This was a challenge.

And not necessarily a fun sort of challenge, more of an uggggg I’m going to have to do this by hand challenge.

Good news is that I figured it out without resorting to hand-sewing.

So, the first thing I did was pin the lightning bolt down. That part was easy.

But then, how to get the stupid lightning bolt to stay where it is and not stretch or bulge or go all over the place? I pulled out my handy dandy scrap of fabric (I’m feeling very Blues Clues this morning), and gave it a test run, adding in a zig zag stitch and just using my normal foot. It worked with the side seams for the dress, didn’t it?

Well, that gold stuff, as it turns out, is kind of sticky so that didn’t work at all. It stretched, it bubbled, and just no.

So then, I started looking up videos and found one that said that I could solve the problem by placing tissue paper under my applique. Under I could do. I needed to see on top so that I could make sure my seam was placed correctly on the applique.

It didn’t work. Granted, the feed dogs weren’t getting stuck on the fabric, the top of the gold was and I needed to be able to see that. Also this:

(Terrible photo, I know.) And in the end, neither one of my seams looked remotely nice.

So I tried the one thing that I probably should have done to begin with: I got out my walking foot.

For those of you who don’t know a thing about sewing machines, walking feet are really freaking adorable. They’re normally used in quilting when you’re sewing a kajillion layers plus batting all at the same time. In action they act like teeny tiny kangaroos. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone recommending to use one for clothing before; but in this case, you should definitely give it a shot.

Why? Instead of the foot sliding over your fabric and causing it to bunch up, the walking foot hops up and down as it moves. In other words, no bunches.

It worked amazingly, and the only excuse I have for trying toilet paper before walking down a flight of stairs to go get it is that I was feeling very lazy and the bathroom was much closer than downstairs.

While I realize that not everyone in the world is going to want to invest in a new sewing machine foot just for one project, I’d highly recommend having one of these little guys around. They’re surprisingly useful at the oddest of times, and they’re really not too expensive. I believe the one for my Husqvarna only cost $25 and it’s saved me so many headaches. Plus–did I mention–that I think they’re cute?

So that’s my solution. I’m sure there are other ways to go about it, but for me this solved the problem in an easy way that actually looks nice and I didn’t have to rip out any of my seams (which wouldn’t be fun on this fabric–there would be so many holes!).

Next up: piping!

People who commonly sew on 4-way stretch seem to have 1 main piece of advice:

Use a serger.

I technically have a serger. When we were little, my mom was afraid my brother was going to slice his fingers off with it (a reasonable concern, having known Greggy his entire life). So it’s been living in a box for roughly 30 years. Thanks Greg.

This left me with one option: my little Husqvarna.

It is completely possible to sew 4-way stretch on your normal sewing machine, and the normal old YaYa Navy Blue 4-way stretch (the $20 one, not the $40) gave me absolutely not trouble on it. (The gold is another story).

5 Things you can do to (try and) guarantee success with 4 way stretch fabric:

Use a stretch needle. I’m not certain that I understand all of the technical details that make these little guys work, but they’re designed so that you don’t skip stitches while sewing on stretch fabric. I picked up a pack of Schmetz needles at Joann Fabrics. You can get them on Amazon if you’re so inclined.
Change the tension on your machine. You want to make sure that the thread will also stretch with the fabric, and making it looser helps with this. Most recommendations I read said to put it on 2 or so. That worked just fine for me.
Use a stretch stitch or a zigzag. I used C or P on my machine, which isn’t a total zigzag, but the little extra stitches that go inward on them were just enough to keep the stretch I needed. A full zigzag is supposed to keep more stretch, but then your seam is going to look funky.
Don’t use cotton thread. Apparently it breaks more easily. I don’t know if I actually followed this one with the blue, as I used a spool of thread that I already had and it no longer had stickers on it to tell me what it was. But I’ll add it in my list anyway as it sounds important.
Pull gently on the fabric as you feed it through the machine. This will keep it from bunching up. Gently is the key here. If you pull too hard it will also bunch. Just in a different way than if you don’t pull.

Go slow and do a test on some scraps before you use your actual pieces. That way you can tell what’s happening with your fabric as it happens, and figure out how to correct it before you start on your actual pattern pieces.

I had no problem putting together the front of the dress. So, just considering that I’m happy with the fabric so far. The gold is proving a bit trickier than the blue, however, and the fact that I can’t iron it isn’t making me feel any less…annoyed with it…so we’ll see if I my happiness doesn’t swing towards angry frustration by the time I’m done working on the appliqued lightning bold.

Next post! Applique with 4-way stretch! Huzzah!

Oh, and in case you missed it, I’ve got new coloring bookmarks up on Etsy! They’re flowers. Check them out, buy a set, make me insanely happy for at least 24 hours. Sometimes longer. You know, whatever!

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Monthly Archives: May 2016

Ms. Marvel: Applique on 4 Way Stretch

Ms. Marvel: Working with 4-Way Stretch Fabric for the First Time

People who commonly sew on 4-way stretch seem to have 1 main piece of advice:

5 Things you can do to (try and) guarantee success with 4 way stretch fabric: