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Help me read fabric selvege

Sanah | Posted in Fabric and Trim on

How can you tell which is the wong or right side of fabric when they are very similar? Sometimes a company will send fabric right side out.   I remember reading somewhere about the holes in the selvege edge indicating a particular side, depending on how prominently they were raised, but which side?  I’m about to cut out a fabric and can’t decided which side to go with, so I’ll go with the “correct” selvege edge.

Replies

  1. sanderson | | #1

    I may be wrong here but the right side of the fabric is the side you choose to expose.  I've used a lot of prints back side up because their colors suited better.  You do realize though that this concept can in effect double the possibilities in your stash! ;-)

    1. jensauer | | #2

      A Threads reader recently wrote in with the same question, which is included in the Questions column of issue 101 (Jun/July 2002). Marcie Tilton replied to the question, and I think you'll find her answer helpful.

      Best,

      Jennifer Sauer, Threads

  2. rjf | | #3

    I think the holes appear where pins were pushed in (maybe to keep it stretched) and they're pushed from the right side so the little raised parts are on the wrong side.  Doesn't that seem to make sense?  But I have to say, if you can't tell, it mustn't matter too much as long as you keep track of which side you think is the right side.  rjf

    1. Sanah | | #4

       I think you're right about the raised holes indicating the wrong side of the fabric.    While this fabric looked remarkably similar on both sides, there was a slight difference so I decided to go ahead and cut,  making  the "raised holes" side the wrong side.  

      Thanks for all your replys.

      1. enidshapiro | | #5

        A neat trick, once you decide which side is the right side, is to put little file folder dots on the wrong side, so that once you begin sewing, you don't have to always check which is the wrong side and which is the right side.  The "dots" come on sheets of paper, and are all sizes and colors.

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