Doll Sewing Tip: Stopping Fabric From Fraying

Sewing for dolls is fun but it can also be frustrating.

Because everything is so much smaller compared to sewing for humans. 

And when there’s a mistake, ripping out those tiny stitches can be a big headache. 

Especially, if you’re using fray prone material like woven, lightweight fabrics. 

Because the more times you remove stitches to fix a mistake, the more chances the edges on these fabrics will fray.

And before long, you’re left with a useless piece of  fabric in your hands.

But even if you sew perfectly clean, professional stitches, there’s still a chance your fabric will unravel.

Why?

Because that’s the nature of fray prone fabric. The threads begin to unravel the instant they’re cut.  

The fabric doesn’t care how well you sew it, the raw edges will unravel and your beautiful piece will start to fall apart, if the edges are not contained. 

So that’s why is it’s a must whether you’re a sewist who:

• makes a lot of mistakes or 
• sews perfectly clean, professional stitches

to protect the edges of fray prone fabrics.

There are many solutions to do this, like using a fabric sealant, pinking shears or stitches. 

However, today we’re going to look at fabric sealants.

Fabric Sealants

Fabric sealants are a type of glue. When applied, it keeps the threads of the fabric from coming loose (aka, fraying).

Sealing the edges of the fabric before sewing is always among the first couple of steps listed in most Japanese doll sewing books.

I didn’t understand or truly appreciate the importance of sealing the edges of fabric until we embarked on the 52 week Dolly Sewing Crush journey.

We encountered many mistakes on our sewing travels and had to rip out heaps of stitches. 

It was obvious which pieces had the fabric sealant vs the pieces that didn’t. 

News Flash: when we removed stitches to correct our sewing mistakes, the fabric without the sealant unraveled quicker and we had to start the project from the beginning

Fabric Sealants We’ve Tried

We used Dritz Fray Check Liquid Seam Sealant and June Tailor Fray Block. 

Both sealants did a good job and performed as we needed.

You can buy them at your local craft shop or online for your next sewing project. 

Sealing the raw edges of fabric with a sealant made sewing for dolls less frustrating.

And it’s also great if you’re striving for a dolly outfit that looks clean and professional.

Over to You

Do you use fabric sealants on your sewing projects?

What fabric sealant do you like to use?

Share your recommendations and thoughts in the comment section below. 

I look forward to chatting with you. 

The following videos show how to apply fabric sealants to raw edges. Enjoy!