I was in Napa last weekend for a girls trip and brought a few of my clear vinyl pouches to give out to the Moms. I thought they would be a great add-on for their diaper bags and holding all the stuff that comes with baby territory. Turns out that not only the Moms loved the pouches. The girls were intrigued by them. It was interesting to hear all the uses that everyone came up with. By the end of the weekend, I had multiple requests for a variety of sizes.
I will get working on the pouch “orders” and keep you posted on the new pattern sizes.
If you read the post, the pouches have a laminated facing. While discussing the pouches, I had a few of my craftier friends ask me what “laminated” fabric was. I thought that was interesting. I have always been under the impression that people knew about laminated fabric.. It got me thinking about doing a post on the “what and why” for sewing with laminated fabrics.
An easy explanation – A soft, protective film is “laminated” onto a cotton fabric.
A more technical explanation – Cloth fabric is laminated to a thin film of “polyurethane”. The result is a fabric called “polyurethane laminate” or PUL.
Fun facts – Laminated fabrics are water resistant and durable. The fabric is still soft, flexible and easy to sew with.
A few designer collections:
Michael Miller makes adorable kid inspired laminated prints. These are quirky and fun – wouldn’t they make an adorable baby bag? I found these at Fabric.com
Riley Blake also makes fun baby and kid inspired laminates. They just launched chevron laminates and matching solids. I like the option of mixing and matching the laminated fabric.
Amy Butler makes gorgeous laminated fabric. Her designs have a soft, romantic and whimsical feel. Here are a few from her Alchemy collection that I found on Fabric.com..
Uses for laminated fabric:
- Table cloth – With Memorial Day weekend starting TODAY, you could buy a few yards and tape it down to a table for a quick colorful table cloth
- Placemats and coasters – For the sewing inspired. Most designer laminated collections have coordinating solid fabrics. Use the solids for the backing.
- Bags – can you say baby bag, bottle bag or diaper caddy?
- Lunch totes
- Apparel – rain jacket and hats
- Accessories – clutch, mini wallet or belt
Helpful tips for sewing:
- Thread – you can use clear thread or regular all purpose. However, you don’t need to match the thread to your fabric. For topsititching, a heavier contrasting color thread would really pop on your design.
- I used wonder tape by Dritz to secure my laminated fabric. This helped keep the fabric in place and secure while sewing pieces together.
- Sewing with laminated fabric is fairly easy. I found sewing with vinyl much harder. However, if your machine is struggling, try keeping a long thread tail. As you start to sew hold the tail and give the fabric just a little help.
- Place your pins where you plan to sew. The little holes made by the pins will be covered by your stitching.
- Clean with water and mild soap
- Don’t iron the face of the laminated fabric.. Unless you plan on buying or cutting more fabric!
Happy Sewing!
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