Sewing with Stretch Wovens
If you’re anything like me, when you’re trying to forget the rotten weather that you’re experiencing, and certainly don’t deserve, you gravitate toward the mall. There is no better way to distract yourself than to look at all the new fashion fabrics and styles and figure out how you can make them yourself.
One of the more popular fabrics in ready-made clothing is stretch-woven fabric. From summer dresses to classic suits, stretch-wovens have found their place in our wardrobes.
Marla Stefanelli, Editor in Chief of Sew News, gives this explanation of stretch-wovens:
Stretch-woven fabrics are made by blending a stable fiber such as cotton, wool or synthetic with a stretch fiber. Stretch-woven fabric is stable, firm and can stretch in one or both directions from 25% to 40%, offering the appearance of traditional woven fabrics with the comfort of knits. Unlike knits, they are less bulky and don’t run. They tend to have better shape retention, are wrinkle-resistant and are more comfortable to wear because they give and move with the body. (April 2003 Issue, Sew News)When you are purchasing your fabric, there are a couple of things to keep in mind: one, since you can’t straighten the grain of stretch-woven fabrics, be sure the print is at right angles to the lengthwise edge; and two, stretch the fabric in both directions to be sure the fabric returns to its original shape; otherwise your finished garment may bag.
Not all our patterns that could be made with stretch-wovens specify this fabric in the description. Some do list stretch-wovens as a suggested fabric, but many others donn’t but would still be suited to this type of fabric. The guidelines for substituting a stretch-woven fabric for a regular woven are these:
- The amount of bust ease listed in our pattern descriptions should ideally be 3” (7.75 cm) or less, and
- The garment should have few pieces and crisp, tailored lines.
- If the pattern doesn’t suggest stretch-wovens, look for patterns that recommend linen, wool flannel, corduroy, denim and gabardine. For lightweight fabrics, choose patterns that suggest stable jerseys or crepe de chine. Avoid patterns labeled “knits only”. Follow a with-nap layout.
Sewing with stretch-woven fabric is not much more difficult than with other wovens. You do have to remember that stretch-wovens damage easily by too-hot irons and too-dull tools. Use ballpoint pins and sewing machine needles. If you prefer to use non-stretch seams on your garment, substitute texturized nylon thread in the bobbin to give the seam more stretch. Stabilize shoulder and waistline seams with non-stretch stay tape and necklines and armholes with bias-cut, lightweight interfacing or lining fabric. Use interfacing with stretch, except in waistbands and under buttonholes.
Some precautions can help prevent puckering in the seams of stretch-woven garments. Puckering is most likely to occur on bias seams - so try to avoid them. Garments with darts will be easier to work with than princess seams. If possible, sew stretch wovens with a sewing machine equipped with differential feed or use a differential feed presser foot. Be sure to pre-shrink your fabric using whatever method of laundering you will use once the garment is finished.
Because the fabric does have some stretch, be sure to hang your garment for 24 hours before you hem it.
Having stretch-woven fabrics available to us for sewing opens up whole new options in terms of style and comfort. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
A Tip for Summer Tees:
If you have a top pattern that has a bust dart, but you want to make your next t-shirt out of an interlock or swimsuit fabric, you can ease out the dart. To do this, along the side-seam stitching line from 1/2” (1.25 cm) above the top line of the dart to 1/2” (1.25 cm) below the bottom of the dart, run an ease stitch. Pull the bobbin thread up slightly. Alternatively, baste a piece of transparent elastic, stretching it while you sew. This will slightly gather the side seam. Either of these methods will ease the dart out of the side seam and allow the front- and the back-side lengths to match up, while still giving you enough fabric for ease of movement through the bust area.
Much of this tip has been reprinted from SewNews.com with permission.
Glossary
The warp of a fabric refers to the lengthwise fibers.
The weft of a fabric refers to the crosswise fibers.