Fabric Friday - American Made Brand

I couldn't be more excited. This week I received my first shipment of American Made Brand fabrics. Have you heard about them? 

American grown cotton, spun into yarn here in the United States, woven into greige goods at one of our oldest weaving mills, and then on to an American dyeworks. I notice their latest marketing materials read "farm to fabric" and "not just made here, grown here", but I really love an earlier tagline.. "from dirt to shirt".

This may not sound so impressive until you realize how dramatic the decline in our textile industry. This may well be the only all cotton product (farm to fabric) produced in the United States. Oh we still grow lots of cotton. The South was built on cotton. But now over 70% of the cotton grown here is shipped overseas to textile mills with cheap labor, and (in some cases) questionable work practices.

Making the fabric here must make it really expensive, right? Not the case. Hawthorne Threads is selling it for $7.25/yard. Some high volume online stores have it for even less!

American Made Brand has a challenge on right now for quilts that will be displayed at International Quilt Market at the end of October. Unfortunately I just saw the notice and submissions (i.e. photos of finished quilts) are due by August 15th. Ah well. I didn't really need another deadline. 

What am I going to make with my treasure trove? Well a few more fabrics showed up that tell more of the story, and it might have to do with a couple of adorable youngsters that need more "grown up" sleeping bags.

And what girl doesn't need a pink camouflage flannel lined sleeping bag. I'm also going to have to incorporate a figure skate into this somehow. Hard to believe, but I searched high and low and couldn't find any figure skating themed fabric that would work with pink - hardly found any period.

I'm planning to use Kam Snaps instead of a monster zipper. That way they can open the bag out flat and use it as a beach or picnic blanket for years to come.

I thought this Amy Butler print might work too, but you know what? I'm just not an Amy Butler kind of girl. 

For the grown up young man, I'm thinking Star Wars. After all, even my 40 something husband still thinks Star Wars is cool. Might have to applique an X-Wing Starfighter on the carry bag!

And the best news? Thankfully these gifts won't be due until Christmas!

Soothing Shelter Animals

 Pet lover?

My friend Alice isn't a woman I would have described as either a dog person or a cat person. When I first met her our whole circle of friends had dogs and/or cats, and though she never seemed afraid of them, and was concerned for their welfare, she had no real interest in petting or playing with them. Over time that attitude has changed, but I still never expected to hear that she had adopted a trio of stray kittens. Life does indeed still hold surprises!

In addition to our interest in animals, we share of love of crafts. Alice is a bit of a knitting addict, and, as this blog will attest, I'm more than a little obsessed with quilting, and crochet, and, and... This has led us to share back and forth little snippets of interest we find on the Internet about projects and the work of other crafters.

Comfort for Critters

A few weeks ago, Alice circulated a story amongst her crafty friends about Comfort for Critters. This is a wonderful organization that in their own words, "is a 100% volunteer program that creates handmade blankets to comfort homeless pets living in animal shelters. While these animals await adoption, the blankets provide a comfortable bed year-round. When they are adopted, their blanket goes with them, providing something familiar as they adjust to their "forever family." Now don't worry, there is plenty of yarn and fabric in the future of this post, but first a bit more background.

If you have ever volunteered at an animal shelter or rescue, or just visited one to pick out a new companion, you know that a shelter can be a terrifying place for an animal who is lost or has been abandoned for one reason or another. The noise of dogs barking can be deafening, and the smell of chemicals necessary to keep such places safe and sanitary can be overwhelming. Add to this the fact that dogs and cats may be housed in close quarters with animals they do not know, and moved from cage or kennel to kennel as cleaning and adoptions take place. Though shelter staff make heroic efforts to give these unfortunates the care and loving attention they need, it is not uncommon for formerly well adjusted animals to become shut down and depressed.

How do blankets help? 

These blankets are given to an individual animal, and move with them from cage to cage, providing a bit of something soft and warm, and that smells like them. This can be a great comfort in that stressful situation. And when they go to their forever home, the blanket goes with them to ease the transition to yet another new environment.

Comfort for Critters gathers the donated blankets and distributes them to participating shelters, which makes it easy for volunteers to just make the blankets - knitted, crocheted, quilted or sewn of soft fleece - and leave the logistics to someone else. Unfortunately the only shelter on their list in our state (Georgia) isn't all that closeby, and we wanted to do something local.

