Remember I said I *was* going to do my trench coat in the microfiber polyester? Well... see what had happened was... LOL That fabric was bitch to work with. Okay... let me give you some background info on microfiber and a small tutorial in case you ever make the mistake decide to work with it.

Microfiber fabrics are made of high-quality, superfine polyester threads, densely constructed. This density gives the fabric its drape and water and stain resistance for outerwear, although it lacks breathability. The best reason to love microfibers? No static cling.

Cutting & Sewing: To pin or not to pin?
Most performance fabrics can be pinned within the seam allowances without damage, but pins leave permanent holes in coated fabrics, so opt for pattern weights or binder clips where needed. When sewing, you should use Microtex needles because they have a thinner shaft and slimmer point than universal needles. Also, a good choice in thread would be fine embroidery thread.

For microfiber fabrics, choose the presser foot with the flattest bottom, holding the fabric taut against the feed dogs.

Lengthen your stitches slightly for this fabric, to approximately 3.0-3.5 length. Hems are beautiful when done with a coverstitch. Be sure to remove any auxiliary needles from your coverstitch machine, as pinholes will leave a permanent mark in the fabric. If you do not have coverstitch capabilities, use a double row of topstitching for your hems. Lengthen the stitch to 3.5 for this hem stitching. Seam finishes are not necessary to prevent fraying, as the fabric does not ravel. However, you may choose to topstitch your seams to encourage them to remain flat. If so, use the same 3.5 length stitching as for your machine hem. You can finger press the seam open and stitch on each side of the seamline, or you may choose to finger press the seam to one side, trim out the inner layer of the seam allowance, and run one row of topstitching to secure the seam in place.

Buttons and buttonholes will require additional reinforcement, such as a second layer of interfacing. Again, avoid the use of heat on this fabric.

You can definitely feel the resistance will attempting to pin this fabric. Make sure to use new, sharp pins. And handsewing... forget that!

Interfacing
If a fabric is already coated, a fusible will make a mess. Coatings and fusibles don't mix; use a sew-in instead. Test your fabric before fusing any interfacing. Some of these fabrics do not respond well to the application of heat; in these cases, a sew-in interfacing will be necessary. Choose cotton muslin or batiste, washed to eliminate the possibility of further shrinkage, and cut it using the same grainlines as the rainwear fabric. Baste the interfacing to the rainwear fabric with dots of glue stick. (The school variety glue stick works fine.)

What caused me to dislike this fabric was the fact that I could not press it. This garment has too many details that require pressing to just sew and go. I tested scraps of fabric to see if I could apply low heat... I could, but it did give the type of finished look I would want. When I turned up the heat, it scorched the fabric as I expected it to. I decided to just scrap it and start from scratch. I'm using a beautiful blue satin, that will give me more of the "look" of what I originally wanted. Sometimes, you should just follow your initial instinct. I'm *still* deciding on buttons (I hate picking those out) and as soon as they arrive, you'll be the first to know. Meanwhile, I have other small projects in the works and I'll be sharing those this week.