How Do You Sew Chainette Fringe onto Stretch Fabric?
Answer by Davina (our Costume Mistress)
Question:I found your site to be very well done. However, I have a fringe question. How do you sew regular chainette fringe onto a stretch costume so that it stretches along with the costume? Does chainette come in a stretch variety? I need to add chainette (18") to a stretch costume, and don't know how to allow the costume to stretch. Please respond.Thank you, PAnswer:From Davina Devine (davina@davina.org)Hello P,Zaina forwarded your e-mail to me and I thought I would take a moment to address this issue.Rayon Chainette fringe has a very limited amount of stretch to it. If you stretch it too much, the fringe will literally "slide out" as the channel that holds the fringe in place becomes wider and floppier. However, it CAN be stitched to stretch fabric using a very old sewing trick. First - you make your stretch fabric garment and fit it to your body. Pin the chainette to the garment. Carefully take the garment off. You will find the stretch fabric will return to it's original size, and be much smaller than the chainette. Use Lots of pins -- by lots -- I usually put a pin every 2". I use long pins with big glass heads so they are easy to see and find.So here's the sewing trick. As you sew, stretch your garment until it matches the length of the chainette and sew it while under tension. When you let go, the stretching fabric will snap back to it's original size, and the chainette will bulge. However, when you put it on again, the chainette should fit your exact dimensions and be in the right place.Whenever you are sewing stretch fabric, be sure to use a ball-point or stretch sewing machine needle to avoid skipped stitches and runs in the fabric - especially if you are using bathing suit fabric.I hope that this helps!Dawn (Davina)For Additional tips and information on Fringe, check out Davina's article in the Costume Corner/Columns/Costume_Corner/Fringe_Benefits__Styles_of_Fringe/