Sewing viscose and other slippery fabrics: Here's how

Sewing viscose - it's not actually that easy to stay in control! In this post, I'll reveal what you should look out for to tame viscose and other slippery fabrics

The most important things at a glance

• I asked myself the question: What's the deal with viscose - and how do you manage to sew slippery fabrics
• In this post, you'll learn my tips & tricks that helped me tame this delicate little fabric
• I love sewing clothes out of viscose because it drapes lightly over my body and is airy and supple
• Clothing made of viscose is especially great for plus sizes, as it doesn't cling to the critical areas but drapes beautifully

Viscose^* is one of those "problem fabrics" I didn't dare to touch for a long time. Because: too slippery, too stubborn, too unpredictable. Very similar to silk.

Yet I love wearing clothes made of viscose and silk so much. Precisely BECAUSE it is so beautifully slippery, drapes lightly over my body, and is airy and supple. And because it's simply ideal for curvy fashion: It doesn't cling to the critical areas but drapes beautifully.

So what is the deal with viscose - and how do you manage to sew slippery fabrics?

In this post, you'll learn my tips & tricks that finally helped me tame this delicate fabric!

What is viscose actually made of?

Viscose is a fine, airy material whose base material is cellulose: wood fibers. These are refined in a highly sophisticated way, dyed, and processed into yarn. Viscose can be processed into woven fabric and also knitted fabric, for example, viscose jersey.

Which needle should you use to sew viscose?

I usually sew viscose with size 70 or 80 universal needles. Experience has shown that this works very well. However, it is super important that the needles are new and undamaged. Otherwise, they easily pull threads or create uneven seams.

I sew especially delicate viscose fabrics or silk with Microtex needles. These have a super-sharp point and a very slender shaft. This design ensures that the needle pierces the fabric quickly without damaging it.

I prefer using universal needles by Schmetz^* and have recommended them several times here on the blog. My sewing machine whisperer recommended them to me after he caught me during a maintenance visit secretly using cheap needles from the discount store. While also complaining about poor sewing results... ;)

Microtex needles^* I also have from Schmetz, because viscose and other fine fabrics are even trickier to sew...

Which sewing thread for viscose?

Here, too, I rely on what's proven. I sew viscose and other slippery fabrics with Gütermann "Allesnäher" (All-purpose thread). It has proven itself and I'm sticking with it. You can find it here :)^*

The All-purpose sewing thread is a universal thread made of 100% polyester. It's great that there are matching thread assortments^* available to match the respective fabric assortments from Gütermann.

Delicate silk is best sewn with a sewing thread made of 100% silk. Like this one^*.

Wash viscose before sewing?

Yes. I generally pre-wash viscose. Because I only sew clothing from viscose. And viscose can also shrink a bit during washing. Even when I sew airy blouse-shirts from viscose that drape a little loosely, I want to avoid the fit changing after the first wash.

How do I wash viscose?

I generally don't wash viscose warmer than 40 degrees Celsius. I like to wash some particularly delicate fabrics by hand. They thank me for it by staying beautiful for a long time. :)

I dry the finished garments, especially blouses, hanging on a clothes hanger. This avoids pressure marks from clothespins in the material.

I finish particularly soft and slippery fabrics beforehand with the overlocker so they don't fray too much during washing.

Working with viscose: My tips & tricks

The biggest challenge with viscose and other slippery fabrics is their slipperiness. This section is about how you can still work with viscose accurately and achieve beautiful sewing results.

• Pre-treat viscose with spray starch: A good method to make the fabric a bit more resilient. Here's how: Spray the fabric generously with spray starch after washing and then iron it dry on setting 1 - 2.
• Pre-treat viscose with liquid starch: It is just as effective to treat the fabric with liquid starch. For this, depending on the amount of water (usually 1 - 2 liters of water is enough for a 2-meter piece of fabric), I dissolve 2 - 3 capfuls of liquid starch and soak the folded fabric in it. After 15 minutes, I take the fabric out, wring it out carefully, and let it dry hanging - while still folded. Important: I simply hang it over the clothesline but do not use clothespins to avoid pressure marks. Then iron on setting 1 - 2.
  

