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How to hold fabric together without using pins – great for oilcloth, PUL, laminated cotton

How to sew with laminated cotton, oil canvas and oilcloth sewing tips

So I like oilcloth, laminated cotton, PUL fabric and oil canvas but let’s face it, they can be a real pain in the ass to sew. Case in point: using pins will leave a permanent teeny hole in whatever you’ve made. You can try to put your pins so they’ll be hidden within the seam allowance. Or you can be a little more resourceful.

How to sew with laminated cotton, oil canvas and oilcloth sewing tips

I’m using some oil canvas right now to make a Play-Doh mat for my daughter Elise. I really want to buy the Clover Wonder Clips but (1) it’s really snowing out so no trekking to the store for me, (2) I don’t want to wait 2 days for Amazon to arrive, and (3) OK so I’m cheap and want to buy it with a 40% off coupon (check out using code AE2121).

So in the meantime I went into the bathroom, grabbed a handful of those metal barrettes that snap shut and guess what? They worked like a charm! They not only easily held together two layers of fabric plus bias tape but also stayed tight with no marks once removed.

How to sew with laminated cotton, oil canvas and oilcloth sewing tips

Hooray for snow-bound resourcefulness. What sewing hacks can you share with everyone?

Angie Wilson

Wednesday 23rd of April 2014

I have yet to find Oil Canvas Cloth. I have looked at all my local shops and on line as well with out luck. Do you have a good source?

Angie