Help - tips/sewing machine for sewing thru 4 layers of plush fleece
 

I want to make pillows out of plush fleece (an older blanket I have) for the local animal shelter. My Janome machine is having a very hard time, in fact, it would not go through the three/four layers I was trying to sew (wanted to do an envelope style pillow). Any tips from those of you experienced with sewing with such thick layers would be wonderful. And I could ask, what kind of machines are you using to do this? Thanks in advance for any help. (I was able to make a small one for my cat, and she absolutely loved it. She sank right down into it.
Serita

Don't know if it's even possible to sew through that many layers of plush fleece on a machine. Unless it's industrial. Have you considered sewing by machine as much as you can, then finishing with hand-stitching (with a big strong needle)?

**And thanks for thinking of our animal shelters. They need all the help we can give them.

are you using the right needle for sewing a knit/stretch fleece & a stretch stitch?
generally unless you have an industrial machine that is just too much bulk- 2 layers is about the limit-
hand stitching would be a better option.

I am thinking I may have to do some of it by hand. Thanks.

I do quillows out of fleece for Project Linus. The pillow part consists of 2 layers of fleece with batting, all sewn envelope style and then topstitched. When that piece is sewn on to the blanket, it involves several layers, including the seam allowances. My vintage Pfaff 130 can do the job, but I have to go very slow at the corners where there are so many layers. The stitching is secure, but I can't brag about consistency of stitch length. I am just pleased that the machine handles it at all.

Dayle

This fleece has a long nap too, almost like a faux fur but the nap is shorter. It's a bear.

Does your fleece ravel at all? If there is little or no raveling, could you sew the pillow with wrong sides together instead of the envelope method? Then finish the seams by zigzagging them together. You would never be sewing through more than 2 layers at a time. It may not look as nice, but the pillow would still be comfortable to the animals, and with a long nap perhaps the zigzag stitches wouldn't be very visible.

Dayle