I am a sewing designer by trade. If you have ever sewn vinyl material, you know how difficult it is, because it is very slippery. In the past when I have sewn vinyl, my stitching has looked very unprofessional.
I have just figured out a wonderful trick to sew vinyl with beautiful stitching. Lay a piece of wax paper over your vinyl and stitch your project. When you are finished just tear the wax paper away. Beautiful stitching every time!
By Dee Blucher from Dunedin, FL
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am trying to sew a piece of vinyl. When I sew on one piece it is okay. When I try to put two pieces together it will not pull up the bottom thread. What do I need to do?
Lou
They sell a special needle for this purpose, coated with Teflon. It will also help to put a little strip of tissue paper under the sewing foot over the vinyl and sew right through the paper.
Definitely have the "RIGHT" needle. These days, they make a different needle for every type fabric, and if your sewing machine is fairly new (10yrs old or less) then your machine will need the proper type of needle to sew the vinyl as well as light, medium, or heavy weights, knits (stretchy) or woven fabrics, etc. It's amazing how many types of needles there are now. Also, you may need to adjust the bobbin tension as well as the upper tension. You might try a needle for sewing leather. Hope this is helpful.
Pat T in Ocala, FL
I need to sew a strip of vinyl to a one-stoke brush holder so the brushes will not fall out. I have a Singer sewing machine about 40 years old.
I would like to know what size needle and thread I need to use. Any suggestion?you use a size 16 sewing needle as if your doing denim etc, the vinyl will stick to the feeddogs so you layer a piece of tissue paper on top of the vinyl, do your sewing stitches and when done tear the tissue away ....if this doesn't make sense to you repost back, sam
I also paint and have made my own brush holders. I used a bamboo placemat, sewed a length of elastic midway and attached a pretty silk ribbon to one end and added a pretty button to its end, and just tuck it under the silk ribbon after rolling up. As for dividing the elastic, I hand sewed every 3/4" to the bamboo. After I wash and soap my brushes into shape, I just slip them under the elastic, roll it up and PRESTO! My brushes keep their shape and can easily breathe to dry. my artist friend used canvas to sew elastic in. If you use the vinyl, it won't stretch for various size brushes, or other painting items.
artist AT isp.com
Where can I find see-through vinyl for sewing, in different colors? I would like to buy it online if possible.
By Donna from Belleville, IL
Hello,
Joann Fabrics sell this online.
You can find it here:
www.joann.com/
Hope this helps.
Beverly
When sewing on vinyl I use a walking foot. The top stitches are fine, but the bottom stitches are long and loose. What do I need to do to fix this?
You may have to adjust the bobbin tension. Your owner's manual will tell you how. You can also download the manual if you have lost it. It is a good idea to put a piece of tissue paper (the kind they use for gift bags) underneath the vinyl to help it feed through better.
Hi,
The reason that vinyl is so difficult is that it has a sticky surface and doesn't always feed under the pressure foot of the sewing machine. I think that is why your stitches are loose on the bottom. I agree with putting tissue paper under the vinyl to feed it better, and to help it not to get stuck and pull the thread on the bottom stitches.
Have a great day!
Robyn
there's a dial inside the machine that adjusts the thread at the bottom. It is very important to adjust this properly so as to have the correct tension.
What machine are you running?
Generally three things to try are:
1. Try a sharper needle designed for vinyl
2. Try reseating the bobbin into the machine
3. Try another bobbin (with brand new thread) preferably thread marked bonded nylon or bonded polyester
I tried making blinds a few years ago and my issue was the thread (old thread and not the bonded kind--the bonded kind, wound slightly loose worked fine).
The project failed--not because of the thread issue, but because I did not buy enough(it was a remnant and I thought it would be enough) and when I went back I could not find a color match or a matching remnant. Oh well....I ended up selling the fabric at my yard sale last summer and got more than I paid, so I was happy.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
