I planned to make some walker bags for local VA hospital and someone suggested lining the pockets w/ vinyl so patients could carry a water bottle or other "wet" item. I found 8 gauge vinyl by the yard at Joanns. Do you knwo if it will sew like regular fabric? I have never used it before. Any tips would be appreciated.
Gaga

I found I needed to use tissue paper to cover the vinyl so the foot would not stick....or was it on the bottom so it wouldn't stick to the plate? mmmm I forget - it has been a while, but I suggest you play with a scrap piece first to see if you need to adjust anything.

I am sure others will have great suggestions.

Some can be a bit tricky and not want to feed through... A couple of solutions... adjust the pressure on your foot and/or use a foot with a roller feed. A walking foot can also be very useful when its a bit tacky as some vinyl can be.

I use it when making car seat cover, never had a problem with it. Just suggest you use a meduim to a heavy weight needle just to make sure depending in your machine. We call it Pleather (plastic leather).

You can also use PUL (polyurethane laminate, IIRC), which is found in the utility fabrics at JAF. It comes in several colors or prints and is generally thinner than vinyl and may be a little easier to work with. It's used in cloth diaper making, and I've used it to make waterproof covers for my dog beds. Because it is made for hospital and diaper use, it's easy to wash, which would be good for a walker bag. The stuff is generally $10/yd (for solid colors), but I always use a 40-50% off coupon.

I do not backstitch on vinyl.

I use a teflon foot to sew with vinyl and the only time I ever have a problem is when I'm trying to sew too many layers of vinyl together. Any more than three layers and it's a problem. I love using it on bags to add a little bit of contrast or as a stronger material to use with magnetic snaps. I've also gotten some really nice textured vinyl at Joann that I've used for cosmetic bags and change purses.

Lynda

Thanks for all the helpful tips.

I was going to mention the teflon foot too as I have one and it is great...just slides right along vinyl and leather...

I have sewen on the vinyl with an rdinary pressure foot, had no problems with sticking. just sew a little slower and you should not have any problems.