Good morning, campers! I got the most lovely email today from a customer. I’m going to share part of it with you, because it’s the inspiration for this post:
I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your noting with each fabric your suggestion for a pattern. I am a beginner sewer and usually stick to children’s clothes because quilting cotton is easier for me to manage – both in terms of sewing (i.e., it isn’t too slippery or too stretchy) and in terms of matching the fabric’s pattern to the style of dress. … I followed your suggestion and made the portfolio dress with the fabric you suggested and even though I just have a few finishing touches to put on the dress, I know it is going to be the first dress I made that I will wear out the door with confidence!
I have to tell you, that email made my morning! I’m smiling from ear to ear. But it also points out a speed bump that most stitchers hit at some point in their careers, usually toward the beginning. Cotton is a great fabric, and it’s letter perfect for newbies to get going and get good results. There are entire companies built around patterns designed specifically for cotton fabrics.
But…
There comes a point in one’s sewing story arc where you look in the closet at racks of cotton garments (and I am the voice of experience talking here) and say, “Is that all there is?”
Cue Peggy Lee.
No, friends, that’s not all there is. But you need to step out of your comfort zone. You can still use that pattern, but vary it up a bit. Let’s talk about some Advanced-Beginner-Friendly fabrics that you might consider if you’re not cottoning to cotton at the moment. I’m going to stick to wovens. Knits are another story that I’ve dealt with in the past and can revisit here later if you all like.
Rayon
Rayon has many of the same characteristics as cotton – it comes in many different weaves, it’s a plant-based fiber. It has more drape and weight than cotton, because it’s made from wood pulp. Two types of rayon fibers that are a nice alternative to cotton are rayon challis and rayon broadcloth.
Floral Rayon Challis
Pros: Rayon Challis is very soft and drapes beautifully. It swings and moves and it’s a great option for skirts and dresses. It’s forgiving of mistakes and it presses well. It’s also a good fabric for soft tops.
Cons: It’s a little more slippery than a cotton, meaning you need to pin it carefully. It shrinks, so you need to make sure to pre-wash it before sewing with it. I put rayon challis through the washer and dryer 3 times before I sew with it, to get all the shrinkage out. It’s not suitable for anything very tailored, unless you underline it or block-fuse it. And even then, I wouldn’t block-fuse rayon challis. It kinda destroys the purpose. I’d rather use a rayon broadcloth in that case.
Some patterns that I would pair with rayon challis include:
Sewaholic's Pendrell Blouse
Loes Hinse's Gore Skirt
Colette Patterns' Crepe
Rayon broadcloth has many of the same properties as rayon challis. It’s heavier in weight, and it is more firmly woven. You can find rayon broadcloth that is suitable for blouses and dresses, as well as heavier-weight broadcloths that are suitable for separates. If I make a suit or jacket from rayon, I always dry clean it to prolong its life.
Wool
I own a Border Collie, and if I could, I’d own sheep, too. Wool is one of the most versatile fibers known to humankind. It can be woven into everything from tropical weight gauzes to hard-finish gabardines. Not all wools are Advanced-Beginner-Friendly, but one certainly is: Wool Crepe.
Black/White/Navy Wool Crepe
Pros: If I were stranded on a desert island with only one fabric allowed to me, that fabric would be wool crepe. You can use it for everything from suiting to dresses. It has wonderful drape. It will work as well for a pencil skirt as for a swingy full-skirted dress. You can dress it up or down. It’s highly forgiving of mistakes. It presses beautifully. It is warm in winter, and cool in warmer weather.
Cons: None that I can think of off hand. Well, it is dry-clean only. And it will shrink, so be sure to pre-shrink your yardage. I use Pam Erny’s method, which produces great results.
Here are some patterns that are suitable for use with wool crepe:
Very Easy Vogue 8764
Simplicity 2315
Collette Patterns' Clover Pants
If you look at any of these patterns, you can envision them (and undoubtedly have seen them on many blogs) made up in cotton fabric. But don’t stop there! Once you’ve started sewing, stretch your horizons and your abilities by trying new fabrics. You’ll find that there are lots of other fabric types out there that will give you just as good results, and will give your wardrobe a welcome variety. These fabrics that I’ve shown you are just a taste. Check out fabrics beyond the quilting cottons aisle. You’ll be glad you did!
Happy sewing!
Great post – as a beginner myself I’ve learned some new things (esp. re: Rayon
). Thanks for sharing!
