Excited to pick out fabric for your sewing project?
There’s so much to choose from!
The pattern doesn’t really help, “for stretch knits only”?! “Suitable for light weight wovens”….
…What does that even mean??!
Read on!
WOVEN 👖
Woven fabrics are made with two sets of thread, known as the warp and the weft.
The way they are laced together on a loom is known as the weave.
Common wovens for dressmaking are Cotton, Viscose, Denim and Linen. The yarns of threads here are made from a base material, such as cotton, which is then woven into what we know as cotton fabric.
They typically have no stretch, unless they are woven with a blend of elastane, Lycra or spandex.
Generally stretch wovens have a low stretch percentage, which feels more like "give" rather than full on stretchiness.
Woven fabrics make up the majority of fabrics around us, from cotton dresses to denim jeans and most furnishings!
Here are some blog team makes using woven fabric:
Chloe's Shirt Dress using cotton lawn.
Lawn fabric is particular way in which the fabric is woven, but we won't touch on that today, let's keep it simple!
Lawn fabric is particular way in which the fabric is woven, but we won't touch on that today, let's keep it simple!
KNIT 🧶
Knit fabrics are made from loops of interlocking yarns, just like hand knitting on needles, just much much smaller!
Due to the way they are made, knit fabrics are naturally stretchy. Adding in elastane, spandex or Lycra makes them even stretchier.
T-shirts, cardigans, stretchy dresses and jumpers are all made with knitted fabrics, have a look in your wardrobe and examine the fabric!
You will find that knits are made using similar fibres to wovens, such as cotton and viscose. Because they are knitted rather than woven, they feel completely different.
Here are some inspiring knit projects from the blog team:
Caroline's Castillo Cardigan in Boucle
WHY IT MATTERS
Choosing either woven or knit will significantly affect how your chosen garment fits and feels.
It’s important to check the types of fabric your pattern calls for, or you might not get the results you hope for!
For example, a pattern designed for knits may be too tight if made in a woven.
I hope you found this blog post useful! Stay tuned for more Fabrics with Jenny!
Jenny xxx