Sarai
Welcome back to Seamwork Radio, where we share practical ideas for building a creative process so you can sew with intention and joy. And Haley's out on parental leave with her new baby right now.
With competitive price and timely delivery, Qicai sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
So I'm flying solo, and I've invited some really fun guests to join me on the podcast. And today, I'm joined by Sophie, Sophie Hines, she's a linger designer who creates minimal linger sewing patterns and period panty sewing kits.
Sophie studied textile and fashion design at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Now she develops easy-to-sew linger and loungewear with professional-level finishing available in sizes extra, extra small to 6X.
And her dog has just joined us as well. Sophie, what's your dog's name?
Sophie
This is Melba, like the toast.
Sarai
Melba is kissing Sophie right now, for you who are listening.
Sophie has a really strong passion for soft, silky fabrics, but she's also especially interested in eco-friendly options for sewing lingerie.
She's here to share 10 tips for buying and sewing linger fabrics.
Thank you, Sophie and Melda, for joining me today.
Sophie
Thank you so much for having us.
Sarai
I wanted to start just by talking about lingerie making and what do you like most about it? What draws you towards that?
Sophie
Oh, that is such an easy question to answer because I love how quickly you can just sit down and have something made in a couple of hours. I feel so productive. I got a pair of underwear made today.
Sarai
Yeah, it's so practical. It's something you can wear all the time. If somebody's new to sewing linger, what projects do you think should start with?
Sophie
I always recommend just whatever underwear you like to wear, just an easy style of panty because you can get in a lot of practice and a lot of build new skills with that intro to lingerie item. But also the stakes are so low. If it takes you a few pairs to really get to a place where you like the way that your finishing is coming out, who cares? It's on your butt. Nobody's going to see it.
Sarai
Yeah, that should be the quote for this episode. “Who cares? It's on your butt?”
Sophie
When I'm teaching sewing classes, anytime anybody is frustrated that it's not coming out as they want it to, I'm like, “Hey, listen, if anybody can see it, their eyes are way too close to you, and they're not worried about the quality of your underwear.”
Sarai
You'd recommend starting with a pair of panties. What is your most popular pattern? What are the patterns that people are drawn towards the most?
Sophie
I think the best selling is the Axis tank because, oh my gosh, it's so simple and so fast. I think the more seamless option only has one piece for the full body, and the only seam is up the back and the shoulders.
Then after you apply the edging bands, it's done, and you can really get it done in a couple of hours. Then it's just so comfortable, and it's a great layering basic. A lot of people love it.
I designed it to be a bra, wear around the house bra. Then I go on Instagram and everybody's wearing them out of the house as a shirt, and I'm like, “You're outside in your underwear!”
Sarai
Well, I'm a child of the '90s, so wearing your underwear is just something you do.
Sophie
You really can and you really must. The other pattern that people love is the altitude thong. It's a high-waisted thong with a ruffle option around the legs. I'm really excited that that's been so well received because it's so fun. A ruffly thong, how can you even? It's so exciting, and it's really pretty.
Sarai
Yeah. Have you been surprised that people are more interested in something that's a little bit fancy like that versus something that's more practical?
Sophie
Yes. When I designed it, I really just wanted to make something silly and floaty and pretty. I was like, How can anybody actually wear this, though. What do you wear it underneath? What do you wear roughly underwear with?
But people use it as swimwear, which I never even thought of.
Sarai
That’s smart.
Sophie
Before I was in sewing patterns, I had a ready-to-wear lingerie line. The most exciting thing about transitioning to sewing patterns is the way I get to see people use their creativities with my garments in ways that I never thought of, and colors that I would never put together, and just styling and hacking. Like, oh my gosh, people make the coolest stuff.
Sarai
Yeah, it's so inspiring to see people using the things you're putting out there in their own way and doing it for themselves and using it to express themselves.
Sophie
Yeah, I get so excited when I see these pictures. Oh my gosh, this is so cool.
Sarai
I imagine that's especially fun with lingerie because it's something that's so personal and you can do so many fun things with it. I feel like with lingerie, and for me with active wear, too, it's something where I'll get a little bit, I don't know, silly or different, or it doesn't really have to fit in with all my other style, my wardrobe. It's just something that can stand on its own.
Sophie
Yeah. Especially with bras, where there are so many different straps and components, throwing together whatever you've bought and just seeing how it comes out. I never would have put these things together and, wow, they look really cool.
Sarai
Yeah. It's fun to use up your straps and things for them, too.
Sophie
Same as the panties. Just a few inches square and you're like, that could be the side of a bra.
Sarai
You brought some tips for us, and we're going to talk about some tips for choosing fabric for your linger. I'm really excited to hear your ideas and tips for this.
Sophie
I am so excited to share them. I'd love to pull up my notes if I knew where it was.
Number one is a four-way stretch. There are a lot of different ways to make stretch fabric, a lot of different a lot of different fibers and a lot of different knitting techniques.
I always recommend that you look for a four-way stretch fabric, which means that it stretches both vertically and horizontally, which means it will stretch around you, but also up and down, which is great for just really moving with your body as you're active throughout the day.
A two-way stretch will not pull up high enough if it's used in underwear, which is a common issue that could happen to you.
Sarai
Yeah, it kind of pulls down.
Sophie
Yeah. It looks great standing up and then you sit or squat down and, “Oops!”
Sarai
Yeah, there's your butt.
Sophie
This is very short now. My second tip is to look for a fabric that has at least 50 to 75% stretch horizontally and 30 to 50% vertically.
There's all different kinds of stretch amounts depending on the project that you're looking for. But if you want to just build up a stash of knit fabrics that will work for almost any project, those are my stats to look for so that any lingerie or layering option or leggings or body suits, that percentage of stretch will work for all of those different projects.