Act Local

Enter Audrey Shoemaker, the Volunteer Coordinator at Fulton County Animal Services. Fulton County runs a huge shelter with as many as 100 cats and 250 to 300 dogs at any one time. We decided that was much too large a commitment for our small group. However, right now there are only about 30 cats and kittens at the shelter. Finally we decided that we would try to make enough blankets for all of the cats and puppies, plus a few larger blankets for the dogs that are going out to adoption events. And we want to have them all done by the end of February.



We are making progress. Here is the first batch



the blankets for cats and puppies are small - just 20 by 20 inches square. This one is crocheted in a cushy basketweave and used up a bunch of leftover yarn from other projects



This quilt will be for a larger dog, and uses a cute animal print with some flannel borders



Another large dog quilt made out of fleece



Fleece is the obvious choice for a person who wants to participate but doesn't have the skills or time to make something. Just cut fleece to the right size - perhaps use a rotary cutter to make a wavy edge as in this example - and you're done. Fleece doesn't ravel, so no hemming required.



I'm repurposing an old quilt top that I originally pieced as a queen size quilt to be sold for charity. I kind of hated it after it was pieced, so never finished it. Now I'm cutting it up and should have about ten of these puppy quilts ready in no time.



Cute quilt back right?

Join in the fun!

Are you interested in joining us? Shoot me an email at stitchingtimes@gmail.com and I'll coordinate with you on what to make and how to get the finished blankets to me. This really is a labor of love, and something that is so easy to do.

Fabric Friday: Canvas

Canvas [kan-vuhs] is a name given many fabrics. A closely woven cloth usually of cotton, but sometimes of hemp or linen, it is made in a variety of weights and is used for apparel, tents, outdoor furnishings, and sails (called sailcloth). 

It became popular after WWII for bags, sneakers, and casual wear. It is also stretched on frames and used by artists for oil paintings (artist canvas). 

Generally, canvas is printed after weaving, but some yarn dyed product is also available, especially awning stripe. 

Though an equally heavyweight cotton, canvas is different from denim because it is a plain weave rather than a twill weave.

The name duck is sometimes used interchangeably with canvas, but it is actually a type of canvas with a very tight weave mostly used for clothing and accessories. 

Another type of canvas is called drill, which is used for awnings, tents, etc. Ada or java canvas is made with an open weave and used as a base for needlework, as are cross-stitch or penelope. Hair canvas is an interfacing material. The finest grade of canvas is called mosaic.

Royal Navy Canvas and Merchant Navy Canvas in England are made in accordance with strict specifications, as is the United States Government Navy Canvas. 

In the U.S. canvas is graded either by weight (from 5 to 50 ounces per square yard) or by number running reverse to weight. That is, if a canvas is a number 10, it will be lighter than a number 5. The word canvas is derived from the Latin word cannabis (or hemp) which was the fiber for early canvas fabrics.

Fabric Friday: Bengaline

Bengaline [beng-guh-leen or beng-guh-leen] was first made of silk in Bengal India, thus the French name of Bengaline (from Bengal). It has distinctive crosswise ribs, which are rounded and raised, often due to the use of course weft yarns and fine warp yarns. It is a lustrous, durable plain weave fabric used for apparel, draperies, and ribbon. Grosgrain and Petersham are bengaline made in ribbon widths. Bengaline may also be made of wool, rayon, synthetics, and cotton.

The fabric became popular in the late nineteenth century here in the United States when the composition transitioned to the use of cotton and other less expensive fabrics for the weft yarns, with the warp continuing to be silk. In this combination the fabric still appears to be all silk, but is considerably less expensive.

I have a favorite bengaline skirt that (believe it or not) hubby bought for me a year or so ago. At the time I wasn’t familiar with the fabric but my first thought was, “this is grosgrain ribbon woven in a wider width”.  My skirt is not silk but rather cotton fill with Rayon warp. Bengaline is known as a sturdy fabric that wears well, but mine is kind of a party skirt, so I don’t wear it all that often and durability is not the primary concern. As you can see, wrinkling is. I wore this skirt a few days ago, and it will need to be pressed before I can wear it again.

I have not sewn this fabric myself, but many sources suggest making buttonholes is difficult. Not surprising if you think about how easily grosgrain ribbon frays at the ends. Another consideration is the obvious crosswise rib in the fabric. Regardless of the application you will need to be aware of this and allow extra fabric to make sure everything lines up and is going in the same direction – much as you need to do for fabric that has an nap.  

