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From: ohmmoose
Date: 06-12-2007, 10:53 AM (1 of 10)
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I have yards and yards of a fabric to sew for my dance group. it's a nightmare. Locally it's called confetti sequin - basically it's a soft knit fabric with shiny round sequins on the fabric but they're glued or fused somehow, and the glue/fusing is what I think is causing the problem. The fabric looks great on stage -really catches the light.. BUT... OMG it's a nighmare to sew. It gums up my needles, the thread breaks, I cannot find a way to run this through my sewing machine. I've been doing the stuff by hand but with more dancers (10 now), this just isn't an option for sewing full skirts! When I sew it by hand I can sew around the sequins and prevent needle and thread gum up. If anyone has any ideas/notion suggestions/prayers/tricks for working on this stuff I would be soooo grateful! regards, Nancy in Lincoln Trying to stay sane while sewing this stuff |
User: ohmmoose
Member since: 05-29-2007 Total posts: 2 |
From: MaryW
Date: 06-12-2007, 11:24 AM (2 of 10)
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I have always heard to remove any sequins in the seam allowance area before sewing.
MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
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From: DorothyL
Date: 06-12-2007, 11:30 AM (3 of 10)
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I have always heard to remove any sequins in the seam allowance area before sewing That's what I did with rhinestones. When I heated them with the iron I could pluck them right off. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: Reta J
Date: 06-12-2007, 05:00 PM (4 of 10)
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There is a product called "Sewer's Aid". It comes in a little plastic bottle with blue letters. I put a drop or 2 on my needle and sew a seam, when it starts dragging, put another drop on needle and let it run down needle and thread. It keeps the needle clean and thread runs more smoothly. I have also used it when all I had was sticky back velcro. I would put some on needle and sew velcro on. When you are done with each project, then clean needle with "Sewers Aid" by putting a drop on needle and run some clean terry or cotton material under needle for a couple of inches. Hope this helps, Sewing Forever
Housework Whenever Reta J |
User: Reta J
Member since: 01-30-2002 Total posts: 136 
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From: bridesmom
Date: 06-15-2007, 12:07 AM (5 of 10)
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That sounds like a good idea Reta. I wonder if it would help with an embroidery thread that I have that keeps shredding, long shot I know, but I'm so ticked that it keeps shredding and breaking, even with new needles, and rethreading, and I have a huge spool of it. Where do you get it?
Laura
Tickled pink with my Innovis 4000D |
User: bridesmom
Member since: 01-21-2004 Total posts: 2026 |
From: Reta J
Date: 06-15-2007, 07:10 AM (6 of 10)
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I think JoAnn's on the notion wall. But Walmart was carrying it also. I bought my bottle 4 or 5 years ago, maybe even longer. Best investment I made. lol Hope this helps, Sewing Forever
Housework Whenever Reta J |
User: Reta J
Member since: 01-30-2002 Total posts: 136
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From: toadusew
Date: 06-16-2007, 08:03 AM (7 of 10)
| I once had to make a costume using the same kind of sequined knit and I also found it a nightmare to sew! In my case, it wasn't the glue that caused the problem, it was the sequines. My machine would hit one of those while sewing a seam, and the needle would then bounce and ultimately break. Thank goodnes, I was only trying to sew a collar and facing! I wound up sewing this part of the garment almost entirely by hand. |
User: toadusew
Member since: 01-08-2005 Total posts: 369 |
From: paroper
Date: 06-16-2007, 07:15 PM (8 of 10)
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First of all, you are supposed to remove the sequines that are sewn on...all the sequins that are in the seamline. I guarantee that it is much easier to break them than remove them...and leave everything that is not directly in the line of the needle. If you take them loose, you'll also have to tie off all the threads to keep from loosing more. Plus you are supposed to sew the ones that gap at the seamline after you finish each seam (yuck). However, the glued sequins fall in a totally different category. First of all, they are not as hard, which is wonderful. DO NOT REMOVE THE GLUED SEQUINS. There is just absolutely nothing that seems to put them back on. I managed to filp a sequin off a dress after I had finished the bugger and had to buy fabric to replace the whole panel. You can get the dye off the sequin but you can't make the crazy thing stick back! When I sew sequins that are glued, I keep a pack of alcohol wipes handy. You want to make sure that they are too dry to drip but you can repeatedly wipe your needle and you won't have a serious problem with gumming. If you do NOT keep your needle clean, not only will your needle gum up but the thread will break over and over again. It is a little slow going, but overall the glued on sequins are not bad to sew as long as you keep the needle clean. TO PRESS THE SEQUINS, use a heavy rolling pin. I have a good heavy marble pin that I use only for sewing so that it is always clean. Just open your seam and press with the rolling pin as much as possible from the back of the garment. pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: plrlegal
Date: 06-16-2007, 11:17 PM (9 of 10)
Thanks Pam. I know how to do it but I didn't want to post and start remembering the nightmare I went through Christmas before last sewing 70 yards of that red and green nightmare fabric into sashes for the choir to do one song in two performances. I swear that I will avoid that fabric like it's a plague the rest of my life. That is the absolutely the worst fabric I have ever tried to work with!!!  Patsy Patsy
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User: plrlegal
Member since: 05-19-2001 Total posts: 318 |
From: paroper
Date: 06-17-2007, 06:03 AM (10 of 10)
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I take glued sequins over chiffon any time...now sewn sequins, well, that could be a toss up.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
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