We have gotten so used to stretchy clothes that it's hard to remember when pants bagged at the knee or shirts didn't fit snug at the waist. Garments made from 2 or 4 way stretch fabric hug your body, without constraining or chafing, and move with you as you sit, stand, bend, or reach for things. It wasn't always like this. The first stretch material was invented by DuPont, the chemical company, in the late 1950s.
In 1978, Peter Golding, a British designer with a shop in trendy Chelsea, introduced the first stretch jeans. He used a fabric from Japan and sold the shape-revealing pants in several bright colors. These form-fitting garments delighted the fashion-flouting and fashion-setting rock stars and teens of Chelsea.
Stretch fabrics come in a keep-the-shape but not so form-fitting 1% to the slinky 4%. The look is not the only reason people like stretchy fabrics. A pair of riding breeches that stretches both from side to side and up and down does not bind in the seat or the knees. The pants don't bag after a long ride, don't bind when the rider lifts a leg to the stirrup, and gives a professionally trim look when astride.
All sports clothes use Spandex, Lycra, or another form of the original stretchy material today. You see it in the outfits worn by bike riders who pedal along looking a little like colorful insects or helmeted aliens. Yoga would not be so impressive without form-fitting, elegant workout gear. Bathing suits as we know them would not be possible. The clothing trade once used this cloth mainly for bras and swimming suits, but now uses it in every kind of garment for the fit and comfort it enables.
Stretchy fabrics are also sold by the yard. Many who wear ready-made clothes will be astounded at the variety of cloth on sale for sewing, house decor, and crafting. Don't think that cloth that gives with any strain put upon it need have a certain look; check online fabric stores for smooth and brushed cotton, sleek and shiny sateen, metallic or spangled cloth, prints for kid's pajamas or pretty sheets, and soft, luxurious velvet.
All the stretch comes from elastane, the original discovery. It was developed in 1959, but didn't really hit the fashion world until Golding's introduction almost twenty years later. At first only the rich and famous could have these comfortable clothes, but the mass market grew rapidly, with the jeans companies leading the way.
The combination fabrics are machine-washable, but hot water or high drying temperatures will damage them. If you really love a particular garment, or it represents a significant investment, you might want to wash it by hand and hang it on a line to dry. This will definitely make it last longer. You should never use chlorine bleach on stretch cloth.
It's fun to visit an online fabric store and just see what you can find for a project. From faux leather to elegant rose velvet, the selections are astonishing. As for clothes, every catalog, store rack, and mannequin will undoubtedly be showing something with a bit of stretch to it. Once you've worn a well-fitting stretchy top or pant, you may never want to go back to plain old cloth.
In 1978, Peter Golding, a British designer with a shop in trendy Chelsea, introduced the first stretch jeans. He used a fabric from Japan and sold the shape-revealing pants in several bright colors. These form-fitting garments delighted the fashion-flouting and fashion-setting rock stars and teens of Chelsea.
Stretch fabrics come in a keep-the-shape but not so form-fitting 1% to the slinky 4%. The look is not the only reason people like stretchy fabrics. A pair of riding breeches that stretches both from side to side and up and down does not bind in the seat or the knees. The pants don't bag after a long ride, don't bind when the rider lifts a leg to the stirrup, and gives a professionally trim look when astride.
All sports clothes use Spandex, Lycra, or another form of the original stretchy material today. You see it in the outfits worn by bike riders who pedal along looking a little like colorful insects or helmeted aliens. Yoga would not be so impressive without form-fitting, elegant workout gear. Bathing suits as we know them would not be possible. The clothing trade once used this cloth mainly for bras and swimming suits, but now uses it in every kind of garment for the fit and comfort it enables.
Stretchy fabrics are also sold by the yard. Many who wear ready-made clothes will be astounded at the variety of cloth on sale for sewing, house decor, and crafting. Don't think that cloth that gives with any strain put upon it need have a certain look; check online fabric stores for smooth and brushed cotton, sleek and shiny sateen, metallic or spangled cloth, prints for kid's pajamas or pretty sheets, and soft, luxurious velvet.
All the stretch comes from elastane, the original discovery. It was developed in 1959, but didn't really hit the fashion world until Golding's introduction almost twenty years later. At first only the rich and famous could have these comfortable clothes, but the mass market grew rapidly, with the jeans companies leading the way.
The combination fabrics are machine-washable, but hot water or high drying temperatures will damage them. If you really love a particular garment, or it represents a significant investment, you might want to wash it by hand and hang it on a line to dry. This will definitely make it last longer. You should never use chlorine bleach on stretch cloth.
It's fun to visit an online fabric store and just see what you can find for a project. From faux leather to elegant rose velvet, the selections are astonishing. As for clothes, every catalog, store rack, and mannequin will undoubtedly be showing something with a bit of stretch to it. Once you've worn a well-fitting stretchy top or pant, you may never want to go back to plain old cloth.
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