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Herringbone Fabric – A Fabric With A Very Distinctive Design
Herringbone fabric is a distinctive fabric with a design resembling the bones of a herring fish. The herringbone fabric is a member of the wool family and is considered part of the wool tweeds with characteristics of textured woolens. The fabric can also be made of cotton. The fabric also has a distinctive coloration, alternating at least two colors within the pattern, and is a very popular fabric for suits and outerwear. The pattern is also often referred to as the chevron pattern.
Fabric Characteristics:
• Firmly woven and easy to sew • Has broken twill • Has a zigzag pattern slanting in alternate directions • Has a spongy feel • Has a nap
Working With These Fabrics Requires:
• Sewing machine needles should be 70/10-90/14 sharps and universals depending on the fabric weight • Hand sewing needles recommended are sizes 5-7 • Sewing machine settings should be a stitch length of 2-3 mm with tension and presser foot pressure adjusted as needed • Sewing machine feet recommended are the wide straight stitch, zig-zag, roller or even feed foot • Thread recommended should be all-purpose cotton, polyester, and cotton/polyester blend; for basting silk size A or soft cotton; for top stitching all-purpose top stitching thread or silk size D • Layout should be for nap, double layer, right sides together, for heavy tweeds single layer, right sides up • Tools and equipment recommended are sharp scissors, sharp shears, rotary cutter and mat, pins, small safety pins, point turner, and stabilizers • Interfacings recommended are fusible or sew-in hair canvas or weft-insertion fusible and appropriate sew-ins • Seams and hems recommended are plain and topstitched for seams and for hems hand and machine blindstitched, catchstitched, double-stitched, for seam and hem finishes, pinked, and serged just to name a few • Edge finishes recommended are facings (self-fabric, lining fabric, bias), bindings and bands • Linings are those recommended for outerwear • Closures recommended are all types • Pressing should be done carefully to prevent damage to the fabric These Fabrics Are Suitable For:
These fabrics can be used for suits, coats, sportswear including sports coats, and can be used for upholstery.
For information about the notions, tools, and equipment required to complete a sewing project, click here to view the sewing notions home page
For more information about this family of fabrics some great references are:
Claire Shaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide
More Fabric Savvy by Sandra Betzina
To see some interesting uses of the fabrics represented by these swatches,
click here to visit the sewing gallery
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