Seam finishes and buttonholes on bulky, thick fabrics

At this time of year it's lovely to be able to sew with warmer fabrics like our cosy fur backed fabric for jackets and gilets and snuggly marled knitted fabric for cardigans and jumpers.

If you aren’t used to sewing with these more unusual types of fabrics, knowing how to handle seam finishes and buttonholes can be flummoxing!

In this blog post and corresponding Youtube video I’ll be sharing my tips and showing examples of how different seam finishes, button holes and alternative fastenings can work on these types of fabrics.

Fur Backed Fabrics

We have a selection of 4 different fur backed fabric this year that are all similar in that they are two layers of different fabric permanently bonded together during manufacturing. One side is a fluffy and lofty furry fabric and for the other side we have two types of cord: variated cord and bubble cord, a wool mix plaid fabric and a denim fabric.

Although they are fairly lofty and feel quite thick, they are actually fairly easy to handle when it comes to sewing them and dealing with multiple layers as the fur does flatten down quite a bit.

Pattern suggestions - I would recommend fairly simple garments that don't have too many pattern pieces. Here are a few suggestions - Friday Pattern Company Ilford Jacket, Chalk and Notch Den Jacket, Friday Pattern Company pogonip, Sew Over It Jessie Coatigan, I AM Patterns Hathor (with bound edges), Helens Closet Moss Jacket, I AM patterns Gaston

Overlocker - seams finished open

On this sample you can see I have used an overlocker and pressed the seam allowances open. I used a slightly shorter stitch length so that the stitching was more dense and would hold the fur edges in place better.

Top tip - It was much easier to overlock them BEFORE I stitched the seam rather than afterwards. If you overlocker them afterwards the machine can't feed the fabric as evenly and the stitches get uneven. So if you choose this method just think about what seam allowances you can finish off before you start constructing and sewing seams

Overcast stitching on the sewing machine

Your sewing machine may have a special overcast foot, this is what it looks like on my machine. The little bar should be lined up with the edge of the fabric and you can either use a wide zig zag stitch or a specific overcast stitch that your machine has. This will give the same affect as overlocking.

Overlocker seams finished together

On this sample, once I has sewn the seam I finished off both seam allowances together. The overlocker coped ok, it does make for a more bulky seam finish though, which depending on what you are making might make the whole seam stiffer. Or if you are then sewing that seam to another seam where you have done the same thing, so for example a sleeve insertion where the sleeve has seam allowances finished together and a bodice side seam that has them finished together, it would make the seam of actually inserting the sleeve EVEN more bulky.

Hong Kong bound seam

This is my favourite type of seam finish and give a really fancy result. You can make bias stripes from a light weight fabric like cotton lawn (see my guide to making bias binding linked here and at the bottom of this page). I found a 3cm wide bias strip worked well. You sew the binding on with the right side of the binding facing the fur side of the fabric with a 0.5cm seam allowance. Then press the binding away and then around the raw edge and pin into place. Then ‘stitch in the ditch’ or stitch in the seam line between the binding and the main fabric to catch the fabric on the other side. As the binding is cut on the bias it won’t fray. You could then just leave it like this, or once you’ve sewn the seam you could hand stitch the seam allowance down to keep it flat.

Top tip - if using a Hong Kong bias binding finish its best to apply the binding BEFORE sewing seams and constructing as much as possible.

Buttonholes

When you sew a buttonhole on this type of fabric, it’s likely that you would be going through two layers of fabric. As the fabric is already pretty stable I don’t think you need to add interfacing in there as you normally would but you could apply some fray check after the buttonhole is sewn and cut open to give extra strength.

My machine managed to sew through the two layers ok, it was easiest on the bubble cord, but depending on the type of machine you have it might struggle - just check on some scrap fabric.

Anorak snaps

I love the brass prym anorak snaps and I tested applying them through two layers of the fabric in a sample of a button placket. It is doable - you just need to make sure that you are applying a lot of force to lock together the two sides of the snaps. I like using the vario pliers as I feel like it gives more the most control but you do need good hand grip strength for this. Alternatively you could use the Prym creative tool or the clip that comes with the snaps and a hammer.

Marl knit fabrics

This fabric is a wool and synthetic mix with a bit of elastane. It has a really loose weave and texture to it, that gives the fabric is lovely character and texture but it can be easy to see how sewing with this type of fabric might be tricky. The key thing is that due to the fabric being stretchy, you can’t have the seam finish being too rigid or fixed. That’s why I think using bound seams on this type of fabric might not be the best idea. I think it would be too heavy and rigid for the looser, more drapey nature of the fabric.

Pattern suggestions - When it comes to picking a pattern, I'd suggest something that is looser fitting and can be layered over a long sleeve top of blouse. Here are a few suggestions -True Bias Marlo Cardigan, Vicki Sews Carol Sweater, Sew House Seven Toaster Version 2, Sew House Seven Tabor, Matchy Matchy All round crew, Tilly and the Buttons Nora Top.

Overlocker

I’ve made a True Bias Marlo cardigan with this fabric and found that sewing the seam with the overlocker worked well to actually sew the seam and finish the seam allowances at the same time. If you were nervous about doing this you could sew it first on a sewing machine - I’d suggest using the stretchy maraflex thread and a straight stitch to minimise the chance of the sewing machine snarling up the fabric. Then once its sewn you could go over the raw edge with the overlocker. I just think it’s quicker to overlock it in the first place.

Overcast stitch

If you don’t have an overlocker you could use the overcast foot from your machine and either a wide zig zag stitch or a specialised overcast stitch - just practise on some scraps to see what is working best on your machine. This worked best when two layers were done together rather than just a single layer.

Top Tip - If using the overcast foot on your regular sewing machine, first sew the seam with stretchy Maraflex thread and a straight stitch or a stretch stitch with regular thread, then neaten the seam allowances with the overcast stitch and foot.

Buttonholes

When I made my Marlo cardigan I did put buttonholes in it, even though I know I’m unlikely to actually do the buttons up! I think it just finishes off the cardigan nicely. I used our lightest weight woven interfacing in the buttonband and ironed it on using a pressing cloth. This is really important as it gives the buttonhole stitching something to hold onto in a fabric like this that has a loose weave. It stitched it really easily, I found the machine coped well.

Alternatives to buttonholes

If doing buttonholes on this type of fabric is too much for you are your machine, you could use large sew on snaps instead. You could still sew a button on, to give the effect of having buttons without actually having a functioning buttonhole.