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Member since 11/6/05
Posts: 89
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Posted on: 12/9/05 12:39 PM ET
Hi all,

I am a beginner to sewing, made a few vests , jumper and such. I am seeing such wonderful fabric like silky polyester, suede in my fabric store; after feeling and seeing these fabrics, cotton feels second rate. When do I move on ? What is the next fabric that I need to choose after cotton ? Cotton blends ?

Thanks,
Nandita
  
Member since 4/4/02
Posts: 7876
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Posted on: 12/9/05 12:44 PM ET
I'd move on to rayons, poly/lycra moleskin, corduroy and wool or wool blends.

Most cotton blends are not very nice, IMO. Cotton/rayon blends are great but a very rare find. Polyester silkies are seductive on the bolt but not nice to sew or wear. Polyester and Texas in the summertime would be akin to being wrapped in Saran.
  
Member since 8/2/02
Posts: 2006
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Posted on: 12/9/05 12:52 PM ET
In reply to Gigi Louis
I agree with Gigi. Wool crepe is a nice fabric to graduate to: it's widely available, easy to sew, forgiving of (and it hides)mistakes, it behaves in a predictable way, and you can use it for many different styles (dresses, skirts, jackets, pants.) It comes in different weights.

Silk Noil is also nice for the same reasons, but silk can be sticky in a hot climate.

Phyllis
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Sewing = Fashion
http://coudremode.com/

Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.
  
Member since 4/19/03
Posts: 599
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Posted on: 12/9/05 12:54 PM ET
In reply to nanraj
In addition to Gigi's suggestions, I would like to add silk dupioni and noil. They aren't very expensive, or difficult to sew or press, but they can have a good drape that you sometimes can't get with cotton.

Then there is the world of knits that you might want to explore sooner than later..just so that you don't get to comfortable with wovens and stuck in a groove.

I think cotton is wonderful though...if I could only have one fiber it would be 100 percent cotton, for sure.

edited to say: Happy to have had the same thought as PhyllisC, it's like an "attaboy" sticker.
-- Edited on 12/9/05 1:57 PM --
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"Today there are so many people, so many things, so many emotions, and the more there is, the less I want. The more man flies to the moon, the more I want to sit and look at a tree. The more I live in a city, the more I search for a blade of grass." Audrey Hepburn, Vogue Magazine, 1971
  
Member since 9/28/05
Posts: 635
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Posted on: 12/9/05 3:02 PM ET
When I saw the cotton skirts fade and shrink like there's no tomorrow, I lost my love for cottons... And now I've stocked on moleskins, denim, plaids, cotton blends (the color was soooo pretty! and didnt seem like it will fade) and stuff... I have a big bolt of cotton and polyester mix from walmart, which I'm using as muslins.

I also have found that when I buy a fabric that I love, I actually sew it!
  
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