Support us on Patreon! Love to Sew Podcast

Support us on Apple Podcasts! Love to Sew Podcast

Follow Helen! Blog: Helen’s  Closet Patterns, Cedar Quilt Co., Instagram: @helens__closet, @cedarquiltco

Follow Caroline! Shop: Blackbird Fabrics, Instagram: @blackbirdfabrics, @bfpatterns

Follow the Podcast! Instagram: @lovetosew.podcast, Facebook: /LovetoSewPod, Bluesky: @lovetosewpodcast.bsky.social, Pixelfed: @lovetosew.podcast

Leave us a voicemail with your questions, comments, and feedback: 1-844-SEW-WHAT (1-844-739-9428)

E-mail us: hello@lovetosewpodcast.com

Sign up for our newsletter to get weekly episode updates, special news, and even some exclusive content that you won’t find anywhere else.

Leave us a review! It will help other sewists discover us.

---

Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Helen: Hello and welcome to Love To Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s essentially all we wanna talk about.

Caroline: This episode is all about sewing rainwear. We talk about some of the most common waterproof fabrics and define terms like “hydrostatic head rating” and “DWR.” We share some great indie patterns for raincoats, jackets, and hats. And we give tons of tips for sewing with waterproof fabrics, sealing seams, re-waterproofing, and more.

Helen: If you love to sew, this is your show.

Caroline: Well, hello Helen. How are you?

Helen: Hello. I’m good. How are you?

Caroline: I’m so good. it’s kind of ironic ’cause we live in the Pacific Northwest and it’s always rainy here, but today is a gorgeous day and I don’t know…

Helen: The sun is shining on the day that we’re recording.

Caroline: Maybe we should have waited for a rainy day to record.

Helen: It would have been more appropriate. But I think I have the years of experience required to discuss sewing rainwear, or at least wearing rainwear.

Caroline: We’ve put in our time. We’ve put in our time.

Helen: No, but to be honest, I haven’t sewn a ton of, like, rain fabrics. I’ve made some jackets that are, like, semi-waterproof, but I haven’t delved deep into the world of sewing super-waterproof fabrics. So I’m very excited to talk about this today because I’m actually working on a little raincoat pattern. So this is really good research.

Caroline: Yeah, I was waiting for you to drop that hint because I’m really excited about your raincoat pattern and I feel like this episode is really timely because it’ll be coming out later this year, right? Hopefully.

Helen: Yeah, that’s the plan. Sometime in 2026. Don’t hold me to it, but I’m working on it and I’m excited about it. So it will come to fruition at some point, some rainy day in the future.

Caroline: Perfect. Okay, Before we jump in, we wanted to remind you all that the best way to support Love to Sew is by joining us on Patreon or Apple Podcast subscriptions. You will get access to bonus content every month, and we have so much fun catching up with you all on those more casual bonus episodes. Over on Patreon, you get photos. And you will see a preview of Helen’s raincoat pattern if you join the Patreon.

Helen: It’s true.

Caroline: So, just saying.

Helen: It’s true. I love talking about the behind-the-scenes of patternmaking and what we’re working on and all the Blackbird Fabrics collections you guys are doing. It’s really fun to just chitchat about what we’ve got going on behind the scenes and catch up about our personal lives, too. And it means so much to us If you’re able to support us, even if it’s just for a month or two. You can just sign on and listen to a bunch of eps and then leave. That’s totally fine. And if that’s not in the cards for you right now, we totally get it. We just appreciate you listening to the show.

Caroline: And if you wanna support us for free, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. We haven’t asked for this in a long time, but we would really love to see some more recent reviews. So thank you all so much, if you can take a minute to do that. But above all, thank you all for listening and cheering us on. We love you.

