Tips & Tricks for Sewing With Fleece

It’s the time of the year when people start thinking about sewing with fleece again.

It’s lightweight, stretchy and makes a great extra layer of insulation.

But there are a few little things that it can help to know when you’re sewing fleece…

Like what?

• I think the number one question I get asked is “how do you tell which side is the right one?”.  When you gently stretch the fabric, across the width (meaning, not the selvage edge) fleece normally rolls towards the wrong side.
• Fleece has a grain, so it’s very important to pay attention to the grain markings on your pattern pieces.  How come?  The fleece can actually look slightly different, depending on which way the grain is positioned. You don’t want your new fleece vest to look like a patchwork vest, right?
• Fleece is extremely hard on scissors, pins, sewing machine needles and rotary cutter blades.  If you’re going to do a lot of work with fleece, I recommend keeping a set of less-expensive scissors to work with it.  And definitely remember to change your sewing machine needle after you’re done!
• Are you having problems with seams breaking?  I recommend using a stretch stitch and a good-quality polyester thread.  You may also want to use a seam binding to reinforce seams for the shoulder or around zippers.  It takes some of the stress of the seam and makes it sturdier.

image: C Findlay-Harder