A Fabric Mystery To Solve & The New Fabric Stash Spotlight

Today kicks off a new feature here at Sew Can Do: Fabric Stash Spotlight.  We're all big fabric lovers so I thought a regular fabric feature would be fun to do & a great way to share knowledge.  

Here's my plan:  Once a month (or maybe more), I'll share a unique fabric from my stash and give lots of fabric info like...

               ~ What it's made of?
               ~ Properties like stretch, thickness, etc.
               ~ Use ideas (best for apparel, decor, bags, etc.)
               ~ Tips & tricks for the best sewing results 
               ~ Where you can find the fabric

I've amassed an enormous collection of fun & fabulous fabrics over the past couple of years, but a lot of these beauties are still folded waiting to be used.  Sometimes they get forgotten about because they're tucked away or (and I'm sure I'm not the only one here), I've been hoarding/saving them because I love them but just haven't found the perfect project.  

Just a few stacks of fabric in my stash

The goal is to get us all inspired to use our stash fabrics more & to share fabric info. Then you can find out more about some great fabrics and get sewing more too.  Yes, I'm being a bit of a fabric buying enabler, but I think that's a good thing;)

Now, on to today's Stash Spotlight.  It's a.....MYSTERY fabric!

That's right, sometimes I'll need your help figuring out fabric too;)  Today's feature is something I picked up and have a lot of hands-on experience with, but I don't know what it's actually called.  I'd love to find out because I have GOT to get more, so let's see if you can help solve the mystery!  

Fabric Makeup:

My best description for this is Sweater bonded fleece, Flocked sweater knit or Fleece backed sweater knit.  I have two different prints of this fabric:  

Both are sweater knit on the right side, but on the wrong side are bonded with a layer of fleece.  It appears to be a yarn blend (cotton/acrylic?) on the sweater side and then polyester fleece on the back.  

Properties:

It's got the same thickness as usual fleece and a similar level of two way stretch along the cross grain (selvage to selvage), with a little give on the lengthwise grain (aka top to bottom).  It's also got a super generous 62 inch width which makes it so versatile.   
  

Uses:

Since this fabric has a built in fleece-y back, making use of both sides is ideal.  

- With hemmed edges it's great for hats, scarves, mittens and one layer throws or blankets.

- Clothing like tops, dresses and leggings are perfect ways to use it.  It has all the warmth and comfort of a heavy sweater, but without the bulk and is much more flattering to wear.  

I used both of these with a pattern for a slightly loose knit dress (Cynthia Rowley 2054 by Simplicity).  Since this fabric is stretchy, but not as saggy as the recommended jersey, it turned out to be a fun, more form-fitting version, which I personally prefer to a shapeless sack.  I shortened it a little more too so it's perfect with leggings:

Here's the same dress done in the brown snowflake fabric.  I tend to wear baggy layers in winter so I don't freeze, but hate how horrible it looks.  These are SO cuddly and warm, but still look super cute, so they're a huge improvement to the winter wardrobe: 

Tips & Tricks:

- This fabric sews a lot like traditional fleece so I'd recommend a ball point needle or using a heavy duty needle if sewing through 3 or more layers.  

- A walking foot isn't necessary, but it does make it easier to keep it from stretching or shifting while sewing layers.

- Unlike fleece, since there's actual sweater knitting & threads, this does fray, so I recommend encasing raw edges on hems and trimming with pinking shears or serging for inside seams.

- If using it for clothing, use knit or triple stitch on your machine or serger for seams.

- I've been washing mine on cold and line drying and it comes out beautifully.

Find It Here:

I found this fabric in Ontario, Canada at Fabricland, Canada's main fabric store chain last summer.   They don't offer fabrics on line, but I've found some real gems whenever I visit. The prices for apparel fabrics are ridiculously cheap and they have a huge variety.  But look out on the quilting cotton & standard fleece - the prices for those are bizarrely high.  I got these sweater knits for around $7/meter.  I love that you even score a couple of extra inches thanks to the metric system!  I searched online to try to find this fabric with no luck, partly because I don't know what it's "official" name is, but I'll keep looking.

If you know what this fabric is called or where to find it, I'd love to have you share it with us fabric lovers.  And stay tuned for another installment of Fabric Stash Spotlight next month!