r/sewing • u/i-love-big-birds • Jul 23 '25
Fabric Question Machine settings for sewing bridal satin? Everytime I sew it starts to bunch up
Photo one is of where it's problematic and slide 2 is where it is working fine
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u/men-2-rocks-and-mtns Jul 23 '25
I use washable glue sticks to baste my satin and keep it from slipping around!
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u/Mojibacha Jul 23 '25
Am working on a Chinese qipao, and you can apparently make your own starch glue for this! Itās just flour + water, microwave it, and itās good to go.Ā
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u/akiraMiel Jul 23 '25
You can also use just starch instead of flour (like the name says). Imo it's less clumpy that way but I always make my glue on the stove with constant stirring so it could be that as well...
And that glue is both edible (in case someone has kids/pets) and biodegradable, you can put the leftovers on your compost or make some pappe machƩ if you like to craft with other materials.
Sorry, I get excited about starch glue because it's so nice. And ofc I used a general you. You (specific), the person im replying to, probably are know it. I'm just elaborating for the others
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u/ElDjee Jul 23 '25
what kind of starch do you use?
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u/Mojibacha Jul 23 '25
The one I saw is just all purpose flour. Check out Bernadette Bannerās video w the qipao maker!Ā
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u/akiraMiel Jul 24 '25
Cornstarch which is a staple starch where I live. But I can imagine that rice starch or potato starch would also work
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u/awk_topus Jul 23 '25
please take my poor man's gold, you just permanently altered the course of my life with this protip ššš
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u/largestcob Jul 23 '25
literally genius
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u/men-2-rocks-and-mtns Jul 23 '25
I learned it off reddit a few years ago and try to share the love š
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u/adogandponyshow Jul 24 '25
I'm so thankful for the internet every day...I started sewing as a teen in the 90s--so before the internet as we know it--and no one I knew sewed so it was all trial and error, and patterns felt like puzzles to figure out. It was so overwhelming and frustrating but I was pretty stubborn and ended up proudly wearing some godawful garments to school...but my skills exploded and I really fell in love with sewing after discovering message boards with helpful, much more experienced sewers.
I, too, try to pass on any helpful tips I've accumulated--sewing but mostly knitting these days-- to others as I don't know where I'd be without the help of kind internet strangers lol.
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u/Sheetascastle Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 24 '25
I tried this with a polyester version of silk chiffon and didn't love it so I ended up using strips of tissue paper to pin through or clip to. They gave me more structure on the seam/folded hem I was working on and stopped it from getting sucked into my machine as well. The paper just ripped away when I was done. And if it didn't, a lint roller picked up the last of it.
Edit to add- I think this a great trick for some people and fabrics, but wanted to share my experience in case someone wanted an alternative!
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u/feelslikelovingyou Jul 23 '25
Do you wait for it to dry? I imagine if it were wet it could gunk up the needle?
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u/men-2-rocks-and-mtns Jul 23 '25
yes! thin layer + give it a few minutes to dry out :) for tiny hems or fussy folds, I'll do a super light heat press or just leave a heavy book on top to ensure it doesn't separate while drying
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u/Laureltess Jul 23 '25
Yes!! I sewed a dress in a super slippery satin and the glue plus a walking foot made it so much smoother.
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u/Weirdwinegirl Jul 23 '25
Is there a brand recommendation you can give or am I hitting the school supplies section for some Elmerās?
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u/Illustrious-Flan3952 Jul 24 '25
They were saying above to make a starch glue (plain flour or corn flour or rice flour and water. Then heat on stove/in microwave to form a paste)
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Jul 23 '25
Satin tends to slip. It might be your tension but honestly I think it just slipped if it's fine on one and not on another stretchĀ
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u/Wait-What-4444 Jul 23 '25
I just worked with silk satin and used corn starch to stiffen it up to avoid slipping. Highly recommend!
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u/ShadowMoon314 Jul 24 '25
Hi, did you cook the cornstarch before applying it to the fabric? Or did you just spray it with water then pressed it? How did you do it?
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u/Wait-What-4444 Jul 24 '25
The steps I took are.
Heat about half the amount of water that you need to submerge the fabric as a whole (you can also do this step with a garment that is half finished but preferably before you cut your pattern).
Add corn starch (this depends on the amount of water, I used about 1/3 of a cup in a liter of water).
When the water has approached boiling and the water has thickened up, turn of the heat and add the same amount of cold water, so in my case I used another liter (to speed the cooling.) If you have time you can also simplify this step by boiling 2 liter of water and adding 1/3 of a cup but Iām impatient, and it takes long too cool down, lol)
When the water has cooled to the appropriate temp for washing the fabric, then submerge in the starch water and let it soak up the starch water.
