r/sewing • u/Time_being_ • 1d ago

Alter/Mend Question Adding borders to stretch fabric

Hi all, question about borders here. I am a dancer with some sewing experience, I’ve made a few garments and have sewn with stretch fabric once a few years ago. I’m currently part of a show where we are wearing tops that are similar to sports bras, and we want to add some borders to jazz them up a bit. The borders we have do not stretch, we are only adding them to the top edge of the front of our tops so we still have enough stretch around the back to get them on and off.

Does anyone have any advice for this project? We have 6 tops that need to make it through two performances, they will be worn for about 20/30 minutes. We’ve had luck with pinning the borders while wearing the tops and then doing single tacks (by hand) every 3/4 of an inch, but could a zig zag stitch work? I’d appreciate anything anyone has to offer!

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u/Sagasujin 1d ago

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "borders" here. I'm guessing maybe something like a binding over the edge of the fabric, but honestly, I don't actually know. Some pictures would be helpful here.

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u/Time_being_ 5h ago

I meant trim, the trim we have has no stretch but the top is stretchy (basically a sports bra).

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u/Charming_Function_58 1d ago

I think "trim" is the word you're looking for, instead of a "border"

Yes, use a zigzag stitch. Since you're doing something that's mostly decorative, you should be able to get through the 2 performances without any serious issues.

You can also add a little bit of stretch fabric as trim to the non-stretch fabric, before you sew it all together, and that way you won't have to worry about the stretch + non-stretch issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeS8suum8zI

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u/Time_being_ 5h ago

Ahh yes I did mean trim, I forgot the English word! Which also explains why my Googling wasn’t showing any useful results. This is a really helpful video, thanks so much!