Sewing: Working with Difficult Fabric

Some of the prettiest fabric can also sometimes be the most difficult to work with. While embellishments, faux fur and sequins look great on finished projects, they can be tedious to work with in terms of construction.

In this class, produced in conjunction with National Sewing Circle, Ashley Hough will show you ways to make working with these different kinds of fabric easier. She will start by talking about the different types of fabric that will be covered in the course as well as what special tools or supplies may be required when working with them. While some of these supplies are necessary when sewing certain fabrics, like a walking foot, others are simply used to make some tasks easier.

Ashley will teach you proper ways to cut faux fur. These techniques help to minimize the amount of mess that can be made when cutting the fabric and also make is so that seams can more easily be hidden. You will also see how faux fur can be sewn together with ease.

She will also teach you how to work with faux leather, including how to cut, press and sew it. In general, faux leather is fairly easy to cut, however, given the thickness and sometimes stickiness of the fabric, sewing it can be tricky. You will learn about several different presser feet that can make sewing with faux leather easy. She will also share several different seam finishing options that can be used, if needed, when working with this kind of fabric.

You will also learn how to work with sequined fabric as well as sheer and lightweight fabric. Sequined fabric comes in several varieties, depending on how the sequin is attached to the base fabric- either with thread or glue. Regardless of the type, the sequins generally need to be removed from the seam allowance of the fabric to both protect your needle when sewing, and, if you are sewing a garment, to make sure that no sequins lay against the skin. Sheer and lightweight fabrics can cause problems when trying to cut out pattern pieces because they easily shift and ravel. Ashley show you several ways to make working with these fabrics easier.

In this course you will also learn how to sew lace in a way that gives your garments a professional look. While this technique takes longer to complete because it is done by hand, it makes your pattern pieces come together with a seamless look.

At the end of this course you will get to practice some of the techniques you have learned as you see how to make a fun and easy project using several different ‘difficult’ fabrics.

In addition to step-by-step video instruction, this course provides you with some downloadable resources and helpful information, including: Tips for working with various fabrics and a detailed supply list and instructions for making the class project, an eye glass case.