Hello all, I have a question from a begining garment sewer. I bought some striped silk that I would like to make into a blouse. I have the pattern and have almost finished modifying it to fit to me and then i realized the stripes are going the wrong way. I would prefer them vertical not horizontal. So, if i lay the pattern out parallel to the crossgrain (perpendicular to the selvage) what will happen? I got the fabric for a pretty good deal so am willing to experiment a little bit just to learn but if this is a really bad idea off the bat, someone let me know.
Thanks! Nicole
Replies
Yes, you can. I have done it often. Just recently I bought a great wool/spandex mix for pants in a glen plaid check. At home I found that the stretch ran vertically. Of course the greatest stretch should go around the body. Luckily the fabric was wide enough to do this.The pants turned out just fine. It is important that the fabric you use on the crossgrain has a rather tight weave, and I think that silk would work out pretty well.
Thanks! Happy to hear this. I will give it a shot!
I've made a lot of blouses this way, too; it's the best way to take advantage of border prints. There is a slight difference in the "give" of woven fabrics--cutting on the crossgrain will yield a little less than the longgrain, but that is not usually critical. Knits, however, act completely different cut crossgrain, and you probably won't like the results unless you're going for an avant-garde look.
This post is archived.