SEW WOOL LIKE A PRO
Wool is one of our favourite fabrics to sew and wear. It’s soft yet structured, warm but breathable — and it absorbs moisture without feeling damp, keeping you comfortable no matter what the season.
We’ve rounded up our top tips for sewing with wool.
Boiled Wool: Beginner-Friendly and Fuss-Free
If you’re new to sewing wool, boiled wool is one of the easiest and most satisfying fabrics to start with. It’s thick, stable, and naturally felted — which means it won’t fray and doesn’t need seam finishing or lining. It’s a great choice if you want to sew something warm and wearable — fast. It’s also a great option for confident beginners who want a polished look wihout a lot of fuss. Boiled wool is perfect for:
Simple jackets, cardigans, wraps and unlined coats
Raw-edge designs with minimal construction.
You’ll find a gorgeous range of colours, weights, and patterns from our friends at Tessuti Fabrics, including some fabulous jacket and coat patterns designed especially for boiled wool.
This beautifully fitted and sewn jacket is perfectly suited to a mid-weight wool fabric
2. Don’t Skip the Pre-Shrink!
Wool fabrics have a soul of their own when it comes to heat and moisture - a feature that tailors us to shape garments to the body of the wearer. Like all natural fibre fabrics, wool crepe and wool jersey are especially prone to shrinkage, so it’s always worth prepping your fabric (before you cut it) with one of these methods:
Option 1: Steam Shrink
Lay your fabric flat and use a steam iron with a press cloth, hovering just above the surface (don’t press down). Let the steam do the work, then allow the fabric to rest and cool.
Option 2: Damp Towel Method
Place your wool fabric between two clean damp towels, roll it up and leave it for a few hours, then lay it flat to dry.
Option 3: Dry Cleaner’s Steam Press
If you’re working with a precious or expensive piece, take it to the professionals and ask for a pre-shrink steam treatment.
Pre-shrinking not only prevents unexpected size changes after sewing — it also relaxes the fibres, making your fabric easier to cut and sew accurately.
3. Sewing Bulky Wool Fabrics
When you’re sewing with thick or coating-weight wools, sewing through multiple layers — such as facings, collars or lapels — there are a couple of essential techniques that will save your sanity (and your garment).
On many (most modern) sewing machines, it’s possible to adjust the presser foot pressure. At the same time, lengthening your stitch will help bulky fabrics feed more smoothly, preventing the layers from shifting or bunching. A walking foot (which are available for many machine models) achieves the same result mechanically, moving the top fabric in sync with the feed dogs below. We have these in our studio - if you’re enrolled in a class, do check them out!
The fabric used for this jacket needed some sewing machine adjustments and stitch length changes to ensure smooth seams were achieved.
4. Skip the Fusible Interfacting and Consider Underlining Instead
When sewing with textured or delicate wool fabrics like bouclé or wool crepe, it's best to avoid fusible interfacing. The heat and adhesive can change the feel of the fabric, flatten texture, bubble or shift — especially on looser weaves. Instead, consider underlining — a couture-friendly technique where a second layer of fabric is cut to match your garment pieces, basted to the wrong side before construction. Choose a lightweight silk organza, cotton voile, or fine wool batiste — something breathable but stable.
Why underlining works:
It adds structure and some stiffness while preserving the look and feel of the outer wool fabric
Helps stabilise seams and reduce the distortion that can happen with open weave novelty fabrics and/or heavy trims and buttons on the front of garments.
Makes it easier to mark, press and handle throughout construction
This coat was fully underlined in silk organza which enabled hand-stitched hems and catch-stiched hims to be hidden.
5. Use Wool Melton for Under-Collars on Bulky Garments
When you're sewing a coat or jacket with bulky wool, the collar is one place where a subtle fabric swap can elevate the whole garment. Instead of using your main fabric for both collar layers, use wool melton (or something lighter) for the underside.
Melton is a densely woven wool with a felted finish. It does not fray so no seam allowance is used on the undercollar, reducing bulk. It is stable, firm, and mouldable, making it ideal for shaping that classic collar roll.
Why it works:
Reduces seam bulk around the collar stand and neckline
Presses and curves beautifully into shape
Gives the collar a clean underside without distracting from the main fabric
Often used in high-end tailoring for durability and polish
Choose a melton in a matching or contrasting colour for a little secret detail just for you — or your lucky wearer.
Pro tip: Combine it with pad stitching and turn of cloth shaping for a collar that sits just right and stands the test of time.
For the under collar, a traditional wool melton was used - it gives the collar weight and body, rather than using another layer of the bulky green wool
6. Worsted Wools: For Advanced Sewists Only
Worsted wools — think wool gabardine — are tightly woven, smooth and crisp. They’re beautiful to wear but unforgiving to sew.
They show every stitch, press mark and pin hole, so precision is key. These fabrics are best left to experienced sewists who are confident with their handling, shaping and finishing techniques.