7 Best Fabrics For Dressing Gowns
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Dressing gowns are a popular thing to make for yourself, as a gift or just to sell but there are some common questions like what are the best fabrics for making dressing gowns?
The best fabrics to use for making a dressing gown include cotton, cotton flannel, silk and satin along with rayon. These are all fabrics that are soft, easily washable and durable.
In this article, I am going to talk about the different qualities you should look into when choosing fabric for your dressing gown and which fabrics I recommend using.
Can I Use Any Fabric For A Dressing Gown?
A dressing gown is a robe, which is a loose outer garment that can be worn by anyone. It looks like a robe, except that it is not made with absorbent material.
Also, a robe is used when coming out of the shower, while a dressing gown is used when you’re getting dressed or just hanging out in the house, and is made of usable materials, not absorbent materials.
You can’t use any fabric for a dressing gown, because you need something comfortable, durable, and silky.
You have to get the right fabric for your dressing gown if you want to use it for a long time. The fabric should be versatile and should also feel very comfortable against your skin.
It doesn’t have to be absorbent since you won’t get it wet, but it should be soft. The dressing gown should also be easy to take care of, and made of machine washable material.
Since you’re making the dressing gown yourself, you should do so with versatile and easy-to-manoeuvre material. If you’re having trouble deciding what kind of fabric you want to use, keep on reading to know more.
What Should I Be Looking for In A Fabric for Dressing Gown?
When selecting fabric for your dressing gown, there are a few factors that you need to keep in mind. If the fabric meets all the factors, then you should purchase it.
Soft
If you’re choosing a dressing gown based on usability, then softness is one of the most important factors. The fabric should feel soft against your skin so that you would enjoy wearing it when you’re walking around.
Since a dressing gown is also worn for warmth and must be convenient, softness is a very important factor.
When considering softness, fabrics like cotton, flannel, or silk would fit the bill perfectly because they are known for being very soft and convenient. It would feel great against your skin, especially since most people wear dressing gowns with nothing but underwear underneath.
Comfortable
Your dressing gown should also be comfortable to whoever is wearing it, and so you should go for fabric that is known for being very comfortable. For instance, cotton and silk are popular for being comfortable fabrics.
A high-quality dressing gown should feel comfortable and warm so that you can wear it regardless of the weather.
Avoid scratchy fabrics and those that are known for being worst for skin, since the dressing gown would be directly touching your skin.
This is why you should also avoid using synthetic fabrics, vintage fabrics, and other kinds of uncomfortable fabric. If you have sensitive skin, you should also pay attention to this when choosing fabric for your dressing gown.
Durable
Another factor to consider when choosing fabric for your dressing gown is the durability and strength that it offers. You don’t want to end up with a fabric that would get damaged or cut after a short time.
It’s also important to avoid fabric that would get cut easily when you’re using a sewing machine.
Although you might be wondering why you should use silk when it’s fragile, you should only go for this fabric choice when you’re an experienced sewer so that you don’t waste material. Not only this, but you should also use high-quality silk so that it lasts for a long time.
Washable
Your dressing gown should also be easily washable and convenient to take care of, and so look out for fabric that fits this bill. It’s convenient when you can wash your fabric with a machine too, although you would have to check the details to see how you should wash it.
Check if the fabric should be washed with cold or warm water, and how it should be dried. If it can be ironed, then you can also keep that in mind.
When it comes to fabrics that can be easily washed, cotton fits the bill perfectly than any other kind. Many other fabrics can also be easily taken care of.
7 Best Fabrics for Dressing Gowns
To make your decision easier, we have compiled the list of the best seven fabrics that you can use to make a dressing gown. Combine these fabrics with your sewing skills to create a gorgeous dressing gown.
When choosing the fabric, you should consider your skill level and sew with those that you can handle. Professionals can make dressing gowns with silk, satin, or rayon, while beginners would work better with cotton and flannel. Here are the best fabrics for dressing gowns.
Cotton
The first on our list is cotton, which is known for being a versatile material for all kinds of purposes. If you need something comfortable to wear all the time, cotton is always the perfect fit.
Cotton is a wearable and usable fabric that can be used for day-to-day purposes, and it is also a very forgiving fabric.
Whether you’re a beginner or not, anyone can use cotton to make all kinds of clothes easily. Cotton is a soft material too, and if you need one that is easily absorbent, then you can go for a cotton waffle or cotton terry.
Since cotton shrinks easily, you should wash it before you place it under your sewing machine. Cotton is also affordable, which means you can purchase as much as you want.
Silk
Silk is very well-known as one of the best fabrics for dressing gowns, and so this should be your next choice after cotton. But keep in mind that silk is tricky to use, so if your sewing skills aren’t there yet, you should avoid using this fabric. Silk is also a bit expensive, so you should consider your budget before buying this kind of material.
Although silk is not absorbent, so it can’t double as a bathrobe. It can only act strictly as a dressing gown, and is fluid and light, making it very comfortable. Silk dressing gowns would also be great as loungewear.
Cotton Flannel
Next on our list of the best fabrics for dressing gowns is flannel. It is a soft woven fabric that can be made with wool or cotton, but using cotton flannel for your dressing gown is better than wool.
Wool flannel tends to be itchy and uncomfortable. If you want to make a bathrobe, you can use pure wool, which is also known for being absorbent and comfy.
Cotton flannel has a fuzzy and comfortable feel, and also provides a lot of warmth, making it the perfect fabric for a dressing gown during the winter months. Flannel is considered a classic when choosing fabric for a dressing gown.
Fleece
This might be surprising, and even old-fashioned, but fleece is a good dressing gown to go for when you need something to keep you warm throughout winter. Fleece is made from wool, although it can also be made with polyester instead.
Fleece is known for being very lightweight, comfortable, and blocks humidity perfectly.
But the material is tricky to use and sew, so if you’re not experienced in sewing, then you should avoid using complicated materials like this. It is also more expensive than other types of fabric. Fleece would keep you comfortable when you wear it as a dressing gown and is also fitting as sleepwear.
Satin
Very similar to silk, satin is also known to be a fluid, smooth and slippery material, also making it a perfect fit for your dressing gown. But this also means that satin is hard to handle for those that are still beginners in sewing, and it is also expensive.
Satin, like silk, also requires delicate care and specific processes to wash and dry. It isn’t a good option for heavy use.
Apart from all these factors, satin is a good material for your dressing gown. It would feel comfortable, soft, and is also highly durable. If you can handle a tricky material like this, then satin would be a good choice.
Rayon
Rayon is one of the softest fabrics out there, in some cases even better than cotton. It used to be called artificial silk and is a synthetic fiber that is made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, like wood. Rayon will feel very comfortable when made into a dressing robe, whether you’re wearing it to sleep or lounge around the house.
The fabric is very breathable and also cooling, which makes it a perfect fit when the weather is cold or hot. Although it is usually used as sportswear or summer dresses, it can also be used as a dressing robe. But rayon is not good for beginners, although it can be easily taken care of.
Bamboo
Bamboo is well-known as the eco-friendly alternative to any other kind of fabric, and so if you want to protect the environment while lounging around in comfortable wear, then this fabric is the best choice.
Bamboo is also highly breathable and has great temperature-regulating features, which makes it great for any weather.
Bamboo is also an inexpensive fabric and does not require a lot of maintenance unlike other kinds of fabric. The material has a silky feeling and is very strong, which makes it fit the factors of durability, comfort, and softness.