Sarai
If you're shopping online and it doesn't say the stretch percentage, let's say you order it, is there a way once you have in your hands for somebody to know how much stretch a fabric has if they're not sure?
Sophie
Yes. I do find with shopping at indie fabric stores online that I have several times e-mailed them to double-check the stretch of a fabric, and indie fabrics players are so generous with their time.
If you don't have that information, you can order a swatch. The way to test or measure stretch is to mark out 4 inches or 10 centimeters of your fabric and then just stretch it along the ruler.
Every inch that it stretches is 25%, every centimeter it stretches is 10%. If you have your 4 inches and it stretches 2 inches, then that's a 50% stretch.
A great question that people ask me is, how do I know how far to stretch this fabric? Because if you pull really hard, you can get it to stretch a lot further. My suggestion is to think about how the fabric would feel on your body if it was stretched that tight and only stretch it as far as would feel comfortable on your body.
There will be a point where it goes from a nice easy stretch to you're pulling the fabric.
Sarai
Awesome. That's super helpful. That's really helpful because I think a lot of people don't know what that means, those stretch percentages. So having a way to test that is really helpful.
Sophie
And then you've got the data. You do want to do that horizontally and vertically on the fabric because depending on the way the fabric fabric is manufactured, when you're working with stretch fabric, instead of a grainline, you work with the direction of greatest stretch. That can be horizontally or vertically, depending on how the fabric was made. You want to see which way is the stretchiest, and then that is the direction along which you align your pattern pieces.
Sarai
Is that usually marked on your pattern pieces? So that would be in place of the grainline, we would say, this is your direction of greatest stretch.
Sophie
Yes. You'll always see that alignment line, but it will be noted as “Direction of Greatest Stretch” instead of grainline if you're working with the stretch pattern.
My third tip is that I love natural fibers so much. I love the way natural fibers give youan excellent comfortable hand feel, but they are a lot easier to work with than synthetic fabrics. They're not so slippery, and so they're much easier to sew. The pieces will stay in place as you’re sewing them.
There are so many qualities to natural fibers that are extra desirable when you're making lingerie. The breathability is a really key component of underwear that will keep your vaginal pH happy. Synthetic fabrics really maintain a lot of moisture and heat, which is not great.
So natural fibers that you will see in lingerie are a lot of cotton, silk blends. People like to use Moreno wool. Semi-synthetics that I like to use is bamboo or rayon fabric, which is derived from cellulose fibers, which is plant fibers. It has those natural qualities, and it's easy to work with. My favorite fabric is bamboo rayon.
Sarai
Yeah, it's nice. It drapes well, too.
Sophie
It's so soft. It's not quick to pill like cotton is sometimes.
Number four is I stay away from 100% cotton fabric. A lot of people want to be in natural fibers and sustainability and all of these things. But when you're working with stretch garments, 100% cotton fabric stretches out quickly and doesn't have any elastic to be able to retain its shape so it bags out very quickly. Then your garments will become too loose and not be close-fitting the way you want them to. I do recommend a percentage of elastic fibers, which is my tip number five, actually.
Sarai
I've often seen 100% cotton used for the gussets in panties. Is that something that you would recommend?
Sophie
Yes. I always design my underwear to have a full double-layer gusset. There are so many different kinds of construction options for the gusset to add in that second layer. But you can add in the internal layer, you can do 100% cotton, and that will really allow great breathability in a way that isn't contributing to the fit in the main part of the garment. It doesn't affect the long-term fit anyways.
Sarai
Yeah, because that's an area that you don't really have to worry about stretching out.
Sophie
Yes. There's so much science in underwear who could have known.
Tip number 5 is my guidelines for how much elastic fiber you want to use. My preferred amount is 3-5% elastic fiber, which will be listed as spandex, lycra, or elastane. You won't see anything less than 3%, typically, because that is the lowest percentage of fiber content that is legally required to be reported in a fiber or garment.
So you won't see anything less than 3%. The more elastic content you add into a fabric, the higher percentage of synthetic material. So it will have a smoother hand feel, be a little bit more slippery.
I like to top out personally at 12% because I feel that beyond that, it begins to lose that natural fiber quality in the hand feel and begins to retain a little bit too much moisture for my preference.
Sarai
Is there a difference between those different Lycras? If you see Lycras, Spandex, Elastane, is there a difference between those things?
Sophie
A couple of them are just brand names only, specifically. Then elastane is just generally an elastic fiber.
Sarai
Elastic, okay.
Sophie
To my knowledge. Don't quote me on that.
Sarai
I think they all pretty much behave the same anyway.
Sophie
Yeah, it just means an elastic fiber.
Something that I don't work with a ton, my style is a little bit more sporty, but a lot of people like to introduce lace into their garments. It’s a really easy way to make something really beautiful and look really luxurious.
There's a lot of different kinds of lace and a lot of different applications. If you are shopping for lace, there are four main categories.
Lace trim will come between a quarter of an inch to about three inches wide, and that will be a lace band, which you can use for lace edging around your underwear or along your bra edges. You can insert it into your seams and just make these little decorations.
All lace comes in stretch or non-stretch, so you want to be really careful, especially when you're shopping online, that you check both the fiber content and the product description, because for some reason, shopping for lace online is just… may God go with you, because sometimes it's a little bit crazy.
Elastic bands between 4 and 12 inches are great for or anything that you want to make a full project out of. You can make underwear or bra cups, anything that you want to use as fabric, but you're really focusing on the lace edge, and you don't need a lot of the internal material that you would get with the lace yardage.
Lace yardage comes either with a lace edging or just as fabric with a selvedge. The lace fabric yardage, you can use just in place of any stretch fabric, as long as it's stretchy, any fabric for your garments you can make with lace. The lace yardage with decorative edging, people typically use for slips or chemises or anything that you really want to make high-end and a little bit amorous.
