Love at First Sight: The Fabric

Genesis of a Design

Stop traffic: I have to have that fabric!

This happens just about every time I visit the illustrious garment district, especially Mood Fabrics.  Which is why I try to limit my excursions there to when I truly need something, or when I am imagining I have more money than I really do.  Mood is the ideal spot for nearly one-stop shopping, because they have almost everything.  On this particular visit, I was looking for a yellow cotton voile to line the bodice of a dress.

I just love fine cottons, especially lightweight printed cottons.  I can't help but just look sometimes, and touch: soft, gorgeous, well-made fabrics that long to be turned into flutter sleeves and full skirts.  I love bright colors and I love prints, though I'm rather particular about them.  There are a lot of prints that just don't do much for me.  While my favorite patterns tend to be florals, I don't get excited about many of the ones that I find.  They can be a little too expected: oversimplified renditions of floral shapes, basic color selection, without much movement that truly excites the eye.  There's certainly no harm in picking these prints.  They are plenty serviceable and can make fine garments.  However, they are easy for me to pass up, since they don't overwhelm me with beauty.  But then there are the ones that do.

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Approaching the cutting table, I spied a splash of vivid colors: tiger orange, canary yellow, cobalt blue, hibiscus pink, and crisp white.  The colors began to swirl and dance, and I came closer to inspect this captivating spectacle.  Flowers, at the same time photographic and yet painterly in quality, popped so vividly they looked to have a smell.  I touched the gorgeousness.  Light as a feather, silky soft, lightly crisp cotton voile.  I unrolled a bit to see its drape and imagined it billowing and floating as a dress.  Hopefully it wouldn't be too expensive, because I had to have it.

I dug out the tag from inside the roll and read: Italian cotton voile, $18 per yard.  I'd been hoping for $12.  I was on a slim budget.  Could I resist?

"That's very good quality cotton from Italy," said the man at the cutting table.  I nodded my appreciation and tried to resist for several minutes.  The flowers nodded and bowed in the imaginary breeze, doing a little dance, showing me how beautiful they would be on a flowing summer dress.  If I went home to think it over, the fabric would surely be gone.  Something that beautiful does not stick around. 

Perhaps I could buy just a little to make a camisole, or a sleeveless blouse, so that it would be just a modest diversion from the budget.  But the fabric wanted to be a dress, a draped and gathered confection that would unfurl like sheets on a clothesline, like a whirlwind of feathers.  I thought through several design possibilities.  The dress should be long, fitted yet draped.  Perhaps kimono sleeves, or perhaps a ruched bodice with spaghetti straps.  A skirt that whispered around the ankles while walking.  I wasn't sure yet what to make, but the possibilities danced in my head.  I decided on three yards.  Any less than that wouldn't do justice to the possibilities of the dress.  All the way home on the train, with the beautiful fabric in my shopping bag, I imagined all the designs I could create, and wearing them to a party with pretty red cocktails and summer late afternoon sun.

What is Grainline in Sewing? And Why Does it Matter?

Why Does Grainline Matter?

Want your finished garments to hang beautifully?  Of course you do!  Don't pick up your scissors yet . . . you need to first understand grainline, and know how to straighten it for beautiful results!

How to Find Grainline

And why does it matter?

Woven fabrics need to be straightened before cutting.  Picture the threads forming a large grid pattern - some going lengthwise and some going widthwise. When fabric is cut, it is virtually never on grain, unless someone does so on purpose, or tears it along a single thread (more about how to straighten your fabric later.

That means when you bring home fabric, it is cut at a slight diagonal, whether you know it or not. 

What Is Grainline?

First let's define grainline.  Grainline is essentially the weave of the fabric: which direction the threads are running.  It's important to understand because how you cut out a garment will change how the finished garment behaves.  More on that in another post.

There are three grains: straight grain, cross grain, and true bias.  Straight grain, or lengthwise grain, are the threads going parallel to the selvedge of the fabric - the uncut edges that are bound so that they do not unravel.  When fabric is cut at a shop, it is cut on the crossgrain.  The crossgrain are the  threads running the width of the fabric - from one selvedge to the other.  It is perpendicular to the straight grain.  If you picture the straight grain being the longer threads that run in a straight line the entire length of the bolt of fabric and the crossgrain being the shorter threads that run across the width of the fabric, you'll remember the difference. *Note - if you get a small yardage cut which is less than the width of your fabric (say, one yard if your fabric is 54" wide), your lengthwise grain may actually be shorter than the cross grain! This does not matter. It is how the threads were woven that matters, not which is longer after a length of fabric is cut. 

Straightening Warped Fabric

In a properly straightened piece of fabric, the straight grain and the cross grain should run at right angles to each other.  However, sometimes fabric comes off the bolt warped from storage.  If this happens, it is sometimes enough to pull on opposite diagonal corners until the fabric straightens itself.  At times I've had very warped fabric that I had to get wet and reshape while damp.  This can be tricky but luckily is usually not necessary.