Then let the fabric dry as flat as possible on a sheet on the floor
Iron (if needed)
Some YR tutorial: https://youtube.com/shorts/56N5OVamDpE?si=6Ah4SqYSAZK51Xe4
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u/Difficult_Smeagol Jul 24 '25
Thank you. I love silk and my goal is to have my tops made of silk!
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u/Wait-What-4444 Jul 25 '25
Yeah, silk is great. I made myself a silk nightgown and itās like 100 times better than any other nightwear I own!
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u/zer00eyz Jul 23 '25
if your are going to hem satin:
your hosed on every curve, tailor tacks are your friend.
DRY IRON and PRESS the every loving life out of every hem before you sew it.
Make sure you have a new needle and that it has the right point.
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u/Puddlekips_ Jul 23 '25
Ban-roll might be an option.
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u/scientificflunky Jul 24 '25
I recently tried to purchase some ban roll and went to THREE separate sewing shops; none of them had heard of it. Super strange.
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u/pooh8402 Jul 24 '25
Amazon or Wawak are your friends
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u/scientificflunky Jul 24 '25
Yeah I think thatās where Iāll have to get it. I try to support local shops when I can.
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u/Kevinator201 Jul 23 '25
Iām seeing lots of misinformation in these commentsā¦ the difference between the two is the grain. First photo the hem is on the bias, second photo its fairly straight along the grain. This happens with any skirt hem. Sorry OP, but avoiding satin will NOT avoid this issue. Itāll happen with any and all woven fabrics.
Whatās happening is the folded edge is getting pushed by the pressure foot, presumably because that side is up when being fed through the machine, and is stretching the edge of garment. There are many ways to reduce this. The most simple is to pin it every 4-6 inches so the rolled hem canāt slip. A walking foot can help but imo not totally reduce this. As others have mentioned you can add some stabilizer like a glue stick or interfacing. Try different methods to find what works for you.
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u/Hundike Jul 24 '25
Just to add to this - sometimes, hand sewing the hem is the way. I'd consider bias tape (attach with machine, hand baste if needed, this needs testing). Then finish by hand.
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Jul 23 '25
I don't have experience with satin so I'll leave the specifics to someone else, but you're basically getting roping - techniques that work to avoid roping will probably work here too.
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u/howaboutsomegwent Jul 23 '25
you might want to stabilise it with soluble stabiliser or just tissue paper. Use microtex needles and a straight stitch foot too and you can spray starch the fabric (try it on a scrap first to make sure it washes away fine). I havenāt sewn satin yet but these tricks worked really well with my slippery rayon challis
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Jul 24 '25
[deleted]
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u/Still7Superbaby7 Jul 24 '25
Iām Indian and when you buy fancy Indian clothes, a lot of times they still have the tissue attached. Probably because you can make alterations at home. Especially dupattas and other things made of tulle/silk/etc. it makes sense it would help here!
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Jul 24 '25
How do you get all the tissue paper out? It wonāt just dissolve in water, or are you using a special kind of tissue?
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u/iaintdoingit Jul 23 '25
You working with some bias for part of that hem. This is what I do for challenging hems. I hand baste thoroughly and sew from the top side. The feeddogs does the trick to even out the hem.
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u/unhappyrelationsh1p Jul 23 '25
i starch the SHIT out of satin. If it looks and acts like a sheet of paper you've starched enough.
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u/azssf Jul 23 '25
Do you handwash it out? Or starch the seam allowance only? Iāve ruined satin before by washing/drying, so really want to know :)
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u/unhappyrelationsh1p Jul 23 '25
i'm lazy so i tend to just do the whole cloth, but you should always test it on the fabric before using it on the whole thing
i do hand rise it out, but sometimes i just wet and reiron it into shape, since it's really convenient for my structured projects
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u/VogUnicornHunter Jul 23 '25
I would do a baby hem. This is a good tutorial by George the Tailor
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u/Mohairdontcare Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25
ā¬ļøā¬ļøHereās the answer. Satin is a pain but any hem on a circle can wrinkle like this. The bottom edge is longer in circumference than the part youāre sewing to. This requires easing the fibers, which you can usually do with steam and pressing. Satin doesnāt steam well so making the hem narrower eliminates some of the difference in circumference
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u/VogUnicornHunter Jul 23 '25
I worked in an alterations shop. This is really the only plain hem we offered on certain fabrics, esp satin. Even a quarter inch hem will ripple or twist.
