Apparel Rayon Fabric Guide
The apparel industry offers many different types of rayon fabric, and as a home sewist you may get confused while shopping for rayon online. Our fabric guide will help you learn what certain terms mean so you can select the right rayon for your project.
Rayon Crepe
When you hear the term "crepe" applied to fabric, it is describing a fabric with a crinkled or wrinkled appearance. There is a visible texture to the fabric, it is not smooth. Because of the texture, it has a matte appearance.
Crepe hides fabric wrinkles better than other rayons because the texture is already wrinkled. If you are sewing a vacation wardrobe and plan on traveling with a rayon garment, crepe makes an excellent choice.
Italian Viscose
Italian Viscose is the opposite of crepe. It has a smooth face and therefore a shine or sheen to it. The drape is more liquid than crepe. Imperfections such as snagged threads or sewing mistakes will be more apparent.
Wrinkles will be more visible in a smoother fabric. Choose an Italian Viscose when you want a lot of drape and are confident in your sewing abilities to avoid seam ripping.
Rayon Crinkle Gauze
Much like a cotton gauze, rayon crinkle gauze has a light, airy feel to it. It is not as tightly woven as a plain weave Italian viscose, which means that crinkle gauze has more air flow.
Crinkle gauze hides wrinkles well and has an even more textured, matte look than rayon crepe. Choose this fabric for maximum breathability.
Clip Dot Rayon
The term "clip dot" refers to a fabric with a raised dot of stitches. There are extra threads woven into the fabric, which are then clipped. "Swiss dot" is sometimes used interchangeably with "clip dot" but a Swiss dot is embroidered and not cut.
Clip dot is light and airy with a matte, textured look. It does wrinkle easily.
Korean Rayons
This category of rayons was manufactured in Korean. They have a slightly textured look, but the fabric has also been treated to give it a sandwashed feel. It is so smooth that you may be fooled in to thinking it is polyester, but it is not.
How to Select the Right Rayon
All of these rayons function in the same basic way, as lightweight woven fabrics made from natural fibers. Our guide to rayon challis has all the tips you need for cutting and sewing.
To decide on which type you want, first consider how much texture you want your final garment to have. Rayon crepe, crinkle gauze, and the Korean rayons have the most texture. Clip dot has sporadic texture with the clipped threads. Italian viscose and plain weave rayon challis have no texture.
Also consider how you will be caring for your garment. Will it be traveling? Hung in a closet? Can it be removed from a dryer promptly or will you need to iron it? Again, textured rayons hide wrinkles the best.
Review all the different rayon wovens that LA Finch Fabrics by clicking here. We strive to bring you only the very best quality rayons, straight from the LA garment district.