Tips for Sewing with Minkee Fabric

Have you heard of Minkee?  One touch and you will fall in love with this super soft material.

Minkee (also known as minky) is a polyester microfiber material with a short pile and a silky soft texture that is described as faux mink, hence the name “minkee”.  It is a popular fabric for making baby blankets, robes, toys or as quilt backings.  Minkee is available in a wide variety of colors and prints and embossed with textures like dimples, dots and chevron stripes.

Because Minkee is so soft, it can be frustrating to sew but with a little patience, and the right tools, you can create amazing things with minkee!  Here are a few tips to help make your next project a success.

1. Cut minkee using a rotary cutter, mat and ruler.
2. Never iron minkee.  Like with any nap fabric, ironing will crush the pile.
3. Pay attention to the direction of the nap when cutting.
4. Turn off the ceiling fan!  Minkee is messy and the little fibers will be all over your sewing room.  Keep a lint roller and vacuum nearby.  You may want to take the cut pieces outside to shake them out.
5. When sewing minkee to another type of fabric, sew with the minkee underneath and next to the feed dogs to help prevent stretching.
6. Pin, pin and pin some more!  Pin close together or consider basting the edges together before sewing.
7. Use a larger seam allowance; ½ to ¾ inches.  
8. Use a walking foot attachment on your sewing machine.  This will improve how the minkee feeds under the presser foot.
9. Sew slowly.
10. Set the stitch length to at least 3.5, the longer stitch will sew more evenly.

If you would like to try sewing with minkee, start with a small, simple project like this little tag blanket from Totally Stitchin, which makes a great baby shower gift.

Click here to view the tutorial.
http://totallystitchin.net/articles/tag-blanket