Fabric that won't feed through, stitches that bunch up, fabric that tears, and needles that break are the main challenges encountered with this type of fabric.
Faux leather is a polyester fabric designed to mimic the appearance of leather on its front side. On the back of the faux leather, however, you can clearly see that it’s fabric—which is perfectly normal.
What is the difference between faux leather for furniture and faux leather for clothing?
- Faux leather intended for upholstery is much thicker and, above all, stiffer than that intended for clothing.
For example, if you want to make a flowing skirt, upholstery-grade faux leather won’t work because it won’t have that fluid look that follows the body’s movements (although, in any case, faux leather is less suitable than crepe for this type of design!) - The selvedges are different. The selvedge of an upholstery fabric is exactly the same as the rest of the fabric, whereas in clothing, the selvedge stands out clearly. See the photos below.
- The reverse side of the fabric. The reverse side of faux leather upholstery fabric is always white and has a coarse “weave,” as shown below. For clothing, you’ll mostly find a classic fabric or a fine “weave.”
Which needle should I use?
You should use a No. 100 needle for upholstery-grade faux leather. For clothing-grade faux leather, a No. 90 needle may be sufficient if it is in good condition.
Which yarn should I use?
You should usehigh-quality polyester thread. Personally, I use Guttermann thread.
You don’t need to use particularly thick thread when sewing faux leather. I’d say that the thickness and strength of the thread you choose depend more on the project you’re working on. For example, when I sew a bag, I almost always use extra-strong thread to attach the handles, even if the bag is made of fabric. On the other hand, I don’t use it to sew the pockets, for instance, because it’s not necessary, even if they’re made of faux leather.
How do you hold two pieces of faux leather together? (= pin them together)
In fact, you can't pin the faux fabric with regular pins, because they would puncture the fabric, which doesn't look good.
So you need to use either clothespins or paper clips.
How do I sew it?
You should use a stitch length of 3 to 4 mm.
For clothing, a stitch length of 3 mm is generally used.
For upholstery, use 3.5 mm, unless there are more than two layers.
In any case, you should test the settings on a small piece of fabric. This is a step you can’t skip, since you’ll also need to adjust the thread tension.
What thread tension should I choose?
It depends on your machine. But keep in mind that you’ll need to increase it.When sewing thick fabrics, you increase the thread tension, and when sewing thin fabrics, you decrease it.
Test it on a small piece and check how your stitches look on the underside. If they form loops, you need to increase the tension. If the thread breaks or the fabric is pulled very tight at each stitch, you need to decrease it.
Which presser foot should I use?
The ideal presser foot is a Teflon foot (see the image on the far left) or a nonstick foot (far right).
Alternatively, there’s also the roller foot (see the middle image), which is better suited for sewing real leather.
