Sewing thick fabrics: 10+ unbeatable tips that will really help you

Should you wash thick fabrics before sewing?

Thick fabrics should also be pre-washed before sewing. Of course, thick fabrics can also lose their color or shrink (shrinkage). Depending on the fabric type, the way you wash them will naturally differ. In good fabric stores or online shops, you will always also get information on the composition and care instructions.

If you want to work with a thick coat fabric, pre-washing is not always necessary, however. Usually, these fabrics are dry-cleaned anyway.

And wool fabrics are pulled into shape after washing and dried flat.

Even though the saying goes around, boiled fabrics should not be washed beforehand: In my opinion, boiled wool benefits significantly from the first wash. It becomes denser and firmer and can be worked with much better. Overall, boiled fabric also shrinks during the first wash. So: Better wash BEFORE sewing than AFTER, right? ;)

Another advantage of the first wash: Boiled fabrics that have been pre-washed no longer dust and pill as much, because the fibers have bonded more firmly together through the washing process.

What is best for cutting thick fabrics?

Thick fabrics can be cut with both scissors and a rotary cutter. Both methods have their advantages. Let's first look at cutting with scissors.

There are special fabric scissors that have a bent blade. These are great for thick fabrics, such as sweatshirt, faux leather, many coat fabrics. It could be that your "normal fabric scissors" have to give up on these fabrics.

Simone now has the wonderful Paul fabric scissors ready for us in her Etsy shop:

Here you can order the professional fabric scissors.^*

Namely: The longer your scissors are, the greater the leverage. This means that you have to use less force when cutting. This is a big advantage with thick fabrics. So, a sturdy and sharp fabric scissors is a very good purchase and worth it.

If you want to know more about fabric scissors, read my post on this: Everything about scissors for sewing.

Cutting thick fabrics with a rotary cutter

A good alternative to cutting with scissors. However, you should keep a few things in mind:

• Adjust the size of the rotary cutter blade to the fabric thickness: As soon as the fabric waves in front of the blade when cutting, you need a larger blade. The fabric wave means that the blade can no longer manage the fabric thickness. Thick fabrics can be cut well with a 45-mm blade or even with a 60-mm rotary cutter
• Use a sharp blade: This is important so that the fabric is really cut reliably. If this is not the case, individual threads will remain. If you pull on the cut piece when picking it up, the thread can pull tight through the entire fabric. Often such mistakes are still visible on the finished garment.
• When working with fabrics with fur or plush, make sure to brush the nap away from the cut edge. This is important so that you really cut on the fabric and not just on the nap
• When cutting straight fabric edges, it makes sense to guide the rotary cutter along a patchwork ruler . The edges will then be much more accurate.
• When cutting out a garment, your flat hand should rest on the pattern paper at the same height as the rotary cutter. This ensures that the pattern paper does not lift up at this point and shift if necessary.

How can I clean my cutting mat after cutting?

Is that not meant, how thick fabrics nestle into the cutting mat when cutting? Maybe you have already read about this in the post Cleaning and caring for the cutting mat.

A tip from practice: Very well pressed-in lint can be removed with a piece of the fabric you are working with. If nothing helps, Theraband^* helps. This is not only fantastic in Pilates, cut into small pieces it also removes lint from the self-healing cutting mat.

Extra tip: By the way, it also does a good job as a non-slip pad under the sewing machine pedal. Read more about it in my post Setting up a sewing room with 15 hacks.

Which sewing pins are suitable for thick fabrics?

Has it ever happened to you that sewing pins simply get lost in the thick fabric?

Often this is because they are too short or too thin. Or you can't find them again because of the small head.

So how should sewing pins be that are suitable for thick fabrics?

• Long enough: You shouldn't even start with anything under 5 cm. Sewing pins that are 5 - 6 cm long are ideal for thick fabrics
• Thick enough: Fine, thin sewing pins often bend when they are inserted through several layers of fabric. Make sure that the needles are thick enough and sturdy
• Large heads: So that the needles do not get lost in the fabric, you must be able to see the heads well. Consequently, they must have a certain size and be easy to grip.

The ones that are also the most beautiful (and maybe the most practical ever), that I know, are also the best sewing pins for sewing with thick fabrics according to my experience (you can also read about it in my big sewing pin test). These are the heart-shaped pearl-head sewing pins^* from the American manufacturer Dritz. I have been using these needles for years and am still as enthusiastic as ever.

