Friday

Fabrics – Denim

The denim we know and love for jeans is a cotton twill fabric which is robust and sturdy – hence the hard-wearing jeans that were originally designed for work-wear. The fabric is made by the weft being passed under at least two warp threads. This process creates the diagonal ribbed effect and distinguishes denim from cotton duck.

The blue-jeans colour is created by only dying the warp threads, leaving the weft threads white – this is why jeans are white on the reverse side. It also means that denim is renowned for fading and within the fashion world has been used to create faded blue jeans, stone washed jeans etc.

For use as a soft furnishing fabric denim is strong and tough, but it can also easily shrink, so if you do want to use it to reupholster chair seats or make bean bags and pouffes make sure that you wash it a few times before using it or be prepared to have a non-washable soft furnishing.

If you love patchwork, recycling and up-cycling denim is a great choice of fabric – the variations in colour can create some wonderful visual effects.
Image: hownowdesign

Image: LA & OC Foodventures

No comments:

Post a Comment