How to Sew with PVC Fabric

PVC fabric is very versatile and can be used to create some truly eye-catching and beautiful designs. It is also the fabric of choice for waterproof outdoor gear such as backpacks and rain gear. However, if you have an amazing creation in mind that uses PVC fabric, you may have found that sewing with it can be somewhat difficult. Due to the vinyl coating of PVC fabric, pushing it through a traditional sewing machine doesn’t quite work so well. Rather than gliding easily along the base as it's pushed through the machine, the fabric tends to get stuck due to the high degrees of friction between the vinyl coating and the metallic foot. This can be very frustrating and wastes valuable fabric!

Fortunately, there are easy solutions that will have you sewing PVC fabric like anything else. A long-term solution is to purchase a Teflon sewing foot, which is inexpensive and durable. While not great for other fabrics, it will not stick to vinyl coating so if you want to do a lot of sewing with PVC fabric it is very much a worthwhile investment.

There is a good short-term solution as well. If you’re in a pinch, find some Scotch tape and wrap it around your metal sewing foot, just over the part where you guide the fabric in (it should be the part closest to you, and bent up) to not block the sewing needle with the tape. While this doesn’t produce as clean of results as a Teflon foot, it will at the very least allow you to push the fabric along the foot without it sticking. Voila! A makeshift sewing foot for your PVC fabric needs.

Now that you are set, you just need some PVC fabric to get you going! Make PacCana your go-to source as a PVC fabric supplier, as well as for sewing supplies! 

PacCana is known as one of the best PVC fabric suppliers in Canada.