Sarai
Do you have any favorite sources for buying lace for lingerie?
Sophie
Etsy, probably.
Sarai
That's where I've looked.
Sophie
There are a ton of sellers on Etsy. My favorite place to buy mesh fabrics is Spandex World, and they have stretch meshes on their website. Spandex World and Spandex House, both are out of New York. If you're local, they have great stores. The websites are…
Sarai
They’re crazy. They're also straight out of the '90s.
Sophie
That's what makes it great. It's always an adventure. Yeah, Etsy, just looking for stuff on Etsy, I think. Yeah, it's one of those things that, weirdly, it's hard to find online.
Sarai
Yeah. There are a lot of great sellers on Etsy, though. For this, specifically, I found some great lace sellers, just with a simple search.
Sophie
I haven't shopped with them for a few years, so I don't know if they're still up, but I had a lot of great luck with a seller called MaryNotMartha on Instagram, on Etzy.
Sarai
I have her bookmarked.
Sophie
Perfect. You already got the goss.
My tip number seven is stretch silk. There are really lovely silk fabrics that have elastic content in them. So they are woven, but with the elastic content, they have a little bit more stretching recovery, so you can cut those on the bias and get some really lovely pieces out of that.
I have a friend, her name is Angela Friedmann. She makes made-to-order luxury lingerie in England, and she uses bias-cut silk for her panties and camisoles and slips and really lovely pieces if you want to make really, really luxurious pieces.
Sarai
By making it yourself, you can really save a lot of money compared to buying something off the rack because you can use those really luxurious materials.
Sophie
I also love using silk cotton blends. They're generally pretty affordable, and sometimes they'll be double-sided. So one side will have a matte side and one side will have a satin finish.
The introduction of the cotton makes it really easy to work with. I like to make woven T-shirts out of that for sleep. Just garments that just feel really luxurious and soft on your skin, but because of the cotton, they're easy to take care of.
Sarai
I love that idea, especially for sleepwear, like you're saying.
Sophie
Yeah. Well, sleep shorts, who couldn't want it?
Sarai
A little pair of boxers, that'd be fun.
Sophie
Yeah. My tip number eight is to stay away from high-content polyblends. This is a write-in from my housemate, Anne, who said to tell everyone to stay away from double-brushed poly.
Every time she's fabric shopping, she always picks it up and says, “Oh, this is so soft and lovely.”
Every time she brings it home and makes something out of it, she comes out and it's like, “Oh, my gosh, I'm so sweaty.” She said, “You have to tell them. It's a trap.”
Sarai
She's been burned too many times.
Yeah. Anything that's a really high content of mostly synthetic materials, unless it's been engineered to be specifically wicking or to have an open, breathable structure like a nylon mesh, it will not be comfortable long term.
Sarai
Yeah. Actually, I wanted to ask you about nylon. Is that something that you use very much?
Sophie
I do use nylon stretch mesh. I love the visual interest you get with color blocking, to have sheer panels. I think that's such a fun way to add visual interest to your garments without adding anything too crazy that you can see through your clothes.
It has a nice smooth texture that blends in really well across garments, so it doesn't create any bumps or texture under your clothes, which is one of the reasons that I don't use lace a lot because you can see it through lightweight clothing.
Sarai
Yeah.
Sophie
Just because of the texture.
Tip number nine is to try using anything you like. If you are the fabric store and you pick something up and like, Oh, this would be so pretty in underwear, then try it and do it. Maybe you'll find your new favorite fabric. Who knows? As I said before, it's underwear. It's not high stakes. You'll find out.
Sarai
I love that, tip, because I've come across some really beautiful, luxurious stretch silks and things like that. I see them, and they're rather expensive by the yard. But then if you're just making a pair of panties or you're making a little half slip or something small like that, you don't really need that much.
It's a great fallback for those really special fabrics that you come across.
Sophie
Yeah, you can fit a lower mid-rise panty on half a yard of fabric. So especially if you're shopping remnants or second-hand fabric, you can really explore a lot for not that much money.
Sarai
Yeah. It's a great tip.
Sophie
My tip number 10 is, don't worry about it. It's underwear.
Try new styles and new fabrics and new trends, and you only have to make one pair and wear-test it to see if you like it or don't like it, and then you can change it up, try something new.
It's a really easy way to hone your knit skills—if you're working with lace or silk, your higher quality finishing skills—in a way that nobody has to see. You can keep it private. Yeah. And they're so fast.
Sarai
Sophie, I think that's a great philosophy for a living. Don't worry about it. I think if you could apply that sewing lesson to the rest of your life, you'll be in good shape.
Sophie
That would be, man, I could be doing so great.
Sarai
Easier said than done.
Sophie
If only everything was as easy as underwear.
I think that elastics and knit fabric can be a little bit intimidating to people, especially if you mostly work in woven fabrics. It can be a little bit daunting because it's different settings on your sewing machine.
It's different stitches than you're used to, and those stitches need different, like playing with length and width. It's a lot of different little things that you have to find out with the fabric you work with and sewing machine, and putting all of those little steps together to create a successful garment or seam treatment. It can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start or what to change. And yeah, sewing underwear, your seams are two or three inches long. The pieces are small.
If your sewing machine is chewing up your fabric and you get frustrated with it, it was a tiny amount of fabric. You can throw it away and start over again. No worries.
Would you like some tips about sewing stretch fabrics?
Sarai
Yeah, absolutely. Let's throw in some bonus tips.
Sophie
Yeah, I have three tips that I always tell people about sewing knits on your sewing machine.
The first one is to not so right on the edge because the cut edge of your fabric is going to have a lot less surface tension than normal because it stretches, it can get pushed down into your machine, and then the thread gets all tangled up and creates a bird's nest, which is that's the biggest issue that I find people run into.
