Lycra cotton

The addition of lycra to fabrics is a wonderful marriage of form and function. The lycra is the function; it stretches and adds to the comfort of the finished garment. These cotton/lycra wovens are varied in pattern and style, but all have the added bonus of the lycra's stretch.

Use cold water wash, and lay flat to dry. Cotton will shrink if washed in hot water. Do not use chlorine bleach in fabrics containing lycra.

Even though the fabric stretches like a knit, it should be treated as a woven. Use a universal needle 70/10 or 80/12, for most projects. If your cotton/lycra woven is a denim weight, switch to a heavier needle (90/14). Polyester thread or cotton/polyester thread are excellent choices for use with this fabric.

Standard straight stitching, medium length (2.5) is a good choice for this fabric. Seams can be finished with binding or can be serged with a 2 or 3 thread balanced stitch. Hems can be done by hand or machine, coverstitched, or you can use twin needle stitching.

Choose a medium weight fusible such as Fusi-Knit for good support in these garments. The knit interfacing will not interfere with the stretch of the lycra in this woven fabric.

Jackets, lightweight coats, pants, capris, skirts, vests, shirts.

Be sure to avoid overfitting in these fabrics. Because of the stretch factor, it is tempting to fit the garments extremely close to the body. This will result in a shorter life-span for your garment. Fit the garment as you would a similar piece in a non-lycra fabric for best results.