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Why You Should Be Using Outdoor Fabric for Basically Everything
The world of outdoor fabrics has evolved. We are no longer limited to a range of heavy acrylics in tropical prints. Instead of stiff, scratchy cushions, we can enjoy soft, luxurious fabrics outdoors that rival interior textiles.

WHAT ARE OUTDOOR FABRICS?
Outdoor fabrics are designed to withstand the stress of living outside. The woven textiles are made from a variety of materials including acrylic, synthetic fibers, blends of cotton, polyester and linen. These vary in aesthetics and quality which greatly determines how long they will last outdoors.

Most outdoor fabrics are breathable and through manufacturing techniques, they’re designed to repel water. Quality outdoor textiles will be resistant to soiling and water-based stains as well as be resistant to mold and mildew.

KEY FEATURES OF OUTDOOR FABRICS
When choosing outdoor fabrics, you want to ensure the textile is going to weather well outside. To a great extent, the types of fabric you choose will come down to how you want to use your furniture and where it will be placed outdoors.

Some of the key features of outdoor fabrics include:

Fade resistant

Weather resistant

Mold and mildew resistant

Waterproof

UV resistance

Stain resistant

Breathable

Washable – machine or hand wash

THE NEW WAVE OF OUTDOOR FABRICS
As we spend more time living outdoors, our desire for comfortable outdoor furniture that can withstand the external environment deepens. As a result, we’re seeing more lounge furniture that would be just as fitting inside come onto the market. Because of this outdoor fabrics are evolving to improve the level of comfort.

Our specialist outdoor Belgium linen range highlights a new wave of outdoor fabrics. Unlike the strong, heavy acrylic textiles, the outdoor linen is incredibly soft and gets better with age. It’s such a lovely fabric collection, you could use it inside without anyone associating it with the outdoors. This is a great solution for those with children who desire durable, yet luxurious, fabrics that can withstand dirty feet and sticky hands.

WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER A WOVEN TEXTILE
Woven fabrics not only look great, they’re also more fade resistance than printed acrylics. This is especially important for those pieces that will be regularly exposed to the sun. If you’re worried about fading, consider the color fabric you’re choosing. Dark colors like navy and black and bright shades tend to fade more quickly than light, neutral colors.

Another advantage of choosing a woven fabric is that it will disguise any dirt and dust effectively. This is ideal for those pieces you wish to leave outdoors rather than store the cushions away.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WATERPROOF AND WATER-RESISTANT?
Materials that claim to be waterproof are impervious to water whereas water-resistant textiles are those that repel some water. There is also showerproof fabrics that will withstand exposure to rain showers well and water repellent materials that have been treated with an external coating.

It’s worth noting, lady's thin type fabric that has an external water repellant finish will feel different than natural materials such as linen. Also, the coatings will eventually wear off as they are exposed to the elements or washed.

CUSHION QUALITY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS FABRICS
If you’re looking upholstered outdoor furniture, it’s hard to ignore what’s inside that determines it’s comfort and durability. The foam used in cushions is one particular element you want to ensure will be suitable for your furniture piece and it’s end use.

When buying outdoor furniture with cushions it’s important to consider their drainage ability. Quality reticulated quick dry foams, for example, will drain extremely well when compared to traditional Dacron foams.

Lady's elastic fabric has different elastic properties lengthwise and widthwise. The rate of tension decay of each elastic fabric depends mainly on there properties, as well as the amount and direction of stretch applied to the fabric. For clinical treatment, it is important to maintain the pressure on the affected area, within a specified range according to instructions from doctors or therapists. The deterioration of tension in the elastic fabrics affects the clinical effectiveness of pressure garments.

Tension decay in elastic fabrics means the skin-and-garment interfacial pressure will deteriorate gradually. Elastic fabric can provide the required range of skin-and-garment interfacial pressure to the patient during wear.

Lining fabric refers to a group of materials inserted into various garments, from skirts and shorts to dresses, jackets and coats and other lining clothes. Such fabrics can be made of natural or synthetic fibers and range from sheer to opaque.

While most of them are produced in solid colors, you can still find lots of patterned lining materials. This F. A. Q. section covers the most popular questions about lining fabrics, their types, and properties.

