Fabric by Missy Rose | Rayon Fabric

Rayon is soft, cool to touch, gentle on the skin and comfortable to wear. The material looks and feels luxurious and thick, flowing wonderfully through your fingers. It has a sheen and smoothness similar to silk. 

Rayon cloth is famed for its gorgeous drape, falling close to the body and conforming to body shape without clinging. High quality rayon is perfect for clothing where you want to achieve a lightweight, flowy look. It is considered one of the best fabrics to design dresses with heavy drapery.

Rayon is non-stretch. Because the fibres are hygroscopic and contain tiny micropores that soak up and hold water, we don’t recommend using this fabric for garments that are intended to get wet or absorb a lot of sweat, such as active wear or swimwear. 

Rayon creases and wrinkles very easily. Since the fabric is quite delicate and fragile, it’s best to take care when ironing rayon. It is also vulnerable to fading with frequent or prolonged sun exposure. 

1. When choosing a pattern for your rayon fabric, opt for a pattern with drape that is loose fitting.

2. Pre-washing is vital. 

3. When cutting rayon, use a very sharp rotary cutter or fabric shears. 

4. Use lots of pattern weights to secure the pattern and help stop the fabric from moving around. If you don’t have those, use lots of pins. Use very sharp pins and place them within the seam allowance to prevent the fabric from snagging. Lay your fabric down on a flat surface to pin seams together. 

5. Avoid fabric shifting. Be extra mindful to lay out and cut your fabric on the grain. 

6. Since rayon can stretch, stay stitch your necklines and any curves before sewing. 

7. When sewing with rayon, use a smaller, more delicate stitch to prevent any fraying beyond the seam line. 

8. Be careful to avoid stretching or tugging the fabric as you sew. Pay extra attention to how much tension you're applying to your fabric as you feed it through your sewing machine. 

9. Use a very light interfacing to provide some stability to support the construction of your clothing, without ruining the drape of your fabric. 

10. Ideally, let your nearly finished rayon garment hang on a dress hanger for at least 24 hours to even up the hem before hemming it. 

11. When ironing the seams or hems of your garment, lift and press your iron, rather than going back and forth over the fabric. Too much pressing can cause your rayon fabric to stretch. 

12. Take your time when sewing with rayon. Sew a small amount and re-adjust your fabric, while making sure your raw edges stay well-aligned. 

Rayon is a semi-synthetic fabric. To create it, purified cellulose fibres harvested from wood pulp or bamboo are blended together, dissolved into a soluble compound and processed to create filaments which are chemically solidified, resulting in fibres of nearly pure cellulose. This manufacturing process gives rayon its honey-like texture. 

Due to its high initial thermal conductivity, rayon cloth feels cool to touch. The texture is luxuriously soft and supple. It does not build up static electricity or pill over time. 

Rayon is as breathable as cotton, does not trap body heat and stays remarkably cool in dry, hot or humid climates. This makes it ideal for summer sewing projects, including dresses, tank tops and loose, flowy pants. However, rayon won’t wick away moisture as well as completely natural fabrics such as cotton. 

The best needle for rayon fabric is either a universal needle with a weight of 80/12, or an extra sharp ball point needle – a 75/11 or 80/11. 

For rayon fabric, we recommend cotton or polyester thread. Cotton thread of medium thickness is ideal when working with lightweight, medium-weight fabrics like rayon. Polyester is also a good choice because it has stretch and won’t break easily. Most polyester threads have been treated with a wax or silicone coating that allows the thread to slide through fabric easily. 

Since rayon fabric has a tendency to shrink with warm or hot washing, it’s best to prewash before you start sewing. After your garment is sewn, continue to machine wash it on a cold cycle or hand wash it with mild detergent, before letting it air dry. Dry-cleaning is also an option. 

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