Why is all this important?  It affects how the garment will hang.  To understand this, let's define bias.  True bias is the 45 degree angle between the cross grain and the straight grain.  To really get it, take any small square of fabric that is cut on grain.  First pull on opposite edges.  You'll normally see the cross grain edge straight just slightly (assuming this is a non-stretch woven), and the straight grain stretch not at all.  This is why, for example, waistbands are cut on the straight grain, not the cross grain.  You want them to be stable and not stretch out.  This is also why pants are cut so that the straight grain runs vertically, not horizontally - because you want the fabric to have give and ease across the width of the pants rather than up and down.  Now pull on opposite corners of the square.  You'll see for some fabrics a medium stretch or shift in the fibers, and in some fabrics a dramatic shift in which the square no longer is a square.  This is why bias cut dresses drape on the body in such a flattering way.  It is also why they are harder to sew. 

Now imagine a garment in which the pieces were cut not on the straight grain, not on the cross grain, and not on the true bias, but just slightly askew (slightly off grain).  What would happen?  The fabric would sag and pull slightly in the direction of the diagonal, making for an unflattering finished garment.

Therefore straightening the edge of grain is a very important, even if a bit tedious, task to do before cutting out pieces.  Here's how to do it:

Assuming your fabric is not warped (if it is, pull on opposite corners to straighten it), take one small perpendicular snip into the selvedge near the cut end of the fabric - about two or three inches from the end, depending on how diagonally the fabric was cut (some shops cut it extremely straight, others, not so much).  From your snip you should be able to gently fray the threads so that they come loose.  Take a thread that runs right down the center of the snip - and gently pull with your fingers.  As you pull it, the cross grain thread should pucker the fabric.  Move these puckers very gently with your thumb and forefinger while keeping tension on the thread with your other hand.  Don't try too much at once or it will break.  Pull up at least several inches of gathers, or more if you can.  Flatten out the gathers by pushing them forward so that it's more of a slight ripple in the fabric.  Now cut along that ripple until you come to the end of the ripple (try not to cut the thread you just pulled - cut just to one side of it).  Then pull it gently again and cut some more. 

The purpose of pulling the thread is so that you can directly see one isolated crossgrain thread.  This allows you to cut across the fabric using one thread as a guide so you wind up with a perfectly straight edge.  Some fabrics have sturdy enough threads you can make it all the way to the opposite selvedge without the thread breaking, but this usually doesn't happen.  If/when it breaks, simply take another thread as close as possible to the thread you were working with, and continue on. 

Once finished, you will have a perfect edge.  From here it's even more obvious if your fabric is straight.  If you lay out your fabric and notice that the grainlines do not match the grid pattern on the cutting board (i.e. it's not perfectly square), again, gently pull opposite diagonal corners and smooth the fabric with your hands until it is on grain.  If it can't be straightened, a blast of steam from an iron usually does the trick, and if even that doesn't work, at this point I will dampen it and reshape it and let it dry.  An unfortunate detour, but much better than spending a lot of love on a garment and winding up with a crooked finished piece! 

There: that wasn't so bad, was it?  Now your garments will be cut perfectly straight and will hang beautifully.  Hurrah!

Next step: cutting on the grainlines.

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Fabric: A Crash Course

How do you go about choosing fabric? 

You may show up at the fabric store be overwhelmed with options.  Cotton?  Polyester?  Heavy? Light?  What is sateen and what is satin?  Which fabric goes with what pattern?  Not knowing what to buy can sometimes lead you to wind up with disappointing results.  Fortunately, a little know-how makes it much easier.  Here is a intro-guide to tell you everything you didn't know you wanted to know about fabric!

Selection and general types

• Pay attention to how much the fabric drapes when selecting a fabric for a garment. To check fabric drape, put your hand under the fabric near the middle and see how it falls off your hand. Drape is somewhat correlated to thickness, but not as much as you think. Some very light, sheer fabrics, like organza, have very little drape - they are crisp and will fall from the hands in thick folds. Some heavy knit fabrics still have a fair amount of drape.

• More structured garments should have non-draping fabrics. These garments generally fit more precisely to the body. Draping fabric would mean sagging, which you don't want

• Less-structured garments and looser garments need fabric with a little more drape. Some designs, like cowl necks, need fabric with substantial drape (soft jersey, for example).

• FIBER is not the same thing as FABRIC. A fabric is defined by the way the cloth is constructed, and generally falls into two categories: knits, and wovens. A fiber is the raw material the fabric is constructed from. For example, knit jersey can be made from cotton, wool, silk, rayon, or polyester fibers, and each behaves, wears, and sews differently.

