Can't find ribbing to match your fleece top? Want a
unique way to finish cuffs, waistbands, necklines? We've got your answer
right here!
Polar ribbing uses pintucked fleece in place of ribbing,
creating a beautiful matching finish on fleece garments.
Fabric Choices:
Choose a fleece rather than a Berber or plush material as this
technique works best with fleece. Since polar ribbing is made from
self-fabric it won't have as much stretch as real ribbing.
Look for fleeces that have a good amount of crossgrain
stretch. Fleeces that have little to no give will not work with this
technique. A way to check this is to hold a strip of the fleece around
your wrist and see if it has enough stretch for your hand to pass through.
Keep in mind- how it fits now is how it will fit when it becomes ribbing.
The Polar Ribbing technique will make the fleece look like ribbing
not act like ribbing.
By pintucking the fleece we achieve the look of ribbing but
not the stretch. It is important to keep in mind when choosing a fleece for your
project that it has enough crossgrain stretch to be used as a band, collar, or
cuffs.
For a bottom band, cuffs and collar you will need .6m of
fleece (if using a print you will need at least 3 repeats of the pattern in
order to center the design on each piece).
|
|
|
1.) Insert a 3.0 double needle on the sewing machine |
|
2.) Using two spools of thread, thread the sewing machine
and both needles |
|
3.) Attach a five-groove pintuck presser foot to your
sewing machine (optional) |
|
4.) Cut a test scrap of fleece, 7"x10" with the
greatest degree of stretch in the length (crossgrain) |
|
5.) Test sew a pintuck row using regular tension and a
3mm-3.5mm stitch length to see how the welts will look. For flatter
welts loosen the thread tension or for more pronounced welts tighten the
thread tension. |
|
6.) Experiment with the spacing of
the pintucks to obtain the desired look. The most commonly used fleece
pintucking techniques are:
a.) Ribbed Look- sew one pintuck row, lift presser foot and
align the just sewn pintuck under the left hand side of the foot. Sew next
row.
b.) Spaced Ribbed Look-same
as above except align the last sewn pintuck with the outer edge of the
presser foot.
|
|
7.) Cut strips of the fleece 7"x 60" with the
greater stretch going in the length. Pintuck as desired. The 7" width
allows room to straighten the edges after pintucking.
8.) To estimate the quantity of fleece you need to pintuck
use the first 10" of a fleece strip as a "rib gauge". To do
so:
a.) Mark 10" from one selvage end.
b.) Begin a 1/2" from the end and pintuck to
the 10" marking. Note: to avoid distortion, after
sewing an inch or two of pintucked rows, reverse the fabric and sew from the
other direction. 
c.) Measure the pintucked section and
compare the measurements before and after pintucking. Example: if
the original 10" length is now 8", 20% of the original length
was lost to the pintucking.
Use this information to figure out approximately how much fleece length
you will need.
|
|
|
Cuffs:
Fold the polar ribbing in half lengthwise and cut it long enough to
slip your hand through. Add 1/2" for seam allowance.
or
if pattern calls for ribbing, cut fleece cuffs 2" wider and longer
than the ribbing with the stretch of the fleece along the length of the piece
(see step #4). Sew pintucks using the Spaced
Ribbed Look method in step 6. Cut the polar ribbing the length that your
hand will slip through plus 1/2".
|
Bottom Bands:
Fold the polar ribbing in half lengthwise and hold it around your hip
area for a comfortable fit. Add a 1/2" for seam allowance.
or
if pattern calls for ribbing, cut fleece band 2" wider and longer
than the ribbing with the stretch of the fleece along the length of the piece
(see step #4). Sew pintucks using the Spaced
Ribbed Look method in step 6. Cut the polar ribbing the length that fits
comfortably around your hips plus 1/2".
|