Helen: We love you. Thank you. Okay, we’re gonna start off this episode with some listener feedback. Listener Miriam shared a project that she made her daughter that is so brilliant. It’s a dress-up doll made of two pieces of cardboard. The top piece looks like a paper doll with a painted face, hands and legs, but the hair and dress-shaped body is cut out. Miriam’s daughter takes fabric scraps and layers them in between the cardboard pieces to give the doll pretty dresses, tops, skirts, cool coloured hair. It’s such a smart way to take your little scraps and turn them into something that can be used and enjoyed, maybe even played with while you’re sewing. And Miriam does just that. She takes the dress-up doll and scraps out when she’s sewing so her daughter can play with that instead of being tempted to grab the sharp sewing tools. So we’ll link up Miriam’s Instagram post in the show notes for this episode so you can have a look, visually. It’s like a reverse paper doll, almost. It’s so cool.

Caroline: It is so cute. I love it. Next up we have an email from Andrea. “A year and a half ago I was the kind of person that refused to even reattach a loose button. Sewing and I were not friends. When shopping, I was limited to the kind of clothes that would fit my body with proportions far from the standard block, and what others considered fashionable enough to produce. Then I had the epiphany that the only thing keeping me from having the fancy, well-fitting wardrobe of my dreams was the fact that I couldn’t sew. A trifling matter. I bought a machine and some patterns secondhand, and got started. I quickly realized that, for me, the appeal of sewing was to make the clothes I designed in my mind; therefore, patternmaking must be the way to go. My pants sloper was, like, the third thing I ever made! My reasoning was that I started with the trickiest sloper and it would all be downhill from there. It was not.

“It wasn’t the smoothest or quickest process, but now I have a set of slopers for pants, skirt, bodice, and sleeve, and I have started making designs from them. I’m currently working on a spontaneous project for an off-the-shoulder dress with a structured, stays-like bodice with boning. And I honestly do not consider any of my projects as “hard” or “easy”. Instead, I’ve come to think of them in terms of how labour-intensive they are. This shifts my way of thinking from “Can I do this as an inexperienced sewist?” To “How much work must I put in to make this?” For example, would a project where I have to make a new pattern and research methods, like how to put boning in a bodice, be more labour-intensive than, say, remaking a previous pattern? Or sewing up a few silk-scrunchies? This means that the only limit to what I can make is my imagination and the time I’m willing to put in. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. I just have to be happy with the results! I hope that by sharing this I can inspire other new sewists, because I have yet to come across a problem that I couldn’t solve with a good internet deep-dive, some trial-and-error, and a healthy dose of “woman up!”

Helen: Oh my gosh, Andrea, I absolutely love this. Thank you for this incredible email. I really like the perspective shift of thinking about projects in terms of how much time you’re willing to spend on them, rather than whether or not, like, it’s possible for you to accomplish them, if it’s too hard for you. I mean, we’ve said on the show many times before, “You can make anything!” And you really can, with the research and the knowledge. You can gain the skills. You can do it one step at a time. It’s just going to take time. So it does open up a lot of possibilities for sewists of all levels. And your story really shows that even beginner sewists can do things that are usually called advanced, like drafting their own patterns. Love your attitude, and I hope this perspective shift inspires our listeners out there, too.

Caroline: It inspired me to reattach some buttons, to be honest.

Helen: It’s true. We all have some buttons waiting to be reattached that we can go and do.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Now, that is not a time-intensive project.

Caroline: Alright. Let’s get into the main subject of this episode. It is all about sewing rainwear, which might feel intimidating, but you can sew anything, remember? We’re gonna talk about some of the most common waterproof, water-repellent, and water-resistant fabrics out there, plus where to get them and how to sew with them. And we’re gonna share some indie rainwear patterns as well as some tips for adapting non-rainwear patterns. And we’ll walk you through the process of sealing seams and waterproof treatments to fabrics and more. It’s a lot. We’re talking about everything.

Helen: There is a lot of things going on. And if you live in a very dry climate, just keep listening, ’cause it might be interesting for you. I don’t know.

Caroline: Yeah. Mmhmm.

