This video shows you how to begin any garment project. Prepping your fabric correctly, dealing with a nap, and lining up the selvedges.
My favorite type of nap is the siesta kind, of course, but if you don’t know what a nap in the fabric is it means a one way design. The fabric I use for this project has an obvious nap. All the birds in the design orientate in the same direction. If I cut the bodice out in the opposite direction of the skirt you would tell me that one of those pieces was upside down. So I will be sure the pattern pieces are also laid out in the same direction as the birds.
Sometimes solid fabrics have a nap. The texture, pile, sheen will look one color one direction and reflect the light differently in the opposite direction. Think fake fur. The fur should lay down toward the ground. Well cordoroy is like fake fur (use your imagination, here) just a shorter “hair”. Make sure you cut all your garment pieces going the same direction.
And then there is plaid, my all time favorite pattern. Many traditional Scottish plaids are asymmetrical which makes them have, yes, a nap. So watch out for that too.
Buy a little extra fabric when you choose one with a nap just to be sure you can fit all your pieces in the same direction.
Please let me know if you have any questions or tips for prepping fabric or dealing with fabric naps. Thanks for reading.
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