Tear Away Stabilizer

Tear away stabilizer supports fabric during machine embroidery, then removes cleanly when you're done. It works best on stable, woven fabrics like cotton, linen, denim, and canvas. The stabilizer keeps your fabric from puckering or shifting while the machine stitches your design. Once embroidery is complete, you simply tear away the excess from around and behind the stitches.

Match the stabilizer weight to your fabric and design density:

• Lightweight (1.5-2 oz): Best for light fabrics like broadcloth, chambray, or thin cotton with low to medium stitch counts.
• Medium weight (2-2.5 oz): The most versatile option for quilting cotton, poplin, and similar mid-weight wovens.
• Heavy weight (3+ oz): Handles dense designs with high stitch counts on heavier fabrics like denim, twill, or canvas.

Hold the embroidered area flat with one hand while tearing with the other. Pull slowly at a 45-degree angle away from the stitches, not straight up. Work in sections around the design rather than trying to remove it all at once.

For detailed areas or small lettering, use your fingernail or a blunt tool to score along the stitch line first. This gives you a cleaner tear without tugging on delicate stitches. Any small bits remaining under the embroidery will soften after washing.

Tear away is not ideal for knits, jersey, or other stretch fabrics. The tearing motion can distort stretchy material and pull your stitches out of shape.

Better option: Cut away stabilizer stays in place permanently and maintains the integrity of your embroidery on stretch fabrics.

If you must use tear away on slightly stretchy fabric, use a gentle touch when removing and consider leaving a thin margin behind the design rather than tearing right up to the stitches.

Tear away: Removes by tearing after stitching. Faster to remove, leaves no permanent backing. Best for stable woven fabrics where you want a soft finish on the back.

Cut away: Requires scissors to remove. A portion stays behind the embroidery permanently. Provides ongoing support and prevents stretching over time. Best for knits, stretch fabrics, and designs with heavy wear.

Browse all embroidery stabilizers to find the right type for your project.

Yes. Tear away is often the first stabilizer type beginners learn because it's straightforward and forgiving. You can see immediately if you've hooped it correctly, and removal is simple compared to washing away or cutting precisely around stitches.

Recommended starting setup: Medium weight tear away with stable cotton fabric. Pair with quality embroidery hoops and embroidery thread to learn proper hooping and tension without extra variables.