Fabric Tips: Sewing Fleece

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Duration:   5  mins

Fleece can be a great fabric to work with and in this video ZJ Humbach shares with you why sewing fleece is one of her favorites! At 60 inches wide it’s one of the more cost effective fabrics to buy, it’s warm and lightweight, and has the added benefit of not raveling. This not only makes it easy to work with, but with no need to finish edges it makes it great for whipping up last minute gifts like blankets!

ZJ takes you through other advantages of sewing fleece, as well as explains some of its trickier attributes like whether it has a grain and which directions have the most stretch. ZJ also shares ideas of projects that can be made entirely out of fleece like blankets, sweaters, or toys, and shows some examples of projects that can be accented with fleece.

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13 Responses to “Fabric Tips: Sewing Fleece”

  1. Mariette Forget

    Hi and thanks to Bonnie because I was going to make blankets for toddlers. I will make some for their older siblings now .

    Reply
  2. Sewer aficionado

    Trying to make a fleece jacket/snuggly and wondering what type of snaps you’d recommend (or not?) as I’m afraid it will eventually rip the fabric off. Figure Velcro May not be recommended

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello Customer,
      Thank you for contacting us. Great question! The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members of our online community. By becoming a member, you will have access to our expert’s knowledge in sewing. With your membership you will also receive discounts on products and hours of Premium video content.

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      Reply
  4. KATHLEEN

    is there a special type of needle that should be used. I have trouble with it getting caught in the plate when sewing. So what tension is good, stitch length etc.

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Kathleen. In general, an all-purpose needle should work great when sewing with fleece. You will want to ensure that you have a sharp needle when working with this fabric, because even though it is easy to sew through it can dull a needle quickly. If you have done more than 6 hours of sewing on your needle prior to sewing with the fleece I would recommend changing it. Also, if the project you are sewing requires a straight stitch only you can switch out your throat plate and use a straight stitch throat plate. This throat plate has only a small hole for the needle to pass through, making it almost impossible for the fabric to get pushed down into and caught in it. However, you can ONLY use a straight stitch. As for tension and stitch length, you can keep your tension setting similar to what you have it on when stitching with other medium weight fabrics and stitch with a construction stitch length of 2.5.

      Hope all of this helps!
      Thanks
      Ashley-NSC

      Reply
  5. Tressa Dishman

    Thanks for the tips about sewing fleece. I have been using fleece as a backing for ‘comfort quilts’ to be given to those who are in the hospital or home bound. The softness of the fleece adds the comfort and the other side of the quilt is usually cotton. Binding has been either sewing a 1/2″ edge and then trimming with pinking shears or I do ‘pillow case’ style on the quilt. I use my walking foot when doing the quilting so it helps to eliminate the pulling. Thanks again for this timely info – I had not realized the difference in the stretch!

    Reply
  6. Shelly

    I am sewing a blanket with fleece on one side and the other side is cotton blend fabric pieced together like a quilt top. I am trying to find tips online to prevent the “stretch” when I am sewing top edges and bottom edging . The fabrics laid out on table in perfect proportion ,the sides didn’t stretch out ,but the fleece ended up stretching Longer than the cotton fabric on TOP and Bottom edges

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello Shelly,

      To prevent the fleece from stretching I would definitely recommend using a combination of pins as well as either a walking foot or a roller foot. Also, if you can lessen the presser foot pressure on your machine that can help as well. I believe your fleece is stretching because there is too much pressure on the fabric and they are not being fed through the machine at the same rate. The above suggestions should alleviate those issues.

      Hope this helps!

      Cheers,
      Ashley NSC Video Membership

      We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first year membership.
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      Reply
  7. Mariette Forget

    Hi and thank you so much for this tutorial on fleece. You make me want to sew with this now. 😎🌸

    Reply
  8. Bonnie

    1. When I make a double layer fleece blanket I reverse the stretch. I lay the crosswise stretch along the lengthwise stretch which reduces the stretch of the finished blanket.
    2. Latest guidelines from pediatric groups is NEVER use fleece blankets for babies or toddlers. You cannot breathe through it hence why it blocks the cold air so well. Our local childrens’ hospital requested years ago that we not donate fleece items for the nursery or NICU. The static in the fleece affects the electronic monitors and again cannot breathe through it.

    Reply
  9. Vickie

    would like to have more tips about actually sewing fleece on my sewing machine. Stitch length, etc. I have not been pleased with the outcome of attempting to sew with fleece and wonder what I am doing wrong. Thanks

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Vickie. When I sew fleece on my machine I lengthen the stitch length slightly, so from 2.5 to 3. This helps me maintain even stitches and straight seams. I also like to use a walking foot.

      What are some of the issue you are having when sewing with fleece? Once I know what those are I may be able to help you further.

      Reply

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