Six Tips for Prewashing Fabric

In today's video, we chat about prewashing your fabric, why you should do it and my favorite tips for a prewashing routine that will have your fabric stash ready to sew at all times. I also share my favorite methods for preventing fabric from fraying in the wash and how to decide on a washing method.

Eight Tips for Prewashing Fabric

1. Wash according to fiber content rather than fabric type

Different fibers react differently to different washing methods. The most important factor is what kind of fibers your fabric is made from (cotton, linen, rayon, silk, wool, etc.). Second is the fabric type (woven, knit, challis, corduroy, denim, etc).

For more info on selecting a fabric washing method, I recommend reading this blog post by Oliver&S and this blog post by Colette.

2. Pre-wash using the same method you will use to wash the garment

Whatever method you use to prewash your fabric, make sure it’s the same you’ll want to use when you wash the garment.

3. Finish the raw edge of your fabric before washing

If you are machine washing your fabric, it’s important to finish the raw edge or else you’ll end up with a big jumble of tangled threads. Prevent the hassle of untangling the threads, and finish that edge first. I like to use a very long zig-zag stitch because it’s quick, it works and it’s easy to remove.

4. If you’re unsure of the best method, pre-wash a swatch and test it out

I don’t test a swatch every time I wash fabric. I only do it when it’s a fabric type that’s really new to me or I’m otherwise unsure how the fabric will react to a particular method. Often, you can diverge from manufacturers’s recommended washing techniques but it’s important to test it first.

5. Pre-wash before you store your fabric

This is my number one tip for making sure my stash is always ready to sew. I always try to wash my fabric as soon as I bring it home, and definitely wash it before I store it away with my other fabrics that have already been washed.

6. Make a record of how you pre-washed your fabric

If you have a method of tracking your fabric stash, you are a Stash Rockstar! I have not mastered this. Yet. But when I do, I will make sure to note how I have prewashed the fabric. Fabrics often live in my stash for years, and I often forget how I initially treated them.

7. Beware of colors bleeding

Many fabrics bleed a lot of dye, even after a few washings. So, just like with regular laundry, you’ll want to separate your dark and light colored fabrics. You can test if a fabric is going to release dye by washing a swatch in the sink. If the water changes color, then you’ll want to proceed with caution. You can wash the fabric by itself, or add a color catcher to the load if using a washing machine. I’ve used this brand with success.

8. Consider hand washing

I know a lot of people are loathe to hand wash but I’m a big fan of it. The main reason is, hand washing is gentler on your fabric and your garments will last a lot longer. I know hand washing and hanging to dry takes space and time (especially if you’re in a humid climate) but it’s generally more environmentally friendly because you save energy and the clothing will last longer. You can also look at it as an act of love, caring for your handmade garments by hand washing them.

I especially recommend hand washing for delicate fabrics like silk, rayon or thin knits. With knit fabric, hand washing will also prevent pilling because there’s less agitation.

That said, you may want to pre-wash using a “harsher” method like machine washing in warm water with a tumble dry to ensure that the fabric is truly pre-shrunk before cutting out your garment. After the garment is made you can then switch to hand washing and not have to worry if it occasionally ends up in the washing machine.

I hope that you found these tips helpful. If you haven’t already, I’d be forever grateful if you follow me on YouTube. I post a new video about once a week so there’s lots of fresh, new sewing content to watch!

Six Tips for Sewing with Knit Fabrics Video

Today I’m excited to share a new video with my top 6 tips for getting started sewing with knit fabric. When I first wanted to start sewing knits over 10 years ago, I was really intimidated because I didn’t know what to do. Over the years, I’ve done a lot research and had a lot of practice and now I love to sew with knit fabric. I’m planning a whole series of videos about sewing knit fabric so after you watch this one, make sure to subscribe to my channel on YouTube so you won’t miss any future videos. 

Six Tips for Sewing with Knit Fabric

1. Find the straight of grain by holding up the fabric with the selvages of the fabric aligned. Shift the selvages to the left and right until the fabric hangs straight and doesn’t have any drag lines.

2. Use a rotary cutter for better accuracy.

3. Use a stitch with stretch (more on that down below)

4. Use a walking foot or, if you don’t have one stitch with tissue paper under your fabric to help it feed through the machine.