One odd fact: At the inquest in 1892, Lizzie Borden is reported to have said that she was wearing a dress made of bengaline silk on the morning she was accused of murdering her father and stepmother.

Fabric Friday: Batiste

Batiste [buh-teest] is a very fine and light weight balanced plain weave fabric, which is opaque. It is breathable and lends itself to pleating and pretty gathers, and so is prized for high end summer weight blouses, and lingerie.

Photo courtesy of 

Claudette's Vintage Vault on Etsy.com

Made of cotton or a wool cotton blend (though now often made of rayon and polyester as well) Batiste is also used for window panels, and baby items - especially christening gowns. It is believed that Cambric was the predecessor to batiste and was at that time always made of linen. 

The name derives from the Flemish word Cambrai and was made in the region that became part of France in 1677. The French word for the same fabric was batiste. Batiste is often said to have been invented in the 13^th century (or later) by Jean Baptiste, a French linen weaver. However, we find no historical evidence to support this connection.

Our modern day fabrics are often misnamed and further confused by the wide array of fiber contents. Batiste made of all cotton (especially combed or carded cotton) is finer and more expensive than synthetic products. Organdy, which is the same fiber content and weave as batiste, differs in the finishing. It receives and acid wash which makes it more transparent and lustrous.
You may also be familiar with ribbon called organdy. Though there are some high quality ribbons woven and processed just as their larger fabric counterparts. Most of the ribbon you will see in craft and fabric shops is going to be synthetic polyester and for many decorating applications that is just fine.

Organza, another similar appearing fabric, is actually made of silk. Cotton lawn is also similar to batiste, but is generally made of a slightly looser weave resulting in a softer fabric. The name lawn, by the way, comes from the French Laune and was originally produced in Laon in France.

The history of this fabric is even more complicated by the fact that England banned the import of batiste from France at one time in favor of imports from their colony in India. This change resulted in the Indian fabric called Nainsook [neyn-soo k], which is similar in fiber content and weave, being called batiste. 

And then there is voile [voil; French vwal]. Voile, from the old French word for veil, is more like lawn than batiste (that is a looser weave and perhaps the thread is not quite so fine), but it is a bit stiffer than lawn. Both lawn and voile take dye well and are more likely to have printed designs, where batiste is almost always a solid color (white, ivory or other pastels are most common)

All of this history is interesting, but the most important thing to know is that fine cotton batiste and less expensive synthetic substitutes are readily available, and ideal for clothing, sheer draperies, and lightweight linings – especially for clothing that must be lined but where maintaining breathability is desired. It is also suitable for fine needlework, handkerchiefs, etc. Today some of the finest come from Switzerland, and organic cotton fabric is also available.

Fabric Friday: Fabric Manufacturing Process

Modern Single Treadle Spinning Wheel
available from Heavenly Handspinning
on Etsy.com

I thought it might be interesting to cover the basics of how fabrics are made, and to introduce you to a couple of tools you can use to make your own. 
Fabric is commonly defined as cloth made up of fibers using one of three processes: weaving, knitting, or felting. Before the fibers can be woven or knitted, they must first be made into yarn (sometimes called thread in thinner yarns).

Large commercial spinning machines

Yarn made of natural fibers such as cotton, or wool is made into yarn by a process called spinning. Manufactured fibers such as nylon or polyester are generally converted into yarn by a process called melt spinning. Yarn can also be made by the division of a sheet of material such as metal foil (metallic thread), polymer film, or other material.

Large commercial Loom

Weaving is the process of interlacing threads of the weft and warp on a loom. The warp represents the lengthwise threads that are strung on the loom and the weft (also sometimes called woof or filling) makes up the horizontal threads, which cross the warp to make up the woven cloth.

Small loom available from
Plane 'n Grain on Etsy.com

Knit fabric consists of loops of yarn (called stitches) pulled through each other. Fabric created on knitting machines also use the terms warp and weft. A weft knit will have more stretch than a warp knit, but a warp knit will be less likely to run (when stitches come undone or unravel) if a thread is snagged.

Felt is a cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers and is a method of making fabric that pre-dates either weaving or knitting. Traditionally made of wool, today inexpensive felts are made with a minimum of 30% wool fibers combined with other synthetic fibers.

