PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN OLD POST FROM 2017 and the issue described here no longer exists. If you are having trouble rinsing away Sulky stabilizer please review this current post. Thanks!
Hello, guys! This is a Sulky PSA. You folks know how much I love their Printable Sticky Fabri-Solvy. I can't live without it! It's an integral part of my Twelve Days ornament series. However, I've heard from several heartbroken crafters just lately who can't get the Sulky stabilizer washed off of their embroidered ornament pieces even though they have followed all the directions and are doing everything right. If this is YOU, you are not crazy. You have some faulty stabilizer!
I've just spoken to Patty Lee at Sulky. She was so helpful and apologetic! She tells me the manufacturer who makes the glue for the stabilizer reformulated the glue without informing Sulky. While the reformulated glue worked for some industrial applications it did not work for Sticky Fabri-Solvy. Sulky was not aware of the problem until some of the faulty stabilizer had already been distributed to resellers.
Have they fixed the problem?
YES! There are no batch numbers to check, so you will need to test your product before using if you have the old packaging and name. The stabilizer has now been renamed and repackaged, so the new stuff should be fine. New name: Sulky Printable Stick 'n Stitch.
Questions? She will be very happy to help:
Patty Lee
(800) 874-4115, extension 173
(If you are outside the US you might need to visit the website to get the correct phone number)
How do I know if my stabilizer is the bad batch?
If you are breaking open a new pack of the old packaging/name (see above), test it first! Go ahead and print the pattern on the stabilizer just in case it's good. Then cut out a blank corner or strip of the page, peel the backing off and stick it on a piece of scrap fabric. If it doesn't soak away in cold water after a few minutes, you may have the bad stuff. This is what it looked like for me. The bad stuff is on the left (turns clear and gooey), the good stuff is on the right (turns white and dissolves away):
I have the bad stuff. What do I do?
Sulky will gladly replace your faulty stabilizer. Please contact:
Patty Lee
(800) 874-4115, extension 173
(If you are outside the US you might need to visit the website to get the correct phone number)
OK, but how do I fix my current project?
There are some things to try! Patty has a list of suggestions that will hopefully fix the problem and she even offered to foot the bill for dry cleaning for your project if that would help. Please contact her.
Thanks very much to the crafters who let me know about this problem! I'm so sorry you ran into it and I hope you will be willing to try another project with the REAL stabilizer (with the new name!) so that you can discover just how wonderful it is!
Thank you for posting this. My friends and I have been working on your ornaments and noticed that the newer batches of Sulky do not work as well. It's comforting to know we're not alone!
ReplyDeleteHey, Natsdistractions, yes, please contact them. They are super nice and won't hesitate to help you.
DeleteThank you for the update. I have trouble removing it in cool or cold water, but it does wash off well for me in warm water. I really like using it!
ReplyDeleteOK, La Manosa, that's good to know! I always use cold because I'm trying to keep wool shrinkage and color leaching to a minimum even though the instructions on the package say to use warm.
DeleteSo the only way to know if your package is bad is to try it; correct? I just received two packages (from Walmart) a week ago and hope they're the good stuff! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteJudy, as far as I know, yes. If you can locate a batch number or something you may be able to ask Patty about it. But she suggested testing.
DeleteThank you for this. I'm about to test mine out before I start working on your first six ornaments. My scrap felt is drying on the line and I've printed one page of templates onto the Sulky. I can't wait to get started on the real ornaments, but will do a test first to be sure I've got a good batch. I bought mine through Amazon USA.
ReplyDeleteGood news - my Solvy is fine so I'm away laughing. I'm starting with the Goose and golden egg - No.6. I'll tag you on Instagram when I have something to show. They are gorgeous patterns thank you.
ReplyDeleteWendy, Yay! So glad to hear that. Love to see what you make!
DeleteThanks to your PSA, I ordered mine directly from the Sulky website. I learned that the orders from the website are fulfilled by different sellers that are a part of their network, not by the Sulky warehouse. I tested mine before I used it and it was the bad batch, so I called Patty at Sulky. She was very helpful and told me there are no batch numbers to determine if we have the troubled lot or not. She is sending me some new stabilizer. Can't wait to get started!
ReplyDeleteLora, so if you order from the website it's iffy but if you call them directly that would be OK? Sorry about that. When she told me order from them I assumed (wrongly) that meant their website. I am glad you got it straightened out! Patty is really nice.