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Cutting viscose

Because viscose has a mind of its own, the following tips have proven valuable:

• To ensure nothing slips during cutting, I spray my cutting mat with a fine mist of water before placing the fabric down. I do this with a simple pump sprayer from the garden supply store
• It is important that scissors and rotary cutters are really sharp. In the past, I always checked the blade before cutting viscose and replaced it if necessary. In the meantime, a blade sharpener^* has moved in with me. As a result, I need significantly fewer cutter blades overall. Simply run the rotary cutter blade through the sharpener a few times and you're good to go
• Anyone who has a carpet at home can also cut slippery fabrics very well on it.
• I use long, slender pins^* to fix the pattern, which I stick into soap instead of a pincushion beforehand. This makes them especially slippery
• I use many pins to hold everything together
  

Sewing viscose with the overlocker

I initially thought it would be so simple - according to the motto: the overlocker will handle it. But that was not the case. The overlocker very often has problems with viscose:

Above you see the overlock seam without reinforcement, below with it.

What helped?

Quite simply: fusible stay tape. This is a simple elastic tape that is ironed along the edges of the fabric cut. Let it cool down briefly. And then the fabric can be worked with perfectly using a sewing machine or overlocker. The fusible stay tape^* is available in different widths. It stabilizes the seam but is very soft. I simply guide it along the fabric edge with the iron. You can also make small notches in the curves so that it adapts better there.

But I'm usually too impatient for that... ;)

Facings I reinforce completely with Vliesline H200^* and only cut them out afterward. When ironing, I place parchment paper between the fabric and the iron.

Reinforced in this way, the viscose can be worked with without any problems.

The practical little owl from Snaply^* also serves as a pincushion and quick storage option for bobbins :) It has a suction cup on the back that allows it to be attached to the sewing machine. There is an extra compartment in the center top where the embroidery scissors can be kept. Great, isn't it?

Sewing viscose with the sewing machine

• Here, too, it helps to reinforce the edges of the fabric cut with fusible stay tape
• Instead of the standard zigzag foot, you should use the straight stitch plate. You can recognize it by the fact that it only has a small hole
• To make the fabric feed more even, you can place the fabric pieces on embroidery stabilizer. After sewing, it is simply torn off
• You can do that - for example, even with a fine tea filter. But in my opinion, that's not the best solution
• In such a case, I would always advise using a water-soluble stabilizer like Avalon^* or Soluvlies^*. Both stabilize the fabric while sewing and wash out residue-free after the first wash
• The disadvantage of non-water-soluble embroidery stabilizers: When pulled, the seam is stretched irregularly. And then it simply doesn't look as nice anymore. In the worst case, the seam can also be damaged when tearing it away
• Before sewing, you can also stabilize the fabric - especially with small cuts and facings - with pins
• That looks like this, for example
• Also effective: Tensing the fabric between the middle and index fingers while sewing

Which stitch length can you use to sew viscose?

Some advise mini stitches, others rather a longer stitch length. In my experience, with properly pre-treated fabrics, everything works!

In the picture, you see stitch length 2.5 at the very top, 3 below that, and 1.5 at the very bottom. I prefer sewing viscose with a stitch length of 2.8 to 3.

Sewing a blouse from viscose

A very good idea is blouses and tunics made of viscose. A nice pattern for working with viscose is my Tunic Tomris. Dresses like the Dress Roosmarei are also perfect for testing your newly acquired viscose skills!

Palazzo pants made of the soft, flowing material also look great by the way.
However, my favorite pattern for viscose is by a wide margin our Shirt Santje, from which I have already conjured up countless blouse-shirts from viscose:

Happy simple sewing,

your Sabine

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