Small extra tip: So that sewing pins glide well through the fabric, you can park them in a piece of soap. You will be amazed at what a difference that makes!

Is there a sewing machine that also sews thick fabrics?

Conventional sewing machines occasionally reach their limits with thick fabrics. Robust sewing machines with a stronger motor and high penetration power are then of course an advantage. Several layers of fabric are no problem for these machines.

Usually, you recognize these so-called "Heavy Duty" machines by the fact that they achieve fewer stitches per minute. The "Heavy Duty machine" from Janome^* sews 860 SPM (stitches per minute), for example, while its "all-purpose colleague" Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200 is out with 1000 stitches per minute. Would you like to read more about this machine? Then go along here to the Test report on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft.

But it really depends on every machine. There are many experiences on this topic. Read my post on how you find the right sewing machine for you.

But even with your "whatever-sewing-machine" you can do a lot to get by with thicker fabrics. Sometimes a stronger sewing needle is actually enough. Try it out. Start carefully when testing and don't "race" right away.

Sewing thick fabrics: Which needle?

For stronger or thicker fabrics, the sewing machine needle should also be stronger. The fabric type also plays a role. There are universal needles, jersey needles, microtex needles, and many more. In this classification, there are thus also different thicknesses. So if you have a thick jersey or sweatshirt fabric, you should use a stronger jersey needle.

The lower the needle thickness, the smaller the penetration holes. The stitch pattern thus becomes finer.

Here it is worth trying out on a small piece of fabric. Everything about sewing machine needles you can also read about again in full detail here.

Light, bulky knitwear with a low grammage can, however, also be easily processed with a stretch needle. A sample seam on a fabric remnant will show you in any case, which seam works best on your fabric.

Adjust sewing speed

A crucial tip if you want to sew thick fabrics: Adjust the sewing speed to the fabric thickness. Even special Heavy-Duty sewing machines sew slower. By default.

A seam doesn't get any prettier just because you sewed it really quickly. Quite the opposite. Give your sewing machine a chance to transport the fabric properly. Then it is much more likely that the seam will be really good and stable.

How do you adjust the sewing speed? If your machine has a speed controller, it is very easy. If it doesn't, it is also not difficult: Then you only lightly operate the pedal with the tip of your foot. This sometimes takes a little practice. It is important that you do not place your entire foot on the sewing machine's motor.

Sewing thick fabrics: Which presser foot?

If you have inserted a stronger needle, sewing with thick fabrics should therefore not be a problem at first. An walking foot can also be very helpful here. It helps to transport both layers of fabric evenly. Further down I will go into more detail about this presser foot.

Seam intersections in thick fabrics

Sometimes seams shift in thick fabrics at seam intersections. Then one thing helps above all: a doubler. This can be a multiple-folded piece of fabric that you secure with one or two seams. Or one, two, or even three layers of interfacing, with which you compensate for the transition. For this, you simply place the cut-out interfacing under the presser foot so that it can work horizontally.

Sewing bias tape onto thick fabrics

This can be a real challenge – how you can sew bias tape onto a thick coat fabric, I show you in my guide Sewing a poncho.

It is important that you use bias tape that takes the height of the processed fabric into account. It must therefore be wide enough to neatly enclose the fabric edge and cover the first seam.

Usually, bias tape with a width of 4 cm (with both sides folded by 1 cm) is completely sufficient. For particularly thick fabrics or several thick layers of fabric, you can also make bias tape yourself.

More tips on sewing bias tape I have of course also put together for you.

Sewing a buttonhole in thick fabrics

Especially with coats & co, buttonholes are a must. Unfortunately, buttonholes do not always show their best side on thick fabrics. This is mainly due to two reasons:

Stitches sink into thick fabrics

The thicker and denser the fabric, the worse you can see the seams. Especially with buttonholes, it happens that the fabric is tightly pressed together by the high stitch density. Of course, buttonholes should be nice and firm and stable. But sometimes it is simply too much of a good thing...

