Fabrics- Back to basics

I go through definite phases in regards to sewing. I get really into something and do that and only that until I'm over it then I move on. Sometimes it a certain type of garment, or patterns or maybe a fabric line or designer  but vintage and heirloom sewing have always been an obsession.

At the moment I'm back into vintage patterns for children. In my opinion vintage reproductions work best when done in an understated way so they're classic and modern and don't seen dated or "period piece". I think the best way to do this is with your choice of fabrics. You can't go wrong with high quality basics and for me that means sticking to solids and two timeless patterns, plaids/checks and stripes, ( a beautiful floral being the exception) in classic colors like white, navy, and pink. I love basic pastels in the spring and summer. The quality and feel of the fabric is the first thing I consider, it could be a great color or pattern but if it doesn't have the right drape and hand I'm not interested.

There are several types of fabrics I think work best for vintage and children's clothing in general.

• Pima cotton broadcloth
• Cotton sateen
• Pique
• Fine cotton shirtings
• Seersucker

You will find that all of these fabrics come in a range of qualities, and shopping online can be difficult when you can't touch and feel the fabric. It's always a good idea to look for and read reviews of sites when considering purchasing a fabric from a manufacturer you are not familiar with.

Broadcloth-

Broadcloth is a basic fabric made of a plain tightly woven cotton or cotton blend. I  stick with 100% cotton and prefer broadcloth made from pima cotton,  they look and feel best. I tend to look for broadcloths that are intended for apparel rather than quilting..You can find the best selection of high quality broadcloth at children's heirloom sewing stores. Farmhouse Fabrics has amazing high end pima broadcloth but not always the best color selection. Martha Pullen has a great selection of colors in a nice 100% cotton for $12 per yard, here are all the colors they offer,

Cotton Sateen-

Cotton sateens are lovely for dresses, they have a soft smooth hand and a slightly glossy finish and are a very nice weight, not too heavy not to light or sheer. There are stretch sateens that have a small amount of lycra, they are nice(not too stretchy) and wash and wear nicely but I prefer those that are 100%.  Navy, pink, red and white are my favorites for sateen. 

Good 100% sateens can be a little tricky to find, believe it nor not I bought a wonderful navy sateen online from Hancock Fabrics online for only $6.99 a yard I liked it so much I quickly ordered more. I recently discovered an online fabric store called Fashion Fabrics Club, they have an amazing selection of apparel fabric at unbelievable prices, like $5.00!!!! I just placed an order for several fabrics because I had to find out if the prices were too good to be true, we will see. Here is a pattern I plan on making with navy sateen, 

Pique-

Pique is a medium weight textured fabric made from cotton or a cotton blend. There are several different weaves or textures including birdseye, or princess birdseye, swiss babywale, and waffle pique. 

Princess Birdseye Pique

Waffle Pique 

Swiss Babywale Pique

I love using pique and choose it often when sewing for my girls, it's so versatile and the weight works for almost all the basics. I have used it for everything from jumpers to skirts to baby bubbles and few things are as sweet as a little white pique sundress in the summer. Swiss babywale is what I have used most often although the princess birdseye is my favorite for white garments and dressier occasions. Babywale pique has a very similar texture as babywale cord but smoother and silkier. The best I've found for swisswale is made by Fabric Finders, they are known for their high quality fabrics for children and make many of the fabrics I use.  Again, heirloom sewing stores are the best source for quality pique and most carry Fabric Finders as it is the go to brand for heirloom sewing for children. My current project is a little dress made from a vintage pattern using Fabric Finders red baby swisswale pique. Here it is, still in progress, and the pattern.

                            

Fine Cotton Shirtings-

Shirting is a tightly woven fabric with soft lustrous fabric usually made from cotton or a blend, the finest are are in Egyptian or Pima cotton and have a high thread count. They have a great drape for dresses with s full skirt, especially vintage sundresses or shirtdresses. My favorites are usually plaid or gingham. Once again Farmhouse Fabrics is where I go first for the best quality and selection.  Here are some shirtings I either have or have my eye on. 

These patterns are just perfect  for shirting.

Seersucker-

Seersucker is a fabric with a woven pucker made of cotton or a cotton blend. Seersucker is my favorite fabric for children during the summer months, I love it! There is something so sweet and refined about a little seersucker sundress and seersucker bubbles might just be my favorite thing for baby to wear when it's hot outside . It is ideal for both vintage and heirloom pieces and comes in a variety of weights and patterns as well as solids, mostly pastels. I usually choose the classic stripe that is most associated with seersucker or a check but you can find just about every color or pattern imaginable.

Nashville Cotton Seersucker in baby pink and white.

 In my opinion the Nashville Cotton produces the best looking and highest quality seersucker and offer an amazing selection of both solids and patterns, I recently heard they have or are going out of business which made me promptly order a stash of my favorites. While doing this I discovered Farmhouse had many of their Nashville Cotton fabrics on clearence(although not the classic pastel solid, stripe and check). I stepped out of the box and chose this brightly colored plaid, 

It was an unbelievable $3.51 a yard! Fabric Finders and Spechler-vogel, which is owned by Fabric Finders also offer quality seersucker in a wide range of prints and solids. Below are two of my favorite heirloom patterns for seersucker fabrics. I've made them both several times and I'm sure I'll be breaking them out again this year.

I also recently purchased these vintage patterns I plan on making for this summer in seersucker.

Now that I have my little space set up I'm so excited to be sewing again. I've celebrated by buying some new patterns and fabrics to keep me inspired. I have so many projects planned it's hard to decide which to do next after the little red dress but I'm sure I'll be blogging about it!

Thanks for reading!