Jeans and denim jackets are an essential part of today’s wardrobe, the best 6 Tips for Sewing Denim will help you to work on your projects with ease.
Whether your new to sewing or if you’re an experienced sewer you might have more than one project to make with denim.
As denim has become one of the favorite fashion materials to use on many projects, it’s better to know a few tips that will help us to work on them with ease and get better results.
Denim was made as a durable material and it’s used mainly to make jeans but it’s not hard to find really nice pieces of clothing made with this material today.
From a fashion pair of jeans, to denim jackets that have become classic, to comfortable dresses and blouses, everyone wants to have at least a few pieces of clothing made with this material in their own wardrobe. And I don’t want to miss mentioning that sewers love to make bags also, tote bags, and purses made with this material.
Let’s Take A Look To The Tips For Sewing Denim
Wash Your Fabric
1 – Denim is a heavy thick material and it’s made with a characteristic color, for these reason before you start working on your project it will be better if you take your time to wash the denim fabric, use a mild soap to wash it with your laundry machine.
As you wash the denim fabric for the first time, be sure to put it in the laundry machine alone, as it will bleed out some color it may dye other pieces of clothing.
You might need to wash it as many times as the fabric needs to, until you see it stops bleeding. Take your time to let the fabric dry and press.
You can use in the last wash some fabric softener and it will help to give you a softer material to work with.
Get The Right Sewing Tools
2 – Denim is considered a thick material and it will require for you to use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the parts for your project.
Have in your work table a box with sharp pins to help you to set the parts you will be sewing with ease. If you need to hand stitch the parts before you take them to the sewing machine, have a sharp needle and a thimble to protect your fingers.
When you have the right sewing tools, every step will be easier for you and it will help you to get better results.
Use The Correct Needle And Thread
3 – When the time comes to use your sewing machine to work on a project with denim, be sure to have the right needle for denim and the thread.
You can find the thread made for denim with indigo color matching denim or in gold, both colors will help you to get better results in any piece of clothing made at home.
Use A Hammer
4 – I didn’t know why some sewers give the tip to bring a hammer to the sewing room when working on a project with denim, but it will help you to work better.
As the seam made on denim clothing are double, the multiple layers will be hard to work on with your sewing machine, as you bang on the folded seams before sewing them on your sewing machine, using the hammer to bang on the seams will help to soften the material and it will make it easier for your sewing machine to sew on the project.
You can ask for a hammer from your husband, or to a friend (as I did) or you can get a small hammer for your sewing room if you’re planning to work on projects with denim often.
Use A Stitch Starter
5 – When working on a project made with denim, you’ll be working with multiple layers of thick material, you can get a stitch starter and place it in the front or in the back of the presser foot as you keep working on a seam and you notice the presser foot needs help to continue sewing.
If you don’t have a stitch starter, you can make one by folding an extra piece of denim a few times and make a few stitches to hold the layers. It will help you to work on a project made with thick material as good as a stitch starter.
Make A Sample
6 – If you’re new to sewing and this is the first time you will be working with denim, start with a small project, making a tote bag or a small cosmetic bag that does not require many small pieces to sew here and there, so you get used to working with denim.
When you already have a piece of clothing to make with denim in your project list, but you’re afraid if the pattern will not work great, a good idea will be to make the same project with a cheap material as a sampler, by doing this it will help you to know in advance if the pattern is right for your project or if you need to make some changes here and there.
What Is The Best Sewing Machine To Sew Denim Projects
As you might know already, it’s hard to sew a project with denim on a basic sewing machine, as each model is design to help sewers to get better results on their projects, you might need a Heavy Duty Sewing Machine.
If you only want to work on a single project with denim, you might not need to buy a special sewing machine to make it, but if you use your regular machine at home, get the right needle for denim projects and go-slow.
But if you want to switch to work making projects with denim as a regular basic, I will give you the tip that might be better if you get a sewing machine that is designed and built for thick materials such as denim, it will be a good investment that will help you to get better results.
Closing Thoughts
Don’t forget, practice make the master, and when you start sewing or if you want to start sewing with a thick material like denim, choose as your first project something easy.
Get used to work with denim before you try a special project. As you keep working on small and easy projects you will get more skills to work on big projects like making your own jeans!
Before you notice, you’ll be good at it and you’ll be making amazing pieces of clothing with denim!