What is poplin?

We often hear the word poplin when talking about fabric... but do you know what lies behind this term?

That's what I invite you to discover in this article. Let's go!

What is poplin?

The poplin is not a fabric but a weave with a particular thread composition; that is, a way of weaving the thread to create a piece of fabric.

Weave

This weave consists of interlaced warp and weft threads in a grid pattern. Poplin is a toile weave because one weft thread passes under only one warp thread and vice versa.

Threads

The warp threads are finer, so there are twice as many as the weft threads.

A bit of history

The origin of poplin, or rather "papeline," dates back to the 15th century in the Avignon region. At that time, poplin was made on lands owned by the pope, hence the name "papeline." Poplin was made from silk and wool. The silk thread was much finer than the wool thread, so there was twice as much silk thread as wool thread. This fabric therefore had the warmth of wool and the softness of silk.

Do you know how the A becomes an O and papeline turns into poplin?

Well, when papeline was exported to Anglo-Saxon countries, the Anglican Church could not accept the papal origin of this material and... changed just one letter... hence the current name poplin.

Nowadays, poplin is made from which material(s)?

This is where it gets a bit tricky... let me explain! As we saw earlier, poplin is a toile weave where the warp threads are finer and twice as numerous. So it can be made with various materials: silk, wool, cotton, polyester, etc.

However, you can also find poplins with different fibers in the warp and weft.

Generally, the problem with these composite products is their recycling. Indeed, the addition—such as polyester—lowers the production cost of fabrics but makes their recycling impossible. It is unfortunately too complex to separate the different types of threads to include them in the appropriate recycling process. These fabrics will then be destroyed...

At c'est du Joly, we have chosen to offer you poplins made from a single type of fiber: cotton or viscose. Cotton poplin is the most common material, and we will now focus on it.

Advantages of cotton poplin

The cotton poplin has many advantages:

it is lightweight,
it is breathable
soft on the skin
it has a certain fluidity while maintaining structure
it comes in all colors and patterns
it is easy to cut and sew
ironing is very easy
it is easy to care for

What sewing skill levels is poplin suitable for?

As you might have guessed, cotton poplin can be suitable for all sewers, especially beginners who will find great satisfaction in sewing this fabric.

Sewing poplin

Women’s top in liberty lined with coordinated cotton poplin

For which projects do we use cotton poplin?

Cotton poplin is a really pleasant fabric to sew and suits many projects. It is often thought of for making dresses or feminine blouses, or more recently face masks, but many other projects can be made with this material.

Indeed, cotton poplin will be a great ally for sewing blouses and shirts (men’s and women’s) that combine good structure, a nice drape, and let your skin breathe.

It is also used for children's clothing and baby accessories like bibs, nests, blankets... Plus, poplin also allows a lot of creativity in terms of patterns.

Cotton poplin also allows you to create pretty linings and facings. A often effective way to reuse your scraps. Imagine the facing of a trouser waistband, the lining of a jacket, the bottom of a bag or a printed, etc., which will give it that little extra that catches the eye. The same goes for linings of accessories, bags, and printed...