Helen: I’m sure you’ll learn something even if you don’t get to apply it. Okay. First, let’s clarify something. Waterproof, water-repellent, and water-resistant are all words that you’ll see when you’re shopping for fabrics. But how can you tell how effective a fabric is at actually keeping the water out?

Caroline: There’s a rating system called the hydrostatic head rating that’s used to measure just how waterproof fabrics are. The higher the rating, the more waterproof the fabric is. So to be called waterproof, the minimum hydrostatic head rating is 1,000 millimeters. And this is the height in millimeters of a water column that can stand on it before leaking. So under that, it’s not really suitable for rainwear. From 1,000 to 5,000 millimeters, you have moderate protection that’s good for on and off rainfall. From 5,000 to 20,000 millimeters, you have storm-level protection that’s good for extended exposure in regular rainfall. Above that, you’re looking at waterproof fabrics that are made for hiking in storms, basically.

Helen: Yeah, so in general, the word “waterproof” indicates the higher rated fabrics, “water-repellent” is less effective, and “water-resistant” is the least effective. But this isn’t an exact measurement, obviously, like the hydrostatic head ratings. And you might not see the head ratings in the fabric listings. You’re more likely to see words like waterproof, water-repellent, water-resistant. So if you want something that’s really gonna keep the rain out, you probably wanna look for the word “waterproof.” But again, each fabric store is gonna label these things a little bit differently. So you might just need to ask to get more details, in that case.

Caroline: Yeah, I have personally never seen a hydrostatic head rating from any of the fabrics that we carry at Blackbird, but I imagine more technical fabrics or stores that carry more technical fabrics might be able to provide that information. We generally err on the side of caution and call most of our, like, rainwear fabrics “water-resistant.” And then, you know, you can do your own testing, order a swatch, that kind of thing.

Helen: Yeah, you don’t want, like, people going out and making a tent or something out of the fabric and then being very disappointed.

Caroline: Yeah, exactly.

Helen: I mean, for a lot of just regular daily wear, to and from your work or to and from your car, a water-repellent or water-resistant fabric is gonna do the trick. It doesn’t need to be completely waterproof unless you’re out hiking in the rain. But again, it’s really gonna depend on your intended end use for the garment. So another pair of terms you might see when you’re shopping for fabric is “soft shell” and “hard shell.” And in general, hard shell fabrics are completely waterproof. They’re not as flexible, so they can get kind of clammy if you’re being really active, like hiking. But they will keep the rain out if you’re in it for an extended period of time. Soft shell fabrics are softer and more flexible, and they’re less waterproof. And they’re best for lighter rain or if you won’t be out in it for a long period of time. But they’re a lot more comfortable for moving around and you don’t get that clammy feeling.

Caroline: Mmhmm. Yeah, I had like a rubberized, almost, raincoat that I loved, but I would get so sweaty in it. And when you move around, it’s like, “ee-ee ee-ee ee-ee,” you know?

Helen: I know. But then when you get caught in a deluge, you feel, like, superhuman.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Yeah. Until, like, the fronts of your thighs/bottom of your leg is just soaked, anyway. You’re kind of screwed in a deluge, anyway.

Helen: It’s raining… Oh, I thought you meant from the sweat.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. No, I mean…

Helen: “It’s raining on the inside of my jacket, too.”

Caroline: It’s true. That, honestly, is not wrong. One last term before we get into specific fabrics, and that is: “DWR.” So this stands for durable water-repellent treatment, which is a coating that’s applied to the right side of the fabric to increase its water resistance. Common coatings include fluoropolymers, silicones, and hydrocarbons. Oils, dirt, and friction can wear down the DWR over time, so you may need to reapply it eventually. And you’ll be able to tell because if you sprinkle water on the fabric, it’s gonna soak in rather than bead up and sit on the top. Gear Aid and Nikwax are two companies that make waterproofing products that you can use to renew the DWR of your garments.

