Designing, sewing and creating what you imagin is a very satisfying process. Choosing the right fabric isn’t exactly easy. Finding a general resource for the public to use is a challenge as well, so I decided to study, and do some research in this field and share the results with you AASSTTIINN-ians. Unfortunately there are many different types fabric so I was only able to share some with you in this article.
Voile
A semi-sheer woven fabric that is usually 100% cotton. Nowadays we also have other blends of voile such as cotton and polyester. Voile has a higher thread count and a higher numbers of weaves than most cotton fabrics. Therefore it’s soft to the touch. Voile IS somewhat slippery with a light drape. Even though it isn’t as slippery as silk, I recommend you to pin your fabric while sewing. Its lightweight and breathable nature makes it a great fabric for warmer seasons.
Because this fabric doesn’t stretch, it’s great for beginners. Voile is very stable so creases iron out well.
It’s better to pre-wash voile on a warm cycle and dry on a medium setting before you sew.
Lyocell(Tencel)
Tencel is very soft with a lot of heavy drape. Because of its weight and density tencel is typically matte. Tencel is cold or cool to the touch. This fabric was made from breathable fibres that absorb moisture, therefore it’s suitable for summer. It has a matte, suede like surface but it doesn’t irritate your skin and it’s anti-static.
This fabric is suitable for intermediate sewers. Tencel isn’t slippery but because of its density there are a few precautions before sewing.
Use a pair of sharp scissors for cutting this fabric and use extra fine needles. If the needles are large or ballpoint you’re going to have a hard time pushing them through the fabric and you can leave permanent pinholes in your fabric.
Pre-wash this fabric on a warm cycle and dry on a medium setting. This step is very important because tencel is prone to shrinkage. After sewing, wash on a cold cycle and line dry. While wet, Tencel gets stiff, but after a few hours of hanging it will be dry and soft again. For ironing use medium heat (One step below the cotton setting).
Crepe
The type of yarn that crepe is woven with is twisted tightly resulting in a rough texture. Although not all crepe fabrics are rough to the touch. It depends on the woven fibres, for example polyester fibres make crepe soft and smooth. Crepe fabric can be woven from different fibres like silk, wool and polyester.
Crepe is relatively stable. Depending on the fibre material it can change. The more lightweight the fabric the more shifting you’ll see. For that matter I recommend you to use a tissue paper below your fabric.
Needles usually slide through this fabric easily, but not all crepes are like this so it’s better to use fine needles.
For cutting this fabric make sure your scissors are extra sharp and before you start sewing, test a few stitches on a piece of this fabric.
For finding the proper way to care for crepe you should pay attention to its fibre breakdown. Silk and wool crepes have delicate fibres so I recommend hand washing or dry-cleaning. Polyester crepe is easy to care for. Wash it on a warm or cold cycle and low dry setting or line dry. For ironing use low hear with a very little steam. This fabric irons, out easily.
Jersey
This fabric is light to medium weight, with a considerable amount of stretch.Jersey is usually made from wool, cotton and polyester. Cotton and wool jerseys are breathable and are suitable for year round.
You can find this fabric in 100% cotton or blends such as polyester, rayon, lycra or spandex. Lycra and spandex give jersey more stretch and rayon blends are softer with more drape.
For sewing with jersey use a ballpoint needle. This fabric tends to roll at the edges, make sure to use serger stitches to avoide having rolled edges. Some jerseys are lightweight, remember to place a layer of tissue underneath your fabric and after sewing rip it carefully.
Pay attention to the fibre breakdown to decide which wash cycle it requires. Be sure to prewash it on a warm wash cycle and medium tumble dry before sewing, and after sewing, wash on a cold cycle.
You can Iron cotton jerseys with medium heat. But if you hand them to dry you won’t need to iron them at all.
I hope this was a helpful, mini guide. In the following weeks I will research other types of fabric.