Happy Holidays To All! From reading this blog for several months, I know there are a lot of you fine quilters who also do machine embroidery, and I have seen some beautiful machine embroidery incorporated into quilts, table runners, etc. Here is the problem I have run into: The local fabric stores here, like JoAnn's and Hancocks, do not carry medium weight cutaway stabilizer big enough to fit my larger Babylock Ellegante sewing hoop, and I know some of you out there must have bigger hoops than I have. The biggest width I can find is 8", and that barely is sufficient for a 5" x 7" hoop, much less a 8 x 17" hoop. They seem to carry tear away stabilizers in the 12" width, but no medium weight cutaway. Does anyone have a reliable, reasonably-priced online source for either pre-cut pieces of cutaway stabilizer or rolls of same at least 11 or 12 inches wide? Thanks so much for any information you may be able to give me. :-D

Check Floriani stabilizers. They have different weights and widths available.

i usemed weight interfacing and cut it away ,it is a lot better price

I buy sometimes from http://www.terradonembroidery.com/stabilizers.htm, but I buy rolls and cut my own to size.

ok so i must be a cheapskate but i have sewn with a large zig zag pieces together overlap 1/4 inch+ cotton to blend in

Thank you so much fo replying! I just went to their website and do see the cutaway at 12". Not a bad price, either.

Thanks for replying - I will take a look. :-D

I'm all for a good price! Thanks for the suggestion. I will take a look, a person just can't have too many stabilizers - LOL!

Hello there! I have heard of patching the pieces together, but have not known how to do it. So you use a zig zag stitch and "cotton to blend in"......do you mean putting a piece of cotton in between the zig-zagged piece of stabilizer and the actual material you are embroidering?

I buy all my stabilizers in bulk on a roll from www.allstitch.com, but I often sew together two pieces for my large 10 x 16 hoop. I use a serpentine stitch to sew the sections together, usually with a lightweight bobbin thread.