If you come in a little bit from the edge, it'll be less likely to get sucked down in there. That's a great way to keep your fabric moving through your sewing machine.
When you start your seam, I like to hold the thread tails with my hand and pull it through. Just have a little bit of tension on those thread tails as the seam is starting to help pull that corner through, and so to keep it from getting sucked down. Just a little bit of tension on the back threads as you're starting out a seam.
If you have a very short seam, like the side of a panty, and it's only a few inches long, and your fabric is getting sucked down no matter what you do, I like to start in the middle of the seam and sew out to the edge and then turn it around and sew from the middle back out to the other side so that you get the whole seam. You never have to start at the edge.
A lot of people like to use tissue paper, but when you're working with zigzags, like, oh, man, that's so much tissue paper to pull out of your seam. You have a seam full of paper.
Sarai
Yeah, I've always felt that way about tissue paper. It's helpful, but you go through a lot of paper that way.
Sophie
My favorite stitch on the sewing machine is the three-step zigzag.
I've heard a few times that people think it looks unprofessional, and I like to have words with people who say that to me, because it's a great utility stitch.
A three-step zigzag is the same as a regular zigzag, but with every step of the zigzag, there are three stitches instead of just one. You can get a lot more thread in that seam, which will help keep it stronger and stretch more. Then because it's so reinforced, you can get wider and longer
You can increase your stitch length and stitch width, which will help keep your knit fabric from lettucing, as you sell, it'll keep it from stretching out and just make it stronger. That's what I always recommend to everybody.
Sarai
I just finished sewing a swimsuit, and I did not use a three-step zigzag when I was applying the elastic that goes around the neckline. I wish I had because it bow out a little bit. I think if I'd used a three-step zigzag, it would have been better.
Sophie
Yeah, it's my favorite stitch. If you look at underwire bras, especially, and a lot of swimwear, you can see that they use three-step zigzags in professional garments. Yeah, big hate to people who don't like that stitch.
Sarai
You're going to get on Sophie's downside.
Sophie
I'll fight you.
If you find that your seams are lettucing no matter what you do, you can apply a little bit of heat to your seam. If you're working with high synthetics, like mesh or swimwear, I don't recommend the iron.
But if you use a steam or you can throw it in the dryer, the heat will help reinvigorate the elastic fibers and help it stretch or cover back to itself. That can be an easy thing to do to make it look nice after it's been stretched while sewing. But as we know, long term, if you are using a lot of heat on swimwear or elastic, it will break down more quickly. So be scared with it.
Sarai
Yeah, that's a great tip. So much science.
Sophie
That's all of my tips. Do you have any questions?
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit synthetic mesh fabric.
Sarai
That was awesome. That was super, super helpful. I'm really excited to sew some panties now. I think my biggest takeaway from this conversation was just thinking about all the ways that I can use lingerie as a place to play with fabric.
I feel like it's something that you can sew so quickly, and it's something where you can use a lot of fabrics that you wouldn't normally use or can't think of a good opportunity to use.
So I'm actually, excited. I haven't sewn underwear in quite a while, and now I want to do it.
Sophie
Yay. I think my favorite part about playing with underwear is that when you want to use up those pretty little straps that you've been saving, if the pattern pieces don't fit on your little straps, it's so easy to introduce extra seams and make panels on the sides, or make the front panel smaller and the sides wider, or do a contrast back, or anything.
It's so easy to really play with the pattern and just really make it your own and with what you have on hand.
Sarai
Yeah. I think if you're listening and you're new to sewing lingerie, and it's something you want to try, it's also really helpful to have great patterns like Sophie's to work with, like somebody who can guide guide you through the whole process. I think that's really helpful.
For me, I'm a hands-on learner, so I really like learning from a good pattern and just trying a project and looking things up as I go. I think that's a great way for a lot of people to learn.
So I definitely want to encourage you to check out Sophie's patterns.
Sophie
Yeah. I also recommend my patterns. I include a lot of finishing options, and I make sure there are instructions if you're using a serger or a sewing machine. All of my patterns, you can make with just a sewing machine if that's what you're working with.
I provide instructions for all kinds of finishes. If you're making underwear, there will be instructions for using foldover elastic, lace bands, picot and decorative, ruffly edging.
There's instructions that walk you step by step through any option you can think of. I really like holding people's hands through underwear because you never know what pattern is somebody's first introduction to knit fabrics.
I think it's so exciting to be able to jump into something new and come up with something that looks really nice.
Sarai
Making underwear in particular is just one of those things that a lot of people have never thought about. And once you're able to do it, you're like, “Wow, if I can make my own underwear, I can make anything for myself.” It's such a basic.
Sophie
I see on Instagram a lot, people will be like, “I made everything I'm wearing except for my underwear.” And I'm like, “Oh, did you know that you can? You could be doing that, too.”
Sarai
Yeah. You can make your own underwear, and then you just have to learn to knit your own socks, and you're good. You can do head to toe.
Sophie
I love knitting my own socks.
Sarai
Me too.
Sophie
And then I'm like, everything I'm wearing is from the store, except for my socks and underwear.
Sarai
All right. Well, thank you for joining me today, Sophie, and thank you for all the wonderful tips. Where can people find you if they want to follow you?
Sophie
I am most active on Instagram @sophie_hines, H-I-N-E-S.
I love answering people's questions about fabric shopping, about trim, about fitting, about hacking patterns.
I'm so excited to see anybody making underwear. I'm happy to walk you through any questions you have.
I have a Patreon where I post behind the scenes of my projects and my design process and what's coming up soon. Through Patreon, we have a Discord chat server and a sewing group ,we meet every other week on video chat and talk about what we've been working on and how our projects are going. That's been going on since , and it's so much fun. We've made so many friends, and it's a really fun time.
