*waves at sewists* What kind of fabric for a wrinkle-free pant? - YouLookFab Forum

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waves at sewists What kind of fabric for a wrinkle-free pant?

rae

(website)

Veteran

So. Many of you generously chimed in on my dress pants post, so I'm starting to seriously consider cloning some pants. I'm thinking I'll do one last, serious mall excursion. After that: clone wars.

My current faves are polyester twill. I like that they hardly wrinkle at all, and that the pattern of the twill also disguises any creases that get baked in while I sit at my desk with my space heater cranked up. I wouldn't mind some stretch, though. And I'm not against other fabrics that might look nicer and be thicker.

Any suggestions? (fingers crossed)

17 replies

Latest reply was from rae

DragonflyJane

Even though I'm a keen sewist, I'm not that knowledgable about actual fabric types - sorry.

I just usually go the the fabric shop and proceed to touch & scrunch everything in sight until I find something I like!

(I also scrunch clothes in shops too to test for wrinklability!)

Jem

Veteran

Hi Rae, sorry you are having pant troubles. They are trickiest to find and fit! I like fabric called RPL, which is Rayon, Polyester and Lycra. They can be different percentages of each, so will feel a bit different, depending on the combination. Here's one example: http://www.fabric.com/apparel-.....abric.aspx There are probably a ton of different names and the thicknesses can vary, but it is are my favorite for dress pants. Here are some more:
http://www.gorgeousfabrics.com.....;image.y=0 I think if you will look at the store, alot of what you see will be made of this combination. You can probably get straight poly, but I prefer it with the lycra. If you have a JoAnn's fabrics around, they probably have some you can look at. It would usually be with the suitings.

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

Twill looks great when made up, but is a pain to sew as it tends to stretch out in some ways but not in others. I am thinking that a ponte with a little spandex (2-5%) could be the ticket:

something along these lines (check the end of your bolt for fiber content):
http://www.joann.com/sew-class.....prd728576/

i cannot recommend enough that you first make a muslin to check for fit - here is a good intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JMRd5FdG_s

also, google around for advice on making dress pants, copying pants, etc. - the more info the better! this is a great place for info above and beyond pattern reviews:
http://www.patternreview.com

http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com makes gorgeously detailed clothing! she also includes some posts with very detailed photos and instructions on her website - it may take some serious searching but it will be worth it. HTH! steph

p.s. i'm pm'ing you

Mrs Moo

I'm also a regular dressmaker, but like the lady above tend to just 'feel' the fabric in the shop and decide if it's suitable. Most of the time I go fabric shopping without a particular garment in mind and use the fabric itself as the inspiration for what to make.

Anyhoo, that's not about your pants though is it? I would go to a bit fabric warehouse and question the staff re the washability of the fabric first and foremost. Pants that get worn a lot will need to wash well, having to dry clean all the time would be a right pain in the bum. If you can wash and press them often, getting them wrinkled a little throughout the day should be no big deal.

For what it's worth, I think having a go making some or having a tailor make some bespoke that fit *perfectly* is definitely the way to go!

Good luck :0)

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Woven RPL (rayon-poly-lycra). The poly keeps away the wrinkles, the rayon makes them drape and feel good, and the lycra gives a little stretch. They can come in different weights and different weaves, often twill. I am not much of a dress-pant-maker but I do know of a couple online stores that regularly sell pant-weight RPL (there's knit RPL as well, but that would require a different pattern, probably). Off the top of my head: Emma One Sock (.com), Gorgeous Fabrics (.com), Sawyer Brook Fabrics (.com I think), and also possibly Fabric Mart (more of a warehouse-type experience in that they get stuff in, sell it at a discount, and then they don't have any more for a while). Also fabric.com has lower prices and great service but their quality isn't always as high - although you can return things if they aren't what you expected, which is pretty unusual for a fabric store.

Vildy

Veteran

Alli of What I Wore Today (I think that's the name) says that she was recommended to wear ponte pants and never looked back.

