Oilcloth and laminated cotton are coated fabrics that do not fray and do not forgive pin holes, so you sew them with clips instead of pins, a 90/14 microtex or denim needle, a 3–3.5 mm (1/8 in) stitch, and a non-stick, roller or walking foot so the coating stops dragging on the machine. Keep the iron away from the coated face, hold seams flat with topstitching instead of pressing, and choose laminated cotton when you want something soft and washable, oilcloth when you want stiff and wipe-clean.
Quick reference: how to sew coated fabrics
| Setting | Oilcloth | Laminated cotton |
|---|---|---|
| Needle | Microtex or denim 90/14 | Microtex 80/12 or 90/14 |
| Thread | All-purpose polyester | All-purpose polyester |
| Stitch length | 3.5 mm; 4 mm for topstitching | 3–3.5 mm |
| Presser foot | Non-stick (Teflon), roller or walking foot | Non-stick, roller or walking foot |
| Holding | Clips, weights, tape inside the seam allowance; no pins | Clips and weights; pins only inside the seam allowance |
| Pre-wash | No; wipe with a damp cloth | No; the laminate stops the cotton from shrinking |
| Pressing | Never on the coated side; finger press and topstitch | Wrong side only, lowest setting, press cloth, briefly |
| Seam finish | None; bound edges on an unlined bag | None; turn and topstitch, or bind |
| Hem | Single 2 cm (3/4 in) fold topstitched, or a clean cut edge | Single fold topstitched, or bias binding |
What is the difference between oilcloth and laminated cotton?
Oilcloth was once cotton canvas treated with linseed oil. Modern oilcloth is a cotton or polyester mesh coated with a layer of PVC, printed and embossed on the coated side. It is stiff, waterproof, wipe-clean, and not meant for the washing machine or the dryer. It does not breathe, and it keeps its stiffness in anything you make from it, which suits tablecloths, bags and aprons better than clothes.
Laminated cotton is an ordinary quilting-weight cotton print with a thin, clear polyurethane (PU) film bonded to the right side. It is lighter, drapes almost like the cotton underneath, shows the print through the film, and can usually be machine washed cool and line dried; check the bolt. PUL, the polyurethane laminate sold for cloth nappies and bibs, is a knit with the same kind of film and handles the same way.
| Oilcloth | Laminated cotton | |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Cotton or polyester mesh with a PVC coating | Quilting cotton with a PU film |
| Hand | Stiff, heavy, holds its shape | Soft, drapes, folds like a cotton |
| Care | Wipe clean; no washing machine, no dryer | Machine wash cool, line dry; no dryer |
| Best for | Tote bags, aprons, placemats, tablecloths | Rain hats, lunch bags, wash bags, bibs, lined bags |
Neither fabric frays. A cut edge of oilcloth is final; the cotton back of laminated cotton can shed a thread, but the film holds the weave together.
Do you need to pre-wash oilcloth or laminated cotton?
No. Oilcloth cannot go in the machine, and laminated cotton does not shrink enough to matter because the film locks the cotton in place. Wipe both with a damp cloth if they are dusty. Storage matters more than washing: roll the fabric around a tube, never fold it. A fold in PVC stays as a white crease line, and a sharp fold in laminated cotton can crack the film. Shipping creases relax if you lay the fabric flat in a warm room, or warm the wrong side with a hair dryer on low.
How do you cut coated fabric?
- Cut a single layer, coated side up, with pattern weights and a rotary cutter. Folding the fabric to cut on the fold creases it; trace the full piece instead by flipping the half pattern along its fold line.
- Hold pattern pieces with weights or clips. A pin hole is permanent and lets water through, so pins belong only inside the seam allowance.
- Mark on the wrong side with a chalk pencil or a ballpoint pen on the cloth back of oilcloth, a washable marker on laminated cotton.
- Many bag pieces are plain rectangles. Measure and cut them with a quilting ruler rather than printing a pattern; Sewly gives those pieces as cutting dimensions in the sewing guide for the same reason.
Which needle, thread, stitch and foot work on coated fabric?
A microtex (sharp) needle punches a small, clean hole; a universal needle tears a ragged one. Use 80/12 on laminated cotton and 90/14 on oilcloth; a 90/14 denim needle is a fine substitute for oilcloth. Polyester thread resists damp and is stronger than cotton.
Set the stitch to 3–3.5 mm. A short stitch perforates the coating like the tear-off strip on a form, and the seam rips along the holes under load. Every row of stitching is permanent, so test the settings on a scrap and sew each seam once; a seam ripper leaves a line of holes behind.
The coating drags against a metal presser foot, so the stitches shorten, bunch and skip. Three fixes work: a non-stick (Teflon) foot, a roller foot, or a walking foot, which also keeps two slippery layers together. Without any of these, stick a strip of low-tack tape across the underside of the standard foot, or sew with a strip of tissue paper between the foot and the fabric and tear it away afterward. Sewing with the coated side down against the feed dogs avoids the problem on seams where that is possible. Presser feet explained describes each foot. Lower the presser-foot pressure a notch if the top layer creeps.
How do you sew and press the seams?
Seam allowances do not press open on a coated fabric: finger press them, then topstitch 3 mm (1/8 in) from the seam to hold them to one side, or edgestitch both sides of the seam. The topstitching also reinforces the seam, which matters on bag handles and the bottom of a tote. A wallpaper seam roller flattens seams better than any iron.
Pressing is a last resort. Never put an iron on the coated side: PVC melts and PU film clouds. If the wrong side needs heat, use the lowest setting, a press cloth, and a second or two, after a test on a scrap.
Oilcloth is too stiff to turn through a small opening, so an oilcloth tote bag is sewn with the seams on the inside left exposed, trimmed to 6 mm (1/4 in) and covered with bias binding, or with the seams on the outside as a feature. Laminated cotton turns like a cotton and can be fully lined. On a rain hat, water passes through needle holes rather than the fabric, so a bound or topstitched seam keeps the inside drier.
How do you hem coated fabric?
A single fold of 2 cm (3/4 in), held with clips and topstitched with a 3.5 mm stitch, is the standard hem. A double fold is bulky and stiff on oilcloth. A clean, straight cut edge is also a finish on an apron or a placemat in oilcloth. For the neatest edge on either fabric, bind it with double-fold bias binding in a plain cotton, 2 cm (3/4 in) finished, held with clips and sewn in one pass with a longer stitch. The bias binding calculator gives the strip length and the fabric it takes.
Common mistakes with oilcloth and laminated cotton
- Pins anywhere but the seam allowance. Permanent holes, and leaks in a rain hat or a wash bag.
- A standard foot that sticks. Uneven stitches and bunched seams; use a non-stick or walking foot.
- Short stitches. The seam tears along the perforation.
- An iron on the coating. Melted PVC or clouded film.
- Folding the fabric for storage. Creases and cracks that do not come out.
What to sew with oilcloth and laminated cotton
- A tote bag in oilcloth: unlined, with bound inside seams and webbing handles box-stitched through a single layer. In laminated cotton, make it lined for a wipe-clean beach or market bag.
- An apron in laminated cotton for the kitchen or the workshop: bias-bound edges and ties, no hem to press.
- A zip pouch in laminated cotton as a wash bag or pencil case; the small seams are a good first test of the needle and the foot. A bucket hat in laminated cotton makes a light rain hat.