You can sew anything if you prepare your fabric, adapt the machine needle, choose the right presser foot and machine settings. For enjoyable sewing experience with rayon prewash the fabric, press and starch before cutting. Use plenty of weights and pins and cut on a single layer. Put a universal or microtex needle into your machine, shorten the length of the stitch and sew with a cotton thread.
What is rayon?
Rayon is a woven, man-made fabric from natural fibres. Rayon is produced from purified cellulose, primarily from wood pulp, which is chemically converted into a soluble compound.
Rayon is cool to wear and they flow nicely. It’s suitable for long pants, A-line skirts, maxi skirts, boxy shirts and full dresses.
Tips for sewing with rayon:
- Prewash your fabric, rayon shrinks
- Spray starch and press right before cutting
- Use dry iron, medium temperature and pressing cloth
- Cut pattern pieces on a single layer
- Use a lot of pattern weights or thin pins, it shifts a lot
- Sew with 70/10 universal or sharp/microtex needle- test on the piece of scrap first, look for snagging
- Shorten the stitch length 2.2-2.5
- Reduce presser foot pressure, if you have that option
- Use COTTON thread ONLY, polyester thread can cause shredding
- Hang garment for 24 hours before hemming
Seam finish
You will find a flat fell seam on button-up shirts. Also you can press open and overlock raw edges separately. Very popular seam finish for rayon fabric is French seam, especially if the fabric is translucent or garment opened design.
Sewing project on the photos is a free PDF sewing pattern, Frankie Wrap Skirt by made label. Highly recommend this pattern. It has multiple sizes available, clear instructions in a video tutorial and It’s a lovely wardrobe basic!
Read more about how to save money in the sewing room in the blog post: How to make sewing more frugal & sustainable? 11 Tips
Did you find these tips for sewing with rayon fabric useful? Let me know in the comment section.