I personally don't think that a little wrinkling is such a bad thing. Has its charms.
Anyway, I had a boyfriend who got a pair of wool twill camel colored pants that looked like the wealthy cousin of khakis. Extremely expensive and continued to hang beautifully and barely wrinkled.

Also, lined pants wrinkle less. And if a pair of pants was interlined - two layers cut as one and sewn up that way, they tend to behave themselves.

Anyway, look at wool twill weaves or gabardines. Though they will eventually get shiny if pressed too much over the years. By then, you'll have something else.

Tina

Veteran

Just chiming in to say that as you are exhausting your retail options, try BR one more time. Try their lined wool pants. I have a pair that behaves very well, fit well and they are holding up beautifully after several years of wear.

MsLuna

Veteran

I haven't quite tried sewing pants, so I can't say I have a favourite fabric. I like working with flowy fabrics and knits, so I really can't say much. I am looking to make a structured knit pant eventually though...

Will get back to you when I try it out

Travelgal Nicole

Veteran

I second the BR wool pants. They are great and you could always have them altered.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Ooh, the pontes and RPLs linked look wonderful! And I see rusts, olive greens, and burgundy colors. I may have to have a go at this. Everything in store so far has been a compromise on color, even if the fits had been great, which they SO weren't.

Vildy, you make a good point about lining. Perhaps part of my frustration is that so very few pants are lined nowadays!

MKK, I will have my eyes trained on your posts.

This will surely be a huge task, since I'm so impatient with pressing, finishing seams and all that. BUT the control freak in me is working up a slow smile at the thought of customizing fabric, color, leg style, and all.

Jem

Veteran

Hi Rae, this is my favorite pants pattern, although I haven't sewn pants for quite awhile. http://www.jalie.com/women-pants-pattern.html It is supposed to be like the Editor pants, although I've never tried those on to know if that's true. I'd recommend posting over at http://www.patternreview.com with questions and/or pictures of your "muslin" as you are working on fit because there are people with lots fitting experience that can probably help with adjustments.

Anonymous

I take some fabric and squeeze it in my hand. If there are no wrinkles after I let go of the fabric, it's fine. That's the way my mom told me to do it, and it works every time. That said, anything with a high percentage of polyester will be wrinkle resistant or wrinkle free. The polyester fabrics they make today are much better than the ones they had decades ago--particularly the blends. The pants I wear to work are blends. They wrinkle if you pack them in a suitcase, but I never have to iron them if I take them out of the dryer right after the cycle finishes. (I dry them on low heat, by the way.)

Anonymous

Quick note to say that I saw Angie doing what Ruth suggested to check on the wrinkling issue, on a jacket I pointed out to her.

ManidipaM

Veteran

Seconding the stretchy ponte suggestion from steph (for fit, comfort and being easier to work with/care for), as well as wool garbardine if that's not too warm for you. Twill's a bit of a pain to line up just so (along the grain), I think.

Julie

Veteran

Do an internet search for "Hong Kong tailors" in your city. A friend of mine who needs dress pants, skirts, jackets, etc. for her work gets hers from a tailor in Halifax. They use cotton, cotton blends, linen, wool, whatever is appropriate for the season, and no problems getting the colours she wants. The fit is to die for, and they wear forever. You can specify fabrics that can be washed.

She has even had them make dress shirts cut for a woman's shape, with the sharpest collars and french cuffs.

Julie

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

re: Laura's rec of RPL (rayon-poly-lycra), many ponte de roma's come in this fiber combo. it's verrrra nice!

i was at Joanne's a couple of weeks ago and they had RPL ponte in the most scrumptious tomato red ..... if you are a control freak with unusual sartorial tastes, the pain of sewing will be overwhelmed by the sheer joy of beautiful pieces which nobody else owns in the entire world. heehe! steph

rae

(website)

Veteran

Julie, I will definitely look into those tailors. I have friends who sometimes get things made in China/Vietnam, and I'm always jealous.

Steph, I have a Joanne's right next to my fave swap meet! Looks like a natural stop.