Does grosgrain ribbon fray when sewn?

Question

I am sewing a historical-styled dress to use as a wedding gown. The pattern indicates for a quick waist-band on the underskirt to sew the skirt waist between two strips of wide grosgrain, tucking the ends under so they're not exposed and can't fray. Does this kind of ribbon have a tendency to fray or get chewed while sewn on a machine? Do I need to use a finer thread/needle? (I don't remember the size needle I'm using, but it's a size suitable for the satin I'm using - is that good enough?) Thanks for the help. :)

Answer 1

Sewing on grosgrain ribbon will not fray it. It you have some Sharp/Microtex needles to sew the ribbon on, that would be helpful. Grosgrain ribbon can kind of curl and become misshapen when sewn upon but all you have to do is iron it flat.

Since it is a wedding dress, have you considered decorating the gross grain ribbon? If you have a machine with decorative stitches, you can design your own ribbon. You need some tear away stabilizer to place under the ribbon while you sew. Determine what stitch (or stitches) you want to use to decorate the ribbon. Tone on tone would be nice. Sew one or more rows of stitches on the ribbon. Again, it may curl up, but all you have to do is iron it flat when you are done. Remove the excess stabilizer.

Use Fray Block, by June Tailor, on the ends of the ribbon to keep it from fraying instead of turning the ends under. The ends become thick and and if there is a problem untying the ribbon, it will be difficult to get the "lump" through. Fray Block dries clear and is flexible so it won't show on the ribbon.

Answer 2

The only part of grosgrain ribbon likely to fray are the ends. The rest is tightly woven, so you won't have any trouble with it. Turning under the ends is a precaution you would use for any ribbon. Any machine sewing needle will be fine.

Answer 3

http://www.schiffribbons.com/ribbon_packaging/grosgrain_ribbon.aspx