Among difficult fabrics, Minky is probably a seven on a 10-point scale. My research, as I always do on my blogs, was rather specific but straightforward.
Minky Hints:
- It is not necessary to pre-wash Minky fabric because it does not shrink. If combined with cotton or shrink fabric, it should be pre-washed.
- Never iron Minky!!! It is 100% polyester, but it will melt and no longer be soft & fluffy.
- Use sharp shears when cutting the Minky.
- Minky fabric is made of polyester; therefore, polyester thread is the best to use. Use a larger needle than you normally would do. A suggestion would be 100 – 16 needle. Use a 3.5 mm length stitch. Some Minky fabric is very stretchy; a knit or stretch needle has a ballpoint tip, which won’t cut thread lines in the fabric.*
- Minky tends to wiggle a lot. To secure it against the other pieces of fabric, use weights or clips.
- Use a walking foot on your sewing machine. When sewing the Minky fabric to another fabric, place the other fabric on the bottom.
- Check the nap. Cut pieces going in the same direction. When sewing Minky fabric, use a wide seam allowance; ½ inch seams are advised.
- Never hoop a napped fabric. The nap will be pressed by the hoop, usually permanently. Hoop your stabilizer but float the fabric. I generally place the adhesive tape, so the napped fabric does not move away from the stabilizer.
- From a modest nap to a full-blown 2” nap for replicating long fur on an animal, a ‘smack down' stitch can enhance a design. I did a "stipple" below the Peace on Earth.
- Lastly, sewing with Minky fabric will result in fuzz. After use, make sure to clean your sewing machine thoroughly.
My phone camera is not working very well, but here is the completed design. The colors are very nice & I recommend using a darker Minky. the lovely blue would not give sufficient contrast to many colors. The snow and some of the lights needed more 'pop,' but I did learn a lot from this fabric.
I began by using some foam under the fabric. I wanted to be sure I had a 3D-style project. The Minky would have produced some contours, but adding the padding made it even more interesting.
In person, the colors are great! The photos don't do the item justice.
If the nap makes seeing the details difficult, I use small scissors and trim the nap away from the hidden item. When I completed those things, I used a 'lint roller' on the fabric. Little snips were everywhere. But I loved this project.
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minky 14k peace on earth 2022 5x6 7 colors The Avid Embroiderer.zip (250.9KB)
*BTW: Never stick pins or needles in a spool of thread because it will make a weak spot in several layers of thread. When you sew with
that thread, it seems fine, but after washing, it starts to show its weakness.
If you want a Christmas Design with a little humor, check out some of my past works, they are fun!!
http://bit.ly/believe-freebie
http://bit.ly/bcostalot-freebie
https://bit.ly/metallic_thread_2016_freebie
https://bit.ly/christmastreea
https://bit.ly/appendix-freebie
http://bit.ly/digwaterplants
http://bit.ly/2yKp5Em