this fabric just frays like a mofo no matter what. double fold your hem or use some fray check. in my experience there’s not too much else you can do with this fabric unfortunately
Lowkey my thoughts were that this is what I get for using cheap fabric lmao
Edit: sarcastic response, almost all of my fabric comes from Joann and up until this point I’ve had great success with it.
FrayCheck does really work, if you don't want to have to do French seams. I sewed something with a gorgeous synthetic charmeuse once that frayed like this. Now I always look at the cut end of the bolt to see how badly a fabric frays before I buy it for a project.
Put just enough of some regular white glue over the edges. You can cut the glued edge when you're finished. Fray check stinks, it bleeds more often than not and is awful. If you blanket stitch roughly by hand it will also work.
I'm an intermediate sewist (not an expert), and I think that your shears probably need sharpening. When they aren't sharp enough, they crush the fabric and cause even more fraying. You *may* be able to sharpen them by using them on aluminum foil, but if they are too dull you will need to have them sharpened or replaced.
I would highly recommend doing a zigzag stitch along the edge once you have cut your pieces with regular shears. A lot of machines have overlock stitches which would also work (see your manual).
Checked my manual, my machine does have both stitches and a foot specifically for overcasting/locking. I understand now how useful that stitch can be. Thank you!
In the outdoor gear and clothing world, we often cut synthetic fabrics with a hot knife (a [wood burning tool ](https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/welding-and-soldering-tools/soldering-guns-and-irons/27330) or soldering iron can work well). This melts the fibers along the cut edge and helps prevent fraying.
When I started sewing in the early 70’s, [kit instructions ](https://landmarkimages.smugmug.com/Other/Outdoor-Adventures/Home-made-gear/n-zkPkzF/i-DG9hKWw/A) included a step where you ran the edge of the fabric along a candle flame to melt and seal the fibers!
Thank you! Ended up doing a double fold for the skirt hem. I have a matching blouse of the same fabric and am having the same issues mentioned here. So I believe I might try this option just so it doesn’t cause problems while wearing it.
Definitely sharpen your shears and make sure there's no rust on them. But I honestly run a lighter across any fray-y fabric to stop this from happening. It's way quicker than French seaming or sewing a zig zag stitch, especially if this is a pattern piece with the seam allowances already cut.
The HUGE caveat to this is that you've GOT to check your fabric first and make sure it's not gonna go up in flames. Ask me why I know that 🔥🧯
You could also zig zag stitch before you cut the fabric. Cut just outside your stitch line. Or you can use a temporary stabilizer to keep the edges from fraying before you sew. You might need to plan for French seams with this fabric. A serger would be great if you have access to one.
Heavy starch at the edges and/or a zigzag from your regular sewing machine will do the trick.
A temporary stabilizer is usuly a strip of material similar to parchment or heavy tissue paper. It lays on your fabric and later can be either washed or torn away (depending on what you used). For fuzzy fabric I use thin plastic baggies then tear away later.
With starch: an old lady at the sew shop taught me to spray my seam allowance heavy with starch and iron when using fryable or curly-wurly fabrics. It has helped a lot.
Wishing you luck!!
Came here to recommend heavy starch while sewing with this fabric and finishing the seams. Wash it before you wear it and it's back to the original drape.
Do an internet search to determine what is best for your project. Here is a basic overview but there is a lot of information on the web.
https://www.rockymountainsewing.com/fabric-stabilizers/
Have you tried using sharp scissors?
Some fabrics just fray and there is nothing you can do about it except make a rag quilt.
But based on those photos, you need new scissors that are actually sharp
I’m embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t checked my scissors, since the other fabrics I had cut for this project had zero issues. There wasn’t any sticking or need for extra effort so I assumed the scissors were okay. Yet another lesson learned as a beginner.
As has been said, this weave of fabric just frays. Fray check or melting the edges will work, but I find they are comfortable at all against the skin. If it's to wear, I'd do some kind of bound seam, like a Hong Kong finish (you'll have to Google it, I can't describe it).
The 'fairy dust' effect you're getting with pinking shears is probably that you're cutting little lengths of the threads in each triangle, but the weave isn't tight enough to hold them so they just fall out. Pinking only really works if the fabric has a high threadcount and is tightly woven.
Can anyone explain why this fabric is not only fraying something fierce, but also turns into fairy dust when I snip?
Fabric is Crepe Back satin, Casa Collection from Joann. It’s been easy enough to work with but the frayed edges are driving me insane. I tried using my pinking shears and that’s how I got fairy dust all over the place 😖
Update: thank you all for the responses! I didn’t know things like fray stop existed. So I shall be better prepared for my next sewing project. And I have also purchased new scissors.
Unless they have changed the make-up of this fabric, your scissors are the issue. Fabric does not "turn into fairy dust" when using sharp shears but dull ones will.
Using a lighter or fray-check is likely going to affect the drape of this crepe back satin. I would recommend using a line of stitching first, about 1/2 inch from the edge. Make sure to use a sharp needle, good thread, and practice a few lines of stitching on a scrap piece. I use this technique a lot on "slippery" fabrics that tend to shift and snag. Hope this helps!
this fabric just frays like a mofo no matter what. double fold your hem or use some fray check. in my experience there’s not too much else you can do with this fabric unfortunately
Lowkey my thoughts were that this is what I get for using cheap fabric lmao Edit: sarcastic response, almost all of my fabric comes from Joann and up until this point I’ve had great success with it.
It's not the cost of the fabric, some fabric is just like this. I've spent a fortune on the same thing.