I soooooo agree with you about wool crepe! It is one of my absolute favorite fabrics to sew but you forgot to note that it takes color wonderfully and comes in the most amazing shades. It’s also made up in prints and plaids…and when I can find them I snatch them up. This is a fabulous post and very helpful!
Wonderful post! – I can relate to the sentiments of your customer and as a beginner have mostly sewn with cotton as I’m afraid to cut my beautiful fabric ( alot of which came from Gorgeous Fabrics
I too am signed up for Susan Khajle’s online course ‘The Couture Dress’ it may seem crazy since I’m a beginner and this is couture but I can already see that I will learn a lot. After I make my muslin I’ll be able to use real fabric with confidence.
Thanks again for your post -
Sooo glad you chose rayon as your first suggested fabric. I’m not sure why people get hooked into sewing with quilting cotton – I love cotton for sure but there are so many other more interesting cottons (sateen, voile, jacquard..) than quilting cotton. When I had the Little Siberians, I made the two little girls plenty of dresses and shorts and tops but I never, ever used quilting cotton because I could find other nicer, softer, ‘comfier’ cottons to use. But I digress. I love rayon; yes, there are the shrinkage and ironing issues but it feels soooooo good and when you can find it mixed with other fibers, it really is a great combiner.
Quilting cotton is probably popular because it’s inexpensive and comes in fun, colorful prints of a certain weight. I agree, cotton intended for garment making is often nicer, plus it is wider.
Thank you so much for this post. Matching fabric and patterns is one of my biggest challenges. Sometimes I browse your store like a textbook, noting fabric and pattern pairings. You are lovely to share your expertise!
thanks for the fabric reminder…in Italy there’s not much cotton in shops so you are bound to try out different fabric types.
Great post Ann. I’ve been sewing for a long time, but I have 2 weaknesses–fit (I’m leaning here), and fabric–I just haven’t seen/handled enough different types of fabrics. Your pros and cons and your pattern suggestions are really helpful. I’d love to see more of these; also more about how to id what you’ve got (if say, you weren’t smart enough to buy it from Georgeous Fabrics). What makes challis a challis? Is it the weave? the weight of the thread? (I did look this up in the one fabric reference I have–challis isn’t listed). Thanks again!
I, too, agree about loving rayon challis and wool crepe. This is a wonderful post, Ann.
I love, love rayon challis, and wish good quality was easier to find. It seemed to be around a lot more when I first started sewing. It’s so perfect in my climate and easy to work with. And hehe, we have border collies, too. I’d love sheep just to drain some of that energy.
Great post Ann. As an on-line customer I appreciate the pairing of fabric and pattern, since I can’t feel the fabric it helps to see what styles might work best. By looking at the patterns you have suggested, I can determine if it will work for the design I have in mind. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge.
This is such a good post. I’ve been sewing for years and still mismatch fabric to pattern, which is the greatest source of sewing frustration.
Great post! When I started learning to sew (self taught) I would just decide, “oh I’m going to make a coat” and wing it… boy was that a steep learning curve… But I ‘ve survived and thrived so sometimes it works! Although if I had maybe sewn a few cotton projects first maybe things would have gone a bit smoother!
Thanks for the informative post, Ann. Count me among the Rayon lovers
Something amusing….Once in response to someone’s question on a certain “Yahoo sewing group”, I suggested washing/drying fabric 3 times (may have been rayon…can’t remember now). Anyway… One of the other list members responded, “I am HORRIFIED! I cannot BELIEVE a professional like you ABUSES fabrics like that! ” My response was to just ignore it and giggle to myself.
Signed, Pam..the fabric abuser whose finished garments do not shrink
I myself would never put wool fabric in the dryer to preshrink it. I would take it to the dry cleaner or use the “London Shrink” method.
I’ve used Pam’s method many times, and it works beautifully. I prefer it to the London shrink method. You should try it!
The “Dryer Method” and the “London Shrink” are equally effective methods, and I have used both in my sewing career. The
“Dryer Method” is merely another way of accomplishing the same goal…to make wool and wool blends “ready-for-the-needle ”
It’s wonderful that we have choices
I’ll have to give the rayon a try again. The one time I used it, I had puckered seams and no amount of ironing helped. I *think* I read after that I should have kept the seams under some tension while sewing. I will certainly consult the fabric book before sewing it again.
Toby – here in Iowa, quilting stores outnumber stores that carry garment fabrics. For me to find garment fabric in a store is a 40 mile drive, it’s 12 miles to the closest quilt shop. The chain stores seem to be about 1/3 quilting cotton, 1/3 fleece, and 1/3 garment fabric of wildly varying quality and type. Some people (myself included) want to feel the fabric before buying, so we hesitate to buy on-line.