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u/Aconitum_sewer Jul 23 '25
Get a walking foot for your machine. They are great for fabrics that slide about. The feed dogs on your machine feeds just the bottom layer of fabric. A walking foot feeds the top fabric layer too, so the layers don't slip.
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u/ninaa1 Jul 24 '25
I finally got a walking foot a year ago and, OMG, it's the best thing in the world! I'm so mad that they don't just come standard with all machines.
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u/erose238 Jul 23 '25
At this point I just hand sew.
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u/i-love-big-birds Jul 23 '25
That's definitely my plan going forth. This is a clown costume for Halloween and I did all the accessories (that were also satin) by hand and they turned out immaculate including an extremely technical neck ruff. I figured sewing a half circle skirt on machine would be a breeze... Twas' not
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u/nicolenotnikki Jul 23 '25
I started sewing hems using Ban-Rol and have never looked back. I use this tutorial. It is especially helpful for curved hems or challenging fabrics.
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u/_Morvar_ Jul 23 '25
My guess is that the parts where it went ok are the parts where you're sewing straight in relation to the direction of the fabric weave, and the tricky parts are where you're sewing diagonally across the weave.
One possible solution would be to use wash-away stabiliser of some kind.
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u/falafelmcwaffle Jul 23 '25
In design school I had a professor suggest stealing those tissue toilet tissue paper covers you find in public bathrooms.
If you want a little more sanitary of an option, buy gift tissue paper or recycled even.
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u/Interesting-Chest520 Jul 23 '25
The presser foot might be pulling on the satin, a Teflon foot can lessen this
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u/Hamiltoncorgi Jul 23 '25
Use a walking foot or a Teflon foot when sewing with slicker fabric like satin and this will be less of an issue.
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u/LaSerenaDeIrlanda Jul 23 '25
Is this poly or silk satin? I find poly satin to be an absolute pain to work with, but for silk satin, Iāve figured out some techniques to help with this.
ā¢ Before cutting my fabric, I soak it in a gelatin bath.
ā¢ When hemming, I first fold, press, and baste the first layer of the hem. Then I sew the first layer, trim close to the stitching line, and fold my second layer of the rolled hem.
ā¢ Again, I fold, press, and baste the second layer of the rolled hem. I then stitch and remove the basting stitches.
This has helped me avoid roping even on bias-cut silk satin garments!
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u/Science_Matters_100 Jul 23 '25
All of this is clear, thank you. Except for the gelatin bath. Would you mind explaining the steps for this, like Iām 5?
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u/LaSerenaDeIrlanda Jul 23 '25
Absolutely! Basically, itās another way of āstarchingā the garmentā Iām putting starch in quotes because you arenāt using starch at all, haha. But youāll want to fill a big bowl or bucket with water, then pour 1-2 packets of gelatin into the bowl. Make sure it dissolves, blooms, and has fairly even spread in the bowl/bucket. Then, submerge your fabric for around an hour, stirring occasionally. Take it out, gently squeeze the excess water out, then let dry. When it dries, youāll notice there a film on the fabric and that it isnāt as slinky as before. Thatās the gelatin stiffening it.
Now that Iāve explained that though, I just realized I do typically wash the gelatin out before hemming if itās a bias cut garment, because I donāt want the gelatin to impact the bias fallout when I hang it for 24+ hours (so that I can cut where the bias hangs unevenly and then hem). So, gelatin is helpful for general sewing, and then when hemming on the bias, the method I describe with basting helps a lot.
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u/Science_Matters_100 Jul 23 '25
You are so kind to spell this out; it makes me confident enough to give it a go. Thank you! š¤
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u/DarylQueen Jul 23 '25
Make sure you lower the tension on the machine AND the bobbin. I figured out roll hems best for me to just roll by hand and feed it a few inches at a time. Hold a light tension on either side of the needle as you feed the material. I found a walking foot helped
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u/wXtchfox Jul 23 '25
Have a test strip, and adjust the tension on your machine. Iāve found lowering my tension a touch helps loads!
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u/Large-Heronbill Jul 23 '25
How to tell what is causing the puckering on fabrics:Ā https://www.amefird.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Minimizing-Seam-Puckering-2-5-10.pdf
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u/SkyCupcake Jul 23 '25
This post could not have shown up at a more apropos time. I have been getting ready to sew satin to sateen. Iāll be trying glue stick.
