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Fall Sewing Series: Fabrics We Love

 

Happy Friday!! Stevey here from S Taylor Threads to talk about our favorite fabrics for fall!

If you’re an online fabric shopper like me, you don’t have the opportunity to touch every fabric before buying it. I love so many things I see online but struggle when it comes to decide which substrates (i.e., fabric type/base) to purchase for various applications. I was lucky enough to receive all the substrates from Art Gallery Fabrics (AGF) recently, so lets dive in…into a giant pile of AGF that is!!

Top left knit, middle left smooth denim, chambray, voile and rayon respectively, bottom quilting cotton.

AGF offers a wide variety of substrates including: lightweight woven quilting cotton, 100% cotton voile, Rayon, 95% cotton/5% spandex knit, outland yarn died 100% chambray, 80% cotton/20% polyester smooth denim, 55% linen/45% cotton blend, textured denim and canvas which we will discuss here.

Many of you know, and love, the woven quilting cotton and knit from AGF. At Simple Life Pattern Company we love using these bases for girls clothing. But have you ever wondered what the difference is between all the denims? Or maybe wanted to give rayon or voile a try but didn’t know which to order? Hopefully this review of the fabrics will help you try something new with confidence!

Rayon, quilting cotton and voile respectively.

This picture shows the differences in the drape of AGF rayon (left), quilting cotton (center) and 100% cotton voile (right). The rayon and voile have great drape (i.e., flow) and are a little lighter weight than the regular cotton woven. Rayon is a little slinkier while the voile sews basically like a very lightweight quilting cotton. Patterns like Harmony Piper or Patricia look amazing in rayon and voile. I also love adding a voile or rayon skirt to a knit bodice – light and comfy!

 

Linen, smooth denim and chambray respectively.

 

AGF has a variety of linen and denim substrates. Shown here is the linen blend, smooth denim and chambray. You can actually see the difference in the weave on each fabric shown – the chambray is yarn died so it is the same on the front and back. This is a great fabric to use when the back will be seen like on a Jaimesyn ruffle or maybe a high-low skirt where the inside of the back skirt piece will show. All three of these fabrics are soft and lightweight with great drape – all great for garment sewing! Check out the AGF Denim Studio for a full break down of the different denims.

 

Left and center fabrics are canvas; right fabric is textured denim.

The canvas (left and center) and textured denim (right) are more similar to home decor fabrics. Great for handbags, decorative pillows or covering cushions. Th Canvas is still soft to the touch but more structured than a regular quilting cotton and has slight texture. The textured denim is even more structured than the canvas and probably the most heavy duty of all the substrates. It would make a great bottom panel on a tote back or backpack to provide structure and durability!

 

Mustard Striped Sleek knit with coordinating quilting cottons and chambray.

 

Probably my favorite type of dresses to sew are knit bodices with a woven skirt. So naturally we had to share some amazing coordinates with the mustard striped sleek knit! Adelyn, Aria, Isla and Skyler all work great with knit on top and woven on the bottom.

 

95% cotton/5% spandex knit Gran Piano, Striped Alike, Striped Apart and Striped Sleek respectively.

The mustard stripes are perfect for fall but check out the variety of striped knits AGF offers! From left to right this picture shows Gran Piano stripes, Striped Alike, Striped Apart and Striped Sleek.

Once we played around with all the bases, we had fun making up some different pairings using more than one substrate. My personal favorite is a cotton/spandex knit with a voile skirt! The voile is so light and has a gorgeous drape but is not finicky or slinky and sews as easily as lightweight cotton.

Cotton woven with smooth denim

Quilting cotton shown with Cherry Crimson chambray.

Gran Piano knit paired with coordinating quilting cotton.

95% cotton/5% spandex knit with coordinating quilting cotton.

Now it’s your turn to give these amazing fabrics a try!! Stop by our fan group AND our Instagram page for TWO chances to win 5 yard bundles with three different AGF substrates each!

Thanks so much for joining me! Happy sewing 🙂

– Stevey

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