DeleteThank you so so much for posting this! I was so excited to use this product on my embroidery projects and I couldn't understand why it was so hard to get off when I saw tons of tutorials where it came off so easily. I called Patty Lee and she was wonderful. I had only bought one defective pack and she is sending me two good ones. Thank you thank you for this information. I thought something was wrong with me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad it was helpful! I hope your next project goes smooth as butter with the new stuff. Patty is wonderful, you are right!
DeleteI have embroidered 30 different pieces of a wall hanging quilting project and now, when I try to dissolve the sticky Solvy, I am left with some of them still tacky to the touch. I went the really hot water route, but it seemed to make no difference. These rectangles are now all embroidered and I need some advice to get the fabric back to normal. Also afraid to iron in case it adheres to the sole plate. Could use some help.
ReplyDeleteJudy, I would definitely call Patty at Sulky (number listed above). She'll be very happy to help.
DeleteOk, I can see this is an older post...but you have totally saved my sanity!!! I couldn't understand why people were raving about this product, when the two projects I've used it on and tried to remove it from have been miserable! (The removal, not the using it part.) thank you, thank you for this post! And I'm going to call tomorrow to see if my current project can be saved, and to get the 'real' solvy!
ReplyDeleteI have just started the 12 days of Christmas felt ornaments and have a bad batch of solvy paper. Water disolves the paper well but I am left with very tacky paper under all the stitches. I have complained to the UK distributors and awaiting the reply. This is very annoying as I will have to remake most of what I have already stitched. I purchased this direct from them to avoid this problem so not a happy bunny !!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I was hoping the bad stuff had been filtered out, but it seems to still be out there. If you can’t get satisfaction from the UK distributors get in touch with Sulky USA. I have the contact info in the post and they will absolutely work with you. I’m so sorry! There might be a way to get the sticky off, so be sure to ask Patty what to do.
DeleteI have just spent a lot of time embroidering my felt and after soaking the pieces to remove paper the results are very disappointing.
ReplyDeleteI must have a faulty batch of the soluble paper.
Oh no, I'm so sorry! Is it the Sticky Fabri-Solvy? Sulky will bend over backward to help you out if you'll contact them.
DeleteI just embroidered 18 blocks using it and was so excited because I used Minky fabric for the whole project. I can not get the darn soluable fabric off. It has left a sticky residue on the fabric after multiple washings, soakings and scrubbing. I’ve tried rubbing alcohol, dryer sheets, dawn liquid and I still have some stuck on the nap of the fabric. Has anyone found a product to remove it?
ReplyDeleteHey there! I'm so sorry. My best suggestion would be to contact Sulky America. I have numbers listed in the post above or go to their website. They have stellar customer service and would love to help you save your project.
DeleteHello! I have a question about your pre-soaking process and your stabilizer dissolving process...how do you get the excess water out of your felt? Do you wring it/squeeze it out, thus rumpling the fabric and stitches, or do you just pull your felt out of the water, let it drip for a bit and then press between two layers of towel? Ha ha, I feel like this is the silliest question ever, but I am new to working with felt AND hand embroidery so I'm not completely sure if felt is a material that can handle some squeezing/wringing or if I need to be a bit more careful with it. Any suggestions or tips on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi, Denette! Yes, be careful. There are specific instructions in my patterns, but I never squeeze or wring the felt during presoak or after soaking away the stabilizer. The felt is so malleable when it's wet that it would get stretched that way. For the presoak, just pull the felt out of the water, let the excess water pour into the bowl, then hang it over a rod to drip dry, or even better, lay it flat on a fluffy folded towel. As for the embroidered pieces, just lay them directly after rinsing face up on a fluffy dry towel and the excess water almost immediately wicks into the towel. Don't press them with another towel to hurry things along -- that can make your stitching look squished. It will take several hours or overnight for the felt to dry on its own. I hope that helps! :-)
DeleteHi Larissa! YES, that was VERY helpful! Thank you so much for answering my question and for saving me from ruining my felt and my project! Wahoo...I can't wait to get started!!
DeleteYay! My pleasure! :-)
DeleteSo glad I found this! I just bought a ton of the old stuff on Amazon--sure hope it's good. Wouldn't have known to test it first without your blogpost that I found on Pinterest :)
ReplyDelete