Using Tender Touch Stabilizer For Hand Embroidered Clothing

If you like to embroider on your clothes, you may have wondered if there’s something you can put on the back of the stitches to seal them off or make them less itchy. That’s where Tender Touch embroidery stabilizer comes into play!

Sulky Tender Touch is a lightweight iron-on stabilizer that won’t disrupt the fabric’s drape. You can use it while you’re embroidering and/or after you’ve finished a project.

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Tender Touch Test & Review

Below is my in depth review, or you can hop to the video that includes some embroidered clothing care tips!

The Garment

I stitched this fox embroidery design on a knit sweater a while back, and I decided to place the Tender Touch stabilizer on the back of the embroidery. The knit sweater was ribbed, and there were plenty of knots along the back of my work. The texture of the fabric, along with the dense embroidery stitches, was the perfect opportunity to put this stabilizer to the test.

What Can Tender Touch Be Used For?

Tender Touch claims to be suitable for a variety of garments, including lightweight cottons, silk, batiste, and more. According to the instructions, you can use this for machine embroidery to help prevent stretchy or fragile fabrics from becoming distorted during the embroidery process.

I didn’t use the stabilizer before I embroidered, but it is thin and flexible enough that it would have been easy to hand embroider through if a little extra stabilization was needed.

First Impressions

The stabilizer is made of a white knit mesh material. When I first took it out of the package, it was relatively soft in texture and very pliable. The package includes 1 yard of stabilizer, which is sufficient for several more minor embroidery embellishments.

Applying The Stabilizer

As per the instructions, I cut out a piece that was about 1/2 inch bigger than the embroidery.

Tender Touch has a coarse side and a soft side. The course side is the side that adheres to the fabric, so I placed that side face down.

Using the wool setting on my iron, I ironed it onto the fabric, holding the iron in place for 10-15 seconds in each area.

The stabilizer adhered really well to the fabric, even along the seam lines and cuff of the neckline. It felt thin enough to be barely noticeable when I ran my hand across it, and the edges were completely sealed to the fabric. It truly felt like it became one with the fabric, which I was pleasantly surprised about.

Trying On The Garment

The surface of the stabilizer felt much softer than the rough, exposed stitches of my embroidery.

The sweater draped the same as before! There was no wrinkling or stiffness around the embroidery.

The Big Test: Washing The Sweater

The ultimate test for me was how well the Tender Touch held up after being washed. I usually hand-wash my embroidered clothes, but sometimes I’ll pop them in the washer.

The washing machine would be rougher. To truly put it to the test, I washed the sweater inside out in the washing machine using the delicate setting.

After it was washed, I placed the sweater to dry on a flat surface.

Results

After the first wash, the Tender Touch stabilizer remained well in place on the back of the embroidery. It looked exactly as it did when I first applied it.

It felt even softer after being washed, which was a plus!

However, my initial impression of this stabilizer is that it is effective in creating a softer surface and does a good job of adhering to the fabric.

This is, of course, only after one wash, so I’ll update this article with long-term results later.

Is It Effective For Sealing Off Embroidery?

While I always recommend securing your stitches well, selecting appropriate embroidery stitches for clothing, and caring for the clothing properly, this stabilizer appears to adhere really well to the embroidery stitches, which in turn could prevent stitches from coming loose or getting pulled.

I haven’t tested it out long-term, but if it remains as durable as it was after the first wash, it may improve the longevity of your embroidered garment.

Overall, I recommend trying this product. It’s easy to use, and it’s always beneficial to add more support to the back of your embroidery. I’m all for prolonging the life of an embroidery project, especially one that is a long labor of love!

You can purchase Tender Touch on Amazon.

Video

If you enjoyed this review, I think you’ll love checking out some of my other reviews:

• Pilot Frixion pen review
• Comparing embroidery thread brands
• Comparing embroidery hoop stands