Have you ever worked with chenille?
 

Any tips and tricks working with this fabric? Should I just stay away?
I would love to make a robe with this but if it's too much PITA I won't.
FYI, by chenille, I mean this type:
http://www.fabric.com/apparel-fashio...-chenille.aspx

just use your serger. For extra easy sewing try a kimona style robe instead of set in sleeve type.

excellent advice.

Thank, Tanya. I suspect prewashing would be preferable? Does it shrink a lot?

I automatically preswash everything I sew with unless it is drycleaning. I would serge the ends first. I've had chenille robes and they have shrunk when washed in hot water and dryed in hot dryer by mistake. LOL

I made a baby quilt with chenille and flannel. I washed both of them several times. The quilt came out great and the grandbaby loves it, but, it was a huge mess to work on and it ended up packed into the bobbin case of my dinky mechanical Brother. I didn't realize this til months later but the machine never skipped a beat. So other than washing it first, do check your machine frequently and clean it out, not doing what I did.

the quilt shop i used to work at made wonderful baby/crib quilts with 6 1/2" squares- alternating chenille & flannel- they were really cute & people loved them- i've made quite a few things with Chenille- i made one of my granddaughter's a sweatshirt jacket with chenille sleeves that she absolutely loved! it's not difficult to work with-and you can do some pretty cool stuff with it.

I made a chenille throw and didn't have any trouble sewing the biniding on.

It's not that hard to work with...but sheds a lot. Clean your bobbin case with every empty bobbin. Also, you might want to go up a size on your needle, or use a jeans needle for top stitching.

Thanks for all the advice. One more question...do I need to line it with another fabric?

No, You don't need to line it. You might want to line it depending on how you prefer your robes to feel. Lining it with satin will give it a different texural feel to your body and make it warmer. You could make it reversible if you wanted. It's your robe; what do you want the robe to be?

I have some chenille just sitting around. I was going to make teddy bears with it. I did wash it and it was very linty. A serger sounds like a good idea if you have one. Also the suggestion to avoid set in sleeves is a good one.
Sue

I'd rather not line it but I want it to feel comfy...not scratchy. LOL