Want cheaper stabelizer? My daughter in law just bought an oriental style dress full of embroidery and made in Egypt. When we looked at the embroidery we found that they had used normal newspaper! for the stabelizer!!!! I wonder if it would work in our hoops?

I have a couple rolls of tissue like paper that the Doctor's office uses in the exam table room. I will try it and let you know how it works.

I might not try this one, afraid of what it would do to my machine.

I'd probably use newsprint paper to stabilize redwork designs on flour sack towels instead of paying for tearaway, because the stabilizer doesn't stay under the redwork anyway. And if you couldn't pick it all out, it would certainly crumble & dissolve in the wash. That's what these designs look like, lines of maybe chain stitching? I'd not try to use it for any fill designs, and paper will dull your needles. Interesting, would have thought they'd have picked it out, anyway. Hugs, Marji

I use tissue paper when I sew on vinyl only because wss sticks to it, news print.....I have not tried it & probably not something I would choose to do. But hey be sure to post & share your results who knows

wowwwwwwwwwwwww never thought of that .I have used coffee filters and that worked to lol live and learn thanks CAROLYN

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by pldc 21 Jul 2012

& dryer sheets too

When I bought my first embroidery machine There was no stabilizers on sale and I used tissue paper and anything that worked,that machine still works,these machines are workhorses look how many stitches an hour they sew and the sticky paper and spray glue we use,at this count I have 14 rolls of different stabilizers I ask myself are we been duped,Nothing to do with penny pinching.

How interesting. I think with so many embroidery products that we have to choose from - that I wouldn't go in a direction to use them like this - only because - I have always thought that the quality of the materials that you use - create the quality of the finished project.

If you work it out and you have good results - let us know.

I used tissue paper when I did free motion embroidery many many years ago. It worked well, and I still use it with my emb machine, ....clean and new paper that is, flat, no wrinkles, ironed flat.

3 comments

by drro 21 Jul 2012

Tissue paper is easier on your needles than other paper, and it holds up sufficiently to do the job.

by crafter2243 21 Jul 2012

Do you use multiple layers?

by drro 22 Jul 2012

It depended on the fabric..the tissue paper just kept the feed dogs from catching on the fabric under the free motin embroidery. I did mostly appliqué when I used it 30 years ago! Depending on the
special stitches for my machine to create embroidery, I would increase the number of sheets.

I could see using "newsprint" since there'd be no ink on it, but newspaper with ink would be scary as I know how it rubs off on my hands. I can see where having a great big huge piece of stabilizer would come in handy when doing as much stitching as shown in the photo. I never thought about it before, but I guess if I was doing design over a large area, I'd cut a pretty big piece of stabilizer instead of several small ones.

I wouldn't want to use it on anything that is going to be washed. Would be ok as a tear-away stabilizer for ITH items. After washing you wouldn't have any stabilizer and the design would sink in and not look good at all.

Necessity been the mother of invention I suppose they use what they can, I have used a white paper they use for wiping oily hands at garage comes on big roll never washed it yet.but worked fine.I just floated under hooped fabric.

Hoop the fabric only, and then "float" a piece of paper underneath the hoop. As sthe stitches form. the paper will become attached to the fabric, so there is no need to hoop paper.

In my area you can buy small rolls of new paper WITHOUT THE INK on it I go down to the newpaper office and in the back where they print the paper when it get down so far they can use it so they sell it it still has lot of paper for making GARMENT patterns and use a shelf liner and cleaning glass I think I will try this also.

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by dollygk 21 Jul 2012

Please, let us know how you hooped and how it turns out!

You know what the saying is. If it sounds to good to be true.............

Last year I bought my grand daughter a T shirt with a lot of embroidery. The stabilizer under the embroidery was also paper - a cross between newspaper and blotting paper. I spent ages removing the excess paper!!! Sarah.

Interesting. I have used printer paper as a stabilizer & it worked perfectly but I was concerned it would hurt my machine having all the paper dust inside. Will be interested to read what others think. xx

3 comments

by rachap 21 Jul 2012

I agreee with your concern about using paper and can't understand why anyone would skimp on a few dollars worth of stabilizer and risk a big dollar repair bill.

by draco 21 Jul 2012

That would be my concern. Not worth the aggravation. And I don't want to harm my machine. It cost to much to take the risk.

by bevintex 21 Jul 2012

I'll pay a bit more and stick to the name brands.Saving a few cents is not worth it for a big machine repair bill. I will cut corners somewhere else.

Interesting money saving idea, but would have to be very careful with ink that might be coming from the print

When I first started machine embroidery, my dealer told me to use old paper from my printer as an extra stabiliser

4 comments

by dollygk 21 Jul 2012

Did your dealer explain how to hoop the paper? Let's figure how to get this to work then get the word out!!! LOL

by raels011 21 Jul 2012

I just float it under the hoop

by dollygk 21 Jul 2012

So we would have to hoop actual stabelizer then float the paper?

by crafter2243 21 Jul 2012

How many layers of paper did you use?

Before my Emb machine days,I used typing paper for free hand embroidery on the sewing machine.Sewed through the paper drawing for the outline and thread painting. A piece of paper always made perfect button holes and is recomended in the manual of my old Bernina.
I still use news paper for the Shaggy wool loom, the paper tears away and washes out/away very easy.
Happy stitching!

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by debswebster 21 Jul 2012

Thanx for this great tip, using paper for button holes sounds just right!

Maybe their newspaper doesn't have as much ink that rubs off on your hands. But generally newpaper disintergrates very quickly in water so I can understand them using it. There is so much newspaper that gets thrown away or recycled. Would be interested to know if anybody is "brave enough" to try this. Also I think they use industrial embroidery machines which can handle heavy duty. A domestic embroidery machine if a bit dicy

How unusual! Does the dresss have to be dry-cleaned? Do you think bits of paper would come off during wear? Jan

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by dollygk 21 Jul 2012

We had to pull off the excess paper but what remains in the stitching we think will simply crumble during normal washing so we will wash the first time by hand.

by itsforfun 21 Mar 2013

I was scanning the Cuties today and found this thread. Would like to know what everyone found about the paper. Several years ago when I went to a Floriani seminar the instuctor and other attendees said they had used Exam table paper, toilet seat cover papers from restrooms, white tissue wrapping paper, blank newsprint and tracing paper as well as wax paper and the waxed paper squares they use to handle bakery and deli goods for stabilizer. I have used the white tissue paper and wax paper and have had no issues. Would love to see a follow up of this subject. Am curious to see what others of have used sincethis was first posted.