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How to Conserve Supplies Sewstainably

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Stretch your sewing dollars and help the environment by making the most of your machine embroidery staples. Here is a bevy of tips to help you save money sewing and embroidering!

Stretching Stabilizers

Stabilizers are available in many different types: water-soluble, cut- or tearaway, adhesive, mesh, heat-removable, and more. Always use the correct stabilizer to save time, energy, and, of course, stabilizer. Use these tips to help conserve your stabilizer stash and save money sewing:

To minimize waste, purchase stabilizer rolls in sizes that closely match your hoop sizes.

When using adhesive stabilizer in the hoop, carefully tear or cut away the finished embroidery, leaving the stabilizer in the hoop. Cut small pieces of adhesive stabilizer to patch the hole and reuse. Adhesive stabilizers can be patched and reused several times before discarding.

Purchase a piece of heavyweight clear vinyl large enough to fit in the hoop. Hoop the vinyl, and then cut away the embroidered area using a craft knife and cutting mat. To patch the hole, cut a rectangle of adhesive stabilizer the size of the hoop; remove the paper backing and adhere to the hoop underside.

The vinyl holds the stabilizer in place and prevents the hoop from accumulating sticky residue. Use the same heavyweight vinyl to shield the hoop from spray adhesive.

Save all water-soluble stabilizer scraps. Dissolve the scraps in water and pour the liquid into a spray bottle. Use the spray instead of starch to stiffen delicate fabrics, such as tulle, chiffon, or fine batiste; let the fabric air-dry before hooping.

Save large pieces of discarded stabilizer to float under hooped fabric when multiple layers of stabilizer are needed. Save small pieces of leftover stabilizer for stabilizing buttonholes and eyelets.

When using multiple layers of stabilizer, cut the extra-large hoop rolls to the width of the hoop or fold the stabilizer in half to fit smaller hoops.

Don’t substitute plastic wrap for toppers. Toppers disappear completely with water or heat, but plastic wrap stays in the fabric. It also shrinks and warps with heat, which can distort the fabric.

Thrifty Threads

Save a trip to the fabric store with a few purchasing and organization ideas. Use these tips to get started:

Prewound bobbins are convenient and more economical than winding your own bobbins. A large spool of bobbin thread costs about the same as a 12-pack of prewound bobbins, yet one large spool winds fewer bobbins. Each prewound bobbin also holds more bobbin thread than bobbins wound at home.

To prevent repeat purchases of the same thread color, make a list of the colors in your sewing room. Many thread manufacturers supply printable color charts online. Download the chart and place a checkmark next to the colors you have in your stash. Or highlight the thread numbers you use most often on an existing thread chart.

After emptying a spool of embroidery thread, place the empty spool in your purse to remind you which color needs to be replaced.

Once the prewound bobbins are finished, you can use them as regular bobbins for your sewing projects, or wind them in an array of threads for a DIY sewing travel kit.

Sample Stitchouts

It’s wise to test-stitch on a fabric scrap before embroidering on the intended project, but you can accumulate many samples. Reuse the stitchouts in creative ways:

Small floral designs make beautiful note cards or birthday cards.

Use sample stitchouts as a starting point for crazy quilt blocks.

Small designs lend themselves to pincushions, eyeglass cases, drawstring bags, and pot holders.

Pins & Petals Pincushion

Use large designs as raw-edge appliques for jackets and sweatshirts, or incorporate the designs into table runners.

For wonderful color-blocked garments, substitute embroidered samples for some design areas.

Sample stitchouts make great labels for embroidered quilts—just add lettering.

We hope you’ll try some of these ideas to save money sewing and embroidering. And if you have a thrifty tip for us, leave it in the comments!

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 edition of Creative Machine Embroidery. Subscribe now so you don’t miss any great embroidery designs, tutorials, inspiration, and articles like this one!

This article contains affiliate links that help us earn a small commission from purchases—at no additional cost to you. We are grateful for your support.


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