[eban]

I’m about to start sewing a raincoat with the school days pattern. Do I still topstich the seams? Or should I omit this to reduce the number of holes I’m putting in the fabric? Thanks!

[Nicole]

I think it mentions this in the pattern somewhere……

I think the answer is , don’t topstitch, but I am not 100 % sure.

I look forward to seeing it in Flickr !

[mela]

Disclaimer: I am not speaking from experience, only from opinion. I haven’t sewn with laminated cotton yet, but I do love the way topstitching looks. I think the only issue with stitch holes is if you make a mistake and have to pull them out and redo. Otherwise, I don’t think they should cause a problem.

[Liesl Gibson]

I topstitch it and have never had problems. Remember that it’s still fabric underneath the laminate, so it won’t tear or break. Lengthen your stitch length a bit, but otherwise I think it’s fine and looks really nice!

[Emily]

I think that what you’re remembering from the pattern, Nicole, is that when you put the ease stitches on the sleeve cap, you should skip the ones that are 5/8″ from the edge of the fabric because they won’t be hidden in the seam allowance after the sleeve is sewn in and there will be a row of tiny holes 1/8″ from the seam.

[Nicole]

Thanks Emily, boy , do I feel silly !

Thanks for being a sweetheart and letting me know.

[eban]

Thanks everyone, I think I will topstitch then. I always get scared when I start a project with a fabric I’ve never sewn with before!

[Toyota888]

With the two I have sewn I topstiched both because the laminate does tend to look less buckled and more crisp if you do… However it does slightly compromise the water-proofness of the laminate. I have tested this in real life conditions – one 6 year old boy jumping for half an hour on a trampoline in the pouring rain. There were definite darker patches along the top-stitching lines where water had gone through to the base cotton on which the plastic was laminated. However none of that actually got through the lining or probably even felt wet on the inside of the laminate. It dried out and seems back to its old self.

[Emily]

Nicole – probably not as silly as I felt when I pulled out the ease stitches and saw a line of tiny holes. Live and learn, right? 🙂

[Rebecca W]

eban- what fabric are you using?

[eban]

I’m using a laminated cotton from fabric.com, I think it’s called Daisy Dreams.