Jo here, back with more tips for sheers. I got on a roll while writing the last one and felt the need to do a second! You can view the first blog post here; it deals with tips for prepping your project. Now let's move onto the actual sewing!
For lightweight fabrics, you need a smaller size machine needle. I would recommend no larger than a size 70/10 needle. One size down from that is 65/9. The lightest weight needle you can get is a size 60/8. If your needle is too large it will punch through the fabric aggressively, damaging it.
I would also recommend you use a sharp needle rather than a universal needle. Universal needles have a slightly rounded tip so they can be used for a variety of fabrics including knits. A sharp tip will go through more cleanly.
The brand I have is Schmetz and I use their Microtex range which seems to be what they call their sharps!
Of course, as well as choosing the correct needle type, make sure your needle is not dull. If you’re having issues with your stitches, changing the needle is always a good step (first I recommend re-threading your machine to make sure it’s correct!).
There are lots of ways you can reduce this annoying effect. One of my favourite tips that I haven’t seen many people talk about is changing your presser foot.
Most sewers are taught to sew with the universal presser foot. And that’s exactly what it is, a great foot that will be useful for most stitches.
But by switching your foot out to a more specialised foot specifically for straight stitching, you may find your stitching improves!
The universal foot has a wide mouth for the needle to go into. This allows it to be used for straight stitches as well as zig zag stitching. In comparison, you can see the straight stitch foot only has a small hole for the needle to go into. This means the fabric is held in place right up to the stitching. It’s amazing what a difference it can make! In my experience, it greatly reduces the tendency for the fabric to get eaten up by the machine.
Bonus tip for the straight stitch foot - remember not to change your machine over to a zig zag stitch while your straight stitch foot is in, or the needle will hit the foot and you’ll damage (or break!) your needle (ask me how I learned this)!
Here’s another tip for if your fabric is so lightweight and delicious your machine wants to eat it. Layer tissue paper underneath the seam as you sew it! This provides a barrier that stops the fabric being sucked into the throat plate and just adds some general stability. Once you’ve sewn the seam, just tear away the paper!
In the past I’ve used offcuts from old paper patterns, but you can use many types of tissue. As an example, tissue paper from gift wrapping can be worth keeping on hand to reuse.
This is a quick tip, but I just wanted to give a shout out to one technique I really like. It's known as a baby hem or pin hem, and we've even made a very quick video tutorial for it. It's a technique used in our Lola blouse pattern and is thoroughly illustrated in the instruction booklet as well. Check out our video tutorial here. I think you'll love this delicate finish!
The Lola blouse and dress pattern - a great choice for delicate sheers!
That's it for this round of tips! I hope you enjoyed them and found something useful!
I'm also planning another blog post about the sheer Ella skirt I made for the re-launch of the pattern, including how I sewed the zip area of the lining with a stunning finish especially for sheers. ✨
