Part II - Stick n Stitch!

Stick n Stitch review, Part II!

Spoiler alert!

This stuff is awesome!

(Oops!)

Guess I just gave it away, huh?

Oh, welllllllllll.....here is the stitchery just finished. All of the embroidery is done, and we are ready for the Big Experiment. 

I included this as a close up because there IS a warning that I need to give you. 

Stop hyperventilating.

It will be OK.

It's just that I noticed when I took my project outside, the product shrank a tiny bit. Now, if you don't stitch outside like I do (in the Southland, and in high humididity) then you will probably never, ever have it happen!

See the difference between the line printed on the Stick n Stitch, and the edge of the applique, underneath? It was about 95 percent humidity that day! That was the only time I ever felt the needle get a little sticky, too. So, that may never be a problem that you encounter.

See, I told you it would be OK.

Now we can get back to our review.

I trimmed the Stick n Stitch so I didn't have so much hanging loose; I don't guess that's required, but it seemed logical to me. As an ISTJ, I'm all about the logic. (Grin)

Now we are ready for a bath. No, no, I don't mean us, I mean the embroidery piece! 

I got a plastic container and put in some tap water, and floated the piece in it. It slowly sank into the tepid water, tiny bubbles twirling up from the edges like miniature divers surfacing for air. 

OK, enough drama here.

After the piece was saturated, I saw little flakes of Stick n Stitch coming up off the fabric! How exciting! I hadn't even touched it yet!! 

You can embiggen the picture and see the bits of stabilizer coming free! 

I am SO pleased with the Sulky Stick n Stitch. It was an easy process from beginning to end. 

Printing on the product was clear and clean, and so much better than tracing. Rinsing off the stablizer was fast and easy to do. 

Here is the embroidery ready to dry:

And here it is, dry and pressed flat. 

I'm giving this Sulky Stick n Stitch the Five Ribbit rating!! It's awesome! Go for it, Padsworth!

Ribbit Ribbit, Ribbit Ribbit, Ribbit!!

Whew! A workout for the froggie!

Seriously, I am truly impressed with this and I plan to use it extensively on my upcoming projects. I hope that you have enjoyed the review, and that if you have some embroidery and relaxation coming up, that you will click on one of the links and grab some Sulky Stick n Stitch for yourself! It's only a smidgeon more than one dollar per sheet! If you prefer larger sheets of product, instead of the 8 x 11, then you can click on this link, instead: Sticky Fabri-Solvy. That is a link for the 20 inch by 36 inch package. 

I know you are going to love it! (And yes, those are affiliate links, but they won't cost you a penny!)

Thanks for hanging in there and listening to my ramblings! 

Love,

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.

Something's Brewing!!

Pssst! We're cookin' up something good here at Lilypadquilting.....

There's a product review in the works, along with a giveaway! Our master chef is putting together all of the necessary ingredients for a wonderful post - gonna tell you about a great product, and then give away some nice prizes!

                       

Padsworth tells me that you can't rush good cookin', so check back with us!

Want a couple of hints? 

Shhhhh!!

Here's the first one: the name of the designer of the fabric we will feature reminds me of a country where toreadors are special heroes.....now, don't say it out loud - it's a secret!!

The second hint: the name of the fabric line kinda makes me start "ho, ho, ho-ing" to myself!

(My hubby says I just gave it away....he says now you know for sure! He must think you are all clairvoyant or something! Or, maybe you have a crystal ball, or special powers....I'm hoping for special powers someday - know what I want? The power to always have a scant quarter inch seam!!)


Now, don't tell....Haha! NOT! Tell anyone you want to - and we'll have lots of fun when the cookin' is done!

In the meantime, don't forget about the ongoing giveaways at Stash Manicure....click here to sign up, OK? (That link takes you to our sign-up form.) We will send you a welcome email with all the instructions you need!

Love,