We thought we would use our Tips and Tools this week to tell you all about...Chambray (pronounced sham-brey) is a woven cotton fabric. According to Dana Willard's book Fabrics A to Z "chambray is made by weaving colored threads through a white weft (similar to denim), which results in a pleasing "watered down" shade of the original color. Think of it as adding white paint to a bright pigment."
One of the benefits of a woven fabric is that the back side of the fabric can often be as lovely as the front. It may be a slightly different shade or texture, but not to the extent that a printed fabric is. Because of its lighter weight, chambray works beautifully for sewing clothes. It's most extensively known for shirt making, but also works great for dresses, skirts, shorts and scarves. But certainly don't count it out for other types of sewing! It can easily be paired up with regular quilting cotton to make an amazing summer weight quilt. It coordinates beautifully with any color, it's as neutral as your favorite pair of blue jeans! It's really fun to match it up with a really saturated colorful print like these feathers.
Also be sure to follow our Chambray Inspiration Board on Pinterest (pinterest.com/moderntextiles) for even more ideas!
Thanks for reading our Tips and Tools this week! Please comment or message us with any questions you have about chambray and we'll do our best to answer them.