Tips for Sewing with Vinyl
Sewing with vinyl gets a bad wrap. Why? Because it can be difficult to sew with. It tends to stick to the presser foot and needle plate, causing all sorts of frustration. Plus, it’s not very forgiving. If you have to rip out any stitches, there will be holes left behind in the material.
Tip #1 – Remove Creases
Before you take even one stitch with your vinyl, it’s important to properly prepare the material. Often times, you’ll find there are creases or folds in the vinyl. You’ll want to remove these creases and make sure your vinyl is nice and flat before you begin sewing.
To prepare the vinyl, you can hang it on a clothesline so that it hangs straight. Or try using an iron on a low-heat setting along with a pressing cloth. You can also try just hovering your iron over the vinyl. Don’t use steam and be careful not to touch the vinyl with the iron – it will melt and stick to your iron!
Tip #2 – Store Vinyl in Rolls
For best results and to prevent creasing, do NOT fold the vinyl. Instead, roll it up and store it standing up in a basket. You can secure the roll with a rubber band or some twine to keep it from unrolling. Just keep the band or twine loose. You don’t want to create a crease in the vinyl.
Tip #3 – Use Heavy Duty Thread
For projects that need a little extra durability, you may want to try using a heavy duty thread. I’ve had success using bonded nylon thread. Bonded nylon thread is safe for home sewing machine use. It’s a strong thread that is often used in upholstery and drapery sewing. I like to use a Tex 70 thread.
It’s also a great option for using as a decorative stitch with vinyl, such as with topstitching.
An a varigated thread also gives an eye catching top stitch.
Tip #4 – Use a Vinyl Needle or a good Schmetz needle usually as zie 16 or and 18 on an industrial machine.
Schmetz actually makes a sewing machine needle designed for use with vinyl. In fact they have a vinyl needle and a nonstick needle.
These needles have a special coating that helps the needles glide through the vinyl and keeps the vinyl from sticking to the needles.
Tip #5 – Use a Long Stitch Length.
Because the needle actually punctures holes in the vinyl when you sew with it, it’s important to select a long stitch length. If you use a short or regular stitch length, you can literally perforate the vinyl. So, use at least a 3 to 4 stitch length and a 5 for top stitching ( on an industrial ) take a scrap piece of vinyl and try some different stitch lengths to see what works best for you and your machine.
Tip #6 – Lower the Tension
If you find that you are breaking your thread often while sewing with vinyl, you may need to adjust your sewing machine tension. Because the vinyl is a thick material, you might want to ease up on that tension by lowering the tension.
Again, use a scrap piece of vinyl to practice sewing a few stitches, making any necessary adjustments to tension and stitch length to get the best results.
Tip #7 – Use Clips NOT Pins
Remember, if you puncture your vinyl with your sewing machine needle, pins, or even scissors, the puncture will be permanent. So, when you need to secure layers together for sewing, use clips instead of pins.
I like to use Wonder clips, but you can use any brand of clips. Just don’t use pins!
You also don’t want to leave the clips on your vinyl for very long because they can leave permanent indentions in your vinyl.
Tip #8 – Use a Rotary Cutter
To get perfectly straight cut lines and edges on your vinyl, be sure to cut the vinyl with a rotary cutter.
Tip #9 – Use a Teflon Presser Foot
There are a few different types of presser feet that you can use to sew vinyl. My first choice would be a teflon presser foot.
You can also use a walking foot. The walking foot is especially helpful when sewing with thicker vinyl. Another option is a roller foot. The roller foot actually has little rollers on the bottom of the foot that helps to feed through thicker materials.
Tip #10 – Use Scotch Tape
If you don’t have a teflon foot, you do have another option. Simply apply a piece of Scotch tape to the bottom of your presser foot. The tape will help your foot to glide over the vinyl.
Tip #11 – If you use Double-sided tape .
When sewing and your needle gums up a good trick is to run a small drop of oil at the very top of your needle so it runs down. You can also use an alchol wipe to wipe and clean your needle. Gummed up needles with effect your stitching and often cause it to look uneven and wonky. We don’t want that!
Tip #12 – Test First!
Although I’ve mentioned this earlier, it’s important to mention it again. To have the best results with sewing with vinyl, the very best thing you can do is to test first. Just take a scrap piece of vinyl, change your presser foot, tension, thread, etc. and test stitch. Make any necessary adjustments, test again until you are happy with the results.
