Hello! Today I am going to talk about the fabrics that I use in most of my Mamma Made garments (by request!!!). What do I use and most importantly, WHY do I use it? These are really good questions that I hope I can answer for you.
Firstly, I need to think about my audience: Moms.
"Moms? I thought you made children's garments."
Well, I do. But tell me, who has to wash, dry, and maybe even press up these garments? Who is going to care about the wearability and practicality of these garments? And so I say-- Moms.
As a mother myself, I know what I like to put on my children. I pick 100% cotton materials for them because they are extremely durable and last through endless washings. Plus, you can dry them as well. Who wants to take their kids clothing to the dry-cleaners? I don't and I won't. For my dresses, I use 100% woven cotton materials.
Now all 100% woven cotton material is not alike. There are different "hand" weights, or how they feel in your hand. Some are really thin and when you hold them up in the light you can see right through it. Many of these fabrics you can wash and dry, but when they come out of the dryer, they are a crinkled mess. It is not fun to iron them out and in some cases, you can never really get those creases out. My daughter Esther begged me to make her Christmas dress out of some 100% cotton woven fabric that she spied at Joann Fabrics. Against my better judgement, I said yes and made it for her. This is what it looks like when it comes out of the wash, and to be honest, no matter how well I press and steam, these horrendous creases don't really leave.
This is just sad to me. Sadder when it takes me a half hour to press it out and it doesn't even look that great.
This leads me to my next sentence. I LOVE QUILTING COTTONS! What makes quilting cottons so special? Well a couple things.
1. Quality. Anyone off the street can go in and feel the quality of quilting cottons. Always let your hand guide you because you are going to feel the fabric against your skin. There is a nice "weighty" feel to this fabric without being heavy. It has a wonderful drape which is perfect for dresses. This softness combined with the perfect drape is one of the reasons I love it. It's wonderful to sew with and you can get nice crisp lines. Here are some more technical finds:
Egyptian Cotton: Egyptian Cotton is a long staple cotton, valued for its softness and texture. Longer staple fibers help produce a softer fabric, either sheet or towel. Egyptian cotton also is known for its high absorbency and so valued in towels.
Pima Cotton: A very strong, high-grade cotton of medium staple developed from selected Egyptian cottons in the southwest United States.
Kona Cotton: Kona Cotton is a premium all cotton quilt broadcloth from Robert Kaufman. Kona has a high thread count giving it a wonderfully meaty hand--a joy to work with. This high quality cloth is also excellent for fine apparel and for home decorating.
Read More Here
"Thread count is defined as the number of threads, warp (lengthwise) and weft (widthwise), woven in a one-inch square of fabric. Many consumers take thread count at face value without understanding that it is affected by a number of factors, including the ply and the thickness of the threads used. Ply refers to how many threads are wrapped together into a single thread. Single-ply fabrics use threads on their own, while two-ply fabrics are formed by two pieces of thread twisted together. Here is where the definition becomes confusing. Should a two-ply fabric’s threads be counted as one, single thread; or as two, individual threads? Or, more practically speaking, are those 600 thread count sheets truly 600 single-ply threads-per-inch, or are they 300 double-ply threads-per-inch?" Referenced Here
You can see the soft flow and perfect drape in this dress. The bodice has substantial structure and clean lines. This is superior cotton. Coming out of the dryer you will have to press, but it is minimal.
Funny enough, I found this article that talks about cotton being used in skin care now. This is most definitely the fabric I want next to my baby's skin. Cotton: The Fabric of Our Skin Care
2. Pattern.
I am consistently inspired by the beautiful patterns available in the quilting cottons. Since this is my strange way of designing (I find the fabric first!), it's pretty great that fabric can be so inspiring. The creative options are limitless. Here is a sneak peak of some of the fabrics that are being used for my Summer 2008 collection.
I'm going to remake the "Wildflowers" dress in the top fabric because it was so popular. The original fabric (bottom) is also still available.
Who knows what these two vintage beauties will bring.
I'm going to have fun with these combinations as well.
The inspiration....
...comes to life.
I love fabric! Only the best for my Mamma Made kids!
Love, Rachel