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A little primer, please.... Tell us about the new fabrics like bamboo, organic, etc.
gramma b Advanced USA Member since 7/25/08 Posts: 2271	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/27/09 11:50 AM What are your new discoveries, favorites, what to try...? Thanks!
ukdame Intermediate FL USA Member since 8/1/08 Posts: 1820	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/27/09 5:34 PM I have used thed soft bamboo for baby quilts and sleep masks. It is so soft and w/2 layers was quite a good blackout. I travel w/mine that I made in several bright cotton overlay. Many new moms are requesting natural fabric w/less allergy potential these days. It is more pricey however but I check price comparisons online. ------ It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. ~ Franklin D Roosevelt 1843 Janome 19606 ,Janome My Excel 4023, Brother 1034D, White 1750C, Kenmore 158.1803, White 764, Brother 780D.
Sharon1952   Advanced MA USA Member since 7/1/08 Posts: 2647 Board Moderator	Login to reply to this post In reply to gramma b Like this post Date: 5/27/09 6:57 PM I love some of the new bamboo fabrics! They are soft and wash and wear well. I've also purchased some fabric from Sawyerbrook and it had metal woven in it. It was really easy to work with and stunning looking. You could check their website if you're interested. ------ Sewing: A creative mess is better than tidy idleness. ~Author Unknown
Stacy Sews   Intermediate KS USA Member since 1/13/04 Posts: 1348	Login to reply to this post In reply to gramma b Like this post Date: 5/27/09 11:44 PM I'm working with an organic cotton jersey. while the color is fantastic, it's been a real pain to work with. It's extremely think and if you make a mistake, you get an instant hole! ------ "If you can't afford to buy art, you wear it." - Michael Kors Stacy http://stacysews.com/
peraspera Intermediate Member since 2/13/09 Posts: 56	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/28/09 7:37 PM I've been on a bamboo binge sewing for summer ever since I got some DTF bamboo sheets. The 100% bamboo knit I've worked with is super soft and thin with an extremely liquid drape (even slightly more liquid than tricot). My Janome is extraordinarily tolerant of fussy fabrics but I had to get a tricot (knit) foot to work with it. Putting some dissolved liquid Solvy on the neckline before stay stitching and top stitching simplifies both tasks and prevents the stay stitching from tunneling. The bamboo/lycra I have only has a hair more body than the 100% bamboo unlike what one expects when comparing pure cotton with cotton/lycra knits. The blend has the same hand and the drape is nearly as liquid as the pure bamboo. I've found the bamboo knits work very nicely with patterns with some fullness to them where extreme drape is a friend rather than a foe. Patterns that look like tents made up in muslin are good candidates. However, the light weight and liquid nature of the bamboo knits don't make them a beginner-friendly choice. Fabric Mart has some of the bamboo/lycra blends at a good enough price to be tempting to try out. I've ordered one piece from them in the past and it was of good quality. The woven bamboo has a silky hand and a drape somewhere between a light weight, top quality cotton and silk. I've found it as easy to work with as a light weight cotton and would be a good choice for a beginner. I did a review of a woven bamboo nightie I made for my mom which has a link to a photo comparing the drape of the bamboo nightie with the percale muslin I did. Bamboo has vastly superior wicking properties than cotton as demonstrated in this video (the bamboo is on the left and cotton on the right) and is more thermally neutral. It is also naturally antibacterial, anti fungal and anti-static through multiple washings. Bamboo is quickly replacing good quality cotton as my favorite summer fabric even though the selection of prints is next to nil. I noticed an improvement in my allergies from switching to bamboo sheets and a duvet cover so I would strongly recommend bamboo fabric and batting for bedding projects and quilts for anyone with allergies or for infants. Bamboo fiber weakens considerably when wet so I toss it in a nylon mesh laundry bag and wash in cold water on the delicate cycle. It can be dried in the dryer on low but because of its incredible wicking properties takes a very long time to dry. So far the bamboo I've worked with has shrunk two to three inches per yard with setting the dryer on high when I pre-shrunk.
Mufffet   Intermediate VT USA Member since 8/14/05 Posts: 8917	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/28/09 11:06 PM There is an article on "green" fabrics in the current issue of Sew News. It does say that bamboo all comes as fabric from one factory in China and there seems to be a hazy area about what chemicals they use to process this, and since they didn't know that there wasn't much to prove if it is truly "green". I can only say that that is what the article said. I wasn't overly impressed after reading the article. It is considered "green" because it is renewable, but of course so are cotton, wool, linen and rayon. The article covered a few other fabrics. At Lucy's Fabrics there is cotton knit that is from recycled fibers. This appeals to me. I haven't ordered any yet but I do want get around to doing so. ------ "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." --Dalai Lama I have sewing machines
ukdame Intermediate FL USA Member since 8/1/08 Posts: 1820	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/5/09 9:23 PM I did not see this thread before posting my question re-working lightweight bamboo-cotton mix fabric. Since I have not sewn w/any knits much as yet I am hoping this does not proove too difficult to work with as I do not have a serger. I am also wondering if anyone has used any of the Thai silks I have seen online. I like the look. A fabric I am seeing a lot of in the home decor depts is what looks like sackcloth on cushions and quilts. It would seem to me as very scratchy on bed linens but it looks great. ------ It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. ~ Franklin D Roosevelt 1843 Janome 19606 ,Janome My Excel 4023, Brother 1034D, White 1750C, Kenmore 158.1803, White 764, Brother 780D.
fiberfan Advanced UT USA Member since 2/25/06 Posts: 991	Login to reply to this post In reply to ukdame Like this post Date: 6/7/09 1:26 AM I have ordered un-dyed silk from Thai silks several times. I have always been pleased with the fabric. You should be able to buy swatches from them, their swatches are a bit small for good testing of drape but are enough to match/coordinate colors and feel the fabric. ------ joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Isaiah 51:3 so many ideas, so much fiber, so little time http://fiberfan.blogspot.com

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