THE Q & A SERIES

how to choose Fabrics suitable for facings

Dear Emily,

I’ve nearly finished my first ruffle sleeve top and I’ve really enjoyed making it.

I’ve had some beautiful cheesecloth type fabric in my stash for years. But only 2m of 115cm width, so not enough. Can I make the facing out of a different fabric and if so what? Or do you have any other ‘blouse’ type patterns that would suit this fabric?

Thank you!

Leigh

Hi Leigh,

I am pleased to hear you have enjoyed using the Ruffle sleeve top pattern!

You could definitely use the fabric from your stash.

You could make the facing from a cotton fabric of a similar weight to the cheesecloth (voile for example).

what to keep in mind when using a different fabric for a garment facing

The only thing to keep in mind though is that as the fabric is quite transparent, you will be able to see the facing through the top, so you need to have a think about whether you're okay with that.

To get a feel for it, you could try holding the two fabrics up to your body - with the facing fabric folded so it just shows in one section - like the facing of this pattern. If you're not happy with it showing through, you have two options:

Lining or underlining the body of the top instead of just having a facing
The other thing you could think about is using bias binding around the neckline and then making a cami / singlet to wear under it. We have a tutorial showing you how to attach bias binding here.

Happy sewing,

Emily