Comparison
Stick and stitch vs water-soluble stabilizer: what's the difference?
Stick and stitch is a type of water-soluble stabilizer: a printable sheet with a sticky back that you press onto fabric, stitch through, then rinse away. Plain water-soluble stabilizer does the same job but isn't sticky, so you trace on it and hoop it with your fabric. For a beginner's pet portrait, stick and stitch is easier.
Side by side
In embroidery, a stabilizer is a layer that supports your fabric or carries your design while you stitch. The water-soluble kind dissolves when you soak it, so only your stitches stay. Stick and stitch is one of those, with two extras: you can print on it, and it has a sticky back.
Stick and stitch vs plain water-soluble stabilizer, for hand embroidery
| Stick and stitch | Plain water-soluble stabilizer | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A printable, self-adhesive water-soluble sheet | A thin sheet that dissolves in water, with no glue |
| How the design gets on | Print it at home, peel the backing, press it onto the fabric | Trace the design onto it with a pen, then hoop or baste it with the fabric |
| Stays in place | Yes, the glue holds it while you hoop | Only with the hoop or a few basting stitches |
| Feel while stitching | A little stiff; the needle can get gummy, so wipe it with rubbing alcohol | A little stiff too; wipe the needle if it starts to drag |
| Dark fabric | Works well: the lines are on the sheet, not the fabric | Works well, as long as your pen shows on the sheet |
| Removal | Trim, soak in lukewarm water, finish under the running tap | The same: trim, soak, rinse |
| Stiff after drying? | Some glue is left: wet it and rinse again | Some stabilizer is left: rinse again |
| Reusable | No, it dissolves | No, it dissolves |
| Best for | Printed patterns, detailed line art, beginners | Hand-traced designs, or when you can't print |
Where this comes from: we haven't run a lab test of one brand against another. The table is built from the sources below and from stitching our own patterns, which are all printed on stick and stitch sheets.
Why our patterns are printed on stick and stitch
A dog portrait has hundreds of needle holes, each marked by a dot about 1/8 inch from the next. Tracing that by hand is slow, and one wobble changes the face. A printed sheet puts every dot exactly where the pattern maker placed it, at true size, as long as you print at 100%.
- Print at 100% on the soft side (not the shiny paper backing), with your printer's lightest or draft setting. Heavy ink can mark the fabric.
- Test on plain paper first and measure the 1-inch check, so you don't waste a sheet.
- Keep it dry until rinse day. It starts to dissolve the moment it's wet, and it never goes under an iron.
- Buy sheets that say water-soluble. A sheet with ordinary sticker glue won't rinse out.
The full walkthrough, from printing to stitching through it, is in how to use stick and stitch.
How to use plain water-soluble stabilizer for hand embroidery
- Cut a piece. Make it a little bigger than your design.
- Trace the design. Use a fine pen or pencil. Test it on a scrap first and rinse it, so you know it won't leave a mark on the fabric.
- Hoop both layers. Lay the stabilizer on top of your fabric and hoop them together, drum-tight. On a big piece, a few basting stitches around the edge stop it shifting.
- Stitch through both. Follow your traced lines, stabbing straight down and straight up through both layers.
- Trim and soak. Cut away the extra close to your stitches, soak the piece in lukewarm water until the sheet is gone, and rinse it under the running tap.
Do you need stabilizer for hand embroidery at all? Not always. Firm linen held drum-tight in a hoop stitches beautifully on its own. Here the stabilizer is mostly a way to carry the design onto the fabric.
Getting it all out
Both kinds come out the same way. Soak the piece for 5 to 10 minutes in lukewarm water, about 104°F, and swish it gently instead of rubbing the stitches. Finish under the running tap, because dissolved ink floats in the bowl and can cling to the fabric as you lift it out.
If a grey line won't go, soak it again. If the fabric feels stiff once it's dry, there's still a little left: wet it and rinse again. More in how to remove stick and stitch.
Questions people ask
Is stick and stitch the same as water-soluble stabilizer?
It's one kind of it. Stick and stitch is a water-soluble stabilizer you can print on, with a sticky back that holds it to the fabric. Plain water-soluble stabilizer dissolves the same way but has no glue.
Which is easier for beginners?
Stick and stitch, especially for a detailed design like a dog. You print the pattern instead of tracing it, and the sticky back keeps it from sliding while you hoop.
Can you reuse stick and stitch?
No. It dissolves when you rinse it, which is the point. Each sheet is used once, so print on plain paper first to check the size.
Does stick and stitch leave residue?
It can if it isn't fully rinsed out. If the fabric feels stiff or tacky once it's dry, wet it and rinse it again under lukewarm running water.
Do you need stabilizer for hand embroidery?
Not always. On firm linen held drum-tight in a hoop, you can stitch without one. A water-soluble stabilizer is mainly a handy way to carry a printed or traced design onto the fabric.
How do you remove water soluble stabilizer from fabric?
Trim the extra close to your stitches, soak the piece in lukewarm water for 5 to 10 minutes, swish it gently, then finish under the running tap. Rinse again if it feels stiff once dry.
Sources: Sulky: Water-soluble stabilizer · Wandering Threads: How to use stick & stitch transfer paper · Sulky: Getting marks off fabric after soaking