fabric – Page 3

July 30, 2021

Fabric Sources: Plants (part 1)

This is article 1 of a multi-part series focusing on three categories of fabric – fabric made from plants, from living things, and from minerals. This month – plants!

Plants (part 1) | Plants (part 2 )
Living Things: Silk | Living Things: Wool | Other Living Things
Minerals: Acrylics, Polyester, & Nylon (part 1) | Minerals: Spandex and Rayon (part 2)

Did you know that the overall global textile industry is valued at nearly one trillion dollars? The plant-sourced portion of this market grows about 7% annually and now makes up about 1/3 of the total fabric market. It also can have an ecologically positive impact on our planet.

Processing leaves, stems, stalks, seed pods, and fruit into fabric is BIG business!

While some are common and have been around for ages (think cotton and flax), other fabrics made from plants are gaining popularity. With an increased demand for fabric that is cruelty free, as well as the environmental concerns associated with creating synthetic fibers, shoppers are turning to some of the oldest and most sustainable plant fibers.

Which of these plants are used to create fabric?

If you answered ALL of them, you would be correct!

You will certainly recognize some of the plant sources such as cotton, flax (used in linen production) bamboo, and cork. But a few may surprise you. In Part 1, we are covering Cotton and Flax and have also included links to info on Bamboo and Cork.

—– The Fabrics You Expect —–

Cotton

Cotton is the natural textile fiber most widely used around the world. It takes center stage in the global textile industry, capturing about 25% of the market. And it is not a newcomer! Cotton was grown in Pakistan’s Indus Valley more than 5,000 years ago and was used to make clothing in ancient Egypt. Cotton is widely used in the modern fashion industry, both in flat fabrics and in woven clothing items and household textile products and it combines well with other natural and synthetic fibers, such as rayon, polyester, spandex, etc. Let’s face it… cotton is a fabric staple that is here to stay.

How is it processed?

Cotton comes from plants that produce seed pods filled with ball-shaped clumps of cotton fiber. The seeds are separated from the cotton fiber mechanically and then the threads are spun from the remaining, seedless white fiber. The resulting threads are then woven to make cloth, which can be dyed. To watch and learn more about the process, view this 6-minute video.

Pros: Cotton fabrics are comfortable, very soft, light, durable, has good heat conduction and absorbency. This makes is a great choice for garments that are in close contact with the skin, both in spring-summer and fall-winter seasons.
Cons: Cotton tends to shrink and is prone to wrinkles and fading.

What about sustainability and the environmental impact?

The biggest bet of sustainability is the use of certified organic cotton. Organic cotton is more eco-friendly than non-organic cotton, as it uses less water and is free of chemical pesticides, insecticides and herbicides that may otherwise pollute waterways.

Where can you buy it?

You can buy cotton and cotton blends almost anywhere. This is one fabric you will not have any trouble finding. But to give you a few places to purchase with your ASG Member discount, check out these sellers:

Flax

Linen is another popular and common fabric, though it captures a much smaller market share than cotton. It is made from the fibers of the flax plant and is considered more of a luxury fabric than cotton. Egyptians used flax to create linen cloth more than 4,000 years ago and used it in both clothing and to wrap mummies. Today, flax is often blended with other materials to add strength or reduce wrinkles.

How is it processed?

Flax has leaves that consist of long, tough fibers. The procedure to turn the plants into fabric is labor intensive, which makes linen much more expensive than cotton. To get a peek into the process, watch this 2 ½ minute video from the V&A museum.

Pros: Linen is stronger, cooler, and lighter than cotton. It softens with each wash, making it increasingly comfortable. These qualities make linen an excellent choice for casual summer clothing and many home décor items.
Cons: Flax fibers are inelastic which is why linen wrinkles so easily.

What about sustainability and the environmental impact?

Flax is one of the more promising developments in sustainable textiles since it can be grown with far less water and fewer pesticides than cotton and produced at a lower price.

Where can you buy it?

