Follow us
  2. KnowSystem
  3. Soft and Stable: How do you sew through so much thickness?

Soft and Stable: How do you sew through so much thickness?

While some machines struggle to sew through thick layers, most household sewing machines should be able to sew any of our projects. Here are a few things to keep in mind before sewing and for to help you deal with the bulk:

1. The more you sew through Soft and Stable, the more it compresses. So, extra lines of stitching the seam allowance will really help to compress the layers.

2. We sew using a 90/14 topstitch needle and SoFIne #50 thread. This is a 50-wt polyester thread that has a bit of stretch.

A topstitch needle has a strong, sturdy shank and a groove down the shank in which the thread rests. It also has an eye that is twice as big as a regular needle which really helps when threading.

Another option would be to use a denim/jeans needle in a size 90 or even 100.

3. Needle breakage is usually caused by pulling or pushing on the fabric, not by bulk. So be careful to let the machine pull the piece through as you work. If you pull on the fabric, the needle will bend and that will cause it to break.

4. Go SLOWLY when you get to the really bulky areas. You can even use the needle up/needle down button (or flywheel on older machines) to move the needle one stitch at a time. This really helps in extra thick areas.

5. Hammering a bulky seam works magic to compress the layers and help you stitch through really bulky areas.

6. Be mindful of the type of fabric you are using. We suggest using quilting cottons for our patterns, so be aware that there will be added thickness when using cork, denim, home dec, fabrics, etc.

We've included some of these tips in our Beautiful Bindings video which you will find here: https://www.byannie.com/beautiful_bindings

Go to about 34:55 to find the tips for dealing with bulk.

We would also recommend that you watch our free Add-on Video for Easy Does It. It is a project that is very similar to the so you may gain some tips there. You'll find the pattern and video as part of our ByAnnie Basic Course: http://www.byannie.com/slides/89.