Featuring Nani IRO Lei Nani Organic Cotton Lawn Fabric from DIY District
When Diep from DIY District Fabric reached out regarding their online fabric store based in Kyoto, Japan, it was hard to choose only a few pieces with the wide selection of high-quality premium fabrics on offer. This beautiful Nani IRO Lei Nani Organic Cotton fabric in red was kindly gifted from DIY District in exchange for an honest review. It is made from one hundred percent organic cotton and is beautifully sheer and lightweight being around 100gsm (3.5oz) which made it perfect for another Helmi Blouse. I was drawn to the vibrant red of this cotton lawn. The fabric reminds me of a watercolour painting with a red background and a random distribution of blossoms in white and a hint of shimmery silver through the blossoms.
I had made the peter pan collar version with ¾ sleeves previously in a lightweight muslin fabric. This time I’m sewing the full sleeved version featuring ruffles along the shoulder seams and a stand collar. I thought I would focus my blog on sewing with this lovely fabric.
As mentioned, this fabric is 100 % organic cotton, so my usual procedure is to overlock the two cut ends of the fabric before washing. To avoid shrinking the cotton, I made sure to only use the cold wash with an organic detergent. I then air dried the fabric and once dry, I ironed it with a medium heat iron. Impressively, there was no loss of colour and the fabric has kept it’s shape well after washing.
Moving on, I prepared my machine by threading a matching red cotton thread. Due to the fineness of the fabric, I changed my needle to a 75/11 needle which is great for lightweight fabrics like cotton voile, silk, synthetics, Lycra, and Spandex. It’s always nice to start with a fresh needle with a new make which ensures there’s little chance of the fabric snagging.
The Helmi Blouse requires about 2.6m/2.9yards of a fabric measuring 114cm/44inch in width. Now, here, it’s important to take note that the Nani IRO Lei Nani Organic Cotton Lawn Red has quite a wide selvedge which means that the pattern measured only 99cm which is narrower than the 110cm mentioned in the description. Luckily, I was sent enough of this gorgeous fabric with a bit to spare.
Instructions of the Helmi Blouse are great because it covers a variety of fabric types including sheer fabrics like finishing with French Seams. Testing the fabric, it also stood up well to overlocking, but I preferred the French seams with the finer fabric. I’ve made the size 36 with the medium bust as my measurements are 35-inch High Bust, 37.5-inch Full Bust, 33-inch Waist, 38-inch Hips and it’s a comfortable fit without any modifications needed.
This time, I used the keyhole neckline finished with binding and included the ties rather than a button closure. I made the binding from the same fabric by cutting a 2cm strip on the bias. I found it easier to pre-press the bias strip, first in half then inwards by half to the midline. Using the pressed line as a guide, the bias strip was sewn to the keyhole opening. It was easy with the pre-pressed line to fold over and finish the binding. I also made sure I reduced the stitch length to 1.8 to sew around the curved keyhole. The rest of the sew went pleasantly with everything fitting into place.
This Nani IRO lightweight cotton lawn is incredibly smooth and untextured compared to other cottons that I’ve worn. It’s very breathable but at the same time has a crisp finish. This will be great to wear in spring and summer. In fact, I’m packing this for my tropical getaway where it can get very hot and humid. When I first received this fabric, I thought it might have been a silk blend because of the slight sheen and silky-smooth feel of the fabric. I think this texture must be due to a very high thread count. I find the weave of this cotton lawn is tighter than the muslin fabric which I used for the first version of the Helmi. I hope this will mean that the blouse will be more durable without the thickness and rough texture of ordinary cotton.
Even though this fabric was gifted, I can say that I would purchase this fabric from DIY District without hesitation. The quality and the service were incredible. From the time of ordering to receiving the fabric was a matter of days and it was easy to reach out via their website which is in English as well as French. As mentioned, this fabric was gifted but all opinions remain my own.
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
X Em
Em Sew Happy Blog 