HomeNew this WeekMore ProjectsFree VideosStitchers ShowcaseContestCharts & Guides

Kenny's Korner


Opening Garment Linings

 

Stabilizer can be, to embroiderers, both a blessing and a curse. Without a good stabilizer (preferably cutaway), we can't get crisp, beautiful embroidery ... but its raw edges (not to mention the back of the embroidery itself) generally aren't exactly soft against the skin. Luckily, there are usually ways to hide it.

One great solution is to let the lining of jackets, bags, etc. do double duty as a beautiful disguise for the back of the embroidery. If you're making an item from scratch, you can just build it around the embroidery. But what if you want to embroider a pre-made item, and still hide the stabilizer inside the lining? It's simple to do! We used a khaki jacket for this example, but it'll work for anything you can hoop and stitch.
 


Choose where you want to embroider the design. Use a seam ripper to cut the stitches holding the garment and lining together. You'll want to create a gap large enough that the lining can be pulled away from the outer fabric to make room for hooping. Be careful not to cut the fabric.



 

Open up the garment and make sure you'll be able to hoop flat the area to be embroidered, on the outer fabric only.



 

Spray your stabilizer (medium weight cutaway, in most cases) with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth it onto the area to be embroidered. Make sure the stabilizer will fully cover the back of the area to be hooped.



 

Firmly hoop the garment's outer layer, with the stabilizer attached. Make sure no parts of the garment are caught under the hoop. Depending on the garment and the location, this may be tricky ... so be patient and keep at it!


Attach the hoop to the machine, load up the design, and embroider.


Unhoop the garment and cut away the excess stabilizer on the back.



 

Now it's time to put it back together again! Hand-stitch the gap closed, picking up a bit of fabric with the needle from one side, then the other, alternating until it's all stitched up.



 

Voila - a fashionable jacket with unique embroidery on the outside - and nothing but silky lining on the inside!


 

Kenny is a master digitizer and Vice President of Production at Embroidery Library, Inc.

Ask Kenny! Send your questions to stitch@emblibrary.com.


Click here for a printable version of this page.

You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon below.

Get Acrobat Reader 


Previous "Korners" can be found by clicking on the link below:

See Them All

Back to Top
Copyright (C) Embroidery Library Inc 2010. All rights reserved.