Fashion Fabrics

Welcome to my Fashion Fabrics (especially knits) lens! I hope that you will find this a good starting point for your apparel sewing needs.

As I am sure you know, there are zillions of kinds of fashion fabrics out there. In the link list below, we have some excellent reference sites that can address broader topics much better than I can. In this lens, I am just going to focus on fashion knits, which is where I concentrate my research and buying for our online fabric store, lucysfabrics.com.

Some Things for Knit Knuts

Descriptions and Definitions of my favorite kinds of knits!

Here are some knits that are essential for fashion sewing. For the full knit fabric glossary, please see lucysfabrics.com .

Fleece - Fleece, the #1 best selling fabric in the US, is common in fabric stores - it's printed or solid, 100% polyester, brushed on front and back, and most often used for blankets or outerwear. This pile fabric differs from fleece used for sweats, which is brushed on the back only, usually made of cotton-poly, and has some give. Only stretch fleece, with spandex, has true stretch.

Interlock - This 2-sided fabric has slightly noticeable ribs and 2-way mechanical stretch. It's usually 100% polyester or 100% cotton. Because of it's low cost and wash-and-wear durability, the lightweight version is often used for linings and the heavier version for uniforms.

Jersey Knit - This single sided fabric looks a little nubbier and unfinished on the wrong side than the right side. The front typically has slightly noticeable ribs especially when you stretch it. It has more mechanical stretch than interlock, plus it's often blended with spandex to give greater stretch and recovery. Without the spandex it doesn't tend to bounce back to it's original shape. However, the amount of stretch and softness depends on the fiber and how it's knitted. Jersey comes in all price points, so it can be used for anything from t-shirts, underwear, childrens' wear, sleepwear, evening wear, daytime and more. There are cotton, rayon, polyester and even silk jerseys.

Lycra - Is a the brand name for elastane (as Europeans say), or spandex (as North Americans say), yarn made by Invista.

Matte Jersey - This term is used for a lot of different non-activewear knits, from 100% Rayon (not machine washable) to 100% Polyester, and everything in between (often 90% polyester, 10% spandex) . It's used for evening wear but is very versatile. It's a smooth, non-shiny moderately stretchy fabric that is wrinkle-resistant and fast-drying.

Ottoman - Ottoman is ribbed but flat on the back. It often used in activewear. The less shiny Ottomans also make nice casual wear.

Raschel: Two-way stretch activewear fabric that is has a bit rougher texture, and a high sheen.

Rayon Jersey - Rayon (or viscose) Jersey is, as the name implies, a t-shirt type fabric (not an activewear fabric) made from, believe it or not, plant fibers (cellulose).

About Linings for Knits

Finding linings that will work for knits can be difficult. Most fabric stores only carry the woven types used for jackets. You can double your fabric, or use an inexpensive, thin solid color fabric as a lining. However, we carry some linings especially for knits:

70D Lining: If you look at ready-to-wear skirts, dresses and crocheted items, the most common stretchy lining you will see is 70D (70 denier) polyester knit lining. It is inexpensive and has 2-way stretch. It can be washed to death. Since it's so inexpensive and easy to handle, it also makes a good "muslin."

Heleneca Nylon Lining: For bras and activewear, the most common lining is Helenca nylon lining. It's 100% nylon but it's knitted in a way that it gives it 4-way stretch. It has a breatheable, meshy texture, and sometimes people double it. Helenca comes in a lot of different weights. After some experimenting, I think I have found the best weight for a variety of uses which is still easy to handle. When too thin, it can be snaggy and tough to handle. Regardless, it does need to be handled with care.

Anti-Static Polyester Stretch Lining: This is actually a woven lining, but it can work for knits also. It is a smooth, matte, 100% polyester lining with a little bit of stretch (not as much as the two listed above). Knits won't stick to it.

Caring for your Knits

Finally, all knits will snag or run, some more easily than others. Many knits may be machine washed, but I suggest washing the more delicate ones like matte jersey in a mesh lingerie bag. Don't wash your knits with bras, clothing that has zippers, or any other hardware that might snag. I use a gentle soap and cold water, and I dry my knits flat on a drying rack to prevent them from getting stretched out.

Remember to always pre-wash your knit fabrics before sewing. Many sewing instructors recommend pre-washing shrink-prone fabrics, such as cotton, several times.

The Lucysfabrics Sites

Here is where you can shop with us or find out more about us.