What you can do about it

• Loosen the thread tension: Adjust the thread tension to the fabric thickness; to test, it is best to practice the buttonholes or planned stitches on a fabric scrap until you are satisfied
• Use stronger threads: There are special buttonhole threads^*, which are slightly thicker and more durable than the usual all-purpose thread. But also extra strong, tear-resistant sewing thread^* is well suited for sewing thick fabrics.
• Stabilize the fabric: Before sewing the buttonhole, you should reinforce the back of the fabric with fusible interfacing.
• Also placing an embroidery stabilizer underneath can make the crucial difference when sewing a buttonhole.

Fabric layers "float" on each other

The fuzzier and higher the pile of the fabric, the more the fabric layers tend to float on each other. When you then sew, you notice how difficult it is to keep the seam allowances. Or generally to guide straight seams.

What you can do about it

• Stabilize fabrics with fusible interfacing
• Secure fabric layers with more pins than usual
• Lower the presser foot pressure

Sewing a zipper into thick fabrics

Does the fluffy, pile character that makes thick fabrics so attractive and cozy bring us to despair when sewing zippers? It doesn't have to be. Often it is just small things that we have to change to sew zippers nicely. I have compiled my collected tips on this topic for you in the post Sewing a zipper without waves .

Sewing thick fabrics with the overlocker

When it comes to processing thick fabrics, the overlocker is your best friend. Why?

• Its transporters reliably transport thick fabrics and also many fabric layers
• It trims the seam allowances, so your seams become nice and even
• It finishes the trimmed seam allowances and makes the garments look nice from the inside as well
• Its presser foot pressure can be flexibly adjusted to the fabric being processed: The thicker the fabric, the more the presser foot pressure can be loosened
• For woolly or knitted fabrics you can use bulky yarns; this results in soft seams that blend nicely with the fabric. I treated myself to the bulky yarn range from Ackermann^* and now I always have the right yarn on hand. By the way, bulky yarns can also be mixed great with "normal" overlocker threads, so bulky yarn and the looper, overlocker threads in the needles.

Important: Make sure that the needles with which you have stacked your cut pieces do not come into contact with the overlocker knife. The knife becomes dull and sharp from this and must be replaced if necessary.

TIP: If the overlocker seam lies too tight or too loose around the fabric edge, you can work very well here not with the thread tension but also with the differential feed regulator. At Bernina it is called the MTC regulator and looks like this:

Often it is enough to move the regulator by a fraction of a millimeter to get the desired result. :)

How can I clean my sewing machine after sewing?

Thick, woolly, voluminous fabrics leave traces.

Maybe you know the phenomenon that after processing napped fabrics suddenly wool mice in the color of your sewn piece run around everywhere? You see, that is what I mean! 😃

Lint, fabric dust and thread scraps can severely strain your sewing machine. Dust feels particularly attracted to moving parts with a little oil. Together with the oil or grease it glues together and forms a crust that can hinder the machine from working. Or damage it in the worst case.

That is why it is important to free the sewing machine (and also overlocker and cover) from dust after lint-heavy projects. Read more about this in my post Cleaning and oiling the sewing machine.

Where can I buy thick fabrics?

The purchase of high-quality fabrics is a matter of trust. Usually, these materials are not only high-quality but also somewhat more expensive. Which means nothing else than that you have to dig a little deeper into your pockets if you want to sew a coat out of thick fabrics.

I have had very good experiences with these 3 shops, which I can warmly recommend:

• Simone's Etsy Shop:^* Here you can get not only thick and fluffy but above all high-quality fabrics
• Stoffe Hemmers: Reliably deliver great quality, also and especially with beautiful jacket and coat fabrics^*
• Stoffe.de: huge range, especially impressive selection of great quilting fabrics^*

Sewing thick fabrics: 10 tips that really help

After we have clarified the basic questions, let's look at 10 tips that will make sewing with thick fabrics or thick fabric layers very easy for you. In doing so, we will focus especially on the topic of seam allowance, corners & co. Because it is well known that most challenges lurk here. 😉

So that you can see everything well, I will show you my tips on a collar made of corduroy. If I use a coat fabric or a napped fabric, you cannot see so well in the photos what is meant.

1. Tip: Cut the seam allowance diagonally in the corners

First of all, let me tell you: A sharp and good pair of scissors is the "A" and "O". One way or another, whether you work with thick or thin fabrics - it is one of the most important tools in the most beautiful hobby in the world.

Before you turn your sewn piece inside out, cut the corners diagonally. Make sure not to damage the seam. After turning it inside out, you will be able to work out the corner perfectly. Especially with thicker fabric, it is not quite so easy. The corners quickly become rounded and not square.