What these definitions ignore are fabrics without fibers, such as plastic films and foam, which are used for accessories, shower curtains, and in upholstery applications, or interfacings made with a non-woven process different from felt. These types of fabric have more industrial than home uses, but are used often enough for home sewers to be aware of them.

These definitions also do not address natural fabrics that have not been manufactured such as fur and leather. The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on the animal's processed skin. In contrast, leather made from any animal hide involves removing the fur from the skin and using only the tanned skin. These fabrics have application to home sewing in both fashion and home décor.

Many fabrics made from natural fibers (wool, cotton or silk especially) have been imitated with synthetic fibers. A fabric will often be described as being made of one fiber or another. It is generally safe to assume that synthetic variations have also been produced. In some cases, the synthetic may yield desirable characteristics. In others, it may be a poor (but less expensive) substitute. The home sewer must consider the intended use for a fabric before deciding which to purchase.

Fabric Friday: To Prewash or Not to Prewash

That is my question. Every time I pick up another quilt book, magazine or look at something online I hear a different opinion. Over the years I've developed a few rules of thumb.

What do those questions mean and why do I care? Let me explain.

Does the quilt have any red fabric?

Dark colors – especially red – tend to run when washed. How heartbreaking would it be to spend countless hours piecing and quilting the perfect quilt only to have one of the colors run all over your treasure the first time it’s washed? I like to know ahead of time if one or more of the fabrics is going to run. Then I have options. I can simply choose not to use that fabric unless it’s a red and black quilt or one that will never be washed (such as some wall hangings). I might use one of several methods to better set the dye in the fabric. Or I could try Shout Color Catchers in the wash. Some quilting friends swear by them but I haven’t tested them myself yet.

This fabric was a solid sunny yellow before
washing with red and gray fabrics

Are any of the fabrics from different manufacturers or lines?

Not all fabric is created the same. Different weights, weaves, processing and fiber quality means that some may shrink more than others. If I make a quilt with different fabrics and then those fabrics shrink at different weights it’s going to end up cattywompus for sure. I often buy all of the fabric for a quilt from one line (same manufacturer, same designer, same line of complimentary designs and colorways). I have also made quilts from a variety of fabrics I've pulled from my stash or that I thought looked good together at the quilt shop. In this case I always prewash.

If the quilt shrinks will it still be big enough?

I learned this lesson the hard way. I measured twice before designing a quilt for the full size bed in our guest room. Who still sleeps on a full size bed you may ask? Well this art deco suite was my Mom’s when she was a single gal back in the early 40s, and I love it. I lovingly designed, cut, pieced, quilted, and washed. Only to find that between the quilting and fabric shrinkage, the quilt hangs about two inches short of covering the mattress on both sides. Sigh. Prewashing in hot water would have solved most of the problem, but don’t underestimate how much shrinkage will occur with dense quilting either.

Does the grain of the fabric appear true?

Looks perfect right?

Pull a thread from the cut edge of the fabric to get a view of where the grain of the fabric runs. An even easier way to do this is to rip a small strip off the end of the fabric. Yes as in cut a small snip at the edge, grab with both hands and tear away. Now line up the edges of that pulled thread. When you hold the fabric on that fold (selvages down and fold up) does the fabric hang straight or is it skewed? Often when fabric is woven, dyed, processed and wound on the bolt it can become quite skewed. If it’s washed the threads relax back into true grain. However, if you cut skewed blocks to piece and then wash after the quilt is assembled. You guessed it. Cattywompus.

What a difference

Will the fabric be difficult to work with without sizing or starch?

I love cotton lawn or Kaffe Fassett’s soft shot cottons, but truth be told these fabrics can be a real challenge because they stretch just a bit. Talk about cattywompus! Even some lighter weight quilter’s cottons can be challenging. However all of the above issues may also apply. What to do? My solution is to prewash and then to iron them again with lots of starch. That will help to stabilize the fabric for cutting and keep it from stretching out of shape when you press seams.

This is the version with sizing washed out before cutting

That’s my two cents. Do you have more guidelines or suggestions? Love to hear them.

Fabric Friday - Basic Weaves

Plain weaves are by far and away the most common of all fabrics used worldwide in all fiber types. In a plain weave the weft yarn passes over and under the warp yarns in the first pass and then under and over in the next. This produces a very strong fabric because it yields the highest number of crossings in warp and weft. While plain weaves tend to wrinkle and show soil, they are also more easily cleaned and one of the most easy fabrics to produce.