Helen: Amazing. Now that we’ve covered some of those terms, let’s get into the common types of fabrics that you can use for rainwear. There are some really cool technical fabrics that use multiple layers of materials. Gore-Tex is one of the most well-known. Technically, Gore-Tex is just one of the layers in the fabric. It’s a special membrane that does not allow liquid water, like rain, to pass through. But it does allow water vapor to pass through, like the steam created by your body heat and your sweat. That prevents the moisture inside the fabric from condensing into drips, which can happen with fabrics like vinyls. But Gore-Tex isn’t the only waterproof technical fabric out there. There are a bunch that have fun names like eVENT, Darlexx, and Taslan. Each of these has an intricate and scientific construction process that we don’t have time to describe or, frankly, understand completely. But it’s really interesting to look into if that’s your kind of thing. Um, and we’ll link up some sources in the show notes for you.

Caroline: PUL fabrics are made of a layer of cotton or polyester fabric that’s coated with a backing of polyurethane. PUL stands for polyurethane laminate. And these fabrics look like regular cotton or poly wovens from the outside. They’re durable, flexible, and they can be washed over and over. PUL Fabrics are a popular choice for the outer layer of cloth pads or diapers, and sometimes they’re called TPU fabrics. TPU stands for thermoplastic polyurethane, which is actually the film that’s applied to the cotton or polyester to make it into PUL.

Helen: Another fabric you might see out there is ripstop nylon. This is a water-resistant fabric on its own, but it’s not waterproof unless it has an added coating. So for example, ripstop silnylon has a thin coating of silicone on one side that makes it waterproof. The word ripstop refers to the weave. It has raised lines going through it that make a grid, so if it gets ripped, the grid part stops the rip from going any further. So it’s literally. Rip. Stop. Cool!

Caroline: So literal.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Waxed cotton is woven cotton fabric that has been covered with a wax coating. The wax fills in the gaps in the weave of the fabric so that water can’t pass through. You can buy waxed cotton by the yard or you can apply the wax yourself. It comes in a bar, like soap, and you rub the wax onto the fabric and then heat it with a hairdryer to melt it in. If you want to wax your own coat or jacket, you wanna wait until you’ve finished assembling to apply the wax. That’s how manufacturers do it, so that you can get into those, like, seam crevices and things. One little note: even if you buy pre-waxed fabric, you will need to rewax your fabric over time as the finish wears off.

Helen: Yeah, I have a little bag, Costa Tote that I made out of waxed canvas years ago and, just ’cause I like the look of waxed canvas. So I’ve never re-waxed it, but at this point it is basically just a cotton tote bag. There’s no wax left on that thing.

Caroline: Do you wash it, ever? Like, do you throw it in the wash, or?

Helen: No, I don’t. I, it’s my gym bag, so it, like, gets a lot of use and it’s just kind of, like, a throw it over my shoulder when I’m going to the gym and then throw it into the closet when I get home. So it’s pretty worn out at this point. But yeah, I’ve never washed it and…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: I feel like I’m confessing something. I’ve never washed my gym bag, you guys.

Caroline: To be clear, I wasn’t like, “Do you wash it? Ew!” It was more, I’m just curious how the fabric performed being washed. But you didn’t wash it, so that’s fine.

Helen: I’ll never know and I never will.

Caroline: One thing I do love is the look of waxed canvas. Like, I think you can use it, like you said, for projects that don’t necessarily need to be water-resistant just because it has, like, such a cool patina to it, or it can get such a cool patina to it.

Helen: Yeah, I totally agree. I absolutely love the look of it. And I’ve been meaning to make a waxed canvas coat for a while but I’ve only really made accessories like bags and aprons and stuff, uh, which it is really good for. One thing to keep in mind is that waxed cotton shows creases, and that can be a really cool look if the creases are where the fabric naturally folds when you wear your garment. But be careful not to fold up your waxed cotton garments when you store them. You wanna roll them or hang them instead. And if you accidentally get some unwanted creases, you can heat up the wax and kind of rub it in to remove the crease. Or just embrace the creases. As we said, it is kind of part of the whole overall look. And waxed cotton is also known as oilskin in some parts of the world, so you might see it called that instead of waxed cotton.

