Continuing our fabric series, today’s post is all about wool. Wool is synonymous with warmth and is used primarily to make winter garments. If handled correctly, a wool garment will last for many years. Figuring out the best way to treat your wool can be a little challenging because wool is a sneaky material. It will shrink up and felt if washed in the machine but it can be tumbled in the dryer! You can dry clean your wool to pre-treat it, but here at Colette Patterns we try to stay away from chemicals when possible.

Wool must be steamed in order to shrink. To pre-shrink large amounts of wool, finish the cut edges of the fabric with a zig zag or serge them to prevent fraying. Wet a large towel until it’s between damp and dripping. If it’s dripping, squeeze out the excess water. Put both the towel and the wool fabric in the dryer on high heat for around 45 minutes. If the wool is still wet when you pull it out of the dryer, lay it flat until it’s dry.

To pre-wash your wool, fill a basin with luke-warm water and ever so slightly move the fabric around in it until it’s completely soaked. If agitated too much, the wool will begin to felt. If your fabric needs it, only add a very small amount of soap. Gently squeeze the water from the fabric and lay it flat to dry.

These types of woven fabrics can be easily found made from wool.

Challis and Crepe

Challis (pronounced shall-ee) and crepe are both lightweight and have a lovely drape. Challis is a plain weave with a smooth hand. It’s often semi-sheer and usually comes in colorful prints. Crepe is a twisted weave with a stubbly hand and stiffer drape than challis. These two fabrics are easy to sew with and can be made into most garments. Like most wool fabrics, the edges should be finished to prevent unraveling. Challis is thin enough for French seams. Depending on the thickness of the wool crepe, French seams may add too much bulk.

Gabardine

Gabardine is a twill weave fabric. It has a prominent diagonal rib. The fabric is medium weight and has a lovely drape. Because it has high wrinkle resistance, gabardine is perfect for pants, skirts and tailored garments. Gabardine is too thick for French seams, which would add substantial bulk. Pressed open seams work the best with this fabric as well as wool coatings.

Coating

Wool coating refers to wool fabrics used primarily for making warm winter coats. Coating comes in many kinds of weaves and thickness. Some popular types of coatings are melton, boucle (pronounced boo-clay) and boiled wool. Melton wool is thickly woven then felted. It has a soft, smooth hand and is quite thick. Boucle is very textured with a nubby surface. It’s loosely woven and when made into coats, must always be lined. Boiled wool has been knitted and then felted. It has a little bit of stretch to it and is also bulky. Because coatings are usually quite thick, look for patterns with simple designs such as Lady Grey. Fewer design elements mean less bulk at the seams. A press cloth should always be used with these fabrics to avoid sheen.