do you use a topper?
 

At the class I took Friday, the presentor said a topper should be used in most cases. It was the first time I'd even heard the term.

I'm a newbie at this, so was wondering if this is something the more experienced people use, or just the presenter pushing it because the class was sponsored by the supplier.

Was she talking about a water soluble stabilizer? They are used for fabrics with a nap, velvet, terry cloth, fleece. It keeps the stitches from sinking into the fabric. If this was a class, she should have explained better.
I have heard of some people who use that for most everything.

She was talking about a topper for the embroidery - either a heat n gone or a soluble product. Said to use the heat type for things with a nap so it would never go away, but a water soluble for most everything else. Exceptions were for non fabric items (leather, vinyl, balsam wood).

Besides the issue with nap (which I understand) her rationale was that the movement of the embroidery foot was going to cause stress and wear on the fabric and possible stretching with knits - and the topper would eliminate that.

I plan on using my embroidery for enhancing quilts, so figure it might not be something I need to be overly concerned about since my base fabric would be quilting cotton.

I use a WS topping for EMB when making labels and lettering. It keeps the stitches from sinking down into the fabric.

Never heard of using a topper for everything and I don't do it. I do use water soluble for terry type towels but on thinner tea towels and quilting fabrics I do not. I can't picture what she means about the "embroidery foot was going to cause stress and wear on the fabric and possible stretching with knits" . The embroidery foot on my machine doesn't touch the fabric, and if it is hooped, how would that stretch??
So I say she may have been just a supremely cautious person. And with most things, experiment yourself and see what works for you and your machine.

I definitely use a topper for fabrics that are fuzzy or fluffy. I could see using it for delicate silks or knits. But I do not use it with quilting cottons.

Typically I do not use a topper unless the fabric has a nap or loopy fabrics such as towels. When I do use a topper it is typically Heat n Gone although Or Floriani Water Soluable Topping. Interestingly, when I went to the Floriani website to be sure I got the names right, I read that Heat N Gone can be used as the back stabilizer as well by placing the bumpy side against the fabrics. Thanks for asking the question because I learned something new!

I only use it for towels too.