Balanced plain weave fabrics have warp and weft yarns that are essentially the same although warp yarns are usually somewhat finer, higher twist and set in more closely than weft for added strength. Examples of balanced plain weave fabrics are batiste, canvas, gingham, madras, organdy, and voile.

Batiste flower girl dress image courtesy of French Knot Couture on Etsy.com

Unbalanced plain weave fabrics use a different number, size, or type of yarn between warp and weft. This type of weave will generally result in a visible rib to the fabric, which can be either very fine or coarse. Examples of fine cloths include broadcloth or taffeta formed when the warp and weft yarns are similar in type and almost the same type, but the ratio of warp to weft yarns is at least two to one. Coarser fabric like poplin is formed when weft yarns are thicker and there are more warp yarns than weft.

Silk Taffeta image courtesy of Sylvia Leinweber (Bandidos on Etsy.com)

Basket Weave is a variation of an unbalanced plain weave that results when two or more yarns are treated as one for either the warp or the weft. Basket Weave is also sometimes called hopsack. Oxford cloth is an example of a basket weave in which fine warp yarns are doubled and single or softer twist weft yarns are as thick as the two warp yarns.

Oxford cloth image courtesy of Theresa Porter (cherrycheckers on Etsy.com)

Other variations can be achieved through using different fibers or tensions, color or allowing occasional loops in the yarn for surface texture. Seersucker is an example of a fabric that uses differing tension on the yarn to create a puckered texture. Gingham and madras fabrics create distinctive patterns in the fabric through the use of color. These fabrics are often described as yarn dyed meaning that color is applied to the yarns before the weaving process rather than applying color to the whole cloth as in printing. End-on-end is a term that refers to cotton shirting fabric having alternating warp yarns resulting in a striped effect. The fabric could be broadcloth, chambray, madras or others.

Fabric Friday - What's In A Name

What’s in a name? It appears the answer is many things. Fabric names have been passed along from one product to another that is similar so that it is often unclear what the name describes. For example, look at barkcloth. The original barkcloth is a product developed in the South Seas that involves removing actual bark from trees, soaking it and then beating it into a thin strong fabric that can be used for wall hangings or apparel. However, in these regions this product is now called tapa or kapa (Hawaii) or masi (Fiji).

This barkcloth was quite popular at one time, but in the 1920s, a product called cretonne began to be imported from France. This was a white fabric of hemp and linen that was printed and similar to an unglazed chintz in texture.
American manufacturers renamed cretonne as barkcloth because of its nubbly bark-like texture. Then again, when servicemen began sending back “barkcloth” clothing and other items from Hawaii, the textured fabric inspired the development of a whole array of materials called bark cloth, bark crepe, decorator bark, etc. in a whole host of fibers from cotton to fiberglass. 

Today's barkcloths are most often a printed textured cotton product with designs that are either tropical, or retro atomic.

Fabric Friday

Several years ago I began writing a book about fabric. For a variety of reasons I never completed the project or published, but now I’m feeling an interest to pick it back up – at least the research part of the project.

As an incentive to keep that going, I’ve decided to start a new feature here at Stitching Times. Every Friday I’ll write a short piece about fabric – either something from that half finished book, or something new that I’ve learned in my research.

The following is from the preface for that long ago planned book…

sew [soh] –verb used with object, sewed, sewn or sewed, 

sew·ing

1.       to join or attach by stitches.

2.       to make, repair, etc., (a garment) by such means.

3.       to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.

[origin: before 900; Middle English sewen]

Sew·er [soh-er] –noun

1.       a person or thing that sews.

What does it mean to you be a sewer? Whether you aspire to design and sew your own clothes, reupholster a special piece of furniture, or just be able to hem your own pants rather than resorting to that dubious shop with the “alterations” sign in the window, an understanding of some of the basics is necessary.

This book is all about the materials used in home sewing. It answers the questions of how fabric is made and what raw materials are used in these processes. It also explains how to select, prepare, and store fabrics. Most importantly, it demystifies the terms used to describe fabric and notions – terms which are often more confusing than helpful.

Even as experienced sewers we still have questions. Should I be using all cotton thread when I’m working with quilter’s cotton, or is it ok to use cotton wrapped polyester? And, what is the difference between cotton flannel and brushed cotton anyway?

I hope you will follow along and add your own observations and questions about fabric. Together we can learn about fabric new and old.