It’s not always easy to match fabric and sewing project. Yet, it’s essential for any sewing project you’ll love to wear long-term.

With temperatures warming up, it’s more than time to think about spring/summer sewing! So, to help you choose well, I invite you to discover interesting fabrics to work with this season.

Let’s go!

For a change, we’ll start with knits because they are materials I really enjoy working with.

Knits can be sewn with a serger for quick projects, and I love that! It’s perfect timing because there are plenty of choices for spring/summer!

As with woven fabrics, I recommend natural or even artificial fibers.
I really enjoy working with cotton and viscose jersey.

Cotton and viscose jersey

Cotton jersey and viscose jersey remain staples for making t-shirts, tank tops, Breton shirts... but also dresses, skirts, pajamas... They are pleasant to work with and can be sewn very quickly with a serger, sometimes with a bit of sewing machine or coverstitch for perfect hems!

Plus, there are different textures and patterns: slub, ribbed, plain, floral, jungle print, naive patterns, vintage... So you can have fun and create outfits to your taste.

We play with t-shirt necklines: V-neck, square, cowl neck, ballerina, round, elastic under the bust... We also have lots of patterns and ideas... the only limit is creativity!

Finally, it can be very nice to use jersey bias tape or ribbing to edge the neckline or sleeves of t-shirts to give them a fun and/or contrasting look.

Want to know more about jersey? The full article is here and about jersey bias tape here

And if you want to learn how to sew knits with a serger, we have a great beginner course.

French terry

If, like me, you live in a region where it can be 14°C in the middle of July... it’s good to plan a light jacket or sweatshirt. For that, french terry (also called loopback sweatshirt) is perfect!

Not too hot, not too cold, it allows you to cover up without being too warm. It’s also useful for cooler summer evenings. It sews very easily and is a good basic if you’re starting with knit sewing.

Like jersey, it can be sewn entirely with a serger.

We pair it with tubular or band ribbing.

Linen

Natural fiber par excellence, linen is very pleasant to wear in summer. Plus, linen is an ecological fiber because it requires little water and fertilizer to grow. However, linen tends to wrinkle easily, which often means it’s not used much in garment making. One way to fix this is by blending cotton/linen and linen/viscose, which keep linen’s freshness while giving the fabric a less wrinkle-prone texture thanks to the cotton addition.

Washed linen is also an excellent alternative due to its thermal treatment. It wrinkles much less than traditional linen. So we chose to offer you washed linens and blended linens.

You’ll find Japanese cotton/linen blends, linen/viscose blends, and also very nice washed linens in the shop, great for making skirts, tops, dresses... but also accessories or embroidery.

Double gauze

Cotton double gauze is a summer essential! Lightweight, breathable, pleasant on the skin... it’s a key material. Very soft, it’s perfect for children’s and baby clothes. Plus, it’s quite easy to sew. However, I recommend simple cuts, easy to wear in summer. Double gauze doesn’t work well with pleats, clips, or very fitted garments.

It’s perfect, however, for loose and light (airy) dresses, simple-cut blouses, camisoles, but also bloomers, baby nests, children’s bodysuits, light baby blankets...

Be careful, there are several qualities and therefore prices. The quality of double gauze depends on its weave, and different techniques exist. That’s why you’ll see some “budget” double gauzes deform, or some with irregular patterns... Pay attention to quality/price ratio when shopping.

We chose to offer you two types of double gauze: the classic you know, but also Japanese double gauzes. The latter have a smooth look and patterns created by the brand Nani Iro. We fell for them because they are truly beautiful and you won’t go unnoticed in these lovely projects!

This year, you’ll also find joly coupons of double gauze at 25€/3m to make beautiful projects.

One note: some double gauzes have gold printed patterns. These prints must be ironed absolutely on the reverse side, and washing should be done with the garment turned inside out to preserve the gold pattern. Want to know more about double gauze? The full article is here.

So there you have the first part of recommended fabrics for the beautiful season. We’ll meet again very soon for the second part!

And you, what do you like to sew and wear in summer?

Well, I’m getting back to it, I have lots of projects to finish!

Get your needles ready!