Beyond Jersey

• Athletic mesh, the familiar jersey type, is soft and comfortable to wear. If it's made with polyester fibers, it's also strong, durable and lightweight. Coolmax[tm] mesh, a newer form of athletic mesh, is a very fine polyester knit with Coolmax[tm] fibers incorporated into it to wick moisture away from the skin.
• Nylon leno mesh, an extremely strong mesh sometimes referred to as lock mesh, traditionally is a component of outdoor equipment, not clothing. This mesh often is used as a backpack outer pocket or for underwater diving gear vent panels. It usually is available in basic black.
• Rawhide netting mesh, used in similar ways as lock mesh, is made from polyester fibers. It has larger openings and a very crisp hand.

Mesh

Working with mesh can be easy if you follow these tips and techniques.
• Use all-purpose polyester or texturized nylon thread to sew polyester or nylon mesh, as well as mesh blends that contain these fibers. All-purpose polyester/cotton thread can be used on other mesh types.
• Because of the open holes, treat mesh as a transparent fabric, keeping seams neat and narrow. Seaming options include:
• Serge seams with a 3-thread overlock stitch. Use a medium stitch width and short stitch length.
• Serge seams with a 3-thread rolled hem, loosening the upper looper and tightening the lower looper tensions so mesh edges remain flat as stitches form.
• Double stitch seams with two rows of straight stitch or narrow zigzag stitch, stretching the mesh as you sew if it's a spandex type. Trim the seam allowances to 1/4 "(6.5mm)--no further finish is needed because mesh doesn't ravel.
• Mesh with very coarse openings will feed better through a conventional sewing machine if you:
• Use a short stitch length.
• Use a narrow zigzag stitch rather than a straight stitch.
• Use a tear-away, wash-away or tissue paper stabilizer underneath so the feed dogs aren't grabbing "air"; remove the stabilizer after sewing.
• Place the mesh layer on top, next to the needle, when stitching it to another fabric.
• Stabilize seams as you sew with clear elastic or sheer tricot tape.
• To finish mesh edges:
• Bind the edge with double-fold bias tape, foldover braid or ribbing. If the edge is straight, you can use ribbon as a binding. Select the edge trim to match the mesh or create a decorative treatment by using a contrasting trim color.
• Serge the edge with a 3-thread overlock stitch, fold the edge over, then topstitch.
• Thread the serger upper looper with decorative thread, then overlock the mesh edge with a 3-thread rolled hem stitch. On very open meshes, wrap the edge with sheer tricot bias before serging, then trim the excess tricot close to the stitching.

Hem overskirts sewn from very fine, netting-type meshes by trimming them neatly with sharp shears or a rotary cutter--it's the same finish you'll find on expensive ready-to-wear.

Sources

Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics Inc., Dept. SN, 16415 N. Midland Blvd., Nampa, ID 83651, phone (208) 466-1602 (free catalog), carries leno lock and rawhide mesh, as well as lightweight netting mesh similar to athletic jersey mesh.

Seattle Fabrics, Dept. SN, 8702 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103, (206) 525-0670 (catalog, $3), carries athletic and leno mesh.

The Green Pepper, Dept. SN, 1285 River Road, Eugene, OR 97404, phone (541) 689-3292 (catalog, $2), carries athletic, stretch, leno lock and Coolmax[tm] mesh.

The Rain Shed, Dept. SN, 707 NW 11th St., Corvallis, OR 97330, phone (541) 753-8900 (catalog, $1), carries leno lock and power mesh.