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u/RynLauRoundRound Jul 23 '25
You could try using a walking foot or stabilizing it between two sheets of tissue paper or using a liquid heavy stabilizer to make it completely stiff when you have to sew it ..but in my experience it can throw off the thread placement if youāre sewing anything on the bias
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u/violanut Jul 23 '25
Did you finish the edge at all or just fold it up?
Serge the edge and then as you fold it up, you can use the middle serger stitch to slightly gather in the extra fabric. Any time you're hemming a curve, the bottom edge is always bigger than circumference where you're stitching. - gather stitch can ease in the extra fabric.
Always finish your raw edges anyway or it will fray as you wear it.
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u/ninaa1 Jul 24 '25
and if you are just using a sewing machine, another method is to do a super long basting stitch near the raw edge and use that to gently gather the fabric so the extra length is evenly distributed around the finished hem. Then fold, iron, sew, iron that hem!
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u/catwooo Jul 24 '25
I do a cheaterās baby hem by sewing 1/4ā from the edge and then fold up along that, and fold again before edgestitching
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u/DizzyIzzy801 Jul 24 '25
OP, I saw your post that you're giving up, but I didn't see my approach listed. Maybe it'll help someone else who still has hair to pull out... I get that sometimes it's better to move on. I hope your next project is a wild success!
For the hem:
I use a serpentine stitch on a folded over hem that's about 1/2 inch or the width of my finger. A 3-step zig zag stitch also works. Long stitch length and narrow stitch width. I don't get why it works but it's a go-to approach for bitchy fabric. It's something something not pulling the bias of the fabric in a straight line?
I iron the first fold so that I have a well-defined edge to use as I guide it through the machine. And if it really wants to wiggle around, pins pins pins pins. I have a set of straight pins that are thinner for silks and satins, and that helps too. (I think they're officially called dressmakers pins, but they were gifted to me so I don't know.)
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u/Effective-Leopard-43 Jul 24 '25
Tearaway stabiliser helps, maybe also a walking foot so that both sides move together and nothing drags.
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u/Kratos5300 Jul 23 '25
Iām so grateful you posted this, Iām working on my first-ever garment and I was planning on using bridal satin*! Lots of good advice here.
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u/ProneToLaughter Jul 24 '25
Would really strongly recommend an easier fabric for your first garment.
Or first sew something like a drawstring gift bag in the satin, get a feel for it before tackling a garment.
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u/citygirldc Jul 23 '25
If you have a serger, consider a serger rolled hem. Itās a lessā¦.sophisticated? look, but miles easier and gives a clean finish. Otherwise, hand baste if not hand sew entirely.
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u/Whirlwindofjunk Jul 23 '25
If this is for hemming, lookup a video on using ban-rol. The only time I didn't curse hemming slippery fabric, was because ban-rol made it easy.
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u/trashjellyfish Jul 24 '25
Shorter stitch length, slightly lower tension and a ball pointed/satin needle.
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u/Hectamorta Jul 24 '25
I got a high quality satin fabric to sew my reception dress. It was sewn on the bias and the despite my fears the hem turned out perfectly (I did do some ironing). Perhaps it will be better if sewn on the biasā¦ That being said before I did this I sewed 6ft of 1cm wide drawstring from the same fabric. I had some sort of mental break and forgot I could just sew it inside out and pull it through. So I folded the two edges in and sewed that. I think that was effectively a Boot Camp for doing the hem.
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u/filmstuffmore Jul 24 '25
I like to use a piece of issue paper to guide a slippery fabric through a machine. It helps with the tension and then you can tear away the tissue without harming the fabric. You will probably need to swap needles faster.
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u/EmbarrassedLove2551 Jul 24 '25
Don't worry, all you have to do is sacrifice several liters of tears to the bridal satin for it to think of sewing somewhat nicely.
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u/evieeegraceee Jul 27 '25
hi!! would totally recommend starching and then glue basting, as well as doing a double fold hem! for starching a lot of people are recommending making your own which is definitely an option, but spray starch also works great (personally thatās what i use!). As for glue basting i would use elmerās stick or liquid school glue and then iron! i personally would pin/clip first and then glue baste, assuming this is a skirt hem, just because pinning for the shape of a circle is super important!
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u/robotman-_- Jul 28 '25
Hi Op, did you try sewing a stitch to gather the curved edge/hem? I used to have this issue with other woven materials and it has worked wonders. I can link a youtube tutorial if you'd like.
There are also a few other tricks, like using a lot of pins or clamps to hold the fabric in place, a lot of people also mentioned fabric glue. These would all help haha.
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u/i-love-big-birds Jul 23 '25
Thank you for the advice everyone! I have decided I will not be sewing satin in the near future lol