garments or accessories don’t hesitate to ask your embroiderer about it or just email us.
No show stabiliser for thin t-shirts and finer materials
Tear away stabiliser for use in Terry cloths, fur and fleeces