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PSA: I tried making a jacket with a weird fabric blend and it went sideways
I found this bolt of fabric at a shop in Tacoma last month that was a mix of linen and a stiff, rubbery coating on one side. I thought it would make a cool, structured rain jacket. The pattern was simple, but when I tried to sew the seams, the coated side just would not feed through my machine evenly. It kept sticking and bunching up, no matter what foot I used or how I adjusted the tension. I ruined three panels before I gave up and hand-stitched the whole thing, which took me about 15 hours. The final jacket looks okay but it's so stiff it feels like wearing cardboard. I learned the hard way that some fabric combos are just not meant for home sewing machines. Has anyone else tried working with a coated material and found a trick to make it work?
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victorb171mo ago
Oh man, the walking foot thing is so true. I had the exact same problem with some waxed canvas last year. I mean, it just would not move under a normal foot, it was like it was glued to the machine bed. I got a walking foot on a friend's advice and it was a total game changer. It feeds the layers together so they don't stick and bunch up. It's still a bit of a fight with super sticky coatings, but it's way better than hand stitching for hours. I feel your pain on that stiff cardboard feeling too, some fabrics just win the fight.
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patricia3171mo agoMost Upvoted
Ever try a little talcum powder on the fabric to cut the stickiness?
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