Sarai
That's really cool. I love that.
Sophie
There was one winter where four of the people were getting married and making their own wedding dresses, and that was the coolest, most fun thing to check in every couple of weeks and see how all of these gorgeous choices were going. We are just following each other's lives in a really fun way.
Sarai
Yeah. Yeah, that's really cool. That's what I love about the sewing community. People just support each other like that. It's awesome.
Sophie
Yeah. It's such an exciting time on the internet, where you can follow people on Instagram and virtual sewing groups and communities like Seamwork, and just really find people who love making what you love to make. It's fun to be with each other.
Sarai
Yeah, and getting that support that, at least when I was learning to sew, I didn't have anybody to ask questions about. I figured out everything on my own. I think it took a lot longer to learn because of that.
Sophie
Oh, you have a sewing machine? Can you hem my pants?
Sarai
Yeah. That's about the extent of conversations about sewing.
Sophie
Oh, good. You can fix this.
Sarai
All right. Thank you so much, Sophie.
If Sophie's tips made you want to buy some lingerie fabric, be sure to check out our fabric discounts. Seamwork members get discounts at some of our favorite indie fabric stores. I know Sophie mentioned shopping indie, which we also really recommend.
You could save anywhere from 10 to 20% off your purchase if you're a Seamwork member at these stores. A lot of people say that these discounts pay for their membership.
If you want to see a list of participating fabric stores, you can at Seamwork.com/deals.
And that will do it for us this week. Thank you again, Sophie, for joining us. It was lovely to talk to you about lingerie.
Sophie
Thank you so much for having me. I had a fantastic time.
Is it the right material? Does it have the right fall? Will it be too transparent?
Well if such questions keep popping in your head too, then you're at the right place for all these answers.
Table of Contents
As more & more online fabric store come to your notice make sure you don’t make mistakes while buying fabric online. Here’s a detailed guide to buying fabric online which will make you an expert in no time. Understanding the basics of each fabric type, you'll be able to make the right choice.
The most versatile of all, Viscose fabric is made with wood pulp & cellulose. A type of Rayon, viscose is considered a semi-synthetic material as the production involves high use of chemicals. Various other fibres like cotton, silk or polyester blend well with viscose to attain different properties. Viscose material is soft to touch, slightly shiny & often has a smooth texture along with a flowy drape. Needless to say, viscose fabric is ideal for dresses & skirts. However, the blend of different fibre justifies its use in upholstery & furnishing.
Georgette fabric is named after Madame Georgette de la Plante who was a well-known dressmaker in the early 20th century. A distinct twisting of yarns & plain weave gives georgette fabric all its properties. The most premium georgette is made from 100% silk while less expensive versions have a mix of silk, rayon & polyester. Having slightly coarse texture, medium to low transparency & a flowy drape, georgette is an ideal fabric for gowns, dresses, skirts, sarees & anything that you wish to flow around.
Despite being the most popular fabric in the World, we might not have pondered about cotton fabric as much. Have you? We'll all know cotton is best when it comes to being skin-friendly, breathable & absorbent. It might be best to dig a little deeper into cotton material to know whether it fulfils your needs.
India is known to have the earliest traces of using cotton fibres, dating back to BC and still is the largest producer of cotton worldwide. Cotton fibres are obtained from the fruit of the cotton plant, which is then spun to make yarns & weaved into fabric. With time, new fibres were mixed with cotton to enhance & add more properties. For example, to add more shine to the fabric, silk yarns are added & cotton silk fabric is produced.
Even though cotton is a natural fibre, the farming of cotton plants requires a very high consumption of water. Further to increase the yield, farmers add harmful pesticides & fertilisers. This results in an overall negative impact on the environment. So next time you opt for cotton fabric, choose the organic variant which is made from cotton grown with low water usage & without pesticides.
The namesake of a small town called Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh), Chanderi fabric is a plain weave fabric with a subtle shine. Originally weaved using hand-spun cotton, it is now made with a blend of various materials like silk, viscose, polyester, etc. Chanderi material is further characterised by its lightweight & sheer texture.
One thing which makes Chanderi the cynosure to our eyes is the vibrant hues of this fabric. Unlike other silk fabrics, Chanderi fabric gloriously imbibes pastel shades. Chanderi has always been popular for designing enticing Chanderi sarees but now it is also used for different clothing purposes and also home decor items like Cushions and Curtains.
Who doesn't adore the mighty Silk? Once considered a rarity, silk fabric is now easily available to one & all. Originally made with a natural fibre procured from the silkworm, silk is now made with several other materials. The typical feature that makes silk fabric distinct from other textiles is the lustre.
The innovation & demand of silk has led to the discovery of more than 30 types of silk fabrics. Depending on the quality of silk material it is used for clothing, home furnishing & accessories. Be it a silk saree, suit, dress, overcoat or any other garment, silk gives the wearer an enchanting gleam.
Another one of the most widely used fabrics, Rayon Fabric is made from wood pulp & cellulose. The smooth texture, breathable nature & flowy fall makes Rayon suitable for dressmaking. It is slightly heavy which makes it suitable for dresses, skirts, palazzos, shorts but is not recommended for sarees & dupattas.
Rayon is an easy to maintain fabric however, the mix of different fibres changes its properties. Viscose rayon is one such example that has an enhanced texture. A mix of naturally occurring fibres like bamboo & banana makes it more sustainable for the environment.
Have you ever heard 'A cloth so fine that yards of it could smoothly flow through a ring!' We're talking about the super smooth Muslin fabric.
It is said that the word ‘Muslin’ originated from the city of ‘Mosul’ (now in Iraq) where the Europeans learnt of its import from India. Just like many of the oldest living textiles, Muslin was also made using cotton fibre. Carded cotton yarn was used to make its texture finer than the regular cotton fabric.
