Brocade is a family of fabrics with rich, heavy, elaborate designs. Brocades may have coloured or metallic threads making the design, and are usually a satin weave background which makes the figures stand out. The figures in brocade are rather loose, while in damask the figure threads are actually bound into the material. The pattern may be satin on a twill ground or twill on a satin ground. The motifs may be of flowers, foliage, scrollwork, pastoral scenes, or other designs.
Brocade lends itself well to corsets, vests and lapels, cuffs and collars. It is a busy fabric and as such is not appropriate for skirts or dresses. It is also a stiff fabric and as such is not a good choice for tops or blouses, however it can be used similar to denim, twill or plaids in pants.
Brocade should only be dry-cleaned, hand washed or washed in cold water on a gentle cycle.
Chiffon is a light diaphanous fabric of silk or nylon. It is lightweight, sheer and semi-transparent. It is made with very fine, tightly twisted yarns in the filling, the warp or both. While chiffon looks filmy and fragile it is in fact a very strong fabric and because of this it wears very well. It has slightly bumpy look.
Chiffon is a fantastic fabric for blouses, sleeves of tops and dresses. It is also ideal for flowing gowns and overskirts. When planning to use chiffon it is best to take into consideration its semi-transparent nature.
Chiffon can be machine washed on a delicates cycle in cold water. It should be hang dried.
Crepe Back Satin:
Crepe Back Satin is a cloth constructed with a satin weave on the face and a Crêpe effect on the back. The crepe effect is obtained with twisted crepe yarns in the filling having 2 or 3 times as many end’s as picks per inch. It is a soft fabric, which can be reversible. It is usually piece dyed. Very interesting effects can be obtained in a garment by using both sides, in different parts of the garment.
Crepe Back Satin is a good choice for evening dresses, wedding dresses, tops and corsets. It is a medium weight fabric with a fair degree of wear. This makes it ideal for occasional garments.
Crepe Back Satin should only ever be dry-cleaned.
Silk Duponni is a distinctive silk with a natural texture to it. It is comprised of silk yarns from the cocoon of two silk worms that have nested together. The double strand is not separated so the yarn is uneven and irregular with a large diameter in places and thinner in others. The fabric itself is a plain weave.
The interesting texture of Silk Duponni makes for distinctive corsets, skirts, blouses or dresses. The texture is rough and the fabric tends to be of medium-heavy weight. It has good wear.
Silk Duponni is a 100% Silk Fabric. It should only be Hand washed in cold or Dry Cleaned.
This form of satin has a wonderful lustre and a smooth feel. Its thread count is very high. Very fine yarns are used, particularly in the warp with more ends per inch than picks. The material is strong, has a high lustre, and texture, and it is firm. It is also characterized by a grainy twill on the back.
Duchess Satin is a good choice for evening dresses, wedding dresses, tops and corsets. It is a medium weight fabric with a fair degree of wear. This makes it ideal for occasional garments.
This is a 100% Polyester fabric and is machine washable on cold and hang dried or dry clean.
In fabric parlance PVC is a dual layer fabric. The top layer, Polyvinyl Chloride is applied to an elasticized base fabric. PVC can be coloured or textured in various ways.
PVC is well suited to club wear, corsetry or classic various evening gowns, tops or pants.
Due to the inclusion of the plastic PVC must be dry-cleaned or wipe down. It cannot be machine washed on any setting.
Satin is technically a technique of weaving fabrics. As such the term satin can be used to refer to any of a number of fabrics. The weave gives it a glossy surface on one side and flat on the other. Once the fabric has been woven it is often run between hot cylinders to increase the lustre.
Satin can be used for a number of applications running from everyday wear to occasional, blouses to gowns. The fabric can be light or medium weight and soft or stiff.
Most satins these days are artificial fibres and can be machine washed on cold and tumble-dried on delicate.
Miscellaneous fabrics include fun furs, laces, quilts, knits and prints. There are no general characteristics or care instructions for these fabrics. Please view each one for more information.
Tafetta:
Tafetta is a fabric with high lustre and good sheen. It is made from silk or rayon with a plain weave. It is available in plain colours, fancy prints, watered designs, and changeable effects. It is a very smooth fabric.
Because of it’s high sheen Tafetta is ideal for dress blouses, gowns and skirts. It is a medium weight fabric with good wear and as such is best suited for occasional garments.
Tafetta is best dry-cleaned but can be machine washed on cold and tumble dried on a delicate setting.
Velvet is a closely woven fabric of silk or cotton. It has a thick short pile on one side and is sheer on the other, either a plain weave or a twill. Most velvets that we use at To Die For Designs are silk velvets where the pile is silk with a rayon or cotton. There are various grades of velvet, from quite light to quite dense and heavy with good wear. Good grades of velvet are crush resistant, water resistant, and drapes well.
Velvet is very well suited to jackets, tops, skirts, pants, period pieces and occasional wear. It makes excellent detailing fabric on garments made with flatter fabrics.
Despite its good wear it is best to hand wash or dry clean velvets. Lower grades may deteriorate with one or two washings.
Crushed Velvet is a velvet fabric that has been treated in the manufacturing process to have a textured look to it.
Crushed velt can be used anywhere that velvet can be used.
Despite its good wear it is best to hand wash or dry clean velvets. Lower grades may deteriorate with one or two washings.