How can I make pintucks on bias fabric without distortion?
Elaine W.,
e-mail
For most fabrics, including nonwashables, fuse an iron-on, tear-away stabilizer to the fabric wrong side to help prevent puckering. After stitching the pintucks, gently tear away the stabilizer.
Or use a spray-on fabric stabilizer. For a firmer application, apply more than one coat after the previous coat has dried or simply pour it on the fabric until it is uniformly damp. Wash the stabilizer out of the fabric in warm water once the pintucks are sewn or the garment is constructed.
If the garment is made with a mediumweight fabric, fuse a lightweight
interfacing to the wrong side with the interfacing straight grain parallel to the fabric bias to eliminate stretch. The finished fabric will be stiffer and won’t drape like the original.
Sewing Q&A