2. Tip: Cut one of the seam allowances back to just before the seam

This application is also called "stepped" cutting back. This means that the protruding seam allowance forms a step. The wider seam allowance then covers the narrower one and on the right fabric side it can no longer push through. So you cut back the seam allowance of the inner fabric.

Extra tip: If a sewing project has 3 or 4 seam allowances, you can shorten them step by step. Also thereby you reduce the height of the seam allowance in the turned seam.

3. Tip: Bevel the seam allowance at the corners

Sometimes diagonal cutting of the corners is not enough. Because what good is it if the corner can be shaped well, if right next to it the seam allowance forms the next bulge?! The fabrics are then still a bit too thick and at the edges they remain bulged shortly after the corner. Then you shorten the seam allowance slightly diagonally to the corner.

And just in case I repeat myself: Always make sure that the seam is not damaged. ;-)

4. Tip: Iron the seam allowances apart

You will surely have ironed the seams apart many times before. The reason for this is that the seam allowances become evenly distributed and a little thinner from both sides. So "well ironed is half sewn" is not a daily calendar saying but really practical and helpful. Especially if you want to sew thick fabrics, you may pay a little more attention to the ironing apart of the seam allowances .

But pay attention with contrasting colors. If one fabric is light and the other fabric is dark, it could be that the darker fabric shines through. Then this method is not useful. But in my example, that is not necessary.

5. Tip: Fix fabric layers with auxiliary seams

So that your fabric layers do not slip, you already know the fixing with pins or fabric clips. An even more secure thing is sewing an "auxiliary seam". As the name already says, it is a seam that merely helps to keep the fabric layers together. It is not absolutely necessary. The auxiliary seam is sewn with a close seam. Because then it can no longer be seen after the fabric layers have been processed. Theoretically, you could also remove it then. But only theoretically. It can stay in the fabric. You no longer see it.

Examples when you could use this auxiliary seam:

• Fixing a two-layer hood part for a sweatshirt
• Turned collar parts before sewing them to the jacket part
• Drawstrings for pockets or bags
• Webbing that later should serve as a loop on little bags
• Tapes that should serve as hangers and must be sewn in lying between two fabric pieces
• Belt tapes on bags etc.

6. Tip: Guide the topstitch along the seam allowance

Even if you have shortened the seam allowances with the scissors, it can happen with thicker fabric layers that a thicker edge is formed. You can achieve a good result with a topstitch that is sewn next to the seam allowance.

Because by sewing this topstitch the fabrics are pressed together once more. Choose a slightly larger straight stitch for this. That simply looks better.

7. Tip: Clip thick seam allowances at curves

If your cut pieces have curves, shortening is not always enough. For this reason, you cut small triangles or clips into the seam allowance at curves that show outwards after turning.

At curves that go inwards, you merely cut them. The smaller the curve is, the closer you leave the distances between the clip or the triangles.

That is a round thing, isn't it? Oh, and before I forget: The seam must also stay intact here ;-)

8. Tip: Use a walking foot

On your sewing machine you can attach a walking foot instead of the universal presser foot. The purchase

This presser foot is anyway a good purchase, because it works very effectively when it comes to thick, thus also difficult to transport fabrics.

A separate walking foot helps with thick and firm materials and the seams do not become crooked and crooked. The stitch picture remains even and clean. An even fabric transport can really be a blessing. And the purchase of such a foot does not cost the world.

Also attaching this walking foot is easy. So it is really worth looking for an OTF for your sewing machine in the trade or online. Make sure really that the little foot fits the machine.

Sewing with a walking foot and what possibilities there are, you can learn in my post.

Further hints you can also find in my large help post about Presser feet and their use.

9. Tip: Adjust stitch length and thread tension

You can also correct the stitch image on thick fabrics by adjusting the upper thread tension on your sewing machine. Basically, if the upper thread is visible on the underside, the thread tension is far too loose. And vice versa: If the lower thread is pulled up, the thread tension is too high. The standard setting for normal fabrics is between 3 and 4.

Just try it out by putting two different thread colors (upper and lower thread) into your sewing machine. Then you can see exactly what happens when you change the thread tension.

So: If you have very thick materials under your machine, a higher thread tension helps to make the stitch image cleaner.

The stitch length can also help to get a clean seam.

