Chiffon is a delicate, transparent fabric made from silk, cotton, nylon, polyester, or rayon. It is commonly used in formal wear due to its draping ability and floaty look. Silk chiffon is the most expensive and prized, while synthetic chiffon is cheaper and more commonly used. Sewing with chiffon can be challenging, and tissue paper is often used to hold the fabric together.
Chiffon is a textile made from silk, cotton, nylon, polyester, or rayon. It tends to be transparent, with a faint sheen and a simple weave. When held up to light, gauze closely resembles closely woven mesh. This fabric is typically used in evening and formal wear as it drapes well and can add a floaty look to dresses and gowns. It is also notoriously difficult to work with, due to its slippery texture. Most fabric stores have several shapes in different colors. The name comes from an old French word for rag.
Silk chiffon is most prized as it has a rich sheen and slippery texture. He is also surprisingly strong for his weight. Because silk chiffon is made from a natural fiber, it tends to be more expensive than synthetic chiffon, and it also needs to be dry-cleaned. Silk is also used to make georgette, sometimes called crepe, a thicker, more opaque fabric that drapes and behaves like chiffon. Another natural fiber, cotton, is sometimes used to make gauze, although the resulting fabric is duller and less buoyant.
Synthetic materials are most commonly used to make chiffon, since most synthetics take dye well, are relatively cheap to make, and tend to be strong. However, the fabric is still delicate enough to be hand washed only in cold water and never run through a washing machine. Synthetics are also just as challenging to work with as silk, as they are also slippery.
In formal wear, chiffon is often worn as an overlay over duller fabrics. The fabric floats on top, adding shine and texture to the dress while keeping the wearer modest. The color of the underlying fabric will also show slightly, so the chiffon usually coordinates with the underlayer. This fabric is used in tops, skirts, and dresses, as well as scarves, belts, and accents.
When sewing chiffon, many crafters place tissue paper between the two pieces that are being sewn together. The tissue paper helps hold the fabric together, with the rough surface of the tissue holding the gauze in place while being handled. After sewing, the tissue paper can be carefully torn off. Chiffon can also be painted as it will bounce back, hiding pin marks. As a general rule, sewers should work slowly and steadily with this fabric, being careful not to run it through a sewing machine too quickly or it will bunch and bunch up.
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