I suspect that, like myself, many of you have a love-hate relationship with rayon. We love the way it feels and drapes; we hate the way it sews and washes. Perhaps knowing more about it will help us make friends with rayon.
What is rayon? Rayon is the oldest man-made fiber. One of my sources gives 1889 as its first introduction as "artificial silk". Another source states that the first commercial production of rayon in the U.S. was in 1910. I don't know where that original rayon was produced, but the American rayon was manufactured by the American Viscose Company, hence the name viscose often used interchangeably with rayon. However, viscose rayon is actually rayon made by the viscose process, in which a solution of cellulose (wood pulp and/or cotton linters) is treated with chemicals and then passed through spinnerettes to form filaments.
A second manufacturing process uses different chemicals and different manufacturing techniques, and the rayon thus produced is called cuprammonium rayon (more on this later). Today, only viscose rayon is being produced in the U.S.
Rayon is soft, absorbent, comfortable to wear and relatively inexpensive. It is non-static, takes dyes beautifully, and drapes luxuriously. These are the things we love about rayon. What we don't love are its negative characteristics: it fades and deteriorates when exposed to natural and artifical light for long periods of time; it wrinkles easily; it is easily damaged by hot irons; it loses body when machine-dried; the colours often bleed and run. Other negative traits such as susceptibility to mildew and chemicals, high flammability, the fact that it is 50% weaker when wet, probably do not bother us as much as that first list.
When sewing with rayon, keep in mind its main characteristic - its drapeability. This is not a fabric which tailors well; it is more suited to soft, drapey designs such as full skirts and pants, soft blouses as opposed to tailored shirts. However, when rayon is blended with other fibers such as linen and/or wool it can take on many of the good qualities of these fibres and lent itself to more structured garments. Rayon blended with polyester makes some wonderful easy-care fabrics.
Picture of rayon dress from Burda magazine
Rayon, being a porous fabric, usually takes fusible interfacings well. But always make a test sample. The trouble with interfacing rayon is that the interfacing will stabilize the pieces to which it is applied and they will behave differently than the rest of the garment. For instance, rayon, even on the straight of grain, will stretch so the front of a button-front garment will droop while the interfaced facing will maintain its shape. In cases like this, it would be better to use self-fabric as the interfacing, as is often done on the center front of blouses by double folding the fabric to form two thicknesses for the buttons and buttonholes.
As for fabric care, many rayons are labeled dry-clean. In fact, viscose rayon should be dry-cleaned to maintain its original appearance and texture. The manufacturer encourages you to use the method which will least affect the fabric. Washing may remove some of the chemicals and solvents in the rayon; these can be the very things which give the fabric the soft, drapey quality which made you buy it. By washing the fabric, you may actually change its nature and it can become stiff, not at all like the fabric you purchased. We have all found that ironing the fabric then softens it, perhaps too much unfortunately. Dry-cleaning also prevents the common problem of the dye bleeding and running. If you are determined to wash your rayon, set the dye by adding salt (about a handful ) to the wash water.
Personally, I think of rayon as a short-term fabric. Frequent wearing and laundering ages rayon quickly so I treat it as a fabric which I will use for a short period of time. Then I don't get too upset if it doesn't look so great in six months time. On the internet last summer, I came across a method for pre-treating rayon that works wonderfully for blouse- weight rayon. This was posted on a sewing email list by Sharon Bolton of Phoenix, Arizona who washes, sews, and wears a lot of rayon clothing in her hot climate.
Picture of rayon skirt from Burda
These are Sharon's tips:
1. Purchase extra fabric because your yardage will shrink.
2. Be prepared for the surface to change somewhat. If you don't want this, choose dry-cleaning for your finished garment.
3. Purchase 3 inexpensive white towels to be used for washing with the rayon. These serve 2 purposes: they will tell you if the fabric runs, and they will delay drying time. Rayon which dries too quickly will not be totally shrunk.
4. Fill the washer with warm water. Add your fabric and the towels. Turn on machine for 30 seconds and then stop. Don't agitate the fabric very much. Leave the fabric sitting in the water for several hours or overnight. This will release all the extra dye. Agitate occasionally for a few seconds. Then spin out gently.
5. Place fabric in dryer with towels. Set the temp to medium low or low and dry until the towels are dry. In my dryer, this takes at least 30 minutes. The length of time in the dryer is what gets out all the shrinkage in the rayon.
The resulting fabric is soft, probably much softer than when you purchased it. But it is now a wash-and-dry fabric and you can go ahead and make up great garments with it. I use this method now for all yardage that will be sewn into dresses and blouses, full skirts and pants. But for anything more tailored, this method makes the rayon far too soft and drapey. But, for a tailored garment, I would probably be using a stiffer rayon to begin with and I would take this to the dry-cleaners to be pre-shrunk. For fabric which will be dry-cleaned later, you can either steam press it before sewing to shrink it or take it to your cleaner and ask them to just steam press it. There is no need to put it through the dry-cleaning process. It is only the steam and heat of pressing that you require to shrink rayon.
A good sewing tip from Sharon is to use spray starch on the fabric. She sprays it heavily, puts it in the fridge overnight in a plastic bag, then tosses it quickly in the dryer. This makes the rayon feel like cotton when you are sewing it and, when finished, you simply have to rinse out the garment and press before wearing.
Picture of rayon shirt and pants from Burda magazine. Pants are rayon georgette.
Some fabrics related to rayon are cupro and lyocell, better known as Tencel. Cupro is cuprammonium rayon made by a different process by the Bemberg company. This rayon is stronger than viscose rayon and better quality. Of course, Bemberg lining is the great breathable lining favoured by most tailoring instructors these days. Polynosic rayon is manufactured by a process which yields a stronger fabric which is definitely washable. It wrinkles less than rayon, is stronger than viscose rayon, and, you guessed it, costs a whole lot more. I found some beautiful German polynosic rayon in Toronto for only $90/metre! It looked and felt like Viyella. Lyocell is a rayon fiber made from the wood pulp on managed tree farms. It is an "eco-friendly" fiber, is very much like rayon, drapes even better, and is machine-washable. Look for it under the tradename of Tencel, manufactured by Courtaulds Fibers in the US.
So, like many other fabrics, not all rayons are created equal. Keeping in mind its limitations, pick an appropriate pattern, sew it up and wear it comfortably. Be sure to know beforehand how you are going to launder this fabric, because this is what makes or breaks it. Myself, I love to wear rayon in blouses, soft shirts, and in skirts but when it comes to a tailored garment, I prefer to invest that much time in a fabric, like wool or silk, which will stand the test of time better.
Any sewing questions? I would be happy to try and answer them: you can email me at mail@timmelfabrics.com
