Tips for sewing with handwoven fabrics:
- always interface your handwoven fabric. Use medium weight fusible woven interfacing such as Pellon’s Shape-Flex (available at FabricLand). Woven interfacing does not affect the hand or drape of the cloth the way that non-woven interfacing does, and woven interfacings are made of cotton, not polyester. Medium weight makes the woven cloth wrinkle-resistant and crisp; you can add more layers of interfacing to make the finished object stiffer.
- for best results, use a rotary cutter rather than scissors on your handwovens. Finish raw edges before sewing, using either a (narrow) zigzag sewing machine stitch, or a serger.
- iron your project: the cloth before sewing, and after every seam! This promotes accurate, neat results.
- if you have a “walking foot” for your machine, use it. It prevents the stretchier handwoven from rippling as you sew.
Here are some easy projects.
journal cover (sized for a particular brand of journal, or do a generic 3-ring binder)
adjustable journal or book cover (adjusts to different thicknesses)
lunch box bag with drawstring closure
lots of tote bag ideas and free patterns
boxy pencil case that opens really wide
7 different ways to make a flat bottom on a tote bag
very easy pocket tissue holder
websites with oodles of info, projects, patterns, and tutorials:
Sewing for Weavers facebook group (if you are on facebook, look it up!)