STOP FRAYING FABRIC | How to Stop Fabric from Fraying
How to prevent fabric from fraying, how to keep your nerves in tact and avoid unraveling, and how to keep that special piece of fabric from vanishing before your eyes.
Stop Fraying
Because some fabrics fray more than others, the following tips will help you focus on the fabric rather than the fraying. They can be applied to any fabric, but the first few are especially useful for sheers, and the last few for burlaps and canvas.
How to Stop Fraying in Fabric
How do you keep fabric from fraying?
1. Widen Seams
Cut sheer fabrics with a wider seam allowance to allow for frayed edges; if you add an extra u215c” (1cm) to the seam allowance and change it to 1″ (2.5cm), you’ll get more coverage.
2. Sew French Seams
How to make a French seam, which is a method of enclosing the seam allowance on the inside of a garment, allowing you to trim any frayed edges without jeopardizing the seam and giving you more room to work on the outside.
3. Use Interfacing
Pre-cut u00bc inch (6mm) narrow strips to add to the raw edges of the seam before sewing to prevent fraying; if you still want to use a French seam, trim off the fusible facing before turning and sewing.
4. Pinking Shears
Pinking shears are a type of scissors with a zig-zag serrated cutting edge that prevents some fraying by cutting the fabric on the bias. They’re best for cotton and crisp fabrics with a tight weave; loose fabrics will still fray.
5. Zig-Zag Stitch
A zig-zag stitch around the leg of a denim leg will keep it from fraying all the way up your leg; a three-stitch is also a good stitch for stopping fraying and making the edges sit flatter; and the same technique works on cotton fabrics as well.
6. Handstitch
Hand-stitching is best for thick fabrics like canvas that won’t go through your sewing machine easily; use an overcast or blanket stitch to prevent fraying on thicker fabrics.
7. Use a Serger
With the use of a serger, raw edges can be prevented from fraying. Some regular sewing machines may have an overlock edge foot and stitch function, which will work just as well but will not trim the raw edge before sewing, which you can do manually with a sharp pair of scissors.
8. Bias Tape Bound Edges
Bias bound edges are commonly used in jacket construction for hems and other tricky edges. There are two main methods for enclosing a fraying seam in bias tape: stop fraying with Bias Bound Edges or sandwich two raw edges into a strip of bias tape.
9. Fabric Glue and Fray Stop
Fabric stop fraying liquid, fabric glue, or Mod Podge can help with bulkier fabrics. There are several brands of fraying stopping liquids available, including Fray Stoppa Fray CheckDritz Fray Stop, some of which have a squeeze nozzle and others which have a spray nozzle.
How do you finish raw edges of seams?
Turn and stitch is a great way to get clean, finished seams. All you have to do is sew your seam at the seam allowance, turn under the raw edge of the seam allowance 1/8u2032u2032 fold on both sides of the seam, press, and stitch down.
Will a straight stitch stop fraying?
While the raw edge of the fabric exposed within the seam allowance can still fray along the cut edges, the stitches act as a barrier, preventing the seam from fraying any further than the stitching line.
How do you keep fabric edges from fraying without sewing?
The application of a thin layer of nail polish along the fabric’s cut edge to prevent fraying is an easy, effective, and relatively inexpensive technique that works best with thin, lightweight fabrics. As shown below, a thin layer of nail polish is applied along the fabric’s cut edge.
What is the fastest way to finish a seam?
Sewing a parallel line to keep the raw edge from unraveling is the easiest way to finish the seam. Simply sew your seam using the seam allowance provided in your pattern, then sew a straight stitch 1/8u2032u2032 from the raw edge, keeping your stitches short to help minimize fraying.
Does clear nail polish stop fraying?
While it may fray along the cut edges, the stitches act as a barrier, preventing the seam from fraying beyond the stitching line.
How do you bind seams?
Bias Bound Seams (Tutorial)
- To make either version of a bound seam, stitch the seams together as usual.
- Pin the bias binding to the closed seam.
- Sew the bias binding.
What is the best stitch for hemming?
Stitch down the hem with a straight stitch in the center needle position; the default stitch length of 2.5 mm works well in most cases, but can be lengthened for heavier/bulkier fabrics.
How do you finish raw edges of fabric by hand?
You can use pinking shears, sew the edges with a zigzag stitch or mock overlock stitches, turn and straight stitch the material, or go for french seams to finish raw edges without using a serger.
How do you seal fabric edges?
Fabric glue, seam sealant, or super glue can be purchased at a local craft store or online. Simply place small dabs of glue along the edge of the fabric and spread evenly with a cotton swab or toothpick.
What fabric does not fray?
Nonwoven materials, in general, do not fray as easily as woven or knit fabrics, which is one of the main reasons nonwovens are preferred over their easily fraying counterparts.