Coated cotton — oilcloth, laminated cotton, wipe-clean tablecloth fabric — has two problems: it does not forgive holes, and it sticks to the presser foot.
Never pin through it. Every pin hole is permanent and visible. Use clips along the edges, or pin only within the seam allowance where the hole will be enclosed.
Deal with the sticking. A non-stick, roller or walking foot lets the coating slide. If you have none of those, a strip of low-tack tape on the sole of an ordinary foot works, or sew with a sheet of tissue paper on top and tear it away.
Use a microtex needle, 80/12 or 90/14. The sharp point pierces the coating cleanly instead of dragging it.
Lengthen the stitch to 3 to 3.5 mm. Short stitches perforate the coating into a tear line, and the fabric will eventually split along the seam.
Do not unpick if you can avoid it. The holes stay. Test the seam placement on a scrap first and sew slowly.
Press only from the wrong side, with a cloth and a warm iron. The coating melts and sticks to the soleplate.
Seam finishing is unnecessary on most coated cotton — the coating stops it fraying. Reduce bulk instead: grade the allowances and topstitch them flat, which also holds them down without pressing.
Store it rolled, not folded. Creases in a coating do not come out.
Questions people actually ask
Which side sticks — top or bottom?
Usually the top, against the presser foot, but a coated underside sticks to the needle plate too. Tissue paper underneath solves that one.
Can I use a walking foot on oilcloth?
Yes, and it is the best general answer. It feeds both layers and its sole tends to grip less than a standard foot.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11