Well, I just bought some "T-shirts" that are made out of wicking material. It is supposed to take moisture from the skin (sweat) and "wick" it away. I LOVE them. They are working wonderful for me while I'm at work. I was thinking about making a pair of pants out of the same type of material. Then I got to thinking.....wouldn't it be great to have some garb made out of this stuff? I mean, fair is often HOT. And this material is as soft as can be. I think the hubby would love an outfit made too.
So, my questions are these:
Has anyone made anything out of this type of fabric before?
What type of problems will I be looking forward to while sewing it?
What should I avoid?
Where is the best place to find the fabric?
Any experience would be appreciated. I'm finding very little trying to research it. A few technical pages is all. (If you want the links let me know) I just think this would be fabulous, even if only for an undergarment.
My boyfriend has a few shirts like that, depending on the type of the shirt after a washing they get "pills" and itchy and much less soft, I can say that, I'm not sure what kind you have, what is it's fabric content?
MOST wicking fabrics are artificial fibers. They work well for things like outdoors clothing where light weight warmth combined with strenuous exercise is needed (think climbers) and sports clothing.
ALL fabric deteriorates over time and with use. How quickly it will do this depends on the amount of use and the level of wear you give it. Artificial fibers can be more prone to pilling than natural fibres, though I do have several wicking fabric T shirts from Rohan that have yet to show pilling after five years hard wear. Cotton ones tend to go baggy and disintegrate in this length of time, even the best ones.
If you want a NATURAL fiber with wicking qualities, look for bamboo. This and other wicking sports fabrics are available from these places:
http://www.wazoodle.com/
http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/
http://www.profabrics.co.uk/
http://www.bamboofabricstore.com/
http://www.bamboofabricstore.com.au/
http://www.shelby.fi/catalog/default.php
Joann's is now carrying a small supply of bamboo fabrics!! I found them the last time I was there, but linen does the same job in my opinion!
Cilean
I wish it was more readily available here, and a bit cheaper. It dyes well, I hear. :)
Pure linen is actually a wicking fabric as well. It pulls the sweat off of you quite well, not as well as the artifical fabrics do but still does a good job. I have a cotton batiste chemise and a linen chemise and when I wear the linen one, even though its heavier by a little bit over the cotton one, I'm MUCH cooler on hot days.