Every time I give a book as a gift, I tuck a freestanding lace bookmark inside. The lucky recipient always -- always -- flips the bookmark over and over, front and back, trying to figure out exactly how it was made. "It's embroidered on water-soluble stabilizer," I say -- and then the questions begin.

Describing the concept of water-soluble stabilizer (WSS) to non-embroiderers is always a challenge. "It's like a piece of plastic that dissolves in water," I tried to explain recently. "About the consistency of a Ziploc bag. But some brands are thinner, some are like Saran Wrap."

After this conversation I thought about the differences between the brands of WSS. I've always used Sulky Ultra Solvy because it works well for me -- and as all embroiderers know, once we find something that works well, we stick with it.

But I felt that I needed to do some exploring, and some testing. There are many different brands of WSS on the market. Some brands are more prevalent in certain areas than others. Some WSS is thick, and some is thin. But they have one striking similarity. Look at any package of WSS, you will see this: "Works great with lace."

I turned our embroidery studio into a testing lab to try several different brands, and see if they really do "work great with lace." I tested five different kinds: Sulky Ultra Solvy, Sulky Super Solvy, Badgemaster, Aqua Mesh Wash Away (Vilene), and Wash Away Extra (a sticky-back Vilene). The results were surprising!

For a point of reference I began with my favorite, Sulky Ultra Solvy.

This WSS can be found at most fabric and sewing supply stores, including Joann's. It's a heavy weight stabilizer, and is a champ when it comes to lace.

The design (lilac lace bookmark) was sewn on a Brother Innovis. The stabilizer was hooped tightly, and needle and bobbin thread tension was perfect.  The results were great.

Embroidering a lace bookmark on
Sulky Ultra Solvy  -- great results!

Next I tried a different Sulky product, Sulky Super Solvy. It is much lighter and thinner than Ultra Solvy, and also stretches more easily.

If a stabilizer stretches during embroidery, that can be problematic. As the needle is dipping into the stabilizer, if the stabilizer stretches, that means that the stitches will be misaligned.

When this happens, after you soak the stabilizer away, you'll find that part of the lace will be separated from the rest.

Embroidering a lace bookmark on
Sulky Super Solvy

Although I had good results with Super Solvy, I noted that there could be problems if the top thread was too tight, or the bobbin thread too loose. There could also be problems if the needle wasn't new and sharp. You can see in the image to the right that the stabilizer is puckering slightly. That means that it stretched during the embroidery.

I don't recommend this stabilizer for lace designs that have more than 20,000 stitches, as I just don't think it will hold up.

Results of Sulky Super Solvy

Next I tested the same design on Badgemaster. The consistency is the same as Sulky Ultra Solvy -- that is, it doesn't stretch easily. It is just a fraction lighter than the Sulky Ultra Solvy.

Embroidering a lace bookmark on
one layer of Badgemaster.

The results were great! The sections of the designs are
well aligned.

Good results with Badgemaster

This was my first experience working with Vilene -- I've heard a lot about it, but have never tried it. When I first felt the product, I was surprised, because it is so fabric-like. Soft, pliable, thin, and doesn't have the "plastic" appearance that other WSS has.

The results were great -- and I'll be using this again in the future.
This product is available from www.pointetopointe.com -- wonderful service, prompt delivery.

Good results with Aqua Mesh Wash Away/Vilene

Wash Away Extra is a sticky-back form of Vilene. I was concerned about sewing a lace design on a sticky-back stabilizer, because I thought that the thread would start to loop.

 

Embroidering on Wash Away Extra (sticky-back)

I was delighted to find that this stabilizer, too, works "great with lace." (Embroider with the adhesive facing down).

Good results with Wash Away Extra (sticky-back)

I mentioned before that a thinner stabilizer can cause design sections separating. This is what is called "poor registration."

The error hadn't occurred on any of my tests, so acting on a hunch, I hooped a piece of Vilene very loosely. You can see in the image to the right that there are ripples in the stabilizer -- that is slack caused by loose hooping.

Vilene, loosely hooped

My hunch paid off. Poor registration or separation will occur if the stabilizer is not hooped tightly enough. You can see in the example to the right that part of the bookmark has not met with the outer border.

Loose hooping results in separation, also
called "poor registration."

Lace Troubleshooting Tips:

Hooping

I once thought that the key to freestanding lace was a heavy weight stabilizer, but now I believe there's an equally important factor: Hooping. The stabilizer must be hooped firmly and tightly; if the stabilizer slips even a tiny bit, that can result in poor registration, failure for a freestanding piece. So how can you make sure that the stabilizer is hooped tightly? Follow these steps below:
 

Thread Tension

If you are hooping perfectly, and still seeing some problems, check your thread tension. If your needle thread is too tight, the inside elements of the lace can pull away from a border. The same issues can arise if the bobbin tension is too loose.

If you find that the stabilizer is dipping down or being sucked into the throat plate as the design sews, that's an indication of birdnesting -- trouble with thread tension.

Conclusion

Working with all of these different types of WSS was interesting and fun -- and educational! I think, though, that I'll still continue to use Sulky Ultra Solvy primarily. It's sturdy and thick, and the consistency and texture makes it easier for me to hoop.

Some of the others that I tested were more slippery than what I was used to, and that made it a little more difficult to hoop the WSS firmly. But as I mentioned before, once you find something that works well, stick with it.

Sources

**Sulky Ultra Solvy & Super Solvy --  These products can be obtained from most fabric and sewing supply stores, including JoAnn's.  More information can be obtained from www.Sulky.com. Again, I don't recommend Super Solvy for high-stitch lace designs, but Ultra Solvy works well on all freestanding lace designs.

**Vilene -- This product is manufactured by Freudenberg, but re-packaged and distributed under other brand names in the U.S. I purchased Vilene from www.pointetopointe.com -- great service, prompt delivery.

**Wash Away Extra -- This product can be purchased from www.discountembroiderysupply.com or www.threadandmore.com.

**Aqua Mesh Wash Away -- I purchased this from www.Ericas.com, a convenient site for ordering many embroidery supplies.

Other sources for all of these products can be found by searching at www.Google.com.