03/28/2026
This is the difference between "straight off the roll" (left) and "preshrunk" (right), it's over an 8% shrinkage, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it does make a difference in embroidery. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard fellow embroiderers say, “Preshrinking your stabilizer is a WASTE of time,” or “it doesn’t shrink THAT much,” and my personal favorite, “you’re eating into your profits by preshrinking your stabilizer and not charging for it…”
Yes, it takes time to do this, and no, I don’t charge for it. But it DOES make a difference when I see people love an embroidered sweatshirt when they first get it, and then have the dreaded “pucker” effect after the first wash/dry cycle. That’s what makes me different, I don’t just sell products that look great when you first receive them, but products that look great wash after wash. My goal as a business owner is to not just make my customers happy on day one, but to keep them coming back. Which means if I have to spend an extra hour or two preshrinking stabilizers and products to ensure great quality, that’s fine with me. I know it makes a difference to my customers and makes me feel confident about the quality of the products that leave my shop.
