I was sewing basic cheap polyester dress lining yesterday, and could not prevent it from puckering. It is very thin stuff, which I did wash and dry before sewing. I tried adjusting the tension and stitch length, and also using a smaller needle, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. I’ve sewed this kind of fabric before without too many problems. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I’m doing wrong??

May 3, 2011, 09.27 AM by mlakin

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  • Missing

    May 4, 2011, 03.59 AMby mickeygirl

    The seam might press out fine. The lining is inside and not going to show so much. Don’t stress out so much.

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    May 4, 2011, 06.34 AMby katexxxxxx

    Smaller needle, finer poly thread (try 120’s serger/overlocker thread), looser tension, smaller stitches, pull it taught as you sew. Also lessen your presser foot pressure. After that, forget it. Some will press out, some won’t. And you can have exactly the same fabric in two different colours and it’ll pucker differently.

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    May 4, 2011, 03.52 PMby mlakin

    Thanks to you both. Pressing did help, and as it’s the lining, you’re right that it doesn’t matter too much, but it’s nice to know where you’re going wrong in case of problems in future. My instinct was to go for bigger stiches, so I’ll try smaller. Also, I have never experimented to see what happens when you change presser foot pressure, so that could be useful knowledge to acquire. I’m also very glad to hear that it might not be down to anything I’ve done wrong!

    1 Reply
    • Manneqin_large

      Aug 4, 2011, 08.36 AMby japconst

      I’m kind of late in posting this but I learned a trick some years back in regards to handling lightweight fabric and also slippery fabric. In addition to prewashing etc, I ironed the fabric with spray starch to stiffen it. Then it works like magic – from cutting stage to sewing. It also washes off in the laundry.

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    Aug 4, 2011, 04.48 AMby wanabelle100

    Hello, I’m kind of hijacking this post… but, I’m having a problem with similar fabric. I already hemmed the front, with zigzag stitch. Now I’m working on the back but for some reason, the thread keeps getting tangled. I tried cleaning the bobbin area, but I have no idea what else to do!

    1 Reply
    • Missing

      Aug 4, 2011, 06.36 AMby judypeg

      The thread, needle, fabric combination is probably the problem. Also, do you hold the ends of the threads when you start to stitch? I always hold tight to the thread until the first half dozen stitches are done. It stops the tangle on the underside. Always use the best thread you can afford. I’ve had so many problems with cheap thread I threw them all out and only buy good stuff now.
      Hope these thoughts are helpful.

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    Aug 4, 2011, 07.48 PMby wanabelle100

    Oh thanks!! I’ll try adjusting the needle and maybe thread. I use Gutermann thread I bought from JoAnn on sale… Fabric is thin, polyester silky fabric called Sew Classic Silky. I called up a friend who is taking a sewing class, and she suggested using a thinner ball point needle. I’ve been using Orange (11/80) regular point needle.

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