So, you have decided to make yourself a lovely summer dress, you have chosen the style that you like but you have hit a stumbling block when it comes to the choice of fabric. There is an abundance of choice when it comes to dressmaking fabrics. Here are some of the top choices when it comes to summer clothing fabric:
- Cotton
Cotton is the most popular choice of summer fabric. This is due to the fact that it is a lightweight, soft fabric that is cost effective and easy to source. It is a breathable fabric that soaks up any moisture therefore allowing any heat to escape from the body and keeps you cool. Cotton fabrics come in many colours and designs meaning it is the perfect choice for your summer wardrobe collection. The options are almost endless, so you can not only create summer dress but also skirts, tops and even trousers from this versatile fabric. The only down side to a pure cotton fabric is that it wrinkles very easily which means that using 100% cotton is not always viable. Cotton also absorbs moisture and so this needs to be taken into consideration when making your colour choices for designs that will be worn in the height of summer to help prevent those unsightly sweat marks. There are plenty of cotton blend fabric available that give you all of the benefits of pure cotton but removes the problem of wrinkles and creases. A cotton polyester blend is one such option.
- Linen
Linen is another breathable fabric that is perfect for hot weather, again similarly to cotton it is a lightweight fabric which has what is known as a loose weave. It is these weaves that help to allow any heat to escape from your body. It is slightly better than cotton at drying out when it absorbs any moisture. Linen also creases and wrinkles very easily, but many people see this as a design benefit and will use linen to create interesting designs for their summer-wear. It is a stiffer fabric than cotton which can make working with it slightly harder but the benefit of this is that it is a fabric which does not cling to the body. A definite must in the heat!
This man-made fabric is a blend of cotton, wood pulp and either a combination of natural or synthetic fibres. The fibres in Rayon are extremely thin which allows the fabric to breathe and it has a light feel that does not stick to your body during the hot sticky weather. Rayon is often used as the fabric choice for summer dresses and also sportswear due to its ability to keep the body cool. It was first created as a much cheaper alternative to silk, which was highly sought after but very expensive.
So, there you have three choices of fabric all suitable for your summer wardrobe designs.
