Hi everyone! It's week 3 of organizing your sewing space..and today I'm going to talk about storing your embroidery stabilizers. While today's post is specifically about stabilizers, lots of these storage solutions will also work for rolls of vinyl.

There are many of different ways to store rolls of stabilizers. Here are a few ideas:

*Wine racks

*Paper towel holders

*Cabinet or bookshelf

*Baskets

 

 

*Empty kitchen wrap box or these handy storage boxes from DIME called StableCut, that hold 12" rolls of stabilizer.

 

 

 

 

 

*Over-the-door vinyl organizers such as this one from Michael's work great for stabilizers!

Just slide a roll of stabilizer into one of the see-through compartments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Paper Cutter Holders -  I love how pretty this looks, but it's also functional and makes it easier when cutting many pieces of stabilizer all at once for a big project. Especially when you are stitching out multiples of one design.

 

 

Note: water-soluble stabilizers should be kept inside a zipped baggie, so that moisture can not get in. The last thing you want is to have your stabilizer get wet and disintegrate or stick to itself. You also don't want it to get dry and brittle so it shouldn't be stored in direct sunlight either.

 

No matter where you choose to store them, the important thing is that you keep your stabilizer rolls from unravelling once you've opened the package. You don't want your stabilizers to come off the roll and get wrinkled.

 

Ideally, you should save the label too so that once opened you know which stabilizer is which. It can be hard to tell them apart at a glance when you have multiple rolls in your stash.

Here are some ways to keep those stabilizers rolled up tight and labelled.

#1: Save the label, and use a rubber band to keep it on the roll. This also keeps the roll from unravelling. I've also used hair scrunchies, and hair ties/elastic.

 

#2: For wider rolls of stabilizer, I twist together a few pipe cleaners, and wrap them around the roll. Once again I include the original label from the packaging.

 

#3 remember slap bracelets? They were so much fun back when I was in middle school.

Well, they too will fit around a roll of stabilizer, and they work great for the purpose of keeping the label with your stabilizer and stopping it from unravelling. Not to mention, that they are just fun to play with.

 

 

 

 

#4: This one is my favorite....Amazing Tape. If you don't have a roll of this stuff, I recommend you pick one up. It's clear and it sticks to itself, but it's not sticky. And you can use it over and over again.

 

Not only do I use this to keep my stabilizers rolled up, but I also wrap it around my spools of thread. All my thread stays nice and neat, and I don't lose any thread because it came unravelled in storage.

 

 

 

You can write on the Amazing Tape as well, so break out those permanent markers and label all of your stabilizers.

 

Seriously, I can't say enough good things about this tape. In my house, we refer to it as MAGIC Tape.

 

 

I love it so much that I now carry it on my website. Click HERE to purchase a roll for yourself!

 

 

#5. Thread nets. Slide a thread net over the roll of stabilizer to keep it wound up tight. TIP - thread nets also work great on wrapping paper rolls!

 

If you've lost the original label and you can't remember if a roll is tear away or cut-way, simply try to tear a corner of the stabilizer. If it rips, it's tear away. If it's doesn't rip then it's cut-way.

 

If one side of the stabilizer is shiny, like it has a layer of dried glue on it, then that's fusible stabilizer.

 

Clear, plastic-like stabilizer is water soluble (although water soluble also comes in a fibrous form as well, and those are usually white in color. When in doubt..cut off a tiny corner and run it under water. If it 'melts' away..it's water soluble.)

That's a wrap for this week. Get it? A 'wrap'. Ha Ha Ha

I'll be back next week with more tips, including tips on storing quilting rulers, and embroidery hoops.

 

XOXO,

Kat  :)