Pam – that’s funny! That was another big lesson I’ve learned from blogs and forums – to abuse I mean treat the fabric as the final garment will be. Far better for the fabric to shrink or shred than the garment.
“I mean treat the fabric as the final garment will be.”
I only dry clean wool. With other fabrics I hand wash or dry clean, depending on the material. I never put fine garments in the dryer.
I would dry clean woolen and fine-fabric garments as well, but I have found that Pam’s dryer-shrink method works beautifully. And unlike London shrink, there is no worry about mildew, which is a problem if you live in a humid climate, or if you get busy and forget you have it wrapped up in a towel. It’s my preferred method for preshrinking wools. You should give it a try!
A long overdue blog post Ann! And I agree that wool crepe is about the most forgiving fabric there is, its only quirks (to me anyway) are that it will show press marks and it does ravel madly. But as a fabric for a first time “serious” sewing project – its perfect!
Ditto – I’m just sorry I hadn’t ever told you how much I enjoy your pattern / fabric recommendations. As it becomes more and more difficult to find garment-worthy fabrics, Gorgeous Fabrics gets more and more tempting. Thank you!
Hi Anne,
Since you were talking about fabrics, thought I’d ask you here how do you prepare silk twill for sewing? I was lucky enough to score your Milly silk twill butterfly. Do you dry clean it beforehand or can you hand wash it
Maria, you can usually hand wash silks. I would take a small swatch off the fabric, preferably with a butterfly on it, and hand wash it and rinse it to see how it holds up. I think that fabric is colorfast, but it’s always better to be safe and try it out before hand. If I were making something with that fabric, I think I would opt to dry clean it, but that’s just me.
Thanks, Anne! I guess I’ll just dry clean it to be sure. That fabric is too precious to mess with:)
Oh my gosh! I was perusing your website LAST NIGHT, reviewing fabrics/pattern pairings working up the courage to try rayon challis again now that I am more experienced. Making mistakes in fabric choice and fit (that’s what happens when you learn to sew in your 40′s–it takes time!) have contributed to more wadders than technical, construction mistakes. This post was so helpful, and very encouraging after a bad run of wadders! I also echo the sentiments of many who cannot find quality, NATURAL FIBER fabrics locally, other than cottons. The synthetics (or even some blends) are often quite pretty, but just too hard to sew. Trying to get synthetic seams to lay flat is just too exhausting! Thanks again!
Thank you for this very helpful post, Ann. I sew mostly children’s clothing — yes, I use printed cottons and cotton/polyester blends.
I have a fabric stash full of beautiful wool crepes, knits, and rayons, and an abundance of patterns…but I’m stuck because I don’t know what threads and needles to use, or even how to begin. I’m a visual learner, and could really benefit from someone walking me through a project or two. Am I alone?
Great post and thanks for sharing.
This is a great article! It motivated me to go your store to drool over your appropriately named fabrics. I’m using my stash at this time, but you can be that when that is over with, I will be buying less, but better quality fabrics and wool crepe is at the top of my list. I agree about rayon challis. It looks and feels great but can be challenging to sew. I’m currently making the Hot Patterns Superfantistic Blouse out of it. Yes it does have some light tailoring, but it’s only in interfaced areas.
You make some really great points. If you really want to advance as a sewer it extremely beneficial to try out different fabrications. It not only challenges, but presents new opportunities for learning and problem solving.
Great post! I’ve been working at breaking my quilting-cotton habit.
I look around nervously before I confess that I wash wool crepe. Now, I can’t say that that works just fine for the life of a garment, because I’ve only just restarted sewing and in the past I drycleaned wool. But I did recently prewash swatches of several lengths of wool crepe on the wool cycle, was satisfied with the results, washed and damp-dried the fabric itself, and was satisfied with that as well. In a couple of months I should be able to attest to whether it works, for me, for at least the first few wearings of a garment.
Also, linen! I find it even easier than cotton; the down side is, of course, the expense – plus, it’s most often available in solid colors, and solid colors tend to show sewing flaws.
Ah! That’s interesting to know about wool crepe. The two times I tried washing it, it shrank pretty significantly and got a more “felty” feeling to it. But that was back in the late 90s. It might be that the weaving process has been modified. I’ll have to give it a shot. Let us all know how your garments hold up. Thanks! -Ann