What is Voile Fabric? Voile has been used for making curtains and bridal gowns. It's very functional and stylish. It's also a popular fabric used for summer dresses. Moreover, this fabric can be used for making dainty clothes. If you want to know more about what is voile fabric, keep reading. We'll cover what it is, its types, and even a care guide at the end.
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What Is Voile Fabric?
Voile is plain and light fabric. It is often made using a cotton blend or pure cotton. Compared to other cotton fabrics, it has a higher thread count. This gives the fabric a soft and silky touch. Moreover, it is ideal for making summer clothes because it is breathable, partly sheer, and lightweight.
What is voile fabric, and what does it look like? The fabric is also available in a variety of colors and patterns. Its semi-transparent quality makes it great for curtains. Dresses can be made by placing a different material over the fabric or layering the fabrics together. The feel is reminiscent of chiffon.
Characteristics of Voile Fabric
Plain Weave
Voile fabric is a plain weave. The horizontal threads are over and below the vertical fibers. Depending on the thread count, the fabric weave can be tight or loose. A shuttling method is used in making the fabric since the yarn goes forward and backward in the process.
Long Filament Fibers
Natural voile fabrics use wool and cotton materials.
What is voile fabric, and how is it different from the synthetic alternatives? The fibers in voile fabric are slightly combed and twisted so that they can be stiff and glossy. Slightly combing and twisting the threads give voile fabric a crisp and sheer look. Therefore, it can be compared to organdy.
Coarse and Lightweight
This lightweight fabric is coarse because the woven fibers are tight. It also has better quality compared to muslin because of the texture and the way it holds form. Nevertheless, it slightly lacks appearance, so it is not the fabric of choice for dinner events. It best works when used in making casual clothes.
Polished
The finish of the voile fabric is smooth and matte. The extra fibers that stick out are burned away, making it look polished. Even though many voile fabrics are made using a plain weave, many finishes can be seen, such as corded, seeded, or pique. Moreover, there are also various colors available because of the use of artificial dyes.
Petroleum or wood are used to make synthetic voile. Aside from making the fabric more durable, it keeps dyes better without affecting its appearance.
Factors Affecting The Quality of Voile Fabric
Here are some of the things you can check before buying the fabric.
For quality, it is often accepted that this fabric has more thickness. This shows the thread number and weight for every inch are higher, which makes it more sturdy. You also need to be careful with the stitching. You can see if the stitches are tight, but there should be a little play when you stretch it.
How the materials are blended is also crucial to the quality of the fabric. Cotton and other natural fabrics are more comfortable, but they are not as durable.
All in all, the features of quality voile fabric are the following:
- Has tight and plain weave
- Drapes lightly
- Has a soft and silky finish
- Coarse and crisp texture
- Solid yet flexible
- A little transparent, so you have the option to add a lining
Types of Voile Fabric
Crushed
The crushed type of this fabric is exceptionally light and soft, which is close to chiffon. Because it is lightweight, this type is often used in making delicate furniture pieces.
Sheer
This fabric is ideal if you are looking for a material with drape. It can level up an outfit or make a space look impressive. That is why it is often used in soft furniture pieces such as squabs, quilted bed sheets, and cushions.
How Voile Fabric Is Made
What is voile, and how is this fabric created? It is made using highly twisted voile yarns. Compared to standard yarns, voile yarns are more twisted. Nevertheless, they are less twisted compared to crepe fabric yarns.
After the yarns are twisted, rounded yarns in singles are made. Then, these are transformed into 2-fold yarns. Using the same twist direction, 2 single yards are used together to create a durable yarn. This yarn is woven to make the fabric.
Voile Compared to Batiste and Lawn
Many people mistake voile fabric for batiste or lawn. Therefore, what is voile fabric and how is it different from these fabrics? Even though all of them are soft, lightweight, and breathable, some specific features are present in batiste and cotton lawns.
Lawn fabric is made of combed cotton threads. These threads are crisp and very polished and crisp. The fabric is not as see-through compared to a voile. These fabrics resemble each other because of the crispiness, but the voile is smoother.
Batiste is silkier, smoother, finer than voile. That is why this is used to make loose and lightweight blouses, heirloom clothing pieces, and gowns. The fabric has linen and silk options. Voile is like a batiste because of its smooth and silky feel. However, the former is not as sheer.
Price of Voile Fabric
When you have plans of using voile, you need to consider its price. For every yard of cotton, it costs about $10 and $15 for cotton voile. The price of voile fabric varies depending on the blend or weave quality used in making the fabric. Therefore, it is recommended to ask different stores before buying.
Uses of Voile Fabric
What is voile fabric and how is it used? It is ideal for making casual clothing pieces. However, it is unlikely that you will see this fabric used in formal wear since they are dressy enough compared to other fabrics such as lace, jacquard, or chiffon.
The fabric works well with everyday clothes since it is hypoallergenic. People with sensitive skin will not have a problem wearing this fabric. They are also great to be used as a sheer cover-up in summer because it is lightweight. Another travel use of this fabric is for making pareos or sarongs.
Aside from clothes, voile fabric can be used to make table cloths and fabrics with embroidery. Lingerie and baby clothes can also be made with this fabric. Because of their sheer finish, they are perfect drapes. Lace voile fabric can be used to create decorative accents.
It can also be used to make certain types of curtains. Curtains made from voile have a cotton-polyester blend or pure cotton. It does not matter if you use it for clothes, curtains, or tablecloths because it will drape well all the time.
Voile Fabric Sewing Tips
Because the fabric can significantly shrink when you wash or dry it using a high temperature, it is best to wash and dry it before measuring and sewing.
Synthetic voile is less prone to getting wrinkled than cotton voile. That is why you have to keep in mind that polyester voile limits the fabric’s breathability and can begin to pill more quickly compared to cotton if you want to sew summer clothes.
It is recommended to use pins when stitching voile fabric because it is a little slippery. Therefore, it can be challenging to sew it.
Many voile fabrics need lining because they are thin.
Voile Fabric Care instructions
- To avoid the fabric from fraying when you wash it, stitch the unfinished edges.
- Use your hands and a gentle detergent to wash the fabric. You can also use your washing machine and wash the fabric on a gentle cycle using cool water. Separate more delicate pieces and place them in a pillowcase.
- When drying using your washing machine, tumble dry the fabric and make sure to use a gentle setting or low heat. What is voile fabric and what are other ways to dry it? You can also hang it using a rust-resistant hanger and air dry. Do not place it in sunlight since the fibers and colors of the fabric can get affected.
- Gently stretch the fabric while it is a little damp. This is done so that the fabric can return to its original size.
What Is Voile Fabric - In Conclusion
Finally, you have a better understanding of voile fabric. Put simply, it is a soft, lightweight, sheer fabric that has a great drape. It is not surprising that it is so versatile. It can be used to create clothes and pieces of furniture. You can create flowy dresses, tops, and skirts perfect for the hot weather. Its coarse texture makes windows and tables more elegant.
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