Stich Saver

[Impressive Threads]

I was ordering some stuff today from Melco mart and I noticed they have a fill-in fabic called stitch saver. Suppose to look like embroidery. Has anyone used this and how is it applied? I am courting a potential customer now that would have large jacket back design that I could possibly use this for part of the design.

Thanks

Cindy in Phoenix

[signman]

Stitch saver is great stuff, BUT PRICEY AS HELLO!
Don't think you can use it 'cheap' to fill in large areas...what you are saving is the 'time' to stitch in that big an area! Use it just like an applique...AND to save more money or for special effects-get to your nearest 'fabric outlet' and find all kinds of fabric you can use as 'stitch saver' to save sewing time. I've used a dark 'forest print' as a perfect background for a Tree Surgeon, bought some 'soccer', golf ball, tennis ball, football colored and textured material...you never know what you can find.
Create an 'outline' of your 'applique' area, single stitch, hoop up the stitch saver in your biggest hoop, and sew out as many outlines as you can-put them all over to fill up space.
Now here's a trick-BEFORE you cut out the 'patch' you just made, run the Fray Check around your stitch line-keeps the real stitch saver from shredding all over on you.
Cut the patches out, remove the backing you had it on in the hoop.
This 'outline' should also be the first thing in your design now...with a 'pause' between two duplicates. Second duplicate you want a zigzag instead of straight stitch, wide zigzag, and make it a matching color to the stitch saver.
Hoop your jacket, sew the 'outline' and pause...spray the back of the 'patch' with adhesive lightly, and place it perfectly in the outline you see. Sew the zigzag, and now sew all your detail on top, etc.
I do a 12" wide limosine-the entire car is white stitch saver-and then sew the doors, windows, lights, tires, etc. on top of it. You DO want to sew a 'detail' line starting in the center, and go out from there-in white thread-so it disappears. IF you don't do this-as soon as you start sewing detail areas the stitch saver puckers and bunches up ahead of the foot and it is terrible. Tie it down with the 'detail' single line thread and cover that with your detail.
Also, the white stitch saver is GREAT when under a black light-we did a huge white tiger on a jacket, and it lit right up when he wore it at school dances and stuff.

[Rod or Sharon]

Hi Cindy,
We have used both black and white. I think it comes in pretty much primary colors and ran around $20 a yard. It is a thick and very shinny fabric and feels and acts almost like a spun fiberglass or VERY heavy silk. We used it to make a bunch of patches as the background fabric and it worked well after putting a stiff backing on them. It was easy to stitch. Hope this helps.
Sharon

[Barbara Bunker]

Thanks for the thought on the stiff backing. I tried using some for letters without the backing and it unraveled like crazy. I love my Steam-a-Seam 2!

Barb