• Knit fabrics will have rows of tiny v's, as the fabric is formed by wrapping loops of thread in much the same way as hand-knitting is done (except in this case it's done on a large machine, of course!). Knits can be found in a variety of fibers and weights. They may have subtle or substantial stretch. They tend to be comfortable to wear, and allow for a lot of ease on the body. Many knits are good for soft, draping designs, although some have more structure. Natural fiber knits (cotton, silk, and wool, and the semi-natural rayon) tend to be more breathable and comfortable to wear. Polyester knits, even if lightweight, are less comfortable (see fiber information below), and may stick to the skin in warm weather.

• Woven fabrics are made by weaving the threads over each other in a variety of patterns. Most woven fabrics have a simple criss-crossing pattern to the threads: over one, under one. Some woven fabrics, like denim, have a diagonal pattern known as a twill weave (just look at a pair of jeans to see what I mean), and is constructed not by weaving on the diagonal, but by weaving over and under different numbers of threads. Fabrics may have a tighter or a looser weave.

• Tightly woven fabrics tend to drape less and also fray less.

• Loosely woven fabrics tend to have more drape (not always), and they have a certain design aesthetic because the threads tend to be larger and more visible, giving a textural look, but they fray badly and need special preparation and seam finishing.

• Stretch woven fabrics have a bit of spandex woven in with the other fibers. Stretch woven fibers have hardly any drape, and you don't want them to drape. They are useful for pants, skirts, and form-fitting dresses. They are useful even if you don't want your clothes to be tight, but simply to fit, because not only do they provide comfort when wearing, they tend to keep the fabric "in shape", making it snap back to position, so there tends to be less sagging over time than with plain woven fabrics. Considering the design carefully when buying stretch fabrics. They are good choice for anything form fitting, but anything that is a little looser on the body should not be sewn in stretch fabric, or it will not drape properly.

• Fibers are divided roughly into two categories: natural, and synthetic. I almost always prefer natural fibers, but each has some properties it is helpful to understand.

• Natural fibers include cotton, linen, silk, wool, and *sort of* rayon and acetate. Cotton fiber comes from the cotton plant, and wool is the hair from sheep, as most people know; linen comes from the flax plant; silk is spun from silk worms; other animal fibers include cashmere from the cashmere goat, alpaca (from alpaca), angora (from a disturbingly long-haired rabbit), and camel hair, from . . . camels. These animal fibers tend to be mixed with wool or other fibers for stability and cost.

• Rayon and acetate are semi-synthetic fabrics, made from

• Natural fibers tend to absorb more moisture, making them comfortable to wear.

• Natural fibers also need more steam when ironing and pressing and wrinkle more, again because they absorb more moisture.

• Natural fibers tend to behave better when sewing than synthetics (perhaps some would disagree, but this is definitely my experience). I remember toiling for hours and hours when I was in high school sewing a simple bias cut skirt from polyester satin (which I will no longer buy under almost any circumstances). The fabric was very pretty, but was incredibly slippery and shifted constantly when cutting and sewing. By contrast, I sewed an entire wedding dress from silk charmeuse, which is a much lighter more delicate satin, and the silk charmeuse behaved much better than the polyester ever did. This isn't a hard fast rule, but better "behavior" when sewing tends to save time, and is well worth the added cost when sewing. Moreover, if you put that much love and time into a garment, you want it to last, and to be comfortable!

• Some natural fabrics need to be handled more carefully in washing. See fabric care for more information.

• Synthetic fabrics are man-made and include polyester, acrylic, nylon, and elastane/spandex (Lycra is a specific brand of spandex fiber). Synthetics are handy for certain things, but I rarely use them. I do buy stretch woven fabrics, like cotton sateen, that has a little spandex woven in. In this case the spandex comprises around 1-3% of the total fiber content, so it adds a nice stretch and stability. Synthetics have special properties, such as they tend to melt rather than burn. This makes them handy when making fabric flowers to seal a cut edge of fabric. They also need less pressing and ironing.

• However, synthetics do not breathe well. They tend to stick to the body, and even the lightest weight synthetics can feel hot in the summer. Acrylics in particular tend to hold body odors, as do other synthetics - ever wonder why your deodorant suddenly doesn't work when you wear that cheap sweater? Now you know. I had a beautiful silk sweater that I wore until it wore itself out. I had to remind myself to wash it because it would never smell, no matter how much I wore it! Synthetics, on the other hand, tend to start getting perspiration smells within five minutes, even if you just showered.

• The fact that synthetics absorb little moisture, while making them easy to iron, also makes them very susceptible to static cling - your favorite! It also means they tend to pill. Ever bought an inexpensive knit top and found that after less than six months of washing it had little pills all over it? Yep.

• Polyester and acrylic are both made from the same substances as plastic - which is why some polyester is now being made from recycled plastic bottles, for example.

• Some synthetics are useful for specific purposes - fleece, for example, is a good use of synthetic fibers, because it's warm and inexpensive.

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