TIPS FOR SEWING SEQUIN FABRIC
By Amber Eden
Editor, Stitch Magazine and The Unofficial Downton Abbey Sews Magazine
- PREP WORK/ SEAMS:
- Inexpensive fabric vs. quality fabric: good-quality fabric will have sequins locked in place – removing one sequin won’t cause the entire chain of stitching to pull out.
 Remove sequins. Use chalk to mark the seam allowances. Remove sequins within the seam allowance area before sewing the seams. This helps avoid needle breakage. Remove sequins with small scissors or seam ripper.- CUTTING:
- Cutting: place tissue paper under the fabric, and place the pattern piece on top. Cut through all layer. The tissue paper – reduces slipping! You can even sew with the tissue in place for better stability.
- PINNING:
- In lieu of pins, use pattern weights or paper clips, to hold fabric in place.
- PRESSING:
- Press only on the inside of fabric, using a pressing cloth .
- BASTING:
- Baste seams with un-waxed silk thread before sewing, just inside the seamline. Wax leaves grease stains after pressing.
- SEWING SEAMS:
- Mark seam sewing machine needle, such as Schmetz Microtex, size 10/70.
- Change the stitch plate on the sewing machine to a single-hole, straight-stitch plate to keep fabric from being pulled into hole. These stitch plates are available for your specific sewing machine. See your local sewing machine dealer.
- Always hold thread ends when beginning stitching to keep thread from bunching on backside.)
- Avoid backstitching: begin seams with 1.0mm stitch length and then lengthen the stitch to a 2.5mm for the remainder of seam.
- TIP: Use blue painter’s tape to hold sequins away from seam.
- ZIPPER: Use an invisible zipper:
- TIP: Use blue painter’s tape to hold sequins away from seam
- Baste open the zipper to the guideline on the zipper tape, right-sides-together. The finished edge of the zipper tape aligns with the raw edge of the fabric. It is important to leave the lower portion of the seam open until after you have completed the insertion of the zipper. Installing an invisible zipper is different than installing a standard zipper, so follow the instructions on the zipper package!
- Machine stitch the zipper carefully into groove of zipper tape, along the seamline, beginning at the top edge and stopping at the zipper pull at bottom.
- Finish the lower end of the seam, right-sides-together, with a regular zipper foot by starting 1/8” to the left of previous stitching, with the invisible zipper in the closed position. Resume the 5/8” seam allowance after passing the bottom of zipper as you sew to the end of the seam.
- HEMS:
- Topstitch: turn up the seam allowance at the bottom. Topstitch through all layers, stretching while stitching. This technique is recommended for less expensive fabrics with highly elastic fiber content.
- Lace hem tape trim: remove 1/4” of sequins at the edge of the seam allowance. Straight stitch lace hem tape trim (Wrights Flexi-Lace Hem Tape, 3/4”) to the edge of the hem. Turn up the hem and hand stitch the edge of lace to the inside of the garment, taking tiny stitches to secure the hem to the inside.
- Lined/ faced: (This is the technique used for the sequined dress featured on It’s Sew Easy! and in The Unofficial Downton Abbey Sews magazine) Make an identical-sized lining and outer shell for the dress. The lining and hem are stitched together before turning the dress right-side-out.
- FINISHING:
- Add sequins back onto the front of the garment, around the neckline & armholes, by hand sewing, as necessary, to fill gaps after sequins were removed.
SUPPLY LIST
- Tissue paper
- Pattern weights
- SCHMETZ Microtex sewing machine needles, size 70/ 10,
- Clover Appliqué pins
- Needle threader
- Invisible zipper foot
- Coats® invisible zipper
- Wrights Lace Hem Tape
- Chalk pencil or fabric marker
- Silk thread
- Seam ripper
- Single hole throat plate for your sewing machine model
- Small, black trimming scissors
- #10-Straw needles (hand sewing)
Sewing Machine Featured in this Segment:
Brother Innov-ís NX2000 Laura Ashley® Limited Edition Sewing Machine
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