Sort of. True laminated fabric has a very thin layer of polyurethane film permanently stuck to the right side of the fabric. The resulting fabric is waterproof, but still has a nice drape to it.
There’s a great post here about the difference between oilcloth, laminated fabric, and chalkcloth.
It’s terrific when you can find it – and more and more manufacturers are making it. But it can still be pretty hard to find, and when you do – the print options are usually fairly limited.
So what about when you find a lovely fabric collection like this one. . .
Spring Walk from Cloud9 Fabrics – and you want to make it into an adorable, doll-sized raincoat and boots?
And you want to make that raincoat and boots out of laminated fabric because your kid is smart and they know regular cotton is not waterproof?
You make your own laminated fabric!
I used a product called Pellon Vinyl Fuse and it worked great. Heat & Bond also has a couple of laminating products (including one that brushes on!) that I’ll be testing soon. I’ll update this post after testing.
It’s very easy to use – you just iron it on. The package has very clear instructions.
After that you treat it almost like any cotton fabric – with a few key changes.
Tips for Working with Laminated Fabric
- Do not iron it from the vinyl side of the fabric! Save the backing paper you peeled off when you applied the vinyl and use that as a press cloth if you absolutely must iron from the front. I found the stiffness of the fabric meant all I ever needed to do was a quick finger press – no iron needed.
- The resulting fabric is stiffer, with less drape than a true laminated fabric. Choose a simple pattern without pleats of gathers.
- Some people recommend sewing over a piece of tissue if you need to sew with the vinyl side down – for fear of the feed dogs scratching the vinyl. I sewed with the vinyl side up and down – with no tissue – and had no scratching or grabbing problems. But your machine may be different! I recommend sewing a tiny test.
- If the laminated fabric crinkles a lot when you turn it right side out, you can hit it with a hot hair dryer and smooth things out really easily.
- Use clips instead of pins to hold the pieces together. Pins will leave permanent holes in laminated fabric.
One more reason to love my sewing clips. 🙂
And now – one more photo because these tiny boots are so dang cute.
Seriously! I want them for myself! You can get the Rainy Day pattern collection for the raincoat and boots here. But they only fit dolls – not you or me. 🙁
Happy sewing!
The Dress Up Bunch is a collection of cute and cuddly rag dolls. Get patterns for the dolls, plus all their fun outfits and accessories!
Wendy,
Would vinyl fuse work to make baby bibs?
Okle
Yes – it would work great!
Hi Wendi~
I’ve seen mixed reviews about this product and was wondering if you had ever tried Heat n Bond vinyl. Both are similarly priced so that doesn’t help me make a decision! 😉
I haven’t. The only option my Joann’s had was the Pellon, but I was very happy with how it worked.
Is there anyway that I can laminate both sides of the cloth? I have some 1950’s vintage hankies that would make terrific place mats!!
I don’t see why not – but I recommend doing a test with some not-special fabric – just to make sure the double layer doesn’t make it buckle or do something weird and unexpected. 🙂
Will this work to make my own sandwich bags? It would be so much cheaper than buying the laminated cotton!
Sure! I don’t see why not!
i want to vinylize or laminate fabric and then use the fabric to cover seat cushions for my kitchen chairs. Do you think this product would work?
Yes! It would work great!
Would this work to make purses?
Sure!
Awesome, thanks!!
Wendy,
Could I use this for two sides of the fabric? I’d like to make a little snack bag for a child and both sides would need to be laminated so they can be wiped.
Thank you!
I think so.
can you laminate flannel? I have seen such darling flannel pieces that would make great baby items, but it seems the uneven nature of flannel would make it impossible to laminate.
I think you could, but I’d definitely test with a small swatch first. I’d iron the flannel smooth before you start – just to give it a head start.
Hi Wendy, Will the size of the vinyl fuse able to cover a table cloth 94 in x 52.5 in? Appreciate if you can let me know so that I won’t buy the wrong item.
The size depends on the manufacturer. I don’t know of any that size – but it’s worth looking because it seems like tablecloth size would have a market.
Could the vinyl fuse by Pelion be used in strips for a tablecloth?
I think it’d be really hard to hide the seams between those strips. Maybe if you sewed a strip of bias tape over them to cover them?