Cut-Away, Tear-Away, Solvy...  which should I use?  And why?

We have all wondered which one to use and when to use it.  This answer came from our discussion forum postings.  While everyone joins the site for the great designs, many people have told me that our discussion forum is the single most valuable thing they get from ArtisticThreadWorks. 

Thanks for D. McIntyre for this superb answer to the question of which to use...

"Tear Away - I use this for just about everything. You use it when you don't want the stabilizer showing around the edges of the design from the back. A really good brand of tear away will come off cleanly, without having to pull so hard that you end up with little holes around the design. It should also tear easily in any direction. If the design can be seen from the back, then tear away will leave you with a cleaner look. The fact that it tears off so well makes a design more fragile too. The edges of the design are left unprotected. If you put something through the wash a lot, a tear away will disolve more and more, and your design will start to come undone. Not only that, it is itchy against your skin if you put it on clothes.

Cut Away - This is used for things that need to be washed a lot. It is thicker and more durable. With a cut away, you just cut around it leaving a margin around the design. Don't try to cut it right up to the edge of the design. That defeats the purpose. I usually leave about 1/4" around the edge of my design. Look at a shirt that has been embroidered that you bought or in a store. You will see that they leave a margin around it. It gives the design more support. If you have a sheer fabric, you wouldn't want to use a cut away because you will see the edge of the stabilizer around the design. On anything that you can't see through, go ahead and use it. Heck, if the design won't ever be seen from behind, you could use cut away all the time. Most cut aways are softer than tear away too, so you don't get that itchy feel against your skin.

Wash Away - These are for those times when you need a stabilizer, but you don't want ANY remains of it afterwards. It is really good for designs that have holes in them like lace or snowflakes. You can stitch the design, tear most of it off, and then the first time you wash it, all those little pieces that would have taken you hours to pull off with tweezers just disappear. This has the same drawback as tear away in that it leaves your design in a more fragile state than something more permanent, but it looks really good when you first make it."

I really appreciate it when a member jumps in and answers questions and offer help. It really contributes to the sense of community we have tried so hard to create.  Thank you D!