Vinyl Fabric - A Nonwoven PlasticVinyl fabric is a nonwoven plastic made from polyurethane. Vinyl can be used to describe films, plastic laminates and PVC (poly-vinyl chloride). The term vinyl is also sometimes used interchangeably with pleather or synthetic leather.
Fabric Characteristics:
• Nonwoven plastics do not fray • They do not have a grain • Some stretch more widthwise than lengthwise • If used for garments they cannot be let out • They tear easily when stressed • They stick to the bottom of the presser foot • They don’t feed through the sewing machine presser foot properly • They are easily damaged by a hot iron • Some crease permanently when left folded • They do not breathe • They are uncomfortable to wear in hot weather • Some crack or yellow with age • Some get sticky when dry cleaned or as they age • Most are easy to clean with a damp cloth • Many are stained easily by ink or lipstick
Working With These Fabrics Requires:
• Sewing machine needles recommended are 70/10 sharps or universals for light weight fabric and 140/16 sharps for heavier weight fabric • Hand sewing needles sizes 5-7 • Sewing machine setting of 3.5mm recommended • Sewing machine feet should be Teflon or roller foot • Thread should be good quality polyester • Tools and equipment recommended are sharp scissors, sharp shears, rotary cutter and mat, fabric weights, thimble, pins to name a few • Layout single thickness • Marking tools recommended are adhesive dots or colored pencil on wrong side of fabric, spoked tracing wheels should not be used due to leaving holes • Seams recommended are plain, lapped, welt, double-welt, nonwoven lapped, nonwoven flat fell • Hems recommended fabric glue or double sided leather tape • Seam and hem finishes recommended are fabric glue or double sided leather tape • Linings used for outerwear • Closures recommended are snaps with interfacing between layers, zippers on coats and jackets, invisible zippers on skirts and pants
These Fabrics Are Suitable For:
Vinyl fabric is used for upholstery projects, handbags, straight skirts, boxy jackets, vests and jean jacket trim, and raincoats.
For information about the notions, tools, and equipment required to complete a sewing project, click here to view the sewing notions home page
For more information about this family of fabrics some great references are: Claire Shaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide
More Fabric Savvy by Sandra Betzina
To continue exploring information about fabrics follow the links below. Wool Fabric
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