Wanna see something truly magical?
Not very much in the fabric world is news to me – when you’ve been around fabric and sewing for …well, let’s just say a really long time, you see fabrics come and go. So every now and then I really do wanna see something truly magical! The 50s and 60s were the time for development of synthetic yarns. One of those yarns was polyester and nothing epitomized polyester to the home sewer than Crimplene.
Remember Crimplene?
Most often Crimplene was made into simple dresses such as this one. Yes, I thought I was super cool wearing this dress to the school sock hops (girls were not allowed to wear pants to school and you were sent home to change if you did)
This new fabric had a lot going for it – you could wash it in the machine and no ironing. It never creased , wrinkled or frayed. No more tiresome seam finishes! However, the clothes (and school uniforms in some areas) made from this fabric were hot, and I mean… sweat like crazy hot! There are lots of sewists who are turned off polyester today due to their memories of sweating in Crimplene. And women in hot and sticky climates – I can’t imagine what you went through!
Cotton
Give us cotton – a proven hot weather fabric, we say! Right? Well, not so fast. Cotton, being a natural fibre will be cooler than a synthetic but… you will still sweat in cotton, especially if you are working out. But nothing we can do about that, right? We still want cotton!
Active Cotton by Kinisi
Actually, now there is a new cotton kid on the block and I am happy to say this is not your grandmother’s cotton. This is Active Cotton by Kinisi, developed by Kinisi Athletics for their line of sportswear.
This truly moisture moving fabric is unlike anything I have seen. I sprinkled some water on a piece of fabric on the purl side (the side that would be facing my body if I were wearing a T-shirt). The water beaded up but did not penetrate the fabric, yet it slowly disappeared. Where did it go? The fabric itself showed no water mark.
I turned the fabric over to the knit side (the “outside” of the t-shirt) and here’s what I saw.
I couldn’t believe it, so I turned it back over again. No water! Like magic, the wet area did not stay on the side that would touch my body!
I am proud to be working with this company to develop some garments from this remarkable cotton fabric. But I asked them…would they allow us to make this fabric available to the home sewist? After all, it’s not often we get the same fabrics they use in a ready-to-wear line, is it? I told them our customers wanna see something truly magical, too! They agreed and now we have it at Bra-makers Supply!
It’s in 10 glorious colours including colours that match our Duoplex (Platinum, Fuchsia, Red, Royal and Black). The 95% cotton and 5% spandex fabric is 58-60″ wide and in stock now. The code number is FC-75. Colours from top to bottom:
- Off-white
- Deep Coral
- Fuchsia
- Red
- Ice Blue
- Royal Blue
- Aqua Green (also called Spearmint)
- Platinum (mid tone grey)
- Black
- Silver (light grey)
I remember my aunt having a dress she reserved for going to summer weddings. It was Crimplene and she hated the expense of dry cleaning it each time. I told her to throw it in the wash and hand it to dry. She was very happy but I can't imagine how hot she was at all those summer weddings!
OMG, I remember crimplene! My mother used to sew all of our clothes from it in the mid to late sixties and yes it was hot.
This new cotton fabric really intrigues me. I can see it for sports clothing, of course, but also for panties….love my matching bras and panties!
It seems to stretch about 50% in both directions so it is quite stretchy. However we have spray basted it to the back of duoplex to make a Kerri and it worked like a charm. No bounce and no sweat…literally! I wish I had this a few years agao!
Absolutely! The fabric is awesome and really does work!
Wishes really do come true…Thank you Fairy Bra Mother.
Can you elaborate on the stretch properties of this fabric.
I am thinking Kerry Sports Bra.
Would this work for pj's for women of a certain age? Hot flashes are leaving me hot and sweaty at night! 😕