While the lightweight version of muslin material is used for garments, the heavy weight muslin is commonly used for fashion design prototypes.
A classic example of science meets nature, Lizzy Bizzy fabric is achieved by intertwining cotton and polyester threads. This soft, flowy & daily wear fabric, imitates a Rayon-like texture & fluidity. The use of polyester yarn makes it more durable than regular cotton fabric.
For ages, it has been the go-to option for laid-back dressing styles like - Jumpsuits, peplum tops, asymmetrical kurtas, and A-line dresses.
Heading to a beach? People must have recommended going for a Linen Shirt or a Linen overlay. Owing to its high breathability, lightweight & fast drying property, Linen fabric is ideal for a hot humid day. Linen material is made from the stem of the flax plant. Being derived from a natural fibre, linen not only has all the properties of Cotton but also features extra strength.
Coming to its use, Linen is the best fabric for summers & humid environments. While you can design any garment with Linen, it is mostly used in bathing towels due to its moisture-wicking property.
Mix a thick cotton fabric with a brushed & soft texture & you have Flannel fabric. It gives a cosy feel which makes it suitable for a little cold weather. The [patterns on Flannel are achieved during the weaving process by using coloured yarns.
The most popular pattern on Flannel is checks, be it Gingham, Tartan or plain checks. Flannel material is also used for rugged outerwear due to its durability. Flannel finds its common use as shirts, vests, cardigans, sweaters, blankets & upholstery.
The term Dobby is technically used for a weave rather than fabric. Any fabric with a woven design is essentially called a dobby fabric. The weaving for such a fabric is done in a way that it reveals a textured pattern using the same coloured yarn for warp & weft. This is achieved by using a dobby loom or dobby equipment attached with a regular loom.
The slightly textured look adds a distinct look to the fabric even without printing. As it is a weave, any kind of fibre can be used like cotton dobby, viscose dobby, etc. Based on the fibre used, dobby material can be used for all clothing purposes.
One of the best fabrics for the winter season, Tweed is a plain weave fabric. Made with wool as the major fibre content, other fibres are often mixed to enhance properties. Tweed material generally has a rough texture & withstands harsh climates. Traditionally, tweeds were a prominent textile in Scottish & Irish culture, mostly worn as blazers & skirts.
The coarse appeal of tweed fabric has made it popular in the fashion industry too. It is suitable for most of the winter clothing like tweed jackets, overcoats, pants, dresses & even as accessories like hats, bags, gloves & shoes.
Damask fabric is named after its originating place, Damascus. Known for its intricate and reversible patterns, the Damask fabric is prized for its ornateness achieved by skilled artisans using silk, cotton, or wool. Nowadays, incredibly complex damask prints are made with modern textile machines with synthetic damask weaves.
In interior designing, Damask upholstery fabric is used to give a royal feel. Damask fabric by the yard is also used for occasional dressing as corsets, ball gowns, blazers etc.
Known as the softest type of cotton, mulmul fabric is a finely weaved fabric. Once considered a premium fabric, mulmul fabric is cherished for its softness, lightweight & flowy drape. Mulmul is considered ideal for baby clothes and is also used for summer dresses, sarees, dupatta, scarves, etc. Mulmul sarees are quite a rave due to their softness & low maintenance.
Mulmul is often confused with Muslin however both are distinct in the material used. Muslin is essentially achieved through finely weaving any type of material like cotton, viscose or polyester. But mulmul is purely made with cotton fibres.
Just like dobby, Jacquard is also a type of weave that reveals intricate patterns. Although Jacquard fabric is much more complex than dobby fabric. This in turn makes the fabric thicker than regular woven fabrics.
The base properties of Jacquard are based on the fibres used. For example, Cotton jacquard would possess all the qualities of cotton, while Silk jacquard will have a shine like silk itself.
Jacquard is commonly used for occasion wear like gowns, lehenga, sherwani, jackets, etc.
Khadi is ideally defined as a handspun, handwoven fabric with a recognizable course texture. Khadi fabric has a versatile property that cools in summers and keeps one warm in winters.
Khadi is also one of the first sustainable fabrics as it is made with natural fibres like cotton, wool & silk. Cotton khadi is readily available while silk khadi & wool khadi are specialised fabrics. Alongside the coarse feel, khadi also features high breathability, making it ideal as a summer fabric.
Lurex is a fine metallic wire that is woven with other yarns for extra shine in the fabric. Unlike zari, which is a circular yarn, Lurex is a thin flat strip. The Lurex Company, Ltd. has the term 'lurex' as their registered brand name & it deals with all kinds of metallic yarns.
Lurex adds a glamorous touch to any fabric & makes it ideal for any occasion wear. It can be woven with cotton, viscose, polyester & silk. The Lurex metallic yarns are fine enough to give a smooth texture but also strong that adds durability to the fabric.
The most popular use of the net fabric in clothing is found as embroidered net fabric, often used for gowns & lehenga. It is made like a mesh structure of yarns leaving open spaces in between. This makes net fabric lightweight but also fragile.
Various fibres are used in making the net & give it distinct features like softness & transparency. Tulle net fabric is a finer version of the net, much softer & is most commonly used for making skirts.
Lycra is acclaimed for its stretchability, some even say that a good quality Lycra fabric can stretch up to 6 times & regain its original shape. Lycra is a synthetic material made with polymers that provide elasticity. Spandex & Elastane are some other fabrics that also stretch like Lycra.
Lycra fibre is often mixed with other fibres to offer mixed features, Cotton Lycra is moisture absorbent as well as stretchable. Form-fitting garments like underwear, boxer briefs, sweatpants, activewear, etc use one or the other form of lycra fabric.
A luxury fabric, velvet fabric is made using pile weave that gives its acclaimed softness. Velvet can be made using different materials like cotton, silk, viscose & even polyester. The rich & sumptuous look of velvet is highly desired by women all across the globe.
