A Few Tips On Sewing With Vinyl

Have you wanted to sew with vinyl, but weren’t sure how to get started? Scared to attempt it.. Well read on.

I made these adorable clear, plastic pouches and shared them on my blog on Monday.  I had a blast and can’t wait to make more pouches to carry and organize all my stuff.

I’ve been thinking alot about my project and I that didn’t share a few issues that came up while sewing with the vinyl.  The laminated fabric was fairly easy and glided through my machine. The vinyl was not as easy and it made me second guess myself a little. It was very sticky and my presser foot didn’t want to help at all.

So, thought I would share a few tips that I found when sewing my pouch.

1. Laminated facing – I placed the laminated fabric facedown/closest to the feed dogs.  My sewing machine and feed dogs  reacted very differently to the laminted fabric and pulled it through with ease.
2. Sewing the side seams – The side seams are vinyl on vinyl.  I found my sewing machine got stuck and wanted to sew in the same spot over and over.  I increased the stitch length a little and also helped guide/ pull the vinyl through the machine.
3. Clear Vinyl – I used a 12 gauge clear vinyl. It worked fine, but next time I buy more vinyl, I plan to buy the 16 gauge. I think it might be a little stiffer. I will keep you posted on how the 16 gauge works out!
4. Wonder Tape – Wash Away Wonder Tape from Dritz is amazing!! I love it so much, I actually wrote a blog post on it.  I used little pieces of this to secure the cotton canvas backing to the laminated fabric.
5. Clear Thread – I had to adjust the tension on my machine while using the clear thread. You may have to play with your machine a little. You also don’have to use clear thread. A pop of thread color would make these pouches really cute.
6. Cotton Canvas Backing – The cotton canvas backing shows through the clear vinyl.  The “recovering perfectionist” in me had to let this go.. I could have used a matching color of cotton canvas material, or even lined it.. But I let this one go.

I am headed off tomorrow to Napa for a girls weekend.  I made a few clear pouches to give away to my friends, a special one for my friend Sue who uses zip locks to hold her stuff.. I hope she likes it.

Happy Sewing!