Dissolvable Stabilizers - medium

 We made our dimensional leaves with the aid of a medium weight water soluble stabilizer.  Use a batik type fabric which has two good sides (ie no right and wrong) and cut into a 4"-6" size. Dip the cloth into water and gently blot on a piece of paper towel. Remove just enough water so the fabric is not dripping.

Cut two pieces of water soluble stabilizer approximately 6" square.  Place one of the stabilizer pieces on a flat surface, top with the wet cloth, and place the second stabilizer place on top of both of these.  See our second image.  Gently press this "sandwich" together and set aside to dry.

Place the cloth-stabilizer sandwich into a  5 or 7" embroidery hoop. Set your machine for free motion stitching, and begin to add details such as vines and  stems.   Stitch the outside shapes of the leaves, making sure you have at least two or three passes of the thread to define the shapes.

Cut away the excess cloth leaving the leaf shapes, taking care not to cut into the edges of the leaves with all the thread work.  Soak in water, rinse and lay flat to dry. If the leaves feel stiff or tacky, simply rinse again to remove all the stabilizer.