Water Soluble Vilene

Wash Away - Stabilizer

There are many different types of Water Soluble Stabilizers available on the market now. Before you could purchase these stabilizers, the home embroiderer would use old plastic dry cleaning bags, or hospital bags as water soluble stabilizer. Alternatively they would use thick plastic stabilizers available for free motion embroidery. When Vilene appeared on the market it was a true water-soluble fabric with the look and feel of a textile and not a plastic. It is one of the most popular dissolvable stabilizers available these days, but there are others just as good called Dissolve, Solvy, Aqua Film, Rinseaway etc.

At Secrets of Embroidery we have three different types of quality dissolvable stabilizers available.

Water Soluble Vilene
Vilene is a strong water-soluble stabilizer. Vilene keeps your stitches from sinking into high pile fabrics and is excellent for providing a stable surface for the embroidering of lace. You can hoop it either in front, or behind the fabric to provide support while embroidering. Or you can hoop the backing only, and embroider directly onto it to create your own lace. Then just wash it away in water. Vilene is a soft stabilizer that feels like Chux wash-cloth when dry. It is very strong and stable, requiring just one layer. Vilene is one of the original dissolvable backings and is European made by Freudenberg.

Solvy Dissolvable Stabilizer

This is a Solvy backing, for use on the top of piled fabric such as Towels, Polar Fleece etc. It washes away fully, and easily. Solvy is an almost clear film, which is hooped with the fabric, and once embroidered, will tear away easily form the sewn area, with the final pieces dissolved with a damp cloth or spray of water.

Dissolve by Superior Threads
Dissolve is a heavy duty water soluble stabilizer suitable for lace work, freestanding embroidery designs and thread painting. It is aFast and clean dissolving stabilizer supplied by Superior Threads.

Water Soluble Stabilizer has a Variety of Uses

Freestanding Lace. Soluble Vilene is the prefered stabilizer to use for Freestanding Lace Designs. You often only need a single layer to embroider a freestanding lace design or flower. Any design used for freestanding lace needs to be digitized specially so it will not fall apart when you rince the stabilizer away. Always follow the directions given by the designer as to how many layers of Vilene you need to use. Aqua Film (Extra Weight) is also another option.

Transparent Fabrics. As a stabilizer for transparent fabrics it is perfect. Place a decorateive thread in the bobbin as well as the top and hoop both the fabric and the Vilene inside the hoop.

Making Lace with Fabrics. Press or hoop tulle or organza between two layers of water soluble stabilizer, then embroidery your lace design, and wash away stabilizer, and you will be left with delicate embroidered lace.

Heirloom Work. Use Vilene when doing Heirloom work with repeat rows of stitching as the stabilizer can be easily will rinse away. No more picking bits of stabilizer from behind the stitching. When stitching heirloom designs using tearaway remove the backing at each strip of stitching rather than wait till a panel has been finished.

Towels. Place Solvy on top of piled fabrics such as Towels, Polar Fleece etc when embroidering on them. The embroidery design stays above the pile of the fabric, and doesnt get caught up in the pile. The stabilizer can then be easily washed away at the end.

Delicate Fabrics. It can be used under delicate fabrics which could be damaged by Tearaway stabilzier. Or where a soft result is wanted.

Make your own Fabric Stiffner. All scraps of Vilene can be kept and dissolved in water to make a paint on, or spray on fabric stifferer for delicate fabrics. Can be used to stiffen organza and lighter weaves of silk to give it a bit more stability when handling. For heirloom work tucks are much easier to do if the fabric is stiffened first. When used like this it washes our really easily and will not damage the fabric or stitching. It does not mark with an iron like some plastic products will do.

Badges and Patches. Use it for making badges or labels so that you do not have to worry about trimming the excess stabilizer from the edges. The badges can just be trimmed close to the stiching and then wiped with a wet cloth. This effectively seals the edges.

Cutwork and Applique. It is ideal for applique and cutwork as there are no traces of stabilizer to remove from the small sections of open work. Use Aqua film (Universal weight) , Soluble Vilene or Rinsaway as a backing for cutwork or when you want all traces of the backing to wash out.

Used in Replacement of Adhesives. Vilene can be used in place of adhesive stabilizer for fabrics that may be damaged by the adhesive. Place the Vilene in the hoop and then tack the fabric in place using a tacking stitch. It will not gum up the needle like some adhesive stabilizers do.

Off the Edge Sewing. Vilene creates a stable surface when when stiching off the edge of a fabric for a lace trim etc.

Free Motion Stitching. It has great strength for free motion stitching as a base for your sewing. It can be used for any free motion work but the only dissadvantage is that you cannot see through it. Trace designs onto it use the window as a light box. You can leave some of the stabilizer to stiffen your item when rinsing it away, by not rinsing all the Vilene away.

Thread Painting. Threadpainting is a form of free machine embroidery where the design is ‘painted’ onto the fabric using various blendable and nature color threads. Heavy duty Dissolve stabilzier is a great base for this.

Some Hints for Using Vilene

Keep it Dry. It may seem like stating the obvious but dont let it get wet. If you wash your hoops regularly to get rid of any traces of adhesive make sure they are completely dry before hooping the Vilene as it disolves very easily and even a trace of moisture on the hoop is enough to weaken it. Store it in a clip lock plastic bag and keep well away from all liquids like tea and coffee.

Hoop Carefully. When hooping the Vilene use just enough tension to take the wrinkles out of the fabric. It is reasonably strong but do not pull too hard on it or it can tear.

Use Hooping Aids. Some aids like Hoop Ease or non skid matting can really make a difference when hooping fine fabrics or Vilene.

Make Sticky Soluble Stabilizer. Spray the Wash-Away stabilizers with spray adhesive to make it a sticky soluble stabilizer. This makes it easier to use for threadpainting, free sewing etc.

Iron Sheets Together. Several sheets of plastic wash away stabilizer can be ironed together using a Teflon Pressing Sheet (or Gladbake) for making stronger stabilizer.

Rinse Well. To remove all traces of the Vilene rinse it several times in fresh, warm water and then leave the design to soak for several hours to remove all traces of the stabilizer. For freestanding lace that may be very dense use warm water for the soak as well. If you want some residual stiffness you can reduce the soaking time to leave traces of the stabilzier in the design. Lace needs a good soak so that it will feel really soft against the skin. You can then use fabric softner to soften your lace further.

Alter your Tension if Needed. When sewing out dense designs such as badges (not freestanding) on Vilene you may need to reduce your tension slightly to get a better result as the design is been sewn out on very thin stabilizer

Many of the tips following were supplied by Carolyn Duncan of Sew What Designs. Click here to download a printable version of these.

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