I recently sewed with some laminated fabrics (Outside Oslo by Jessica Jones), and it was an experience! I am hardly an expert, but I wanted to share some of my observations about laminates in case you have some in your stash that you are thinking about sewing with.
Note: I’d definitely recommend experimenting on a small piece of your laminates first!
I used my laminated fabrics to sew some bags. At first, I felt very scared and frustrated by the idea (not to mention that they cost about 3 times what I normally spend on fabric, so I was terrified about making a big mistake). Before I began, I read these tips by Amy Butler and also from Kathy of Pink Chalk Fabrics.
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| Did you know that Lou Lou Thi Summer Totem in Tart is available as a laminate? Oo la la! |
The first thing that I had to do was to cut out the pattern pieces for my bags. Since I wanted to fussy-cut the fabric, I wanted to make sure it was right sides facing me. However, I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to make the marks for the pieces. Usually I use my fabric marker, but the marker of course didn’t take to the fabric. I used the tip of my scissors to lightly make a mark all around each pattern piece. The mark is barely visible (in case of error), but just enough for me to see and make the cuts.
I had read online that you could not use interfacing with laminated fabrics. I was able to fuse my laminate to 3 different types of Pellon interfacing (SF-101 fusible woven, fusible thermolam, and 520F fusible deco-shape). The interfacing will not really adhere well with a dry iron, so I used a small amount of steam, with my iron set at the cotton setting that I usually use. I put the laminate face down, the interfacing on top, and then my press cloth. I did lightly mist the press cloth. I repeatedly checked the interfacing, and as soon as it adhered, I stopped ironing immediately.
Sewing the laminate was a bit tricky. Perhaps if I had less of a thickness (because of the interfacing), a walking foot might have worked, but I could not get my tension right with the walking foot. I also tried putting painter’s tape at the bottom of my regular presser foot, and the fabric would not pass through. Finally I just tried sewing with my regular presser foot as is. I did not have much trouble (besides it being a bit of a slow going). I also found that the heat from my hands stymied the fabric, so I kept my hands off the fabric as much as possible and lightly gave it guidance through the machine. I would recommend lengthening your stitch a small bit.
My final tip would be not to pin at all (unless you are going to pin in the seam allowance), and sew your fabric as little as possible. Maybe that sounds strange, so let me explain. Every stitch, even though you might be sewing straight as an arrow, will be incredibly visible in the laminated fabric. Areas that I normally topstitch (such as small outer flaps, in the case of the bag I was working on), I left alone. I did topstitch, but just things that I felt were absolutely necessary to the shape of the bag. I did purchase a denim needle to use, but my regular sewing machine needle ended up working just fine (even through all the interfacing. Thanks Angie for reminding me about the needles!).
Hopefully my observations will help someone thinking about working with laminates! It wasn’t that bad, but I will say that I did breath a sigh of relief when I got back to regular quilt-weight cottons!
Thanks for the tips Sara. They will definitely come in handy when I cut into my laminate stash. I do have a question though. What size/type of needle did you use?
i made my daughter a backpack out of laminate this year (with the totem laminate you pictured, actually!) and it was a bit daunting, but turned out fabulous 🙂 def worth trying your hand at laminates. i used painters tape for a lot of it, so that my presser foot wouldn’t stick to the material. the zippers were tricky, but the tape helped with that too (instead of pinning). somewhere i think i wrote a post about it… 😉
I used some for some zip pouches. All went fine except for topstiching on the sides of the zipper. I tried painters tape, sewing over tissue paper & the results weren’t much better.
I finally broke down & bought a presser foot-the roller type was my only choice (teflon not available for my older Bernina). But it works beautifully & I’m very pleased with the results-so much that I have a whole stack of laminates now ready to be used!
Great tips :o) I have used it, but yes, it does have certain nerve-inducing properties! I use binder clips to hold my pieces together usually, and I will admit to loving my ever so cheap Teflon foot (courtesy of Amazon)
Hmmm…I just found a great bargain on oilcloth online so I picked up 2 yards and I’m terrified to use it! I’m just going to do basic reusable shopping bags from a tutorial but I’m on the newer side when it comes to sewing so nearly everything is a bit traumatic. 🙂
I use Teflon pressed foot too – with oil cloth and laminates- and it works so much easier!
I use 1/4″ wash away basting tape to hold laminated cottons and oil cloth together when I sew with them. It’s official name is Wash Away Wonder Tape. Since laminated cotton tends to stick to the bed of my machine, I cover the bed of my machine with blue painter’s tape – that helped tremendously when I was making a laminated cotton garment bag.
So glad to know about your success fusing interfacing to laminated cotton – will have to give that a try.
PS I’ve used two brands of Wash Away Wonder Tape – One made by Collins (my preferred brand) and one made by Dritz. The Collins one really is a better product.
Thanks for the tip about applying interfacing – I’d like to use it to stiffen up the laminated bottom I’m putting on a project bag I’m making. Like you said it’s expensive stuff so I really didn’t want to mess it up with the iron. You’ve made me feel more confident about giving it a go. Thanks.