I've never sewn with sequined fabric before- probably because I have no where to wear it to! But when Fabricmartfabrics.com had this black sequined fabric on their Deal of the Day, I thought, "Let's get a yard, and see what it's like." I was surprised! It was really quite easy to sew with. This particular one was a knit, and the sequins were sewn on. I had read that you should remove the sequins from the seam line so that you don't break a needle, so I decided I better have as few seams as possible.
Simplicity 1943 had a knit vest pattern that only had side and shoulder seams, and said that it would fit on 1 yard of fabric! A perfect match!
Before I went through the arduous task of removing the sequins from the seamline, I did a test with my machine on a swatch that did not have the sequins removed. Luckily, the machine handled it beautifully- no broken needles, no sequins flying. I did wear glasses just in case!
I did line the vest with a black ITY knit. The back side of the fabric was a little scratchy, and I didn't want to risk not wearing it because of that. I sewed all of the seams with the sequins still intact, and they even pressed beautifully. I was afraid that they might melt, but they were perfectly fine for short presses.
They do however snag anything that they come in contact with. This is just annoying! I can see why most sequin fashions don't have sleeves, because the snagging problem would be multiplied with sleeves. But for a night out, special occasion, I think that I can live with that.
Happy Sewing!
Ann
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