Working with Double Brushed Poly and Rib Knit - A Christmas Story with Nicole

October 01, 2024

Many of the beautiful holiday dress patterns that I love to make require a pattern with good drape.  While double brushed poly and rib knit meet that requirement, they can sometimes be daunting to sew with.  I am going to share with you some tips and tricks that I’ve learned over time.  Raspberry Creek Fabrics has nice, thick fabrics, so if you haven’t had luck in the past you might try sewing with these fabrics again.  They are some of my favorite fabrics to sew with.

The initial challenge can be just getting your fabric ready to sew.  I cut off the selvedge edges.  This releases the tension in the fabric and helps it to lay flat while you are working with the fabric.  It also is a bonus that you won’t accidentally get a bit of printed selvedge on your garment and not realize it until after you’ve cut out your pattern piece.

There is another tip that I do, that I didn’t even realize until I started thinking about the blog.  It is applicable if you have a long length of fabric, like for a dress. If you are cutting on a table and it hangs off, it will stretch your fabric.  Then, you run the risk of cutting your fabric piece and it being too short.  So, I just go ahead and lay that extra end on the cutting table.

Depending on the weight of your dress or tunic, you may want to reinforce your shoulders with clear elastic.  This will keep the weight from stretching out your garment.  I always like to sew the shoulder seam with the back bodice up and the elastic against the back shoulder.  Then when you insert the sleeve, keep that seam to the back and it will encase the elastic.

Finally, I like to make hemming as easy as possible.  So, I measure the hem allowance and iron it to the wrong side. Then, I keep it in place using Washaway Wonder Tape.  I stop the tape a bit before the beginning and end, so the tape won’t interfere with my seams.  Then, I’m ready to sew the hems as soon as the rest of the garment is complete.

I hope you found these tips helpful.  You may have other tips and tricks that you use and I would love to hear them.  Please go to the Raspberry Creek Fabrics Facebook Group and share your wisdom.  I know other members will also benefit from your knowledge and experience.

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Also in Raspberry Creek Fabrics Blog