5. Use a ballpoint or jersey needle. This will prevent holes from being made in the fabric during stitching. Bonus tip! Test your stitches and needle on a scrap of fabric.

6. Jump in and practice. Every machine and fabric will behave a little differently so it’s important to practice and figure out which techniques work best for your machine.

I hope you enjoy this video. Let me know in the comments if there are any sewing topics that you’d like me to cover.

7 Tips for Sewing Sequin Fabric

Sequin fabric is the peacock of the fabric world. So pretty, so flashy and so hard to resist. I’ve sewn with it a few times and it is not without its challenges. There are already a lot of great tips out there for sewing with sequins that have helped me on my journey but I thought it would be worthwhile to add my two cents on what’s worked for me and where I’ve run into frustration.

7 TIPS FOR SEWING SEQUIN FABRIC

1) Choose a simple pattern

First off, determine if your fabric has stretch in it. Sequin fabric can be stretchy (hello, ice dancing costume!) or not and you’ll want to choose a pattern accordingly. Sequins are significantly bulkier than regular fabric so you’ll also want to choose a simple shape, i.e. not very many pattern pieces. (This will also help you in tip two.)

For example, instead of a dress pattern with princess seams, choose one like the Mesa Dress with a simple front and back and no darts (check out my sequin Mesa Dress here). For separates, you might try one of my patterns – a Lou Box Top or Nita Wrap Skirt. Both have endured the sequin test with success. Last month on Instagram, Victoria shared a sequin Lou Box Top that is just to-die-for. It’s a very simple shape with just two pattern pieces plus I have instructions for how to line it here. I made a Nita Wrap Skirt from sequin fabric last month and shared specific tips here.

2) Include a lining

As someone who has not worn many sequin fabrics, I never realized before that sequins are really scratchy and uncomfortable. When sewing your own garment, you’ll want to choose a pattern that includes a lining or add one to the pattern. 

3) Take care of your equipment

Sequins are nasty little buggers that will dull any blade. So, use an old pair of scissors to cut the fabric and definitely don’t use your serger. On the advice of By Hand London, I used a leather needle and stitched right through the sequins. A leather needle is made to pierce the fabric and I didn’t have any problems.

BONUS TIP: If your sequin fabric has stretch, remember to use a stitch that also has stretch. (But again, do NOT use the serger.) I used a narrow zig-zag stitch and it worked just fine.

4) There will be sequins. Everywhere.

Place a drop cloth underneath the area where you are cutting the sequin fabric. I especially had this problem when I made this sequin dress and removed the sequins from the hem allowance. A year later, I’m still finding sequins (which may say more about my housekeeping ;).

5) Don't sweat it

If you’re lazy or just crunched for time AND your sequins are small, it’s ok to NOT remove the sequins from the seam allowance. I know, that’s maybe a little controversial. It's a personal choice but I found the sequin removal to be really tedious and just not worth the trouble.

I was working with small sequins in a serpentine pattern so there was no easy way to remove a bunch at once. It took hours and my hand cramped from gripping the seam ripper for so long. If I were going to wear the sequin garment often or if it was for a very important event, I might take the extra time to remove the sequins. But, in reality, I’ve worn my sequin garments once (or never!) so spending hours removing sequins and making a big mess just wasn’t worth it to me.

By the way, Sara does a great job of explaining both methods (removing and not removing the sequins) in this post on the We All Sew blog.

6) Don’t iron but do press

The heat from an iron can damage the sequins but you will want to get those seams as flat as possible. If you’re not removing the sequins from the seam allowance, you’ll need a bit of pressure to flatten them. Sometimes finger pressing will work but if you need more force, you can use a rolling pin or something similar.

7) Don’t topstitch

A topstitch just doesn’t work with sequin fabric but since you’ve included a lining, you can slip stitch the hem to the lining. If your fabric is stretchy, remember to use a hand stitch that has stretch in it. Lucky for you, I have a tutorial on how to do that right here.

Additional resources:
By Hand London
Craftsy
We All Sew

Have you worked with sequin fabric before? Do you have any tips?