I'm on a roll here ....!

Brrrr.... goodness it's cold outside!  This is definitely the winters of my youth!  A great time to sit inside, fire nice and toasty and stitch the evening away!

A while back (March 2012), I wrote an entry on Sulky - Sticky Fabri-Solvy for use in transferring hand embroidery designs.

I'm still a big fan of this product and would like to share with you what I have learned from my experience in using Sticky Fabri-Solvy for the past couple of years.

If you expect it to needle as easily as a design traced on fabric, you will be disappointed.  Having said that, it is not that difficult to work with and it's benefit, especially when working with a complex embroidery design, outweighs the bit more pressure you need to push the needle.

I would like to offer the following advice:

1) This is a water soluble stabilizer and is sensitive to humidity levels.  I would suggest that you place your unused sheets in a resealable plastic bag.

2) If you have numerous blocks to hand stitch, do not prep your blocks all at once.  Stick you design once you are ready to hand stitch.  I found that the product, once the paper backing has been removed, tends to dry easily.  If it is humid (summer months) it actually makes the needle sticky.  Now that could also be from my hands being moist from the heat.  When I worked in an a/c room, I did not have that problem.

3) Once in place, it is best to complete the block as soon as possible.  I had a stitchery that sat around for a while (around 8 months) and the stabilizer became difficult to needle.  As I've mentioned in number 1, being water soluble, it is sensitive to humidity levels and actually became dry.

I would suggest you place your photocopied sheets and work in a Ziploc bag.  It creates a somewhat stable environment.

Hope this helps.  Please feel free to share you tips using this product.  Thanks for stopping by!