Like cotton, you can buy linen and linen blends many places. Buy it with your ASG Member discount from one of these sellers:

There’s still more!

In Part 2 of Fabric Sources: Plants, we’ll cover some of the unusual and unexpected plants that are used to create fabric.

~Sheryl Belson

July 28, 2021

Matching Fabric Patterns Across Seams

Ever wondered how to line-up/match the pattern of your fabric across seams? This 1-minute tutorial is a sure fire way to get it right!

June 4, 2021

Selvages: On the Edge

What is the selvage?

Selvages are the edges of woven fabrics—the place where the weft (crosswise) threads turn around to form the next row during the weaving process. Some selvages are thicker than the fabric itself, as often there are more threads per inch at the edges to help keep the edges straight during the weaving process.

Think of your fabric’s selvage as its DNA, with important information about it you may need to know.

Selvages may be the same color as the fabric, or they may be a contrast. Interestingly, contrast threads are sometimes woven in the selvages. On some velvets and velveteens, you may see metallic threads along the edges.

On high quality and imported fabrics, sometimes the requisite information like fiber content and country of origin is actually woven into the selvage in a contrasting thread color.

Selvages information — Image used with permission from Marcy Tilton

Selvages are not always straight—they can be fringed or looped, depending on the type of loom used and the finishing processes.

On fabric like denim where the warp (lengthwise) threads are a different color than the crosswise threads, the selvages may be totally different looking than the fabric body itself.

Information, please

You can find a variety of information bits on most selvages, but some have none. Look for the brand name, the designer’s name and sometimes the fiber content and/or care instructions, like “dry clean only.” You may also find the date the fabric design was copyrighted, and on printed fabrics, you may see lots of colored dots or shapes along the edge. These fun indicators tell how many different color screens were used in the printing process of the particular fabric.

Some selvage edges include the website for the fabric brand or a social media reference. Designers have even been know to add an inspirational message on the selvage.
In addition, home décor fabrics may show an indication of the repeat of the pattern, and sometimes an arrow showing which direction is up in the patterning.

Saving Selvages

Because of their tighter weave, the selvages may shrink differently from the fabric itself, so many people just cut the selvages off before cutting out the project.

While you can certainly trim and toss them, you can also use them creatively. If your project has a straight seam edge, you can cut it on the selvage to avoid raveling and perhaps add a decorative touch to the seam edge. A pant leg seam or a loose fitting, straight-cut jacket would be two great places to cut on the selvage for pre-finished seam allowances. Selvages are also a great edge for pockets or straight hems, either exposed for interest, or just as an edge finish.

Trimmed selvages are often used to stabilize a stretchy area—like a shoulder seam in a knit T-shirt. Lightweight woven selvages, like silk organza, are ideal for this use, as they’re sheer and don’t add a lot of bulk as they span the seamline. Interesting cut-off selvages can also be “reapplied” to an area as a decorative trim, often combined with ribbons, braids or decorative stitching. Fun selvages are also great to insert as a flat piping.

Selvages (with some attached fabric width) can also be used for bindings or garment ties.

Quilting Ideas

If you’re a quilter, perhaps you keep all your cotton selvages for other projects. It’s easy to strip piece them together on a lightweight backing to make quilt blocks or other projects. When you trim the selvage, leave at least ¼” beyond the actual selvage and use that for joining. Layer the strips one edge over the other and zigzag the edges in place through the backing until you fill the space needed.

Crafting Ideas

For crafting, trimmed selvages are ideal for decoupaging onto projects—like basic tennies {photo}, picture frames, boxes, vases, etc. Just overlap the raw edge portion and seal with the medium.

Holey Moley

What are those holes along the selvage? They’re called tenter holes and they’re used to hold the fabric to a frame during the printing and finishing processes.

~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .

May 28, 2021

Working with Pre-Cut Fabrics

If you’re a quilter, chances are you’re familiar with pre-cut fabric groupings, but if you’re not a quilter, the term may be new to you.

