Sewing Circle: Fabric-hunting for summer
Q: I am driving myself nuts trying to figure out what kind of fabric this is and where I can find some. This dress is so simple, I really think I could make it, if only I could find the right fabric!
It's crinkly and very lightweight, pretty translucent. It says it's 100% cotton but I tried it on in the store and really thought the tag said it was 100% silk--? Have you sewn with something crinkly like this before? I also went to my local high-end fabric store and there wasn't a single bolt that looked like this!
A: Hi, Andrea!
I can see how that could be made of 100% cotton, unless the website has a mistake… it looks like a cotton gauze; I’ve seen them before at Goodwill, and made a few things out of them. Often poly comes in this weight as well, although it wouldn’t be as nice for summer.
My go-to for hard to find fabric is www.fashionfabricsclub.com. Here’s a link to their cotton gauzes. It’s definitely overwhelming to search for things on their site unless you really know what you’re looking for! But start there and do some Google searching.
It’s so funny, I ran into JoAnn’s not long after I saw your email and I actually saw several crepes in the Specialty Cottons section up front, with the bright springy apparel prints! They had some solids in boring colors and some bright prints. Must be a summer thing! Definitely worth checking out!
So, I have a few answers, but nothing too solid. Readers, where would you shop for something like this? Help Andrea out so she can make such a lovely, simple summer dress!
And, where do you look when you're searching for THE perfect fabric for something? =)
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