I have a confession to make. Although I have been sewing since I was a child, I am very very new to machine embroidery. The truth is, when I started this job with Sulky the most complex thing I could do on an embroidery machine is use the alphabet that is built in the machine in order to put a name or letter onto a towel. Don’t get me wrong, I owned all the right stuff. I had all the stabilizers, I had books, I even had friends who knew what they were doing and they were willing to answer any question that I had. The problem is, I had no idea what questions to ask! Since starting this job, I have learned a little bit more about machine embroidery and a whole lot more about stabilizers. They really can be the difference between something looking okay and something turning out amazing. But if you use the wrong stabilizer, they can make your project look awful too.
For the next several weeks, I will be doing a series about stabilizers. I will answer all the questions you either didn’t know to ask or were too afraid to ask. This series is for beginners and I am hoping that all my really experienced embroiderers will chime in with helpful hints and advice in the comments.
Today I want to start by answering a few basic questions that I was too afraid to ask in the beginning:
Why the heck do you need a stabilizer in the first place? The answer to that, strangely enough, is right there in the word stabilizer, it is for stability! When a needle is going through fabric thousands of times and layering up a bunch of thread, the fabric itself can pucker, tunnel or distort. Stabilizers relieve the stress placed on the fabric and eliminate these unwanted reactions.
Where do you use stabilizer? Stabilizer is most often used as a backing to support machine embroidery stitching on fabric. It is also used as a topper on top of fabric to help hold down the nap of the fabric, to keep stitches from sinking into some fabrics, and/or to enhance the clarity of fine lettering and detail stitching. Toppers are also used as a pattern, stencil or template to follow when stitching or thread sketching. Increasingly, sewist and fiber artists are using stabilizers beyond machine embroidery too! I will show you some of the cool new ways people are using Sulky Stabilizers in this series as well.
Why should you use Sulky Stabilizers? Sulky Stabilizers are carefully and thoughtfully engineered to enhance every creative project and solve even the most difficult problems. They are made of the highest quality materials, and quality is extremely important since inexpensive, poor quality stabilizers can cause poor registration of embroidery and premature tearing, among other problems. Think about it. You spent a ton of money on your embroidery machine, a small fortune on fabric and have spent more than the cost of a good cup of coffee on thread. When a good quality stabilizer can be the difference between a great project and one that you wouldn’t even show your closest friends, why wouldn’t you use the best? Most of the Sulky Stabilizers available to you have actually come from the industrial side of the business through our manufacturing partner, Gunold. So they have been thoroughly tested on the professional side of embroidery, too.
So as this series goes on, I hope we will all learn some great things about stabilizers. Do you have questions that you want to be sure that I answer? Put them in the comments and I will be sure that they all get addressed. Until next week, Happy Sewing!
There’s a serious misconception about bow stabilizers. Thread a 6-inch stab into your rig, and you’re getting noise and vibration management but nothing in terms of bow stability and balance. That doesn’t make it wrong. I’ve shot a pile of whitetails with size-challenged stabilizers. They soak up noise and felt-in-the-hand vibration like a sponge and serve a purpose. A longer stabilizer, like a 14-incher, can improve balance and steady your hold but may restrict in-the-stand maneuverability.
When on the hunt for a stabilizer, you need to ask yourself this question: What is my overall goal and purpose with this device? If you spend your season 18 feet up and limit your shot distance to 40 yards, a smaller stabilizer will suit you. If you hunt the West where shots up to 60 yards are common and a stiff breeze always seems to be blowing, a front- and back-bar system on an adjustable sidearm will help with stability and balance.
When it comes to close-range shots (inside 40 yards) and those that spend a lot of time in ground blinds and treestands, a stabilizer in the 6- to 8-inch range is ideal. Quality offerings from manufacturers like TRUGLO, Bee Stinger, Fuse and Mathews are hard to beat. Most are economical and sport a build that will kill noise and vibration via the dampening technologies found in each device. Many will also allow for weight customization with the addition of screw-on discs and the like. My advice: Test and tinker. If you play, you will find a weight that feels right to you. I prefer a heavier bow, thus I typically add multiple front stabilizer weights (typically 1-ounce weights).
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The main purpose of a stabilizer is to stabilize the bow when the archer is at anchor and after the shot breaks. A longer stabilizer is needed for this.
AdvertisementWhy do you think tight-rope walkers carry a long pole? Balance – they don’t want to fall. The more mass you have and the further it is from you, the harder it is to move. That’s why the tightrope walker uses a long pole, and that’s why target archers use long stabilizers with the weight way out at the end.
When it comes to bow stabilization, longer is better, and often, so is heavier. A longer device protruding from the bow makes it more difficult for the shooter to torque the bow hand at the shot and reduces left and right pin float. In addition, the added weight of the stabilizer on the bow’s lower half steadies the bow in the hand and aids greatly in follow-through.
If you’re looking for a rig that will boost your downrange accuracy, those in the 10-inch and over category with weight customization are worth a look. Just how much will it boost your accuracy? You will have to try and see, but when I made the switch and started shooting a 12-inch Fuse many years back, my 60-yard groups shrunk from pie-plate to softball-sized. I instantly noticed I could hold steadier, which eased some of the shooting anxiety I was experiencing at the time. Because I could hold steadier, my confidence was boosted and I wanted to spend more time sending carbon downrange.
AdvertisementAs with all bow accessories, manufactures have been relentless in their development. Those wanting more customization as it applies to weight, length and the offsetting of bow-mounted accessories like the sight and quiver should consider a counter-slide side-mounted stabilizer. This type of stabilizer, via a mounting bracket, allows the user to slide the it back and forth to distribute weight and length to the front and back half of the bow. In addition, the bracket mounts the stabilizer off to the side of the bow, which offsets sight and quiver weight. Bee Stinger’s MicroHex Counter Slide is a favorite.
Another option, especially for those seeking maximum customization, is an offset/sidearm bracket that holds a front stabilizer and a back stabilizer and is adjustable both horizontally and vertically. Manufacturers make offset/sidearm brackets that allow you to add your choice of front and back stabilizer. The weight of each stabilizer can then be adjusted to achieve the perfect system.
I hunt lots of different species in various terrain. The system that serves me the best is an offset bracket that holds a 10-inch Bee Stinger MicroHex in front and an 8-inch MiroHex in back. The weight of each stabilizer has been customized to my liking as has the angle of the back stabilizer.
If you go the side-bar or offset route, you need to play. Some will find they want more weight in the back end rather than the front, while other archers will prefer just the opposite. When it comes to positioning the angle of the back stabilizer when using an offset mount, some like it closer to the lower part of the riser and lower cam, while others prefer it to be angled away. If you don’t test and tinker, you’re robbing yourself of accuracy you’ve only dreamed about.
Take a minute and really think. Are you happy with your current stabilizer setup? Is it serving the purpose you need it to? If you can answer “yes” to both questions, you’re good to go. If not, you need to further your research, make a purchase or two and find the right stabilizer or stabilizer system that will meet your needs.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of CAZN Stabilizer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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