Caroline: Vinyls are another rainwear fabric option. Like PUL fabrics, they’re made of plastics that are bonded to fabrics. And some are made to look like leather. Pleathers can have a backing that looks like real leather or one that looks more like cloth. And if you’re using one that doesn’t have a pretty wrong side, you might wanna choose a pattern that has a lining. There are also clear vinyls, like the ones used to make a shower curtain. A see-through rain jacket would actually be so cute and you could finish it with colored bias binding. Be careful when you shop for vinyls, though. Many of them are made to be used for upholstery and those can be way too thick for garments.

Helen: Another option is a tightly woven fabric, like a gabardine, that can be water-resistant. During World War I, the British military commissioned Burberry to make garments for soldiers. Burberry used wool gabardine that was treated with lanolin. And today, gabardine just refers to the weave. It can be made of wool, cotton, polyester, or other fibers. Many gabardine fabrics are already water-resistant, but look for DWR-treated fabrics if you really want to keep the rain out. Caroline, am I saying gabardine right?

Caroline: Yeah, you are.

Helen: Okay, good. I had a moment halfway through that where I was like, “Oh, I don’t know if this is how you say this.”

Caroline: Yeah, I think you nailed it.

Helen: Thank you. Thank you.

Caroline: Wool fabrics can be really absorbent or really water-resistant, depending on how much lanolin they have. Lanolin is a natural oil that coats wool when it’s on the sheep. It’s similar to sebum in humans. It can make wool feel softer. It’s antimicrobial and it’s water-resistant. Many wool fabrics have been scoured to remove the lanolin. You can re-lanolize your wool by melting some lanolin in hot water and then soaking your wool fabric. Just be careful not to agitate your fabric because that can shrink it and felt it. We’re gonna link an article about lanolizing wool in the show notes. You can see how the whole process works. I’m gonna be honest, this feels a bit intimidating to me.

Helen: It’s funny, just the concept of shearing the sheep and then taking out the lanolin and then making the fabric and then putting the lanolin back.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: But wool fabrics can be naturally water-resistant. I’ve experienced this with wool coats, like, in a light rain. It totally does the trick. And then if you hang it to dry when you get home, it actually functions fairly well as rainwear. So, definitely an option if you don’t wanna sew with some of these, like, plastic fabrics.

Caroline: Now that we’ve talked about some of the most common rainwear fabrics, let’s share a few tips about working with them. So, for any fabrics with a coating, which include many rainwear fabrics, you wanna avoid making any more holes than you absolutely have to. This means using clips rather than pins, or at least pinning well within the seam allowance.

If you have to unpick a seam on waxed cottons, you can rub your fingers over the holes to warm the wax and reseal it. But I would really recommend clips. I feel like pins in a coated fabric or a heavy fabric can even, like, hurt your fingers as you pull them in and out. Or push them in and pull them out. So I think clips are just, like, the way to go.

Helen: Yeah, for sure. Rainwear fabrics do tend to be thicker than a lot of garment fabrics, so use a longer stitch length to accommodate them. The longer stitch length can also prevent cracking on coated fabrics. Like, if your stitches are too close together, you’re almost, like, perforating the plastic and then it can actually tear. So you wanna space your stitches a little further out. Do some tests on some of your scraps before you get sewing and find the right stitch length for your project.

Caroline: Microtex needles can prevent ripping on coated fabrics. They have a finer, sharper tip that pierces through the fabric more cleanly.

Helen: And you wanna avoid ironing waterproof fabrics. They tend to be melty, and we don’t want that. If you absolutely have to, use a pressing cloth and a very low heat. Otherwise, you’re gonna wanna try finger pressing. If you want seam allowances to lay flat, you can also add some topstitching or do flat felled seams and things like that. Finger pressing works really well on a lot of these kind of, like, plasticky fabrics, or waxed cottons also finger press, as well. I have a little seam roller thing that I use when I’m quilting, and it’s like a little steam roller, but in tiny plastic form. And you just roll it over the seams and that can be really satisfying.