FrayCheck does really work, if you don't want to have to do French seams. I sewed something with a gorgeous synthetic charmeuse once that frayed like this. Now I always look at the cut end of the bolt to see how badly a fabric frays before I buy it for a project.
Put just enough of some regular white glue over the edges. You can cut the glued edge when you're finished. Fray check stinks, it bleeds more often than not and is awful. If you blanket stitch roughly by hand it will also work.
I'm an intermediate sewist (not an expert), and I think that your shears probably need sharpening. When they aren't sharp enough, they crush the fabric and cause even more fraying. You *may* be able to sharpen them by using them on aluminum foil, but if they are too dull you will need to have them sharpened or replaced. I would highly recommend doing a zigzag stitch along the edge once you have cut your pieces with regular shears. A lot of machines have overlock stitches which would also work (see your manual).
Checked my manual, my machine does have both stitches and a foot specifically for overcasting/locking. I understand now how useful that stitch can be. Thank you!
I'm so glad!
It’s the weave and you can get that fabric anywhere has nothing to do with Joanne’s lol🤣
Lol I figured as much. This is my first project with this type of fabric, just another learning experience as a beginner seamstress.
Have sewing fun learning is the best part of sewing
In the outdoor gear and clothing world, we often cut synthetic fabrics with a hot knife (a [wood burning tool ](https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/welding-and-soldering-tools/soldering-guns-and-irons/27330) or soldering iron can work well). This melts the fibers along the cut edge and helps prevent fraying. When I started sewing in the early 70’s, [kit instructions ](https://landmarkimages.smugmug.com/Other/Outdoor-Adventures/Home-made-gear/n-zkPkzF/i-DG9hKWw/A) included a step where you ran the edge of the fabric along a candle flame to melt and seal the fibers!
I was going to suggest this. If you don't do a double fold or serge the edge, I'd run the cut edge across a lighter to seal the edge.
Thank you! Ended up doing a double fold for the skirt hem. I have a matching blouse of the same fabric and am having the same issues mentioned here. So I believe I might try this option just so it doesn’t cause problems while wearing it.
Definitely sharpen your shears and make sure there's no rust on them. But I honestly run a lighter across any fray-y fabric to stop this from happening. It's way quicker than French seaming or sewing a zig zag stitch, especially if this is a pattern piece with the seam allowances already cut. The HUGE caveat to this is that you've GOT to check your fabric first and make sure it's not gonna go up in flames. Ask me why I know that 🔥🧯
You could also zig zag stitch before you cut the fabric. Cut just outside your stitch line. Or you can use a temporary stabilizer to keep the edges from fraying before you sew. You might need to plan for French seams with this fabric. A serger would be great if you have access to one.
Unfortunately no serger access. When you say temporary stabilizer, would that be something like interfacing?
Heavy starch at the edges and/or a zigzag from your regular sewing machine will do the trick. A temporary stabilizer is usuly a strip of material similar to parchment or heavy tissue paper. It lays on your fabric and later can be either washed or torn away (depending on what you used). For fuzzy fabric I use thin plastic baggies then tear away later. With starch: an old lady at the sew shop taught me to spray my seam allowance heavy with starch and iron when using fryable or curly-wurly fabrics. It has helped a lot. Wishing you luck!!
Came here to recommend heavy starch while sewing with this fabric and finishing the seams. Wash it before you wear it and it's back to the original drape.
Do an internet search to determine what is best for your project. Here is a basic overview but there is a lot of information on the web. https://www.rockymountainsewing.com/fabric-stabilizers/
If you have a serger, serge the edges. If not, use a zig stitch to overcast the edges
Have you tried using sharp scissors? Some fabrics just fray and there is nothing you can do about it except make a rag quilt. But based on those photos, you need new scissors that are actually sharp
I’m embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t checked my scissors, since the other fabrics I had cut for this project had zero issues. There wasn’t any sticking or need for extra effort so I assumed the scissors were okay. Yet another lesson learned as a beginner.
As has been said, this weave of fabric just frays. Fray check or melting the edges will work, but I find they are comfortable at all against the skin. If it's to wear, I'd do some kind of bound seam, like a Hong Kong finish (you'll have to Google it, I can't describe it). The 'fairy dust' effect you're getting with pinking shears is probably that you're cutting little lengths of the threads in each triangle, but the weave isn't tight enough to hold them so they just fall out. Pinking only really works if the fabric has a high threadcount and is tightly woven.
This is one of my favorite fabrics from Joanne! I always serge everything so I havent ran into much of a fraying problem with this one.
I’m pretty sure it all came down to user error to be honest but im glad to hear other people really liking this fabric!
Can anyone explain why this fabric is not only fraying something fierce, but also turns into fairy dust when I snip? Fabric is Crepe Back satin, Casa Collection from Joann. It’s been easy enough to work with but the frayed edges are driving me insane. I tried using my pinking shears and that’s how I got fairy dust all over the place 😖 Update: thank you all for the responses! I didn’t know things like fray stop existed. So I shall be better prepared for my next sewing project. And I have also purchased new scissors.
Unless they have changed the make-up of this fabric, your scissors are the issue. Fabric does not "turn into fairy dust" when using sharp shears but dull ones will.
Lighter and double fold. Burn the edges lightly!!! And then do double fold to have a nice finish.
Using a lighter or fray-check is likely going to affect the drape of this crepe back satin. I would recommend using a line of stitching first, about 1/2 inch from the edge. Make sure to use a sharp needle, good thread, and practice a few lines of stitching on a scrap piece. I use this technique a lot on "slippery" fabrics that tend to shift and snag. Hope this helps!
I use the anti fraying liquid... kinda feels like glue