Fabric Friday: Hemp and Organic Cotton Denim

By
 Hello and welcome to the first in a series of regular posts where we feature a fabric, every Friday!

Today's feature fabric is our Hemp and Organic Cotton Denim. 

COMPOSITION: 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton
WIDTH: 150cm wide
WEIGHT: 350gsm 
PRICE: $48.80/m


This denim is a real favourite at The Drapery and one that we hope to always be able to keep in stock. It's a lovely substantial weight, with none of the stiffness that you sometimes find in heavier weight denims. It is remarkably soft and drapey, and quite easy to cut and sew with regular tools, needles and thread. Yet it retains the incredible strength and durability of hemp.

I have made three garments for myself with this fabric and they have been items I've reached for over and over. (Because of this they're not going to look like pristine brand new garments but you can get an idea of how well the fabric has stood the test of time.)

Dress A from Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori, made in 2013:


Moss Skirt by Grainline Studio, made in February 2014 and worn incessantly in all seasons since:


 Chataigne Shorts by Deer and Doe, being worn right now:

And here's a secret: this fabric almost magically repels dirt so you don't need to wash it very often at all. Infrequent washing is often recommended for denim garments to keep them looking their best for longer. The softness of the fabric means creases hang out quite well, so it's a great fabric to travel with.

One of our customers used this denim to make a sleeveless Merchant & Mills Trapeze Dress and we can report that it was an inspired choice, swingy and fabulous for all seasons. Another customer used it to cover a dog bed (lucky dog!) because of its hard-wearing and dirt-repelling properties.

Other patterns we suggest for Hemp & Organic Cotton Denim are: Pauline Alice Ninot Jacket and Turia Dungarees,  Surface Art Wrap Skirt, Colette Ginger Skirt, Merchant & Mills Strand Coat, Dress D (Box Dress) and Dress G (Apron Dress) from Stylish Dress Book 2.

It's also a great choice for kids' clothes like summer shorts, if you have kids who are tough on their garments. The hemp makes this fabric (almost) completely kid-proof!

Come on in and get your hands on our Hemp & Organic Cotton Denim - or if you're not local, feel free to order a sample from our website.

- Jane & Fiona xx



Comments

Post a Comment

We love to know who's reading and what you think so please leave us a comment! We'll also try to answer any questions you may have.

Popular posts from this blog

Care of your Boiled Wool

By
Image
We have some lovely 100% boiled wools at The Drapery for this first time this year. The care of these fabrics was a bit of a mystery to us as well as to you, so we've done some investigation. Will my boiled wool shrink if I wash it at home? More than likely, yes. That surprised us, too. One would guess since the fabric is called 'boiled wool' and has a felted, non-fray texture, that it is pre-shrunk and would not shrink further. Not so - please be well aware! Here's what we found: We tried three kinds of gentle washing: - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle', 30 degrees , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. - Gentle hand wash, warm , with wool wash liquid, rinse, press dry in a towel. - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle' cold , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. In both warm washes (machine and hand) the wool experienced 10 - 15% shrinkage in length. There was little to no shrinkage in width. The cold wash showed sligh
Read more

Boiled Wool Shrug - free tutorial

By
Image
We have some luscious boiled wools in stock at The Drapery right now, and have put together a free tutorial for possibly the easiest garment you'll ever make! Searching for boiled wool inspiration, we came across this simple and lovely shrug by Manda of Treefall Design, who was inspired by a ready-to-wear piece. We whipped up a couple of prototypes in the shop and arrived at this which takes just a 75cm cut of fabric and three straight seams. Edges can all be left raw because boiled wool does not fray! REQUIREMENTS 75cm x boiled wool , ours is 150cm wide - would also work in wool knit fabric such as this Japanese wool blend (or this one ) and this Merino Rib Gutermann Sew-All thread in matching colour Cut about 50 - 55cm in from each selvedge so you have 2 pieces approx. 50 x 75cm, each with a 75cm fluffy selvedge. The piece from the middle is spare so you can use it for another project, or perhaps to embellish your shrug. Pin your pieces together along th
Read more

Pattern Review: In The Folds Jumpsuit (free pattern for Peppermint Magazine)

By
Image
Did someone say jumpsuit? Free pattern? By fantastic Australian designer In The Folds ? I was onto it like a shot! Pattern promo pic: I certainly hope Emily of In The Folds is paid quite well by Peppermint Magazine for the patterns she designs for them, because she's a thorough professional. This is a great pattern, a really well-constructed blank slate for individual interpretation or just a really clean, simple silhouette. So thanks Peppermint Magazine , for making this available to sewists everywhere (and for encouraging sewing in general)! And thanks Emily for the fab designs (more online here ). I made a muslin, which we always recommend and is particularly wise for a fabric-hungry pattern like this. You really don't want to use your 'good' fabric until you're sure of what you're doing. Muslin legs not full length because that was not necessary to check fit The pattern states that it's designed for a height of 5'7" which is a good f
Read more