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5 Ways to Use Stretch Fabric

The design possibilities are vast when it comes to stretch fabric. Whether you're making a dress, decorating the inside of a venue, building a set for a theatre production, or lining a coat, stretch fabric is often the ideal material to use.

1. Making clothes

There have been few better contributions to the fashion industry than elastic fabrics. Clothes that have elasticity in them are not only far more comfortable to wear, but they are, in many cases, much more flattering on the figure. This is especially true for women who have shapely bodies. With stretchy clothes they are able to show off their curves without suffocating in thick fabrics or drowning in oversized items. Leggings are amongst the most popular clothing items made of stretch fabric.

2. Building out your ceiling

If you're looking to add a bit of va va voom to your room, you might try installing a stretch fabric ceiling. These are great options for events because they can recreate a building's interior and add a real wow factor. With stretch fabric, design options are virtually endless, from waves to individual sculptures. In addition there are a multitude of colours to choose from, which when combined with the right lighting, can have a very interesting effect.

3. Building stage sets

The wonderful thing about designing sets for a stage is that there's really no limit to how far you can take it. Stretch fabric is an ideal material to use for building sets because it can hang from the ceilings, it can be built into free-standing or floating sculptures, or it can be filled with stuffing and sewn up.

4. Lining fabric

When you're lining a garment of clothing you want to make sure that the material you are using is anti-static, doesn't easily smell (like polyester) and has some give to it. Synthetics tend to be a good way to go. Beware though, of pre-washing, slipperiness, and the thinness of the fabric- you must feed it through your machine with a lot of care.

5. Building a canopy

Canopies don't have to be hard, square structures, they can be organic in shape and style. Poles should be set up without too much distance between them. You might even try making them different sizes. They'll need some sort of mushroom top, which the stretch fabric can be pulled over to create a shape that is quite unique.

There you have it, five ways to use stretch fabric.

About the Author

Fabric Architecture Ltd has been specialising in the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of tensile fabric structures since 1984. Learn more about
Stretch Fabric Ceilings
at
http://www.fabricarchitecture.com/archiclad

what tension should i set for stretchy fabric on a brother lock 546D overlocker?

???

Asked and answered:

If the serger is making a proper stitch on non-stretch fabric, then you will need to adjust the differential feed.

The lower the number builds up stretch and the higher number will ease or gather the fabric.

Start at N and adjust toward 2 as you test the stitching.

Leave the tension settings at the setting you normally use (mid-range is 4).

You may also want to use ballpoint or stretch/jersey needles.

I have a couple books on serging and find Nancy Zieman's Serge with Confidence and Palmer & Pletsch The Serger Idea Book to both be very helpful.

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Tags: design, fabric, free, how to color set fabric, how to set fabric markers, how to set fabric paint, set fabric color, set fabric dye, tutorial, webdesign

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 2:33 am and is filed under bedding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.