I've often been asked why I work with spunbonded fabrics at all. The argument runs that there are plenty natural fabrics which have been used traditionally to great effect, so why do we need these new fabrics? And I must admit, that I start all my talks with the sentence, if you had said to me ten years ago that I'd spend 90% of my time working with polyesters and nylons, I'd have laughed at you...and yet here I am, doing just that!
Well, arguably, we don't. Silk will give us many of the effects that Lutradur and Zeelon give us; it's more difficult to find a natural fabric that corresponds to Evolon; brushed cotton, perhaps, cotton velvet or suede? Suede is probably the closest to the unique textures of Evolon, as it is not woven...but then, of course, it isn't a cloth at all... The reasons why I use spunbonded fabrics are simple; they are quick and easy to dye, they take colour really well, they have amazing textures, they don't fray, they do what they are told (not something that can be said of silk organza...). Easy to work with, great effects.
And what of tradition? Well... I think stitchers of yesteryear used what was available; if polyester had been available, they would have used it. Ditto for spunbonded fabrics. If you haven't used them yet, give it a try...there are a number of short projects on this blog for you to attempt (try searching on Try It Out to get a selection).
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