Caroline: Does it heat up at all? Or it’s just, it’s just, like, a plastic thing.

Helen: It is just a little plastic rollie guy. Yeah.

Caroline: I love that. I feel like that’s a, the quilting tool that crosses over to garments.

Helen: It’s true. Yeah, it does come in handy when you have something you can’t press.

Caroline: One quick note about ironing wax cottons: your iron will remove the wax, so you wanna avoid doing that. It’ll also probably get wax all over your iron and be a big old mess. So try to avoid that. And then, some of these fabrics have at least one sticky side. So try a walking foot, roller foot, or Teflon foot so that they glide smoothly. Or you could try that hack of putting scotch tape underneath your regular machine foot to mimic a Teflon foot.

Helen: Love that tip. Okay. Where can you buy all these magical water-repelling fabrics? Caroline, tell us about Taslon, because I know you guys have that in your shop right now and I got some and it’s really cool. I love how lightweight it is.

Caroline: Yeah, we have this water resistant nylon Taslon which is really beautiful, lightweight. I love that it has this sort of papery, crinkly texture, kind of similar to nineties windbreakers. It’s a really great fabric. We’ve been carrying it for a little while now and we really like it. And we’ve been thinking about carrying, like, a lighter weight version of it that would work well for like, almost like board short style clothes, you know?

Helen: Yes, love that. Or track pants. Tearaways.

Caroline: Yeah. So not necessarily water-resistant, but just that same sort of, uh, texture, of that, like, crinkly, lightweight fabric. We also carry waxed cottons and we carry a specific refinishing wax that works really well. That one comes in a tin, not a bar. But it works really well for re-waxing garments. But yeah, there are other places in Canada that you can get some water-repellent fabrics. I know one of them is up near you, right, Helen?

Helen: Yes, I have to give a shout-out to Discovery Fabrics up in Campbell River. It’s on Vancouver Island, where I live. It’s only about 45 minutes from my house, so I’m very spoiled. I get to go there and look at the fabrics in person. They have an amazing selection of technical and outerwear fabrics. Check out their “outerwear and technical performance shells” section to find the kind of stuff we’ve been talking about. And also, their customer service is excellent if you email them with questions. They are so knowledgeable about these kinds of fabrics. So, definitely a great resource there.

Caroline: And Core Fabrics has a nice water-resistant fabric section with waxed cotton and soft shells. And they even have some designer deadstock fleece back fabric right now.

Helen: In the US, Seattle Fabrics has great waterproof, water-resistant, and DWR fabrics and has all the seam sealing tape and sealants that you need. And Ripstop by the Roll has silnylon in apparel weights. So check that out.

Caroline: We would love to find options for every country but, unfortunately, that’s beyond what we can do in this episode. But here are some search terms that you can use either in English or in the common language of your country: Technical fabrics, waterproof fabrics, water-resistant fabrics, and outerwear fabrics. You can also search for specific fabric types that we’ve mentioned in this episode. On Etsy, you can narrow the search by items that ship to and from your country.

Helen: Yes. I love that feature of Etsy. Very nice.

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Helen: Okay. We’ve talked a lot about fabric. Let’s talk about patterns, finally. There’s so many cute patterns out there that will work for rainwear. I will say, there’s not a ton of raincoat-specific patterns out there. But the thing is, most coat patterns could be made in rainwear fabrics, and boom, you got yourself a raincoat. So just be open-minded when you’re looking at patterns that are out there. If you want a long and warm waterproof coat, then you might like something like a parka. The TN-34 Parka by Merchant and Mills has a classic fishtail shape with a hood, pocket flaps, and a full lining. And then the Hoodie Parka by The Assembly Line has a more feminine A-line shape and a high neck with a hood. And that one’s unlined. But both of those would make great raincoats.

