On the Flip Side
Marsha McClintock
Get two garments for the price–and time–of one.
SEWING REVERSIBLE GARMENTS is a terrific way to expand your wardrobe while reducing sewing time. You don't need to spend time on facings or zippers because they're eliminated, and there's little to no handwork. Reversible garments extend your wardrobe by providing mix-and-match combinations. They also save space in your closet and suitcase. When making reversible garments make sure to pick the best patterns and fabrics.
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Best Fabrics
Look for fabrics with similar drape. Place two fabrics back to back to see how they hang and move together. If one fabric weighs more than the other, the garment won't hang well. Most reversible clothing is made from lightweight fabric; heavier fabric causes the garment to feel heavy and be too warm. Select fabrics with compatible fiber contents and care requirements. Make sure the fabrics relate in color, pattern and texture for maximum mix-and-match potential.
If you plan to hem the fabrics separately, slippery fabrics work best. Double-sided fabrics work well for reversible garments made from a single fabric layer. A double-sided fabric can be woven so each side is a different color or may have a pattern printed on one side with a solid on the other.
When shopping, look at the fabric wrong sides. Even if they weren't intended to be shown, you're the designer and can make the decision to use them as the right side. Don't call it the wrong side; call it the other side.
Prewash all fabrics for shrinkage and to check colorfastness and to ensure that the fabrics won't shrink at different rates, which causes the garment to distort and not hang properly. If there's any color bleeding, consider picking a different fabric combination. To test, preshrink both fabrics. Then cut a 4" square of each fabric and baste them together. Wash the basted squares to see how the fabrics look and hang.
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