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Fabulous Fleece! It’s fun, it’s
fluffy. It’s soft and cozy. It’s simple to sew and easy
to work with. Get started now on one of the many projects we've
gathered for you. There's sure to be one for each member of your
family.
By Sara MacLean, staff writer
Contributions from Kathleen Gordon-Ross, senior editor & Lori
Garcia, editor-in-chief
Important things you should
know before starting your first project.
• Fleece has a nap, so make sure
you have enough fabric to lay all your pattern pieces in one direction.
Otherwise you may see a difference in shading.
• Fleece also has a right and wrong side. This is important
because the right side is often clearer, but also, if a finish
is applied to the fabric it is applied only to the right side.
The sales people at the store should be able to tell you which
is the right side, but if not, wash the fabric a few times and
then use the side that looks the best as the right side. You can
mark the wrong side with a large chalk X before you start your
project.
• Some fleece has a non-pill finish. This finish is applied
to the right side of the fabric and prevents the surface from
balling up or pilling. A “good deal” on fabric may not
be such a good deal if the garment’s appearance deteriorates
after several washings.
• Fleece is available in several weights. Make sure that
the weight is appropriate to your project.
| Name of Fleece |
Microfleece |
100-weight Fleeces |
Medium-weight
Fleeces |
Fleeces with
Spandex or Lycra™ |
| What it looks/feels
like |
Lightweight
fabrics almost like chamois |
About
the same weight as sweatshirting |
Most
common fleece fabric on the market |
Warmth
and moisture wicking qualities of fleece along with the stretch
of spandex |
| Uses |
Shirts
Leggings
Housecoats
Lightweight Jacket linings |
Sweatshirts
Leggings
Jacket Linings
Lightweight items for heads, hands and feet. |
Jackets
Pants
Hats
Mittens
Socks
Slippers
Vests
Blankets
Sleeping bag liners |
Leggings
Camping pajamas
Long johns
Socks
Mittens
Gloves
Hat bands
Head bands |
• Fleece can be cut with regular scissors,
pinking sheers or a rotary cutter.
• Use a universal size 70 or 80 needle when sewing with fleece.
If you are using a fabric that contains spandex or Lycra™,
use a ball-point needle.
• Use a good quality synthetic thread and use a slightly
longer than medium stitch length.
• Adjust your sewing machine presser foot until the fleece
feeds through evenly.
• If you are using a serger, extend the lower piece of fabric
slightly so that you can see it in order to make sure that it
is being caught in the seam.
• If you are using interfacing for collars, cuffs or facings,
it is best to sew around the edges after you have fused on the
interfacing. Make sure to use a cool iron, as fleece doesn’t
like hot temperatures.
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| Blanket
Edge Finshes - There
are a variety of other ways you can finish off your blanket.
Some of these include (A) Pinking sheers, (B) Hand sewn with
blanket stitch, (C) Serger, (D) Decorative sewing machine
stitch, (E) Zigzag stitch, (F) Another example of pinking
sheers. |
Fleece Finishes
One of the fabulous characteristics of fleece is that it does
not ravel and therefore edges do not need to be finished. However,
if the raw edges show, the item will have a nicer look if you
finish the edges. There are a number of methods that provide a
pleasing finish.
• Cut the edges with pinking sheers.
• Sew the raw edges with a serger using matching, contrasting,
or decorative thread.
• Sew the raw edges with a zigzag stitch.
• Scallop the edges using a blind hemstitch. The needle should
sew off the fabric when the zigzag is made in order to create
the scalloped effect.
• Hand stitch the edges with a blanket stitch or whip stitch
using thread or yarn. To ensure that your stitches are uniform,
use a long basting stitch to sew a guideline at the desired width
from the edge of the fabric. When you have finished your hand
sewing, remove the basting stitches.
• For hemming, fold the fabric to the wrong side and sew
close to the raw edge using a straight stitch. You can also topstitch
using a double needle.
• To sew on a pocket, sew on the seam line using a straight
stitch, then fold under along this line and topstitch the pocket
to the garment.
• On a single layer of fabric, If you are making buttonholes,
applying snaps, or any other application that will cause stress,
you must reinforce the fabric. Cut a small piece of the fabric
you are using and interface it on the wrong side. Place this piece
on the garment, wrong sides together. Make the application through
all the layers and then trim the reinforcement piece on the wrong
side close to the stitching.
• To make a fringe, decide how long you want the fringe and
sew a straight line across the fabric where you want to fringe
to end. Cut up to the stitches, making the fringe about _”
apart or whatever width you prefer.
• Make a tassel by cutting fabric into strips of equal length
and width. This is most easily done with a rotary cutter. Sew
the strips together in the middle to form a tassel.
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