Since I have a trial-and-error way in sewing generally, I thought it would be nice to share my experiences. So here are my tips on sewing with faux leather, that I used when I was sewing my fancy faux leather shorts I told about earlier.
- First thing first, before sewing anything, I lowered the tension (A: from 4 to 3); and increased the stitch length (B: from 2.5 to 3).
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Settings for A: Tension and B: Stitch length (for Pfaff Hobby 1042)
- Then I started playing around with scraps of faux leather. And realized to my surprise that, when sewing from the back -since it was already interfaced- it was no more problematic/different than sewing with any other fabric.
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Sewing from the wrong (C) and right (D) sides of the fabric
- The tricky part comes when trying to sew from the right side. Since the presser foot can not slide the fabric satisfactorily, stitches become sloppy (E).
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Seam without (E) and with (F) a strip of pattern paper
- There were a number of solutions to prevent this and one was to apply machine oil to the seam line. But I am quite a clumsy girl and thought this was not my cup of tea. Another one was to shed some talc/baby powder; but I was afraid it could mess up my beloved sewing machine. So I opted on feeding a strip of pattern paper over the fabric and sewing them together (F). I can not express enough how easy and neat it was.
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Sewing with a strip of pattern paper
- And last but not least, since you can not pin/baste faux leather (because these would leave unwanted holes), I used bobby pins to temporarily attach the pieces together. Paper clips was another idea but I unfortunately did not have any at home.
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Well, there were also recommendations about sewing with a thicker needle, but since my fabric was no more thicker than a regular one, I didn't change my needle (90/14). But if I would sew with a thicker faux leather or genuine leather (which I'm not sure my Hobby series machine would endure) I would for sure follow this advice.
So would you like to add something I didn't cover? Because now I'd like to sew a clutch to go with my shorts and could definitely use some more tips!
So would you like to add something I didn't cover? Because now I'd like to sew a clutch to go with my shorts and could definitely use some more tips!
your shorts are FAB!
ReplyDeletei love these tips, and your blog is so pretty-- you might try double stick tape the next time you're playing with leather, faux or real- holds seams together nicely till you're ready to stitch:)
Thanks oona! It means so much coming from you :o) And thanks for the tip too.
ReplyDeleteAnother quick tip for sewing with faux leather is to spray a little silicone spray on your sewing plate and the bottom of your foot
ReplyDeleteuse teflon presser foot.. it is proper part for sewing faux or real leather
ReplyDelete