Pre-Cuts Explained

Free Spirit Kaffe Fassett fabric collection. Image used with permission.

Most manufacturers offer their lines in coordinated groupings of various numbers of fabrics—often including prints, solids and perhaps dots or stripes that all go together. For those reticent about their own abilities to coordinate and mix patterns and colors, pre-cuts eliminate that stress, as they’re all planned to go together and there’s no decision making required.

Choosing a pre-cut bundle is a great way to sample a multitude of prints without having to purchase yardage of each fabric in the line—a huge cost saver. In addition, using pre-cuts saves time—not only for shopping, but also because you don’t have to cut all the pieces from yardage. Because they’re all cut at the same time, the pieces are all the same size.

Pre-cuts usually include one or two pieces for each fabric in the specific line and generally total twenty to forty-two pieces of the same size. The groupings can be made from a single fabric line or they can be chosen for other similarities, like all dots and stripes, all batiks, various prints in the same color range, or sometimes all neutrals.

Sizing

Moda Fabrics Belle Isle Jelly Roll by Minick Simpson - Available in August, 2021 — Moda Fabrics Belle Isle Jelly Roll by Minickk Simpson. Available in August, 2021. Image used with permission.

These handy time savers come in a variety of sizes and with a multitude of name variations, depending on the manufacturer. Look for monikers like Jelly Rolls, Charm Packs, Layer Cakes, Pops, Stackers, Roll-ups, etc. Most are quilting cottons, but there are also bundles of wools and other fabrics offered.

Common pre-cut sizes include strips of 1 ½”, 2 ½” or 5” by the width of the fabric. Squares come in 2”, 2 ½”, 5”, 6” and 10” variations. In addition, there are die-cut triangles, diamonds and hexagons available, and of course the more familiar fat quarter (18” x 22”) and fat eighth (9” x 22”) options.

During the manufacturing process, fabrics are layered and either die-cut, laser cut or manually cut into the preferred size/shape. The number of layers being cut at once is dependent on how many fabrics are in a given collection, and if there are multiples given of any.

Many pre-cuts come with pinked edges to help prevent fraying {photo}, while others have straight-cut edges and may be plastic wrapped for the same reason. For those pre-cuts with pinked edges, use the peak to measure seam allowances, rather than the valley portion of the zigzag.

Using Pre-Cuts

Pre-cuts generally do not get pre-washed, as doing so can create a mess of lint and threads as pieces fray. But, if you compelled to do so, place them in a mesh bag and use a gentle cycle or simply place them in a basin of hot water to soak.

To help keep the edges of your fabric neater, use a lint roller along the edge of the pre-cuts before using.

There are many quilt patterns available that are specific to pre-cut sized pieces and they can also be used for all kinds of small projects where buying by the yard may not be necessary to cut the needed pieces. The 2 ½” x width-of-fabric strips are ideal for binding.

Measure the pre-cut pieces to be sure that they are accurately sized and if not, adjust pieces accordingly that you cut from yardage to pair with the pre-cuts. Some pre-cuts are actually larger than the stated size, while others may be slightly smaller.

And don’t forget—you can cut pre-cuts into small cuts if your pattern requires it. For example, a 10” pre-cut square can yield four 5” squares or sixteen 2 ½” squares, or some combination thereof.

Patterns

Sometimes a distinct pattern may not align with the cut edges on pre-cuts, causing the design to appear crooked. What can you do? If the issue is bothersome to you, think about recutting the piece along the design lines and using it as a smaller piece for another project.

March 31, 2021

Fireside Chat: Shankari Paradee

We hope you enjoy this 25 minute chat with Shankari (a.k.a. Sewl Sister) as she talks about making quilts and memory bears with a plan for zero waste. Her goal is to live in a world with no landfill fabric. We think you will enjoy her story and be inspired! Visit the Sewl Sister website at https://www.sewlsister.com/

~Sheryl Belson