Novelty cottons are 100% cotton fabrics in "novelty" prints. Though they are often classified as quilting fabrics, most are suitable for apparel. They are a great choice for beginners because they are inexpensive and easy to sew - they cut cleanly, don’t unravel too quickly, don’t slide around, and hold a crisp crease when pressed. They’re not as dressy and elegant as velvets and satins, of course, but they are more practical in hot weather.
Note: Always wash and dry cottons before cutting and sewing.
While relatively gothy prints such as skulls or damask can be found year-round, autumn brings a bounty of spookiness in the form of Halloween prints. Some prints are obviously Halloween (candy corn, pumpkins), but many feature icons of goth that can be worn any time (skeletons
, bats, spiderwebs, black cats
).
Here are some skirts I made in Halloween cottons:
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| made with McCalls 5811 |
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| made with McCalls 5811 |
And some "anytime" skirts:
I get tons of compliments on these skirts, especially around Halloween. If you stitch up something similar for yourself, you might be bombarded with compliments and questions of "Where did you get that?". You can proudly reply, "I made it myself." :D
These skirts are great! The fabric combinations are very clever and well suited to what you did with each. I am especially fond of the skull and stripey fabric one.
ReplyDeleteI use a lot of cotton quilting and sheeting (higher thread count, but less likely to come in interesting prints) and agree it is very easy to work with indeed.
These are all such pretty skirts :)
ReplyDeleteThank you both so much! I will try to re-post better photos - these aren't even in focus. I dropped my camera (which is 10 years old anyway) and now every photo is blurry. :P Must buy a new camera.
ReplyDeleteThose are such lovely skirts! I'm addicted to making spooky skirts and I totally agree with you on the virtues of quilting cotton. It seems the more beautiful the fabric the more hateful it is. I insist that flocked taffeta is woven from hate (yet I still can't resist it ha!)
ReplyDeleteWoven from hate! Ha ha ha! So true! Every time I sew satin, I think "this stuff should be called satan instead."
ReplyDeleteWOW! I really love these skirts! And novelty cotton is one of my favorite Halloween purchases, though I never seem to do anything with it (especially since my sewing machine broke a few years back). hmmm ... you've inspired me.
ReplyDeletePS: I'm sorry that I haven't been chatting here on your blog. For some reason I'm coming up as following, but your news feed doesn't show. I'm trying to fix it ASAP.
HUGS from NYC!
Does that mean you have a stash of novelty cottons hidden away somewhere? They are lonely! You must pull them out and sew them! ;) (Or send them to me... muahahaha!)
ReplyDeleteMaybe the problem is on my end? I'm a total novice stumbling through this blogging thing.
I do have a stash ... I have a fantastic batty print that I was going to sew into a flouncy shirt for Ed (he picked it out). I never did so there's a skirt in my near future. ;)
ReplyDeleteI fixed the problem by unsubscribing and then re-subscribing. *shrug* Computers, blogs, etc. are wonky like that.