Caroline: There are good options for shorter rain jackets, too. The Eden Coat by Tilly and the Buttons has cute and functional rainwear details like storm flaps, a back cape, and flaps over the pockets. The Whitney Raincoat by Amy Nicole Studio has a swingy shape, raglan sleeves, and a three-piece hood. This one is so cute colourblocked.

Helen: Yes, I really like the Whitney Raincoat, and I know that Amy has some resources about sealing seams because I was reading them the other day, in preparation for my raincoat pattern and it was, uh, really great resources over there on her website. Rain hats are another great project that you can do and they’re practical for if you don’t have a hood on your favourite jacket. The Sou’wester style has a shorter brim in the front and a longer one in the back so that the water doesn’t fall into your collar. Imagine a traditional fisherman and you’ll picture the exact kind of hat we’re talking about. Twig and Tale has a pattern for one that has multiple sizes for kids and adults. And the Nor’wester Hat by Green Pepper has an optional cozy fleece lining that can extend down over your ears.

Caroline: Green Pepper Patterns has some really cool patterns, too. I had never heard of this company before and I love their selection.

Helen: Same! Yeah, so many fun, outdoorsy patterns. Definitely go check out Green Pepper just to see their whole pattern selection. They also have a really cool roomy rain poncho pattern that folds into its own kangaroo pocket when you’re not using it, which is really cute. Lightweight, quick to make, and it will keep you dry.

Caroline: And like we already mentioned, Helen, you have a raincoat pattern coming out later this year and our patrons have already seen some previews over on Patreon and everyone is really excited about it. So we uh, can’t wait to see that, hopefully, this fall.

Helen: Yeah, I’m so pumped about it. It’s really fun designing a raincoat ’cause, like we said at the top of the show, we live in the Pacific Northwest. It’s very rainy all the time. It’s been raining my entire life, it feels like. And I can’t believe I haven’t put a raincoat in my collection yet. So it feels very appropriate to me and my lifestyle. And it’s really fun to design one that fits everything I want in a raincoat. I’m making my dream raincoat, basically. So I’m excited to share it with y’all.

Caroline: Okay, so, moving on. This next topic is a biggie and it’s super specific to rainwear, and that is: sealing seams. Even if you have really great waterproof fabric, your seams are going to be a weak point. And if you don’t want water to get in, you’re gonna have to seal them up.

Helen: And just to note: if you’re making something that you plan to only wear in light showers, you probably don’t need to seal your seams. It’s just for those garments and accessories that are truly dedicated to keeping you dry in normal to heavy rains or over prolonged rainy periods.

Caroline: So there are two options for sealing seams: tape and liquid sealants. Seam seal tape is waterproof and iron-on. To apply it, you’re gonna need to do some tests on scraps of your shell fabric. You want the iron to be hot enough to melt the glue, but not hot enough to melt or distort the fabric. So start testing with low heat and then increase if it’s not working properly. You apply the seam tape on the wrong side of the fabric ,covering the seam and the seam allowance. And you may need to trim down the seam allowance so that the tape covers it completely. Closet Core has an article about making a waterproof Kelly Anorak with some pictures and tips on the seam sealing process. And Core Fabrics also sells seam seal tape. So we’re gonna link everything up for you in the show notes for that.

Helen: Liquid seam sealants work on the same principle, but instead of a solid tape, they are a liquid that you can apply onto your seams. Closet Core recommends using these only on the wrong side of your seams, since they do leave a bit of a sticky residue. Most fabrics can be sealed with an all-purpose seam sealer like Seam Grip WP, including unwaxed canvas, nylon vinyl, PUL, or non-silicone technical fabrics. For fabrics that are coated with silicone, choose a silicone-based sealer like Seam Grip + SIL. So just make sure you’re getting the right liquid sealant for your fabric. And there are specific ways to seal different kinds of seams. We found a super helpful set of diagrams on the Gear Aid website, so we’ll link it up for you.

