Spandex or Lycra (Bathing Suit/Dance Costume)

This fabric needs to maintain its stretchiness after it is embroidered however; the stretch needs to be kept under control while you are actually stitching on the fabric. Floriani Wet N Stick® is the recommended stabilizer for this project. To use Wet N Stick®, simply hoop one piece making sure to keep the adhesive side up. Place a small amount of water on the stabilizer using a foam paint brush, envelope sealer or sponge. Do not spritz or mist the water. Spread it evenly over the surface with your finger or with a small foam paint- brush. You should feel the adhesive become tacky almost immediately. Smooth the garment into place taking care not to stretch it out of shape. On average, Floriani Wet N Stick® should support a design with no more than 10,000 stitches and/or about 4" x 5" in size. If the design has a higher stitch count, simply "float" a square of Floriani Medium TearAway between the hoop and the bed of the machine to support the additional stitches. If the design is dense, it is recommended to fuse one layer of Floriani Dream Weave® to the back of the fabric to keep the needle from shredding or damaging fibers. Because Dream Weave® is a six way stretch interfacing it is a perfect choice for giving additional support to stretch fabrics such as lyra and spandex.

Be sure to use Floriani Water Soluble Topping on the top of this fabric in order to keep the stitches from sinking down into the stretchy fibers. Simply dampen each corner of the piece of topping and stick it down to the fabric or to the inside edge of the hoop or secure it with pins or tape. Complete the embroidery. Gently remove the garment from the stabilizer. If you accidentally used too much water and the adhesive is holding on to the garment simply moisten it at the glue line and it will reactivate the adhesive. The garment should easily tear away from the stabilizer.

Tip! Use a Stretch or Ball-Point needle when embroidery on this weight of fabric.