craftgrrl | Alternative to spray adhesive

One of the reasons I started a sewing business in my home was because I had chemical sensitivities - to fragrances and solvents. That effectively put me out of the manufacturing, office, and you-want-fries-with-that workforce. It seems everyone wants to make their mark with scent. Outdoor work in Canada is mostly seasonal.

As a result, I've had to get a little creative when I work around the "spray it with adhesive" step. Mostly it involves pinning the object to the stabilizer: no problem, just pin outside the stitching area.

I found myself challenged when I tried to make the Yarrrrn badges, though: the fabric patch covers the stitching area. It took some creative oopsing and a few test stitch-outs of Step 2 (the zig-zag outline) and the mailing of my farmers' market vendor application to get it to work: lick a stamp.

Cross-posted to the usual suspects

I compulsively save all those tiny scraps of soluble stabilizer because they were expensive, and I'm cheap, and I can't bring myself to throw away a scrap of anything larger than 1" square.

Among the hammer, the serrated vegetable peeler, the homemade spool winder, and the chip of Ivory soap I rescued from bathtub oblivion, I now count my "damp sponge" among the essential tools in my sewing kit.

Here's how it worked for me, and I'd be interested to see if anyone else has some kind of non-spray technique: I hooped the heavy water soluble stabilizer and stitched the die line on it. I laid the scraps of soluble stabilizer on the back of the Yarrrn applique patch, and stroked it with the damp sponge until the scraps melted onto the fabric. I then pasted the patch to the hooped stabilizer - you only get one shot at this, and make sure your patch isn't really wet, just lightly damp! I had to turn the hoop upside-down and let the patches dry in place, supported by a paper tablet/notepad so the hooped stabilizer wouldn't distort. This is when I usually change a load of laundry.

When the stabilizer is dry, and that takes just a few minutes, I'm ready to reinstall the hoop in the machine, and proceed with the zig-zag outline.