Caroline: And a few tips for using liquid sealants: You wanna wear gloves. If you get it on your hands, don’t wash them to get it off. Some seam sealants set with moisture, so it’s just gonna accelerate them sealing. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for removing the sealant from your skin. You want to test your sealant out on scraps first so that you can see how it works with your fabric. Sew a sample seam and apply it exactly how you plan to apply it on your garment. It’s worth it to take the time to make sure you get a great finished product. And then, if your fabric is smooth and cleanable, like nylon or vinyl, wipe it clean with rubbing alcohol before you apply the sealant. And if the sealant is tacky after curing, you can sprinkle some cornstarch on it and then dust the excess off.

Helen: Ooh, Caroline, I’ve never worked with either of these seam sealing methods, but I’m going to, because I need to experiment with this for this pattern. So I’m excited to give these a try and see which one works better for me.

Caroline: Yeah, I can’t wait to hear about your experience with this. I’m sure you’re gonna be doing lots of little tests for your pattern.

Helen: Yes, I do like the testing phase. It makes me feel like a scientist in my lab.

Caroline: Yeah. And then, to seal seams on waxed cotton, you wanna add extra wax to the outside and even inside of your seams. Seam tape and liquid sealers are not gonna stick to waxed canvas. So this is your best and pretty much only option here.

Helen: More wax! Alright. Before we wrap up this episode, we wanna share a few more tips for making rainwear. If you’re using truly waterproof fabric, you may want to add some ventilation. So, for example, you can add zippers underneath the sleeves of your coat so that you can air out your pits when it’s not raining too hard. Tikki Studio demonstrates how they did this with a ready-to-wear jacket in an Instagram reel that we’ll link up. They opened up the side seam and all the way up to the sleeve seam and then inserted an invisible zipper. Such a great detail on activewear jackets. One of my favourite ready-to-wear jackets has this detail and I pretty much leave them open all the time because I love the ventilation.

Caroline: Yes. Something else to think about is covering up any openings with flaps and laps. If you’re using a pattern that’s made for rainwear, they will probably have already baked this into the design. But if you’re adapting a pattern, you might want to add flaps over the pockets and laps over any zippers to keep the water out. We’re gonna link up some tutorials for adding flaps and laps for you in the show notes. I just love saying flaps and laps.

Helen: I was thinking that, too. Flaps and laps has a real ring to it.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: You wanna add your flaps and laps wherever possible. Lots of flaps and laps.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: The more flaps and laps, the better. Okay. Another way to keep water out is to cinch. You can add drawstrings to your hood, hems and cuffs as extra protection against the rain and the wind. The main thing to consider with this one is whether your fabric will scrunch up well. Stiffer fabrics like wax canvas will probably not want to gather up. Soft shell fabrics and PULs will scrunch way better. And those lightweight nylon Taslons will scrunch really well.

Caroline: Mmhmm. And most rainwear fabrics do not need to be pre-washed but, as always, you wanna check the care instructions and follow those. Just keep in mind that washing waxed cotton is probably gonna remove most of the wax.

Helen: Yeah, so just never wax your gym bag, is my hot tip from this episode.

Caroline: Never wash your gym bag.

Helen: Yeah, never.

Caroline: You said “never wax your gym bag.”

Helen: Oh!

Caroline: If you wash your gym bag, wax your gym bag. But never wash your gym bag and you’ll be fine.

Helen: Also: flaps and laps.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Alright. That’s all we have for this episode, and clearly we need to stop recording because we’re just gonna fall into a pit of giggles. If you’ve ever sewn rainwear, reach out to us and let us know any tips you’ve learned, favourite fabrics you’ve used, or wild seam sealing stories you have. We’d love to learn from you and share them with the rest of the class. And stay dry out there.

Caroline: Stay dry.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Helen, at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co. and Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You can even get access to the back catalog of bonus episodes. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Helen: Head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. We’ve got all of those lovely fabric stores linked up for you. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you all for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Helen: Bye-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

Related Episodes