It is used for all kinds of clothing purposes & home furnishing. Surface embellishments like embroidery look great with the richness of velvet & are easily adapted to the thickness of velvet.
We all have that particular section for our favourite solid attires but you can't deny printed fabrics add vibrancy to our looks. But how are fabrics printed? What are all the ways of fabric printing? Read on
Ajrak, Dabu, Bagh, Kashish, Batik, & more, are all charming hand block crafts. As is suggested by the name, motifs are printed by hand pressing blocks on the fabric. This printing method is known in the Indian subcontinent for nearly years. Hand block prints are one of the most intricate & tedious methods of printing on fabric. The most common blocks are made of wood, which is carved by master artisans to reveal the desired pattern. These blocks are then dipped in dyes & then pressed on the fabric. Skilled artisans repeat this process across the entire length of fabric.
In India, hand block printing is mainly practised in Rajasthan & Gujarat. With a touch of a human, hand block prints have a unique charm that makes each meter fabric different from the rest.
The tie-dye print fabric is quite a rage among the lovers of abstract. Tie & dye techniques are known by different names as the regions change, Bandhani in Gujarat, Leheriya in Rajasthan, Shibori in Japan & so on.
The technique involves gathering the fabric together in small proportions then tying it in sections. When dipped in colour (dye), the fabric is dyed except at the tied section. This reveals enticing patterns on the fabric.
Tie & dye printing is also a favourite among DIY enthusiasts as the process does not require a big setup & can be easily done at home. The most popular DIY is the tie & dye t-shirt.
Screen printing is a commonly used printing method for simple patterns & motifs. If you have ever used a stencil in your childhood, then understanding the screen printing technique is a cakewalk. A screen (like a stencil) with the desired motif is placed on the fabric & then dye is applied to the fabric. The dye leaks down to the fabric through the screen making the desired motif. Screen print fabrics are versatile & don't bleed out the dye as much as handblock prints.
A modern method, digital printing on fabric is similar to a home inkjet printer. This method does not impose any restrictions on the type of design – you can print any graphic on the fabric with any number of colours or tonal transitions between the colours.
Digital print fabrics are used in modern clothing more than traditional ones. Owing to its accuracy in printing, complex designs are preferred to be digitally printed.
Studies recommend that if something looks engaging, it will grab more eye, this goes precisely well for foil printing which stands apart to make a fabric look much more sumptuous. Foil printing is used to imprint shining designs onto the fabric. In earlier times gold & silver foils were pressed upon fabric using heat & pressure. Nowadays, metallic paper, glittering paste or powder, etc are used. Foil print fabric can add a subtle glitter to your everyday attires.
A mystic print that changes when unveiled to sunlight. Photochromic prints use a unique pigment that gets transformed into a new colour as disclosed to daylight. This unique pigment is printed on fabric using the screen or digital printing technique.
What makes Marble different from other stones? It's the unique abstract patterns that occur naturally. And when you get these patterns printed on fabric (not digitally) you get marble print fabric.
The method involves a shallow water body & dye pigment. After dropping the pigment in water, it is allowed to spread naturally making a marble-like pattern. The stretched fabric is then dipped in the water body to get the marble print on the fabric & done.
Observe how your t-shirt is different from your Cotton blouse. The t-shirt is stretchable while the cotton blouse is not. This is the chief difference between woven & knitted fabric. Woven fabric is made with two sets of yarn intersecting at a right angle with each other. On the other hand, knitted fabric is made with a single yarn looped continuously.
Another way to pinpoint the difference between a woven or knit fabric is wrinkle resistant. Knit fabrics are generally more resistant to wrinkles. Again, take a look at your t-shirt & the cotton blouse.
When choosing a fabric keep in mind whether you want the garment to have some capacity to stretch then go for knitted fabric, otherwise woven fabric is equally good & also easy to sew.
Awakened by the drastic changes in climate, a lot of us are more conscious about our choices. We often find ourselves confused when it comes to choosing natural materials & synthetic materials. Owing to the harmful impact of synthetic material on our environment, we recommend you go for a natural fibre based fabric. Let us highlight the difference for you
There's no second-guessing the benefit of shopping fabric in store as you get to touch & feel the material. With the colour, texture & feel right there in your hand, you might feel more confident about buying.
Buying fabric online not only gives you a plethora of options but also lets you order fabric online from any part of the world. Just like any other online shopping, fabric shopping online is a hassle-free process with goods directly reaching your house.
Another perk of online shopping is customisation. With fabric shop online like ours, you can customise any fabric as per your idea, be it the material, design & even printing method. On-demand printing is a true consort for creative souls, fashion designers & boutique owners.
There are two types of fabric based on their weave, woven & knitted fabric. While a knitted fabric is stretchable & wrinkle resistant, woven fabric is easy to sew & more versatile in its look.
Whether the fabric is made from natural fibres or synthetic ones? What is the percentage of a certain type of fibre in the fabric composition? This will help you dissect the properties you want in the fabric.
How much fabric do you need for your sewing project? An important factor in calculating the length of fabric required you need to consider the width as well. Usually, heavy fabrics like flannel, corduroy, etc have wider widths. Handwoven fabrics have less width as the width of manual looms is less.
A particularly important factor in making a conscious choice is checking where & how the fabric is made. A country like China is particularly detested because of the working conditions & environmental impact of producing goods.
We are accustomed to checking the care instruction of ready-made garments but checking the same for fabric is equally relevant. This gives you an idea about fabric shrinkage, dye bleed & helps with maintaining the lustre of fabric as good as new.
