Celebrate with me!!

You may remember my posts about needing a stabilizer/foundation for backing my hand embroidery. I was commenting, er, lamenting, well, OK!!! I admit it!  I was whining!!

First, I found WhisperWeft and loved its drapeyability (yes, I just made up a word) and then realized that while it WAS a wonderful option, it was definitely not easy to source here in the Northern Hemisphere. (Grin)

When I went to a box store (that shall remain nameless) all I found was a stabilizer that seemed to resemble the stiffy-starched parchment paper I use in my baking. Certainly not what I was hoping for. 

Hear those trumpets? And the drum roll, too? 

I found the answer! At least, it's the answer for me! And I hope to introduce you to a product that might help YOU, too! (This is one of those times that I need to let you know that after auditioning this product and having awesome results, I signed on to be an affiliate - if you click on a link and purchase, I will get a small commission without changing your purchase price.)

Here it is: Sulky Stick n Stitch!

Oh, my goodness, I was filled with Fear and Trepidation. I could foresee all kinds of problems -- it claims to be self-adhesive! It also says it is wash-away! They can't possibly be for real!

But I'm here to tell you -- it's for real! Cross my heart! And this post will show part one of my process so that I can show you how super this is!

Some people call this Stick n Stitch, and others call it Sticky Fabri-Solvy. 

I call it Awesome.

(You see, they are one and the same, just packaged differently, for different uses and markets! I learned this on the Sulky site!)

Fresh out of the pack (my pack had twelve sheets in it), I wanted to look it over. I was impressed by the fabric-like look.

I also was ready to try printing on it. I mean, who wouldn't like an alternative to taping the pattern to the window and tracing the design onto the fabric? How many times had I tried that, only to realize that even my taped-up fabric had shifted? Arrrggghhh! (Grin) And there's just not enough room in my sewing room for a light box. Just sayin.

There, you can see the sheen of the backing paper. It's easy to tell which side to put in towards the front of the printer!

LOOK AT THIS!!! Can you tell I'm excited? This is the Fabri-Solvy as it came out of the printer. No bleeding of ink. No smudges. Clean, clear lines. It would have taken me four hundred and seventeen minutes to trace that!

Here's a close up for your viewing pleasure!

SWEET!

Next, I used my glue stick to position the two small pieces of fabric that I buttonhole stitched onto the embroidery piece.

                 

Now, I had a small problem - how to position the lovely, printed Stick n Stitch . . . (yes, I know, I switched names on you....keep up with me here). I got out my handy-dandy flashlight and held it under the glass of my table. Tada! I could see the applique AND place the printed Stick and Stitch where I wanted it.

                 

If I had not had the applique pieces, I could have peeled away the backing paper and slapped that bad boy down on the fabric just anywhere. But I'm a masochist, I guess, so I did the applique first.

Here is how easy it is to peel the Stick n Stitch off the backing paper, before laying it on the destination fabric:

And here is the piece, with the Sulky Stick n Stitch in place, smoothed down, and ready to stitch through.

At this point, I'm feeling a little better about this Sulky Stick n Stitch wash away stabilizer. But I still have to see how it stitches. 

Does my needle get gummy? 

Does it stay in place? 

Does it wash away easily, like they say?

As they said in the old radio shows, "Tune in next time, for the exciting conclusion!" I'm going to finish the embroidery and show you the process of removing the stabilizer, and give you a final review!

If you would like to try the product for yourself, please do me the favor of clicking on one of the links in the post and zip over to Sulky to purchase!

Thanks!

Love,

PS. As always, I make certain to give credit where credit is due - that lovely embroidery design is by our dear friend, Jenny of Elefantz.