A sign of progression for a sewing enthusiast is the eventual leap to projects that require spandex fabric. This stretchy material, while useful and versatile­, is tough to manage for your first time sewing with it. But with the right strategy—from prepping materials, to choosing the correct sewing machine settings and managing the actual project—you can create exceptional pieces and learn some universal sewing tips along the way.

Prepping the Fabric to Sew

Cut the Pattern to Optimize Stretch

Since one of the greatest benefits of spandex is its ability to stretch, you need to line up the fabric to optimize this perk. When cutting the pieces for your garment, keep in mind the elasticity of your material and assure the direction of the stretch lays horizontally in your plan. For tight-fitting spandex clothing, prioritizing the flexibility of the garment in this direction will give you the best fit.

Pin or Baste Fabric in Place

Spandex fabric is notoriously difficult to wrangle in a sewing machine, but securing separate pieces in place can help you through the process. If you choose to pin the fabric, do so inside the seam allowance to avoid creating holes in the material. Basting can also work well with a ballpoint needle, which we will discuss later. This strategy of long, loose stitches can hold the fabric in place temporarily while sewing pieces together as well as stitching hemlines; it keeps the material from twisting out of shape due to its stretchy nature.

Use a Rotary Cutter & Mat to Cut Fabric

This material’s greatest strength—its elasticity—once again works against you when you’re cutting the fabric. Using standard scissors is tricky, as the spandex fabric will stretch as you go, resulting in jagged edges and imprecise cuts. To sidestep the constant stress on the material with scissors, you can use a rotary cutter to get the defined cuts you need without stretching it out. This cutting device is similar in concept to a pizza cutter, using a sharp, rotating blade to slice fabrics. Before you start cutting, though, make sure you have a cutting mat underneath the spandex to avoid damaging the surface that you’re using for this task.

Prepping the Machine

Use a Ballpoint or Stretch Needle

Maintaining the integrity of the fabric is of the utmost importance when sewing with spandex fabric. A common mistake that threatens the material’s strength is using the wrong sewing needle. A standard sewing needle will puncture the elastic fibers as you sew, which compromises the structure of the fabric as you progress with the project. Instead, a ballpoint needle or a stretch needle will glide down either side of the fibers instead of damaging them. These needles do so with a rounded tip designed for sewing spandex. Always use a brand-new sewing needle with each project you start to get the best stitch possible for your fabric.

Choose the Right Stitch

Most sewing machines will have an entire subsection of stitch choices devoted to stretch fabrics. A few common ones you’ll find are:

• Zigzag stitches: You will see this type on almost any sewing machine you use. The “zigzag” nature of the stitch allows a seam to stretch without popping. This option is the best choice for beginners, though it will not always have the same reliability as other stitches on this list with tighter-fitting garments.
• Triple stitches: This one is essentially a straight stitch that you reinforce—each one sewn three times for strength and stretch. It’s a solid option for clean seams, hemming, and topstitching spandex fabric. However, the triple stitch requires an experienced sewist, as it is hard to remove if you mess up, and the sewing process requires substantial amounts of thread to complete.
• Sergers: These machines take sewing to the next level, using three to five threads at a time to create a seam. They also have a function to trim excess fabric for clean, finished edges. For spandex fabric, 3-thread and 4-thread seams work well depending on your needs. 3-thread has more give to it, while 4-thread will hold even the tightest-stretched spandex. While sergers can streamline the sewing process for stretch fabrics, you can still create a high-quality garment without investing in this machine.

Test Your Machine on a Scrap

No matter what material you’re working with, it is essential to do a test-run with your machine on a piece of scrap fabric. With stretch material like spandex fabric, in particular, trying out the stitches will confirm you’ve chosen the best one for the job. Test the stitches both along the stretch of the fabric and against it; the right stitch will not break or pucker and will have your desired elasticity. This dry run gives you the chance to play with stitch tension and length, and if things really aren’t working, you can choose a different stitch for the job.

Sewing Your Piece

Support the Weight of the Fabric

As a rule, long strips of fabric are heavy, and with spandex, if you allow gravity to take its course, the material can stretch itself out accidentally. When sewing a stretch fabric project, never let the spandex fall off the edge of the workspace you’re using. Instead, put the sewing machine at the end of a long table so that the material will rest on the flat surface once it passes through the needle.

Use the Feed Dogs Strategically

Finding the right pressure for the presser foot is another detail you will work out with your test scrap. This component of the sewing machine tells the feed dogs to feed the fabric under the needle. If you add too much pressure, you risk stretching the spandex, resulting in curled seams. Refer to your specific sewing machine’s manual for the appropriate pressure setting, which is usually around 1 or lower.

Maintaining the elasticity of the fabric is a general theme of this post, but when it comes to actually sewing spandex, pulling at the material with your hands can become hard to resist. When you’re feeding the spandex fabric through your sewing machine, fight the urge to stretch it to straighten out your stitching; it often will have the opposite effect and pucker the seam.

If you have the option, invest in a straight stitch needle plate for your project. This device that you can buy for your machine will keep the fabric flowing through the feed dogs more evenly, combatting stretch and making seams clean and straight. If you choose to get this tool, make sure to get the one made for your specific sewing machine, as add-ons are specific to their particular brand.

Stabilize Seams

While you want your seams to stretch with the spandex fabric, you also want the garment to maintain its overall shape after considerable use—that’s why stabilizing seams is a vital component of the project. With clear elastic trim tape as your stabilizer, you will sew this stretchy support right onto the seam line or into the seam allowance, depending on the needs of your garment. This step is particularly crucial with shoulder seams, which need the most support to combat stretch. Stabilizing seams also can give them a nice finish and prevent the allowance from curling. If you decide to add them to your work, make sure they lay flat and blend with the existing garment as to not distract from the design as a whole.

 

When you take on a new project with spandex fabric, the place to start is a fabric store with a wide selection. At Spandex House, Inc., we have thousands of solid, printed, mesh, and holographic spandex in our collection, and no order is too big or too small for our team. To place an order, visit our website or call us today at (212) 354-6711.