Resources & Inspiration for Sewing, Mending & Customizing Denim
Hello again! I’m Paige, back with more garment sewing geekery and a lot of BERNINA love. Today I’d love to share with you a few of my favorite features and tips for sewing with denim. Denim is such a ubiquitous fabric in our lives. There is no shortage of it to be found and repurposed. I love sewing new denim as well, and using my B 535E over the last year has really opened a giant window of possibilities for creating, mending and customizing. Let’s get into a few of my favorite BERNINA tools and ideas!
Presser Feet
I use a variety of feet when sewing fresh denim or embellishing and repairing existing pieces. A few of my most used are the Jeans Foot #8/8D, Blind Stitch Foot #5 and Patchwork Foot #37. Read on for a bit more about how I find each of these so useful!
Jeans Foot #8/8D
The jeans foot is absolutely top of line for creating a perfect straight stitch on any thickness of fabric. It is specifically engineered to give your denim sewing that extra edge. This foot is absolutely top notch for creating a perfectly straight stitch on many layers of even the heaviest weight denim. The narrow, sloped opening directs the needle into exactly the correct spot every time, even if the foot is slightly angled. Perfectly straight seam, no broken needles! Your included Compensation Tool, or even a needle box are always a good idea as well, especially when topstitching.
Blindstitch Foot #5
If you are new to topstitching or working with a contrasting thread, this foot is perfect for setting down your first line of stitching, spaced exactly the same distance from your folded edge every time. Make sure your needle is moved over just slightly!
Foot #37 Patchwork
This foot is another excellent addition to your topstitching collection. The notches along the legs are a beautiful visual for measuring how far before a turn as they are exactly 1/4” apart. I use them to gauge whether I may need to shift my stitch length down briefly as I approach a turn on more complicated or high-contrast topstitching.
Embroidery
Whether you are patching or customizing, embroidery is a beautiful way to add your own signature to favorite denim. It’s absolutely trending in fashion now, and I’ve had so much fun working with my teenagers and their friends to create some of the patches above. We’ve had some wonderful conversations about repair, mending, textile waste and overconsumption over my BERNINA Embroidery Module!
Needle and Thread
I often switch between threads and needles as I go through a project.
Mettler’s All-Purpose Metrosene is excellent for closing seams on mid to lightweight denim. I use a Jeans needle in a size 90 to pierce the fabric perfectly and support thread movement.
Denim Doc is ideal for heavyweight denim and is my preferred choice for topstitching with the triple stitch on my B 535E. It replicates the heavier topstitching on RTW denim, and is excellent for matching commercial stitching on hem and tailoring jobs. This thread is also excellent for darning and patching.
Cordonnet is a dream for topstitching as well. I used it with a free template from Closet Core Pattern’s Resource Library for this beautiful back pocket design. This heavier weight thread allowed me to use my regular Straight Stitch #1 (adjust tension as well!) and makes the process of topstitching just a bit faster. I was even able to use this for bar tacking with a 110/16 topstitching needle, I found I did need to pull the threads to the back for a better tie off appearance.
Helpful BERNINA Tools
Creative Consultant
One BERNINA feature I love to show off in classes is the Creative Consultant. It truly takes the guesswork out of adjusting tension and stitch length and even makes foot suggestions for you based on the type of material and stitch you want to do. The settings above are what the Creative Consultant suggested for use with my Cordonnet thread. I adjusted a touch manually to get exactly the finish I preferred.
BERNINA Guides and Big Books
BERNINA has an absolute trove of information available to support sewists of every level. This Jeans Fact Sheet by BERNINA Australia is an excellent guide to bookmark and reference for future adventures in denim sewing! I also enjoy flipping through my Big Book of Stitches and Big Book of Feet for incredible knowledge and inspiration. It’s so lovely to be able to pull a book down and find just the answer to my questions when the sewing bug strikes!