Your sewing machine already has a lot to do with the transport of the thick fabrics. So it can happen that because of this, the stitch length simply appears shorter than you have set it. Set the stitch length slightly higher and test it on a sample piece of the same fabric.  This way you can determine which stitch length is the right one.

Tip 10: Sewing thick fabrics with the leveling button

The "please-do-something" button? You may never have heard of it or thought about what that little black screw on the presser foot is. Not every presser foot has such a little black pin, which is called a leveling button or also a presser foot holder pin.

But it is a great helper at the start of the seam. Leveling means "balancing". And that is necessary with thick fabrics. At the beginning of the seam, the presser foot hangs quite crookedly on the fabric. Pushing and shoving at the beginning of the seam alternates with hoping and fearing that the seam looks reasonably clean.

This is how it works:

Lift the presser foot and push the fabric underneath. Now hold the presser foot straight, i.e. horizontally. At the same time, press the leveling button and lower the foot. Now the presser foot should lie straight on the fabric. This way you can get a great seam start even on thick fabrics. Nothing gets blocked and the fabric transport works perfectly, because the needle can pierce perpendicularly into the fabric.

By the way, the leveling button has a spring mechanism. This means that it springs back on its own, at the latest when lifting the presser foot. Then it is movable again.

The result: Quite perfect

Suitable patterns for thick fabrics

Of course, not every pattern is suitable for thick fabrics. It is best anyway if you stick to the fabric recommendations of the designers. Otherwise, a garment can very quickly become too tight or too loose. Because the thickness (and also the elasticity) of the fabric is calculated when developing a pattern.

Now you feel like putting my tips for sewing thick fabrics into practice? Great, go for it! Here come my pattern recommendations for thick fabrics. In the sewing videos you will always also find hacks and tips that will help you make your project a real success. Promised.

Sewing a cape from thick fabrics

• Pattern: Cape Yva
• Suitable fabrics: Wool fabric, coat fabric, boiled wool, quilted fabrics
• Sewing level: Beginner
• Sewing time: 2 - 4 hours
• Now view the Yva pattern as an eBook
• To the paper pattern for Cape Yva

Sewing a coat from thick fabrics

• Pattern: Quilted coat Kirsa
• Suitable fabrics: Wool fabric, coat fabric, boiled wool, quilted fabrics
• Sewing level: Beginner
• Sewing time: 4 - 5 hours
• To the eBook for Quilted Coat Kirsa
• To the paper pattern for Quilted Coat Kirsa

Sewing a jacket from thick fabrics

• Pattern: Jacket Lou
• Suitable fabrics: Wool fabrics, coat fabrics, sweatshirt fabric, quilted fabric, knit fabric, linen, cotton, canvas, denim, corduroy
• Sewing level: Beginner
• Sewing time: 2 - 5 hours
• To the eBook for Jacket Lou
• To the paper pattern for Jacket Lou

Sewing a zipper jacket from thick fabrics

• Pattern: Jacket Lovis
• Suitable fabrics: Boiled wool, wool fabrics, coat fabrics, sweatshirt fabric, quilted fabric, knit fabric
• Sewing level: Beginner
• Sewing time: 2 - 5 hours
• To the eBook for Jacket Lovis
• To the paper pattern for Jacket Lovis

Sewing a men's jacket from thick fabrics

Pattern: Jacket Quentin
Suitable fabrics: Boiled wool, wool fabrics, coat fabrics, sweatshirt fabric, quilted fabric, knit fabric, corduroy, denim
Sewing level: Beginner
Sewing time: 2 - 5 hours
To the eBook for Jacket Quentin
To the paper pattern for Jacket Quentin

Conclusion: Sewing thick fabrics is not hard!

If you know how it works! With my proven tips and tricks, nothing stands in the way of your next project made from high-pile, voluminous or thick fabrics. The important thing is that you keep your cool and don't throw in the towel too quickly. Sometimes it is only tiny changes, e.g. a suitable needle or the use of your walking foot, that bring the desired success.

It is definitely worth sticking with it. You can really practice sewing thick fabrics. Then you will be able to conjure up the most amazing knit sweaters, coats and jackets that you can only imagine in the future.

Do you still have questions about sewing with thick fabrics? Write me your question in the comments! I look forward to hearing from you. :)

Happy simple sewing

your Sabine

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