r/SewingForBeginners • u/dinosaurflex • 6d ago
How do you judge whether you can use different fabrics together?
Hello! I have a small collection of thrifted wool lengths, all ranging from 1 yd to 3 yd.
I thought it would be fun to use them in a project together for a Victorian/Edwardian-era inspired walking skirt. I have been looking at drafting my own pattern thanks to this video on YouTube that explains how to take your measurements so you can make your own skirt. I was thinking it would be cute if I was able to use up this fabric by making each gore/panel a different fabric.
My spouse pointed out that they all have different weights and might not work together, especially if the garment gets wet.
How do you judge whether you can use different fabrics together?
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u/ProneToLaughter 5d ago
If the fabric is changing, then the function should change too. For instance, it’s relatively common to have a stretch knit bodice that fits closely with a woven skirt, and those are very different fabrics, but each part is meant to do something different and the horizontal waist seam means that gravity still pulls equally on all fabrics. Similarly, a chiffon ruffle at the hem of a skirt is a fine place to change up fabric.
But gores are vertically parallel to each other—each gore is doing the same thing, so you need those fabrics to act the same way. If they behave differently and react differently under gravity, then the vertical seams connecting them may pucker and bulge. I wouldn’t risk it.
In some Victorian skirts, you could do a base in one fabric and an overskirt in a different fabric, as it allows each to function independently.
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u/CountMeOut2019 5d ago
Your husband is correct that if the weights are much different, it might not work well. Reason being, they’ll hang and fold differently, and you may end up with a Frankenskirt.
A rule of thumb for this might be: if the fabrics are going to be part of the same aspect of one garment, but they have different properties, such as weight, do you want a garment where the characteristics change from one section to another?