The purpose of lining fabric is to make your garment more wearable, long-lasting and comfortable. They are usually lightweight and have a soft or silky texture. Not all items need to be lined, though. Here are some reasons why sewists turn to lining materials:

To make the garment less see-through

To add warmth and durability

To make the inside part of the garment soft and pleasant to the touch

To lend a luxury note to a garment

To improve the structure of a garment

To help the garment slide on easily

To conceal seams, padding, interfacing, etc.

When choosing the appropriate lining for a project, one needs to pay attention to the stretch factor. If the garment is not stretchy, e.g. a cotton shirt or a wool jacket, non-stretch lining fabric is ok. But if the item is made with elastic materials like jersey, tulle or stretch satin, the lining one ends up choosing should be stretchy as well.

Choosing the Right Spoonflower Fabric for Pants
I have rounded up all the pants sewing patterns I own so that I can give you an idea of the types of pants that work well with each fabric. These are all pants that I have personally made and can attest to, but I will also give suggestions of other patterns I have not yet tried.

The Linen Cotton Canvas is technically a home decor fabric but it has been one of my favorites to work with lately—I also made a Tamarak Jacket out of it!—for apparel. It has the luxury of linen, and the weight of a light canvas, making it perfect for pants and overalls! When making structured non-stretch pants, I have found canvas is a good substitute for denim with most sewing patterns. I used it to make these Jenny Overalls!

What is a sport jacket fabric? How would you define one?

There is a lot of confusion out there on this casual jacket fabric – which is understandable as since it's inception the sport jacket has been an orphan jacket and the word has come to encompass a wide range of meanings.

Originally a suit jacket worn as a mismatched jacket by young men participating in sport, the sport jacket as a garment made without matching trousers was pioneered by the tennis great Rene Lacoste and other stylish men in the 1920 and 30s.

Following these guidelines can help you quickly determine if the jacket fabric you'e looking at will make a versatile sports jacket.

1. The fabric should not look like a suit sports and jacket fabric – skip navy blue, shades of grey, and black solids. Keep your trousers grey – not your sport jackets.

2. Avoid striped fabrics – stripes mean business, and sport jackets are stylish casual menswear.

3. Fabrics with a rough or napped texture can be excellent choices as they help distinguish the fabric from worsted wool suit fabrics.

4. Patterns in the fabric and a mixture of colors is a great start – but refrain from selecting a jacket that's too memorable unless you own a few classic style already.

Sports Jackets vs Blazers
We often come across the use of the term sports jacket, sport coat or blazer. While it seems to refer to the same garment, there are differences and when someone realises this, these differences -between a sports jacket and a blazer- are not always clear. Obviously, they have to be some different characteristics that define them.

This article shall become a mini guide of differences between these two types of attire and their appropriate use.

SPORTS JACKET
Having its origins in the British countryside and horseback riding, the sports jacket is less structured, more casual would say outer piece of an attire. This type of jacket was actually worn for functional purposes and most often in the morning or at weekends at times when the season or occasion didn’t require a man to wear a two piece or three piece suit. Although more casual in style, paradoxically they were also considered a luxury item, a sign of wealth since most men at the time could only afford a tailored suit without many alternatives.

This time has passed though and mens dress has become much more casual in style nowadays, This means that a sports jacket is barely considered a casual item but nonetheless, men who take care of their style introduce a number of them in their closet. Such a sport jacket can satisfy any smart casual dress moment such as a dinner at a restaurant or a social gathering, but can do well for a business casual dress code required in a professional environment. The sports jacket has been mixed and matched with garments that some years ago would never be considered right. So, now you see a sports jacket combined with jogger trousers or a hoodie sweater and sneakers. Mix and match of sports jackets initially began with casual garments to end up at today's creative blend with the athletic pieces of clothing and put a sports jacket again in the spotlight of the menswear industry.

Speaking technically a sport jacket usually lacks the defined structure of a suit jacket. This means that a sports jacket shall be light. Features of this type are the natural shoulders (missing evident padding),an absence of hard canvas internally and most probably absence of full lining, all details that result in a shirt-like feeling. Pockets in sports jackets are of the patch pockets style, that are externally sewn pockets of a functional character. Generally sport jackets seem and feel relaxed.