Made By A Fabricista: Why I Love Sewing Woven Fabrics Over Knits

Sewing is a creative hobby that allows me to express my unique style while adding a personal touch to my wardrobe. When it comes to choosing between wovens and knits I will mostly always choose woven. There are a lot of reasons I choose wovens as my go-to choice. The project I chose for this Fabric Mart make is from Friday Pattern Company’s Patina Blouse.  I used a gorgeous lightweight rayon.  It’s delicate hand is the perfect blouse weight and it drapes beautifully with this pattern. In this blog post, l'll explore the advantages of sewing woven blouses over knit shirts, highlighting the creativity, versatility, and satisfaction that come with this choice. 

The Joy of Creativity

Sewing a woven blouse offers a chance for my creativity to flourish. Woven fabrics come in a wide array of colors, patterns, and textures, allowing me to unleash my artistic potential. With knits, the stretch and drape of the fabric often limit my design options. In contrast, woven fabrics give me the freedom to experiment with various styles, such as pants, shirts with pleats, and tucks, which are more challenging to achieve with knits and is often hard to find with knit patterns. 

Versatility in Fabric Selection

Woven blouses provide the luxury of choice when it comes to fabric selection. It is an opportunity to work with fabrics like cotton, silk, linen, and more, each offering a distinct look and feel. This variety allows me to create garments suitable for different occasions and seasons. Knit shirts, on the other hand, are typically restricted to stretchy fabrics, limiting my ability to adapt to different styles and settings. Often I find most knit patterns are for leggings, t-shirt, joggers and looser dresses.  While I do like the ease of wearing knits, I find the structured style of woven suit me better. 

Skill Development

Sewing woven blouses can be a valuable learning experience. Over the past two years writing for Fabric Mart I have been encouraged to hone my sewing skills, as working with woven fabrics often involves more intricate construction techniques. From precision in cutting to mastering details like buttonholes and collars, I have become a more proficient seamstress through the challenges presented by woven garments. Remember the Jeans I made! Who would have thought I would make Jeans! You can see them here in the photos.

Custom Fit and Tailoring

Woven blouses offer better opportunities for achieving a tailored fit. With woven fabrics, I can make precise adjustments and alterations to ensure my garments fit perfectly. This level of customization can be challenging to attain with knit shirts, where stretchy materials make it harder to control the fit.

To me choosing to sew wovens over knits is a decision that promises creativity, versatility, skill development, and long-lasting satisfaction. While knit garments have their place in the wardrobe, woven garments offer a chance to become a more accomplished seamstress for myself. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to sew, create and write for Fabric Mart. It has truly helped my sewing skills improve and helped me branch out to more challenging patterns and fabrics. So, whether you're a seasoned sewing enthusiast or a novice looking to expand your skills, consider embracing the art of crafting woven garments and experience the joy of sewing in all its glory. Happy stitching!

HANNAH   | @modistrasews

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Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: CHALLIS, VOILE, & SHIRTING & BLOUSEWEIGHTS.
You can also shop our collection of Friday Pattern Company Patterns HERE.