Embroidery Stabilizer: Which One for Each Fabric

Guide type: Buying guide
Last reviewed: 2026-11-10
Sources: 11 cited
Tested by us: No. How we research

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Short answer

Use cut-away under knits such as t-shirts and sweatshirts, tear-away under stable wovens such as denim, canvas and cotton, water-soluble for sheer fabrics and as a topper on towels, and an adhesive stabilizer for fabrics you can't hoop.^1,2,3 Brother's manuals ask you to always use a stabilizer when you embroider: without one, the needle may break on stretch, thin or loose fabrics.²

Why every embroidery needs a stabilizer

Brother’s PE545 and SE700 manuals give the same rule in their sections on preparing the fabric: “For best results in your embroidery projects, always use stabilizer material for embroidery.”^2,7 The caution that follows is about safety: use it on stretch fabrics, lightweight fabrics, fabrics with a coarse weave or fabrics that cause pattern shrinkage, “Otherwise, the needle may break and cause injury.”² Brother also asks for a piece of stabilizer larger than the embroidery frame.²

The four families

Brother’s PRS100 manual names four types: “cut-away, tear-away, water soluble and self-adhesive.”¹

Tear-away is temporary. After stitching, you tear the excess away; Sulky notes it does not give the ongoing support a cut-away does.⁴ Brother tells you to place one or more layers against the wrong side of the project, and Sulky’s Tear-Easy can be stacked in 1, 2 or 3 layers, torn away one layer at a time.^8,9
Cut-away is permanent. You trim around the design and the rest stays in the garment, supporting the stitches through washing.⁵ It is the choice when a design must resist stretching.⁴
Water-soluble dissolves in water. Brother uses it for thin fabrics such as organdy or lawn, for napped fabrics such as terry cloth or corduroy, and on top of thick towels.² Sulky makes film and fabric-like versions in several weights.¹⁰
Self-adhesive sticks to the fabric, so you hoop the stabilizer and lay the fabric on it. Brother sells an adhesive tear-away for hard-to-hoop fabrics such as velvet, satin, leather and ultrasuede.³

Which stabilizer for which fabric

For clothes and home items alike, the fabric decides, not the design.

Stabilizer by fabric: a cheat sheet from maker guidance
Fabric or item	Stabilizer	Source
T-shirt, light knit	Light cut-away	Sulky^4,6
Golf shirt	One cut-away	Brother PRS100 chart¹
Sweatshirt, sweater, jacket	Medium cut-away	Sulky⁵
Denim, canvas, poplin	Tear-away	Brother PRS100¹
Medium-weight woven cotton	Tear-away	Brother PRS100¹
Thick terry towel	Water-soluble on top	Brother PE545²
Organdy, lawn (sheer)	Water-soluble	Brother PE545²
Velvet, satin, leather, ultrasuede	Adhesive tear-away	Brother SA5815³

A guideline, not a rule: Brother and Sulky both ask you to test on a scrap of the same fabric first.

One stabilizer from each family

Tear-away, medium weight

Brother SA5810

Type: tear-away (temporary)
Roll: 15 in × 10 yd
Use: backing for shirts, blouses, nylon jackets, sheets

Strengths

Use one or more layers, per Brother
Listed for many Brother embroidery machines

Drawbacks

No support left after you tear it
No Brother Canada page found

Good fit: you embroider shirts, blouses or sheets on a Brother embroidery machine.
Skip it if: you embroider knits that need permanent support.

Adhesive tear-away

Brother SA5815

Type: tear-away with adhesive
Roll: 15 in × 10 yd
Use: hard-to-hoop fabrics: velvet, satin, leather, ultrasuede

Strengths

No need to hoop the fabric itself
Brother says it leaves minimal adhesive on the garment or needle

Drawbacks

Test removal first on delicate fabrics, per Brother
No Brother Canada page found

Good fit: the fabric would be marked or crushed by a hoop.
Skip it if: you can't test on the same delicate fabric first: Brother asks for a removal test.

Tear-away, lightweight

Sulky Tear-Easy

Type: tear-away, light and soft
Roll: 12 in × 11 yd (751-12)
Layers: 1, 2 or 3 as needed

Strengths

Stack 1 to 3 layers, per Sulky
For projects that should not get wet or heated

Drawbacks

Tear one layer at a time

Good fit: you want to add layers as the fabric or design needs.
Skip it if: the fabric is a knit that needs permanent support.

