One of my favorite reuse tricks for non-sticky, fabric-like wash away or water soluble stabilizer (WSS) is to trim strips from the edges of a used piece of stabilizer and then baste them together to form a rectangle, the same as with a cut away. After cutting the stabilizer from the back of an embroidered design, trim a wide strip from each of the four (4) sides of the leftover piece. A rotary cutter and ruler are helpful for this. This effectively trims off the uneven edges surrounding the central hole. When a bunch of these strips are collected, overlap the edges slightly and sew them together, both lengthwise and sometimes crosswise, depending on the strips’ relative lengths, using a 4-5mm basting stitch with water soluble thread in the needle and bobbin. Once a piece is a large enough rectangle to fit the embroidery hoop, this patchwork of stabilizer can be reused, although this new piece is not as secure as a solid piece, and should be used on lighter applications or layered with nylon organza for Embroidered Decoupage techniques.
Another trick with WSS is to dissolve scraps in water with a bit of rubbing alcohol to make a liquid stabilizer that can then be painted on a fabric to be embroidered. Any leftover is best kept refrigerated in a covered glass jar, or it may mold. This works for all the different types of WSS, either the fabric-like or the plastic-like.
For serger overlocker and heirloom sewing enthusiasts, the fabric-like form of water soluble stabilizer is handy cut into strips. Once you have removed the WSS from your embroidery, cut roughly 2-inch wide strips parallel to the edges of the leftover WSS. These strips can be used on a serger to create a blanket stitch, or on a conventional machine to back decorative stitches or support edge stitches that may go off the edge of the fabric.
Small pieces of the plastic-like WSS can be used over again as toppers for other embroideries. Pieces that are too small even for this can be held together a couple of different ways to make a larger, more useful piece.
One simple way is to dampen the edges of the scraps slightly to make them tacky, but not enough to dissolve them, and then overlap these edges with the edges of other scraps, sticking them together. Allow them to dry before sewing or embroidering on the new created sheet.
A second useful technique for making larger, thicker, and more durable pieces of the plastic-like WSS is to press the smaller pieces together with an iron. Place a plain piece of paper, such as copy paper, parchment paper, or brown paper bag, on your ironing surface. Arrange your overlapping pieces of WSS on top of this piece, and cover with another plain piece of paper. You can also use an appliqué or Teflon sheet, but paper is sufficient. Press the pieces together with an iron set on low. When cool, use as you would a regular sheet of WSS.
