Lawn Cotton Dress Fabrics

In the previous edition of the Croft Mill blog, we showcased cotton poplin fabric, a material well-renowned for being easy to work with and so great for first-time sewers. Here we look in more detail at cotton lawn fabrics, which are finer so can be slightly more difficult to work with and so are perfect for those with a little bit of sewing experience.

Lawn cloth, to give it its full name is a plain-weave fabric. The word 'lawn' has no connection with the modern English term meaning an area of mown grass but instead appears to be derived from the French city of Laon, which was known for producing immense quantities of linen cloth. Today, most lawn is not made from linen but cotton.

Cotton lawn is woven from ultra-fine, high-count yarns. This gives the fabric a superbly-silky feel; this silkiness increases correspondingly with finer yarns and higher yarn count. It is exceptionally light in weight and ranges widely in transparency, from being almost entirely opaque to offering a gauzy, sheer semi-transparent appearance.

Cotton lawn is often compared to voile but is far heavier. The superlative softness and lightweightness of this fabric makes it perfect for creating clothes for summer dresses, shirts and blouses to nightwear, underwear and delightful lingerie. Remarkably versatile, the cotton lawn is also used for many other purposes such as collars, handkerchiefs, quilting and can also be used as a window-dressing as an alternative to net curtains. It is also often used as a dress lining fabric because it breathes and feels wonderful next to skin.

At Croft Mill, you can choose from a simply stunning collection of over 100 different lawn cotton dress fabrics. Whatever you want to create, you will find the right cotton lawn in this selection, with plenty of choices when it comes to style, pattern and colour. Prices start from just £5.00 per metre.

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