now ready to begin your embroidery business. The embroidery machine has been purchased and you are now awaiting the first order to arrive, correct?

To complete embroidery projects, you will need several essential machine embroidery supplies in addition to the embroidery machine. For you to keep up with the orders, you will need a variety of supplies, from stabilizers to embroidery needles, threads, and more.

We will present you with some of the most essential machine embroidery supplies you would need to get started if you have not already done so.

In order to get started, let’s review some of the most important supplies you will need for your embroidery business.

Supplies You Must Have to Get Started With Embroidery Machines!

1. Stabilizer for embroidery

You will need embroidery stabilizers as your first and perhaps most important supply for your embroidery business. In case you are not already familiar with it, it is the material that is attached to the back of the fabric or item that you wish to embroider. Since it has a direct impact on the accuracy of the stitches on the fabric, it is one of the most important supplies.

As a result, various types of stabilizers are available, depending on the use case and type of fabric. As a rule of thumb, you should invest in acquiring all types of stabilizers so that you will be prepared for all types of embroidery work. To assist you in determining the correct stabilizer to purchase (if you do not wish to purchase each type) we will briefly review some of the most frequently used stabilizers and their use cases below.

A tear-away stabilizing device

One of the most commonly used types of stabilizer in the embroidery industry is the tear-away stabilizer. In general, it is best suited to non-stretchy fabrics such as twill, towels, and others. Pre-cut tear-away stabilizer sheets are also available for added convenience in embroidery. The name suggests that tear-away stabilizers must be torn from the back of the fabric once the embroidery process has been completed.

1.2 Cut-Away Stabilizer

Next, we have cut-away stabilizers, which are yet another important type of stabilizer used in embroidery. Cut-away stabilizers are ideal for fabrics and knits with a minimal amount of stretch.

Also, cut-away stabilizers provide excellent support for dense stitch designs, allowing embroiderers to keep pace with stitch density without puckering.

These stabilizers must be removed from the design once the embroidery process has been completed, as indicated by their name. Similarly to tear-away stabilizers, you can purchase pre-cut sheets or rolls of these materials.

1. Polymesh Stabilizer No. 3

The polymesh stabilizer is also known as the no-show mesh stabilizer in the embroidery industry. They can be used with knits and light fabrics where you want to minimize the amount of show-through (but are much softer than cut-away stabilizers).

The Polymesh stabilizers may be fusible (iron-on) or non-fusible.

Stabilizer with 1.4 stickiness

These stabilizers have a sticky side and are easy to attach to fabric by their name. This means that you will not need to apply an external temporary adhesive to the fabric in order to attach them. A variety of sticky stabilizers are available, including sticky tear-away stabilizers and sticky cut-away stabilizers.

Topping 1.5 that is water soluble

It is necessary to purchase a water-soluble topping if you wish to embroider on a fleece blanket, fluffy fabric, or towels.

By using a water-soluble topping, the stitches are prevented from falling and becoming lost. You can remove the topping after you have completed the embroidery by simply dissolving it in water. In addition, you may also purchase heat-dissolving toppings, which are easily removed with an iron.

Stabilizer 1.5 wash-away

The last, but certainly not the least, is the Wash-away stabilizer. In the case of free-standing lace or tulle, this is an excellent choice.

2. Apparel that is blank

There is no way you can start an embroidery business if you do not have access to important embroidery items and blank apparel. You should invest in some creepy loads of blank t-shirts, towels, hats, and any other products you plan to embroider before you begin marketing your embroidery business.

It is fortunate that there are many options available for obtaining these indispensable machine embroidery supplies at affordable prices, such as online apparel stores (specializing in blank apparel) and big box stores. Identifying a wholesale distributor of embroidery items is the best way to obtain bulk products if you wish to produce bulk merchandise.

3. Needles for embroidery

Although you may receive a few embroidery needles with your embroidery machine package, it is recommended that you purchase a bulk supply of machine embroidery needles. Therefore, you will always have backup inventory available in case of an emergency, and you will be able to accept any embroidery project that comes your way.

For your information, embroidery needles are available in sizes ranging from 70/10 to 90/14 and larger. There are also differences between embroidery needles in terms of the point, such as universal needles, ballpoint needles, and sharp point needles.

The 75/11 universal embroidery needle, which is highly versatile and suitable for most machine embroidery projects, is our recommendation if you are not sure which is the best fit for any project.

4. Thread for embroidery 

The embroidery machine package may include one or more spools of thread. In spite of this, these resources are insufficient for running an embroidery business efficiently. In order to ensure smooth operations, it would be ideal to purchase additional supplies.

In terms of embroidery thread, we recommend polyester, cotton, or rayon. There are also various brands of embroidery thread to choose from (we will leave it up to you to decide which brand you prefer). The best way to determine what is the best value for money is to conduct a cost comparison of multiple brands.

5. Supplies for marking

Temporary marking supplies are an essential component of machine embroidery.

Temporary markings are essential for maintaining embroidery accuracy. In order to remove the markings easily after the embroidery process, you should purchase washable markers. Additionally, if you are working with dark-colored fabrics, you may wish to use chalk wheels as temporary markers. 

6. Scissors for embroidery

We now turn our attention to embroidery scissors, which are essential machine embroidery supplies. However, if you use regular scissors, there is a risk of puckering and fabric damage. It is therefore highly recommended that you invest in a variety of embroidery scissors.

Among the most commonly used embroidery scissors are the double-curved embroidery scissors, the duckbill applique scissors, and the embroidery snips.

7. Adhesive that is temporary

We have included temporary adhesive in our list of eight essential machine embroidery supplies.

A stabilizer must be attached to the fabric using this supply. Nowadays, we have sticky stabilizers available, but these are not always suitable for projects.

Despite several repositionings of the item, temporary adhesives retain their stickiness. Consequently, as an embroider, you would have the freedom to place the stabilizer in the position you desire without having to worry about getting it right the first time.

8. A USB flash drive

Lastly, we have the USB drive, which is an indispensable machine embroidery supply for any embroidery business.

Although some embroidery machines have Wi-Fi connectivity, many still rely solely on USB for data transfer and updating.

In conclusion

It is our hope that this list of essential and nice-to-have machine embroidery supplies has been helpful to you as you begin your embroidery journey. You will be well on your way to creating beautiful, professional-quality embroidery projects once you have these supplies in hand. Good luck with your stitching!