Fabric 201: A Tutorial from Satin Stitches

Satin Stitches | Dec 04, 2008 | there are 0 comments

Does SPANDEX by any other name, stretch as much?

I still hear it all the time, and even from sewers- what exactly is Lycra or spandex, and how do I work with it, successfully?

In my June blog, titled Fabrics 101, I discussed all types of information about all types of fabrics. I tried to cover most of the different types of fabrics that dance professionals would consider using in their dance performance costumes.

I barely touched on the most obvious fabric, which is spandex. Spandex is a godsend for the performance world! Before spandex was invented, dancers performed in fitted, non-stretch garments and knitwear that had stretch, but not the elastic-memory, that spandex has. Watch all the old movie musicals to see what dancers wore BEFORE spandex!

Spandex or elastane, is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor.

Spandex was invented in 1959 by DuPont chemist Joseph Shivers. When first introduced, it revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry.

The most famous brand name associated with spandex is LYCRA, a trademark of Invista, formerly part of DuPont. The brand name Lycra has become a genericised trademark in many parts of the world, used to describe any kind of spandex. Invista discourages such use, protecting its trademark vigorously.

Spandex has many properties. Spandex can be stretched over 500 percent without breaking, it is able to be stretched repetitively and still recover its original length. It is lightweight, abrasion resistant, and it is soft, smooth, and supple. Spandex is resistant to body oils, perspiration, lotions, and detergents. It has no static or pilling problems, is very comfortable, and easily dyed. It combines with other fibers, such as silk, cotton, Nylon, Rayon and polyester to create sumptuous fabrics that feel and look incredible. Many of our regular clothes contain a small amount of spandex to increase comfort.

Today the market is full of all types of spandex fabrics. It comes in all types of textures and colors. It is available in sheer, light-weight, medium-weight, and heavy-weight options. There are both shiny and matte spandex options, prints, stripes, laces, etc. etc. You can choose what spandex to use, by sight and feel, and drape.

But a really important consideration, when working with spandex is whether the fabric has 4-way, 2-way or 1-way stretch. What does this mean? 4-way stretch spandex is also called tricot spandex. 2-way stretch spandex is called raschel spandex. And satin spandex is a 1-way stretch fabric. Why is this important? Well, different stretchiness can affect how your costumes fit the wearer.

Tricot spandex has the most stretch of all, where it stretches all directions-widthwise, lengthwise and both diagonal directions. This is the most popular spandex, and is used for most costumes and dancewear basics.

Raschel apandex has lots of stretch lengthwise and diagonally, but only a limited amount of stretch, widthwise. Raschel is harder to find, but can be very useful when you want to limit the stretch in one direction on your costumes. An example would be, for a little more support in a costume, sort of the old-fashioned girdle effect. We use it to hold in, and create control in a performance garment. We also use it for the base fabric, when we create our fully-sequined costumes. We sew half-inch sequined trim onto spandex to create wonderfully comfortable and subtle, glitzy sequined costumes. If we used tricot, it would be so stretchy, that it would use 50 percent more sequins and end up 50 percent larger, which is not a good plan for size control!

Satin spandex is a beautiful fabric because it is has a beautiful sheen to it. As in all fabric satins, the shininess is created with the weave or the knit of the fabric. It is where the technical phrase SATIN STITCH comes from. It is a type of stitch that creates the satiny look and feel. All satin spandex fabrics have virtually no stretch, widthwise. When this fabric first came out, seamstresses were buying it because it looked so nice, but making leotardss or dance dress out of it was problematic. You cannot MOVE in a tight-fitting costume that has no stretch in either the length or width. You have to be very creative in the cutting of a costume out of satin spandex, or it will not fit right, or move. As a designer, I have had a few tricks to be able to successfully work with satin spandex. Unfortunately, I have seen many false-starts and mistakes by not-so-savvy sewers.

Choosing the wrong stretch-type of spandex for a particular sewing project can be a downfall of sewing dance costumes. You can work with either of these three spandex types, for most projects, BUT you have to adjust your patterns and expectations for fit and looks, accordingly. So please be aware that they are NOT interchangeable, that one type may be a better choice than another type, for any particular project. Once you learn how to work with all three types, you will have costume success, without headaches.

I mentioned in FABRIC 101, I am a costume designer and I know all about fabrics! That is part of my job. I know what fabrics will do and what they will not do. I know that you need to design with the specific attributes of a particular fabric in mind, and that you cannot make fabrics do what they do not want to do! So do not stretch the limits of spandex beyond your capacity to work with them!