This post is written by Heidi of Handmade Frenzy.
Hi friends! I’m back with another post that I found to be very fun to do, with a surprising outcome for me personally.
I was asked if I would like to do a rayon fabric comparison post, sewing up the exact same pattern in two different, but similar substrates. If you know me at all, you’ll know that the instant I saw the word “rayon”, I was in.
So to dive right in, the fabrics I am comparing today are are Brussels Washer Linen Blend in O.D. Green, and Rayon Chambray in Indigo.
The top I made with both fabrics is a hack of the Scout Tee pattern by Grainline Studio (available in the shop in both print and pdf). I will detail the hack at the end of this post for those of you who are interested!
Going into this project I had a pretty clear idea as to which of the tops I would like better because of the fabrics. Wouldn’t you know, after I had sewn them up I had a clear favorite. And it was the opposite of what I thought!!
Which is it? I’ll tell you in a bit. ;)
First of all, I’ll tell you that I hemmed and hawed for quite a while as to what to make with these fabrics. While they both contain rayon, one of them is a rayon/linen blend and I knew it had a lot more body and volume than the more flowing 100% rayon.
I finally decided on this Scout Tee hack since I thought the ruffles would definitely showcase the difference in the fabrics. I also thought that both fabrics sewn up in a top like this would end in nice, wearable options for my closet.
As you can see, my suspicions about how the fabrics would behave were definitely confirmed. The Brussels Washer Linen in O.D. Green has a lot more body and volume than the more flowing Rayon Chambray in Indigo.
The Brussels Washer Linen has lots of drape, but because of the linen content it also has more stiffness than the 100% rayon content of the Rayon Chambray.
How were these fabrics to work with?
They were both very lovely to work with. Rayon chambray has a heavier drape than a rayon challis and this made cutting, especially, much easier. It also sewed beautifully. I used a microtex 80/12 needle, but that was probably overkill and a nice fresh universal 80/12 needle would work just as well.
I do recommend using fine, sharp pins however. My regular pins did not push through the fabric easily and kept snagging. I used silk pins for this whole project to avoid any of those snags. I also finished the shoulder and side seams of this top with french seams.
This is the treatment I prefer when sewing with rayon because I have had seams open up in the wash that I had just finished with my serger. No bueno.
The Brussels washer linen was also a dream to sew with. I have sewn with this substrate several times before, and it is always a pleasure. This fabric does tend to stretch out easily though, so if using it for a top, be sure to stay stitch the neckline and also armholes if sewing a tank.
This top was able to be sewn with regular pins and a universal 80/12 needle. I simply serged the seams on the inside for finishing. I have sewn french seams with this fabric before and it does work well, but the seams are definitely more bulky because of that linen content.
Both fabrics pressed very well, and the double folded 1/4″ hems on the sleeves and hem were very easy to do.
Now for the part that surprised me! I was sure that because of the absolutely gorgeous drape, movement and sheen of the Rayon Chambray in Indigo, this fabric would make the top I favored most of the two. I mean, truly. It is hard to capture how lovely that fabric is in person!
But once I tried on both, the crinkly softness and little bit of extra “oomph” of the Brussels Washer Linen O.D. Green had me crushing hard! It was just so absolutely comfortable to wear and, well, the color may have influenced my decision a bit, too. Hah!
I am also itching for Fall weather and this outfit is my dream fall get up. Olive green, cuffed jeans and booties. Oh yes.
What do you think? Do you think you would have a favorite of these two fabrics? Which would you pick and what would you make?? Let me know your thoughts on this rayon fabric comparison!
Scout Tee Hack Details:
I started with my regular Scout Tee pattern.
- Shortened top 4 inches.
- Lengthened sleeve 1.5 inches.
- Hem Ruffle = 6″ finished length x width. You will need to determine your measurements by adding seam allowances to the 6″ length and the width by how gathered you want your ruffle. Measure the bottom edge of your pattern and multiply by however much you want it to be gathered. I multiplied mine by 1.75. Do this for the front and back pattern pieces.
- Sleeve Ruffle = 3″ finished length x width. Do the same thing as for the hem ruffle. I multiplied by the same 1.75 for the width of sleeve ruffle as well.
Gather and attach the ruffles to the front and back bodices and both sleeves. Then proceed as usual! Very simple and definitely a dramatic effect!