You don't need a stabilizer but I agree to make sure it can move easlily. Also, what needle are you using. That many layers you may need a 90 topstitch. Depending on your backing, if your doing just knits, ball point or stretch needle is a must, if you have cotton backing the 90 should work. Try one of the two to see what is working. Make sure you are setting the stitches correctly on the bottom of your screen for what fabric you are using. I'm assuming its like a Ruby and Diamond and it has that feature. If you hit the help and push on the stitch it'll tell you what each one is for.