What we wear at a festival is as important as the festival itself. Be it Diwali, Eid, Rakshabandhan or any other festival, we want to dress up with some extra shine of festive fabrics. Embroidery Fabric is a no-brainer for festivals, whether it's made into an embroidered lehenga, saree, suit or gown. Silk fabric & sequins are the next obvious choice for any festivity.
All celebrations call for an extraordinary look. Going for fabric & getting it custom tailored is sure to give you a look like no one else at the party. Vibrant shades of brocade silk, traditional patterns of embroidery & the glam factor of sequins, all are in favour of a beautiful wedding dress. For the daytime events, the subtle shades & breezy flow of Chanderi, Chiffon, Organza & Georgette will be the best pick.
Who doesn't love layering in winters? Not only does it keep you warm but also makes you look chic. But you don't want to end up wearing the same jackets & coats as everyone else. We know, so here's a list of the best winter fabrics for winterwear that you can craft into any attire that you desire.
Tweeds start occupying store space as soon as the weather takes a chilly turn. The mix of wool fibre further adds to its warmth. Tweed fabric features every classic design from plains, checks, stripes, to double tones & reversible ones, so you don't run out of options even in winters.
What's better than plain wool fabric? It's the addition of silk fibre that not only adds a shine to the fabric but also makes it softer. Wool Silk fabric is the perfect choice for those winter events when you want to look party-ready yet save yourself from catching a cold.
If you wish to dazzle an occasion with full vigour no matter the season then Kinkhab Fabric is shall be your partner. The premium fabric is made with a thick silk weave that makes it durable & enticing. The beautiful woven patterns on Kinkhab are easy to style, be it lehenga, blouse, jacket or an overcoat.
The softness of Taffeta silk makes it feel smooth on the skin among all other occasion wear fabrics. Taffeta silk fabric gives a regal feel. The tight weave of yarns gives Taffeta Silk Fabric some thickness. The elegant patterns of zari & vibrant colour yarns add to its appeal.
Mashru silk fabric is known to be a mix of comfort & shine. With a cotton-like feel on the inside & silk-like lustre on the outside, Mashru silk is an elegant choice. You can effortlessly customize it for making shrugs, dupattas, blouses, tunics, dresses, skirts & more.
The warm & cosy feel of fleece makes us weak in the knees. So a fleece fabric garment is essential in your winter wardrobe. Fleece fabric can be turned into a trenchcoat, blazer, hat, glove, skirt & whatnot.
The primary factor in making a dress is the selection of sewing patterns. Every type of garment has different patterns, even different types of sleeves have a different pattern. Multiple websites offer digital sewing patterns for sewing beginners. Simply search by the name of the garment you would like to sew & you'll find plenty of sewing patterns online.
The season & the look are two primary factors in choosing the right fabric for your sewing projects. If you wish to buy cloth material online & make a shirt dress for summer, a cotton base fabric will be your best choice. But if you want the same pattern to be worn in winters corduroy will enhance its look.
On the same note, if you wish to make a flowy dress, lightweight fabric like chiffon or georgette will be perfect. However, if you want your dress to have a straight fall pick out a heavyweight fabric like velvet or denim.
Having an idea of how the final project looks like can help ease out the process of choosing fabric for any project. Answer these, is the project meant for everyday wear or occasions? Is it a straight silhouette? Is it flowy? These answers will help you select the right fabrics.
There’s no shortage of dress fabric online but if you are sewing a dress on your own you might also want to check the specification of your sewing machine. Medium-weight fabrics are generally the easiest to sew with a home sewing machine, like cotton, poplin, loom textured, etc. Lightweight & heavy fabrics need pressure adjustment on the machine.
Embroidery enriches the look of a fabric. The beautiful threadwork either achieved by hand or machine, adds an extra oomph to the fabric. It is often mixed with sequins & other surface embellishments like a mirror, tassels, feathers, patches, etc. Having said that, it is important to understand which type of fabric is compatible with embroidery. To make embroidery stand out, the base fabric should have minimal prints, an already busy print may not go well with even more patterns of embroidery.
When it comes to conscious choices, you want to pick a fabric with the least harmful impact on the environment. With so many places to buy fabric online you might get lost in specifications. Start from the fibre itself, check whether the fabric is made with a naturally occurring fibre like cotton, linen, bamboo & more. Next is zero chemical processing, azo-free dyeing & lastly the ability to biodegrade makes a fabric sustainable. Most of the online fabric stores list these but if you can’t find them, simply contact & ask for details.
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Where can I buy fabric online?
Best online fabric store is the one that gives you variety as well as customisation. Opt for India's largest online fabric store, Fabriclore.com where you have more than 10,000 fabrics with an array of designs, crafts, colours & dress materials. If you’re a designer or boutique owner, check for fabric wholesale suppliers.
Apart from the basics that involve fabric type, weight & texture, having a purpose in mind for the fabric really helps. For example, if you're imagining a flowy midi skirt the best-suited fabric will be a lightweight, flowy fabric like satin, modal satin, crepe or georgette.
The foremost property to look for when buying fabric is the weight & fall of the fabric. These two properties will help you decide whether any fabric will fulfil the purpose you're buying it for.
The quality of fabric can be determined by the fibres used in the making, texture & transparency. For example, when you opt for velvet, cotton velvet will not have the same shine as the velvet made with silk.
Having an idea of how the final project will look can help ease out the process of choosing fabric for any project. Ask yourself, is the project meant for casual affairs or occasions? Is it a flowy silhouette? Is it heavy to wear? Etc. Once you have answers to these questions, you'll be able to select the fabrics.
Choosing the right fabric is crucial as it determines how your project will turn out. While the majority of woven fabrics are easy to sew on beginner level sewing machines, some thicker & slippery fabrics like Corduroy, silk, satin, etc are a little more tricky. Industrial grade sewing machines come with adjustments meant for different types of fabrics.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Case of Color Fastness of Canadian Sportswear Fabrics.