I came across the name of a fabric I haven't heard of before. Raschel. I saw it while looking through the
Thanks, AK in PA
Scratch "fabricland" and put in
Dear AK
Raschel is a type of knitting machine. It makes lace, for example. Also one of the machines makes long underwear fabric.
Teri
It's a warp knit (the yarns follow up and down the fabric, instead of across (weft knitting) like you do in hand knitting.
Principal warp knits include tricot, milanese and raschel... they're all pretty easy to sew, and resist runs. Raschel knits usually have little or no stretch and sometimes are bulky -- one of the more common raschel knit fabrics is the "thermal knit" seen in cotton long underwear. Most of the knit laces I've seen recently (like curtain laces) are raschel knit.
Raschel knits usually have
Having said that, if you wanted to make a sports bra and in addition to a wicking layer, which one of these would you want a cotton lycra knit, a nylon tricot knit or a nylon raschel knit?
Trying to find the best for the use fabric. I need underwear that will take perspiration away from the skin. But standard store sizes, especially sports wear, in no way fit this body. So I'm stuck making my own. This is a 50yo with diaper rash who doesn't need to wear a diaper. Fantastic picture that just made in someone's mind. AK in PA
ARGH! Poor you! I had a customer with VERY delicate skin (on dialasys also! :( ) and we got round a similar problem with silk, but it didn't have to fit like a bra... Some of the modern sports/outdoors wicking fabrics have a much better wicking property than any natural fibres, and may well be worth persuing.
Penny has some good places to start looking on her suppliers list, and remember that you can always ring them and ask! This goes for manufacturers as well as suppliers. Some manufacturers who currently ONLY supply the industry may also let you have sammples to experiment with, especially if it may possibly lead to another area of the market opening up for their magic stuff! hey - the worst they can say is No, after all. :)
Penny's list:
Understood. I have similar problems, and anything that fits snugly leaves ugly red marks. Who ever heard of a bra that wasn't snug? I usually just wear
For what purpose? I presume you want to minimize bounce but still have stretch. Some of the cotton lycras have good recovery, others don't. Nylon tricot or raschel won't have much stretch.
I've a friend who makes her sports bras from either Powerstretch (a wicking poly lycra from Malden Mills) or spandura (cordura-lycra blend) lined in a wicking poly.
BTDT with a non-wicking bra. Lovely image indeed.
I'm a runner and a sweater (lovely, again) and my wicking bra of choice uses a nylon-spandex (83%/17%) outer layer. (Inner layer is all poly, of course.) If I were redesigning it I'd want less stretch and more sturdiness in the outer layer, but it's great for preventing heat rash.
-Sara, usually a lurker
I use pure linen cut on the bias to make my pull-over sports bras.
I just switched from underwear elastic around the bottom to three rows of quarter-inch elastic in a casing divided into three parts, and like it much better.
I edge-stitched the bottom of the casing to prevent it from wearing through the edge as my waistline casings do. This gives me the idea of making the casing in the front an inch too wide next time, so as to have a linen ruffle tucked between my 38F's and my chest.
Which is going to complicate my flat-felled side seams; luckily, I have several other projects to make while I'm figuring out how to do it.
Putting in elastic through a flat-felled seam turned out as easy as pie, once I figured it out. I opened the seam, hemmed the edges that would be on the outside of the proposed casings, and basted the seam closed while I stitched the casings. Then I put the bodkin in eye first with the elastic on top, and once entirely in, started it moving forward under the seam. Easier than opening a plain seam and sewing it closed again!
But next time I'll hem the edges a bit earlier in the assembly, when I can do it by machine.
Joy Beeson
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