Minkee Sewing Tips

I found these tips on sewing on Minkee fabric or other plush fabrics and thought I would pass them along.

Minkee (Benartex) and other plush microfiber fabrics are so much fun to work with, but they can also present a frustrating challenge to the most patient sewer. I have a few tips for you on working with micro-plush fabrics—try them out!

*When you cut the fabrics for your project, add to the seam allowance so you have ½”. When you sew with a larger seam allowance, it’s easier to balance the presser foot so that you aren’t fighting gravity off the left side of your machine.

*Use a rolling foot or walking foot. These feet are made to assist the feed dogs to keep the layers of fabric even as they move through your machine.

*Increase the stitch length slightly and test seams on a few scraps to see if this helps.

*Consider using a temporary adhesive within the seam allowance such as Wash Away Wonder

*Tape or even a basting glue to stabilize the layers of fabric.

*Consider hand basting prior to stitching.

*Use a serger with Wooly Nylon thread.

*Experiment with needles. Since micro plush is a knit, a ball point needle should work well. However, if you are sewing a woven fabric to the micro-plush, you might find that a standard needle will work just as well.

*Cut all pattern pieces going the same direction on the fabric to eliminate changes in nap in the final product. If you are using the micro-plush fabric to piece a quilt, take the time to mark the backside of each patch with the direction of the nap with a chalk pencil and be sure to piece each piece the same direction.

*If all else fails, place a strip of tear-away stabilizer against the wrong sides of the fabric pieces you are sewing, so that the stabilizer is what touches the feed dogs and the presser foot. You can also try a fabric stabilizer such as a twill tape, but it will add bulk to the seams.

*Ultimately, the best thing to do is to work on scraps and test everything before putting a needle to the final project. Don’t give up, though! Mirco-plush fabrics are so wonderfully soft and cuddly that they are well worth the trouble to sew them.

*Finally, with all plush fabrics, it’s very important to keep the lint and fuzz they generate out of your machine. Remove and clean the bobbin case before, during, and after sewing with plush. Keep a lint roller next to your cutting mat and also your ironing board to help manage the fuzzies.