There are many different brands of cut-away stabilizer on the market. Most of them come in various weights ranging from 1.5 ounces to 3 or more ounces. When trying to decide which to buy, do you really know how they differ?

Stablizer weights refer to the acutal weight of 1 square yard of the product. In other words, one square yard of 2 oz. stabilizer weighs 2 ounces. As you might expect, stabilizer thickness increases as the weight increases. For most embroidery designs a medium weight stabilzer is sufficient. Something in the 2 - 2.5 ounce range would be considered medium weight.

There are times when lighter or heavier stabilizer may be a better choice. If you are sewing out redwork, or a design with a very low stitch count, a lighter weight stabilizer would work quite well. For designs that are considerably dense, or have a high stitch count, a heavier weight stabilizer would be the best choice.

Choosing the right stabilizer for your project is very important. By using the correct weight you eleviate the temptation to use multiple layers, particularly on garments. Multiple layers of stabilizer add bulk that tends to cause draping problems when the garment is worn. It also adds unnecessary expense.

If you stock a few different weight stabilizers in your sewing room, chances are you'll have the right one when you need it. Your largest supply should be a medium weight, but having a small supply of both light and heavy weight stabilizers is wise.

As with most things in machine embroidery, experimenting is the key. Trying various weights in different circumstances will soon tell you what works best for any given project. Using a stabilizer that is too light or too heavy may cause your results to be less than desirable.

It seems everyone wants embossed towels these days. It's all the rage and the finished product looks both elegant and stunning. Sets of embossed towels make perfect long lasting gifts for just about any occasion.

We have just released a brand new set of embossed monogram designs that will make your towels look like a million bucks. They are available in three sizes for use on wash cloths, hand towels, and bath towels.

Brand New Design Set!

Your choice. Buy one size, or buy the entire set.

Special Introductory Price - Save 50%
Hurry! Sale ends 2/22/08

Embossed Monogram Designs

As most of you know, standard embroidery thread is normally 40wt. In most cases it is totally adequate, but there may be times when using a heavier 30wt thread might be an advantage.

One instance where you might consider using 30wt thread is with redwork designs. The additional thickness can add an extra dimension to redwork designs to really make them stand out. The same would be true, of course, with bluework, greenwork, blackwork or what ever color thread you happen to be using.

You don't really need to do anything special to use heavier thread. You can use the same needles as always and you can use it in your bobbin. You may or may not need to adjust your tension slightly, but if your machine does that for you automatically things should be OK.

It probably wouldn't be wise to use 30wt thread for all your filled designs. It may work OK for some, but unless the design was digitized for heavier weight thread you may wind up with a bullet proof design. You may also encounter needle breakage if the design is already a bit too dense.

On the other side of the coin, you may want to consider using lighter weight thread in some cases. If you are trying to sew out very small letters, a 50wt thread just might make them clearer and more pronounced. It's worth a try, but always be sure to test sew first. Don't risk ruining a garment with any of your experiments.

Here's a question submitted to Ask Mary! from an embroiderer seeking advise on using temporary spray adhesives.

Question:  I have a Baby Lock Ellure [for 6 weeks - real newbie!]. My dealer advises NEVER to use spray-on stabilizer, but many small or 'in-the-hoop' project instructions call for it. Is there one that doesn't gum up the needles?

Answer:  To say that you should NEVER use temporary spray adhesive is an unfair statement. It's OK to use it periodically, but repeated use may eventually gum up your needle. By the very nature of the product, there are none that are gum free.

The good news is, gummy needles aren't really a big deal. It's not difficult to clean the needle or replace it if necessary.

There are also many brands of sticky-back stabilizer on the market that you can try as a substitute. You will face the same gummy possibilities that you do with spray adhesive, but some brands seem to work better than others. You should experiment with different brands until you find the one you prefer.

We would like to ask a question. We are considering offering select embroidery design sets on CD in additon to the download variety. It seems many of you prefer CDs as a way of insuring you always have a backup copy available.

These CDs would be readily available and offered for sale online. They would be shipped directly to you with only a small charge added for postage. So, what do you think? Would you prefer to purchase designs on CD?

Designed to get you in & out of the kitchen fast and back to your embroidery machine.

Recipe Name:  Great Potato Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours in crock pot

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
Large bag of frozen hash browns (with or w/o green peppers)
2 packages Country Gravy mix
Chopped onion
32 oz. chicken broth in box
Shredded Cheese (if desired)
Chopped scallions (if desired)

Directions: Cook frozen hash browns, onion and chicken broth in crock pot. When potatoes are soft, add Gravy Mix. Cook on low until ready to serve. Amount of Chicken Broth may vary depending on amount of hash browns. Top with cheese and/or scallions if desired.

Submitted by: Connie P

It's risky business sometimes using even a simple group of words in your designs. Believe it or not, they could be trademarked. Chances are you would never know that unless the owner of the trademark found your design and requested that you remove it immediately. Here's an interesting story that illustrates my point.

A few years ago I created a fishing design that we sewed on T-shirts. For a while we supplied a local tackle shop owner with these shirts for resale in his store. It was a simple design with only a fish hook and the words "Here Fishy Fishy." The phrase was just something I dreamed up and I really thought it was cute. The design was quick to sew and the shirts were quite popular among local fishermen.

After a year or so the tackle shop went out of business and we stopped making the shirts. Some time later I decided to add the design itself to our online catalog. It was a fairly popular design and we did sell a small number of them.

Last week I received an email from a representative of a company that claimed "Here Fishy Fishy" was their registered trademarked. We were being asked to cease and desist immediately. The trademark registration number was included in the email, so I looked it up. Sure enough, the phrase was registered to this company as they claimed.

We take copyrights and trademarks very seriously, so needless to say I pulled the design from our web site immediately. It is no longer being offered for sale, nor will it ever grace the pages of our site again.

Who would have thought? It just goes to show that even words aren't always safe. Phrases can be, and often are, trademarked. Even if you are totally unaware and your intentions are honorable, you could still get yourself into hot water without knowing it. Fortunately trademark owners are reasonable people. They normally don't start filing law suits without first giving you the opportunity to correct the situation.

I guess the moral of the story is simple. Do your utmost to insure what you are using in your embroidery design is not copyright or trademarked. If you use a copyrighted image or trademarked phrase without a proper license to do so, sooner or later someone will discover it and contact you with orders to remove it or else.

Our thanks to June Gibbs for submitting this helpful embroidery tip:

I have found that using old spice jars works perfectly for disposing of used needles. They have small holes on the top that make it easy to drop in old needles. When the container is full simply screw on the cap and dispose.

Want to win FREE designs? Submit your tip or trick to us. If we publish your tip you will win your choice of any downloadable design or design set from our online catalog.

Tips submitted by our readers have not been tested by us. We make no claim to their viability or usability.

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Others interested in this very popular set can see it here. Be sure to visit our customer showcase while you're there. See some of the creative ways other embroiderers have found to use this set.

Two intricate Rose Quilt Block redwork designs. One for 5 x 7 hoop and one for the 4 x 4 hoop.

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