Tips for sewing vinyl/faux leather
I am in love with my reverse applique technique (see some patterns here) so I thought to use it for bags too, not only for quilts. It works wonderfully with vinyl/faux leather, as it does not fray.
These are my first tries – more designs are in the works.
I copied the design on fusible web and then I fuse it to the back of the faux leather – YES, you can do that! Just don’t use the highest temperature of your iron and do not press for too long.
The cut out process is so relaxing…
Then I fused the cutout faux leather to a layer of quilt weight fabric (I pressed on the the back of the backing fabric). Then I layered this piece with foam and I quilted it.
Topstitching on faux leather is not that easy – you can’t do it with the regular presser foot! I always use the walking foot with no problem.
But this purple faux leather was different! I could not move it under the presser foot…
…so I had to use a little trick…
Here is the trick: cover the bottom of the presser foot with something that blocks the contact between the metal of the presser foot and vinyl. I tried first with clear/matte scotch tape; it did not work. Finally, I added two layers of masking/painter’s tape and I solved the problem!
I also increased the length of the stitching (a lot!!).
So much potential for such technique and designs!
Happy sewing!
Edited to add:
This is the knife used for cutting:
What did you use to cut the leather? Maybe an exacto knife?
Yes, a precision knife like x-acto.
Beautiful job cutting the template design on the faux leather! Was that hard to do? Did you use scissors or what? The end result is fabulous!
Not at all; it helps if you don’t use the thickest vinyl! I used a precision knife.
Beautiful design with the leather. And thankyou for sharing the masking tape trick. I am sure it will work for other “sticky” fabric too.
Yes, it should work with other fabrics too.
Some of us have teflon feet to sew on leather or vinyl, but I thought this was a brilliant way to
use the foot you have!!!!
Congratulations on another beautiful design. You amaze me with your tenacity – you let nothing stop you from accomplishing what you want to do.
At some point I was about to throw everything in the trash! But I worked too much on it to give up!
Did you cut out the design on your cutting mat or something else? It looks so precise and beautiful! I would think that solids under the faux leather cut out designs would work best peeking through the faux leather? Thanks for your creativy and willingness to share what worked and what didn’t for you.
Yes, I cut on the cutting mat.
Here is a short video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tve0xoc0QwM&t=4s
I love the work you do. You are an inspiration and it really motivates me to want to push myself to achieve results such as yours. Thank you!
Thank you, Lucy, I am very glad to hear this!
I wonder if a cutting machine would work?
Yes, of course.
This is a wonderful design technique, beautifully executed. Thanks for sharing your process and tips for success.
Thank you, Barbara, glad you like it.
Geta, can you post the design out on Design Space as an SVG file so we can try to use our cutting machines?
I have a special non stick pressure foot for sewing these type fabrics. I use it a lot, if you make bags with the clear vinyl it works for that, I’ve made a leather corset for my daughter in law. Also if you are just doing a simple seam, you can put a piece of tear away stabilizer (the kind for doing machine embroidery) on top of the fabric, when the stitching is done, the tear away is easy to remove. You could also use tissue paper, the kind you use for gift bags.
Love these purses. Great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful work! These turned out beautiful!