Cut-away, medium weight

Sulky Cut-Away Plus

Type: permanent, non-woven cut-away
Sizes: 20 in × 1 yd; 7 2/3 in × 8 yd; 20 in × 25 yd
Use: knits and outerwear: jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts

Strengths

Stays through washing to support the stitches, per Sulky
Three put-ups, from a package to a bolt

Drawbacks

Stays in the garment: trim it close

Good fit: you embroider sweatshirts, jackets or dense designs on knits.
Skip it if: you want nothing left behind the design.

Water-soluble, lightweight

Brother SA520

Type: clear, lightweight water-soluble
Roll: 28 × 300 cm (Brother Canada)
Removal: washes away with warm water

Strengths

Listed by Brother Canada
Washes away with warm water, per Brother

Drawbacks

Small roll
Lightweight: check the weight your lace design calls for

Good fit: you need a light topper, or a backing for lace ornaments, sold in Canada.
Skip it if: the fabric can't get wet.

For the water-soluble family in detail (light film, heavy film, fabric-like, and printable sheets sometimes called stabilizer paper) and how to rinse them out, see our water-soluble stabilizer guide.

Buying in Canada

Brother Canada lists the SA520 water-soluble roll.¹¹ We found no Brother Canada page for the SA5810 or SA5815, and Sulky has no Canadian site. Stock changes: check the item number on the day you buy.

Questions

Tear-away vs cut-away (cutaway) stabilizer: which one?

Tear-away is temporary: you tear the excess off after stitching. Cut-away is permanent: you trim around the design and the rest stays in to support the stitches through washing.^4,5 Brother's PRS100 manual puts tear-away on stable wovens like denim and canvas, and cut-away on medium to heavyweight knits.¹

Which stabilizer for t-shirts?

A cut-away. Sulky recommends cut-away for knits, a light one for most t-shirts, and Brother's chart gives one cut-away for a golf shirt.^1,4,6

Which stabilizer for sweatshirts?

A medium cut-away such as Sulky's Cut-Away Plus, which Sulky names for sweatshirts, sweaters and jackets.^5,6

Which stabilizer for towels?

Brother recommends a water-soluble stabilizer on the top surface of thick terry towels, to "reduce the nap of the toweling".² Underneath, Sulky's blog lists towels among the uses of tear-away.⁴

Which stabilizer for jeans?

Tear-away: Brother's PRS100 manual lists denim with canvas and poplin as sturdy fabrics for tear-away.¹

Can I use interfacing instead of embroidery stabilizer?

We found no embroidery maker that says so. Brother's manuals call for stabilizer material made for embroidery, and warn that without it the needle may break.² If you try interfacing, test on a scrap first.

Is there a stabilizer cheat sheet?

The table on this page is one, built from Brother's manuals and Sulky's guidance. Brother itself adds that its chart is a guideline only, and asks you to sew a test sample when unsure.¹

Bottom line

Match the stabilizer to how the fabric behaves: stretchy means cut-away, stable means tear-away, sheer or napped means water-soluble, and hard to hoop means adhesive. Test on a scrap of the same fabric, and use a piece larger than your hoop, as Brother asks.

Related guides

What we checked, and what we didn't

Checked

Stabilizer advice in Brother's PE545, SE700 and PRS100 operation manuals
What Sulky and Brother say each of their stabilizers is for, on their own pages and blog

Not checked

How each stabilizer behaves on your fabric and design: we have not tested them; Sulky and Brother both ask you to test on a scrap first
Where Sulky and most Brother stabilizers are sold in Canada

Sources

PRS100 Operation Manual (882-T51) · Brother
PE545 Embroidery Machine Operation Manual (888-P30) · Brother
SA5815 Medium Weight Adhesive Tear Away Stabilizer · Brother USA
The Stabilizer Basics: Cut Away and Tear Away Stabilizers · Sulky blog
Cut-Away Plus Stabilizer · Sulky
What stabilizer do you recommend for machine embroidery on knits? · Sulky answers
SE700 Sewing and Embroidery Machine Operation Manual (888-P10) · Brother
SA5810 Medium Weight Tear Away Stabilizer · Brother USA
Tear-Easy Stabilizer · Sulky
The Stabilizer Basics: Water Solubles and Heat-Away · Sulky blog
SA520 Lightweight Water Soluble Stabilizer · Brother Canada

Revision history

2026-11-12	Added links to new related guides.
2026-11-10	First version.