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Right Side Of Fabric

Right Side Of Fabric

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  • This topic has 10 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 3 years, 9 months ago by the_professors_assistant.
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  • March 7, 2013 at 11:40 AM #9661
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    how do I know what side of the material to sew on?

    March 7, 2013 at 11:41 AM #9662
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    Regarding your question about sewing on the right side of the fabric, it depends on what you’re doing. You’re right that there is a wrong side and a right side of the fabric. Some are easy to tell as one side will have a visible print or texture on one side (such as with velvet). Sometimes it’s hard to tell. If you look at the top and bottom finished edge of the fabric (this is called the selvage) you’ll notice tiny holes.  (These holes are caused by the pins holding the fabric when it’s created in the textile factories.) If you look at the holes and the holes appear neat and smooth, that’s the right side. If you look the holes on the wrong side, you’ll notice they’re not as neat and the fabric will sticking out on the edges of the hole, towards you. Some fabric like fleece and felt, look exactly the same on both sides. In cases such as this, it doesn’t really matter as both sides are equal. When sewing two pieces together, you always want to sew the pieces with the right sides facing each other. That way, when you’re done, you’ll have the fabric from your seam on the wrong side of the garment. Check out the video Sewing a seam to see a sample of this. If you’re hand sewing onto a single piece of fabric, have the right side of the fabric facing up towards you. You’ll take your knotted threaded needle and come up from wrong side up towards you on the right side. This is so the knot will not show on the right side of your project. You can see a sample of this on our tutorial hand sewing 101. I also go over patterns and fabric in my tutorials pattern layout and simplicity 2147 so that might help too.

    Here is a video on the right side of fabric https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJvHdp1KyH8

    August 31, 2013 at 8:15 PM #20078
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    This post really should be corrected…. the “right” side of the fabric is the side on which the selvedge holes are raised (ie. you can feel them under your fingertips). A good way to prove this is to inspect a patterned woven fabric where the right side is visually obvious… you will see that the holes on the side intended for the outside of the garment are raised, not smooth. I’ve been sewing by this rule for 35 years and it’s not wrong!

    September 1, 2013 at 10:42 PM #20111
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    I checked several examples of fabric in my stash where there was a clear right side and, for all of my examples, the side with the smooth holes was on the right side of the fabric. This is also what I was told when I worked in the fabric store. I’m sure there are examples of the opposite though, just to prove me wrong.

    August 10, 2016 at 7:30 AM #53912
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    Ms deafy loudy….you have been sewing by a non accurate rule..I have a degree in fashion design ..studied textiles etc.. the right side of the fabric is and will always be the side with the smooth edge on the holes …the wrong side has the edges relieved ..pushed out towards you. Sorry :/

    August 10, 2016 at 9:05 AM #53917
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    Thank you so much for providing confirmation, iiuva 🙂

    April 8, 2017 at 2:38 PM #64601
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    Hello, I have a fabric that I can’t see any holes on either side but it does have a very sharp small crease on one edge. Which side of the crease would be the right or wrong side? Both sides look the same, it’s a solid color. The fabric I have is a vl polycotton type and I can’t tell which side is which?

    April 12, 2017 at 9:06 AM #64603
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    by sharp crease, do you mean where the fabric is folded in half? Here’s another clue, and we’re going back to my days working at the fabric store…Typically, the fabric store always wants to show off the best side of the fabric when it’s on display. Was the fabric just wrapped on a bolt or was it also draped over the top? If it was simply wrapped around a bolt, that means when the fabric was folded in half, it was folded so that the right side was on the outside. If the fabric was wrapped on the bolt but then also draped, where they bring the end of the fabric over the top of the bolt, then this means that when the fabric was folded, the right side of the fabric is on the inside. but, honestly, if your fabric is really so difficult to tell the right side from the wrong side, I wouldn’t stress out too much about it and just pick a side and stay consistent. You can make a small mark on the “wrong side” of each piece so when you’re going through assembly you won’t get confused. Hope this helps!

    April 12, 2017 at 12:01 PM #64606
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    The very sharp crease is on one outer edge of the fabric not when it is folded. it was folded on a bolt. I should have made a note of which side was which before I washed it to prep it for laying out the pattern.

    April 12, 2017 at 2:40 PM #64607
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    hmmm…I haven’t seen that type of crease before. well, in your case, I would just pick a side and make that your right side. good luck!

    February 4, 2021 at 6:29 AM #93403
    the_professors_assistant
    Keymaster

    Here is a video on the right side of fabric https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJvHdp1KyH8

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