[Sarvi]

Hi all,

I am making the Music Box jumper in view B, and it calls for staystitching the outer fabric along the neckline. I am having a devil of a time sewing a single layer of my outer fabric, a loosely woven wool. I’ve played around with the thread tension and can’t seem to get it right. My lining fabric is a regular quilting cotton. Could I do the staystitching in that layer?

[Liesl Gibson]

What about fusing a narrow strip of lightweight interfacing to the edge beforehand? If it’s fraying that much, I’d be especially concerned about not staystitching.

Anyone else have any ideas?

[Sarvi]

Something like a 1/4″ strip, cut to the shape of the curve? And then stitch through that?

[Nicole]

I think that would be a very good idea.

[violetvata]

If you have water soluble embroidery stabilizer…looks like very sheer fusible interfacing…you can dissolve a chunk in a bit of water and paint it on with a paint brush, it stiffens the whole area once dry and then you can sew without stretching/fraying..I learned this for sewing super stretchy knits without “deforming” them…be sure to wait until it dries!! Katja

[Sarvi]

Would it make the fabric feel stiff? Or would it come out in the wash? Thanks for the tips!

[Jan M]

Spray starch can also be used as a temporary stablizer for such situations, and does not create additional bulk in the finished project. I use it a lot on cotton and other washable fabrics. Just be careful not to stretch or distort your garment piece while handling or pressing it. Necklines can easily be distorted since portions are cut on the bias, especially with loosely woven fabrics such as yours.

My only concern in this instance would be whether or not your wool is washable and would not shrink. Spraying the starch, and then pressing, could alter the hand of the wool or cause some shrinkage depending upon the fabric. You might try it on a little scrap first!

[janimal]

violetvata had a good idea about using water soluble stabilizer. I keep my scraps of it for just this purpose. It will make the fabric stiff, but should come right out with just a rinse. I just wonder if that will be enough to keep the fabric stable enough for staystitching? Also, that stuff isn’t cheap and you would have to figure out how much dissolve with the right amount of water and go through all those steps.

It might be really easier to use a small strip of light interfacing.

[icicle]

Ha! I’m doing the exact same thing — music box view B in a loosely woven wool (from Joann’s, you too?) — and I found I had to change my needle on my machine. I didn’t think it was dull, but a fresh one made a world of difference on my Babylock. It’s worth a try if you have one lying around.

[Sarvi]

I was about to ask if maybe a sharper needle might help! I’ll try that as well. Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate it.