SUMMER SEWING

The sun has arrived here in Chorley and with it out comes the summer wardrobe, so I thought I would look at two great fabrics for Summer Sewing.

The loveliest fabrics for summer sewing are light and cool, here are two I think would be great if you are considering sewing a summer wardrobe

100% cotton lawn fabrics

Cotton lawn is a beautifully soft fabric which has a very fine weave and is smooth, sheer and floaty making it perfect for Summer sewing. It comes in a variety of designs, often beautiful floral designs and is usually used to sew summer tops, dresses, blouses and skirts.

Because the fabric is sheer the paler colours can be slightly see through so bear that in mind when picking a sewing pattern & a fabric colour.

Sewing is not usually difficult with lawn ( providing you don't choose a particularly complicated pattern) just make sure that you have the correct needle in your machine ( a universal size 70 is a good choice ) You can find a mixed set of needles including size 70 HERE I would definitely recommend a good pair of sharp scissors or rotary cutter too for accurate cutting of this lovely fabric.

When washing lawn fabrics be mindful about the temperature, you can machine wash but on a cool gentle cycle to avoid any shrinkage.

The most commonly know designer of lawn fabric which you may have heard of is Liberty of London. They developed Tana Lawn fabric in the 1930's.

Tana lawn was developed from African cotton and the name Tana Lawn is derived from Lake Tana in Ethiopia !

You can look at Liberty Tana Lawn fabrics HERE

Amanda used some of our Lawn Fabrics to make this lovely camisole top. If you want to browse our Lawn fabrics you can find them HERE

100% Cotton Poplin Fabrics

Cotton poplin is a wonderful fabric, one of my favourites. It is made of 100% cotton fibres which makes is a really breathable fabric keeping you cool in summer. It is not as sheer as Lawn and therefore tends not to be transparent.

To feel it cotton poplin has a very smooth feel and is soft and cool to touch. It is not a heavy fabric which makes if perfect for blouses, shirts, shorts and lots more.

We have also used it to also make patchwork quilts, decorative curtains, bags & lots more.

Cotton poplin comes in a huge range of designs which makes if perfect for people of all ages, it is often used for nursery bedding because of its natural fibres & smooth soft feel.

Sewing with cotton poplin is a delight. It is easy to cut and doesn't move about much when sewing which makes it a great fabric for beginners. The best Sewing machine needle to use is a universal size 80.

As with Cotton lawn wash in cool water to avoid shrinkage.

One of our customers made this lovely patchwork quilt with the cotton poplin fabrics.

If you are making a quilt you might want to read this BLOG about whether to wash fabrics prior to quilting