Lucysfabrics.com: a Fabric Boutique

Lucysfabrics.com: Here is our online store, where the majority of our inventory is located. Fast, easy checkout and worldwide shipping.
The Lucysfabrics blog: Here is our blog, covering fashion and textiles trends, e-commerce and small business tips, and whatever strikes my fancy. Usually the dogs. Sometimes, Texana, gardening, or any other personal interest.

Fashion Sewing and Textiles Tips

Educational links for fashion sewing enthusiasts

Threads Magazine: Search their site to find answers to a lot of common sewing questions. We are proud to advertise in this outstanding magazine! The print publication is gorgeous and has excellent detailed photos. See Amazon link below to order.
PatternReview.com: We advertise on this site because it is such an excellent resource for fashion sewers. You can ask questions in the forums, take classes, and get tons of sewing tips and techniques. Everyone is really friendly and helpful here.
Home Sewing Association: Has a list of fun projects, including sewing for your pets. There are some wonderful free handouts covering basic tips like using interfacings, and sewing with knits.
American Sewing Guild: The unique thing about this organization is that you can get involved face-to-face with chapters in your own community. Membership surveys indicate that it leans toward apparel sewing. We are advertisers in their excellent quarterly publication.
FabricLink.com: An educational resource for consumers, students and textile professionals. Check out their "Fabric University" which includes a dictionary of fabric terms.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln Textiles, Clothing and Design: University of Nebraska, Lincoln Textiles, Clothing and Design publications. When I posted this, they were reorganizing their site, and hopefully it will be back soon because it contained a lot of useful articles.
New Mexico State University College of Agriculture and Home Economics: New Mexico State University College of Agriculture and Home Economics publications
The Sewing Divas: As the name implies, sewing fashionistas share projects and advice in a multi-person blog.
Behind the Seams: One of the above Divas, Gigi, is a customer of ours and also has her own blog. She shares her love of fashion sewing and includes lots of detailed technique photos here.
Fashion Incubator, Kathleen Fasanella's Blog: Kathleen Fasanella's book is -excellent- for those going into sewn product production as a business (see Amazon link below to order). Her blog is covers a wide variety of sewing topics and is especially informative on the business and patternmaking sides.
Fit Snobs: A Yahoo Group and chat classes that will help you do cool stuff like customize patterns and create the perfect fit.
Sewing Mamas Discussion Forum: Forum mainly centering on kids' clothes but not just for moms or those who sew for kids. We are advertisers on this site.
Sewing With Style (Plano, TX): This is an in-person neighborhood group of the ASG located in Plano, Texas. If you live in the area and want to improve your sewing and pattern drafting skills for garments, this group is for you!

If you don't live in the area, check out the ASG website above for a local group.
So Let's Sew - Live Sewing Workshops (Dallas, TX area): If you are in the Dallas area, or can travel, Terry offers live, hands-on sewing and patternmaking workshops. I can't think of a better way to make a big jump in your sewing and fitting skills.
And Sew it Is .net: Various Sewing tips including a bra-making class!
threebinsanity.com: Easy Childrens' Sewing patterns and forums.

Here are our eBay listings:

(note that the "current bid" listed is actually a buy-it-now price -- we don't do many auctions since we know our customers don't like to wait)

We also have an eBay store. Lucysfabrics.com is for the majority of our inventory. Our eBay store has some odds-and-ends, remnants, and products that we would like to give a little extra exposure.

Regardless of the venue you prefer, you will receive the same excellent service -- and of course fast worldwide shipping.

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The Lucysfabrics.com Blog

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Apparel Sewing Books on Amazon

Here are some fashion-oriented sewing books to get you going!

Vogue Sewing: Revised and Updated (Vogue Knitting Magazine)

by Vogue Knitting Magazine

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 07/05/2008)

Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt

by Megan Nicolay

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/05/2008)

Easy Guide to Sewing Tops and T-Shirts: Sewing Companion Library (Easy Guide)

by Marcy Tilton

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/05/2008)

I Wanna Make My Own Clothes

by Clea Hantman

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/05/2008)

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing

by Kathleen Fasanella

This is THE authoritative book on small-scale manufacturing, and is an essential tool for students, small manufacturers and custom clothiers. It contains many helpful worksheets that typical textbooks lack. This book will save you it's cost many times over.

Amazon Price: (as of 07/05/2008)