Faille

Silk faille. Source: nyfashionfabrics.com

Although I keep wanting to pronounce this one as if it’s a French word (“fay”) my books tell me it rhymes with “file”.

Faille is a light to medium-weight silk fabric with a subtle rib running parallel to the warp. The hand is somewhat stiff, and the fabric has a slight lustre. It’s popular for jackets, formal dresses and home décor.

Budget permitting, I’d totally consider this for everything from Game of Thrones wear to gloriously overblown anime characters. The warp-direction rib is very eye-catching and can save a solid color from looking bland. Because it has a stiff hand, I’d save it for garments that can stand up to that – capes, long dresses, jackets – rather than something small like corsetry or a blouse.

When made from pure silk – you’ll find blends out there for upholstery use – it starts at around $50/yard and $100/yard isn’t uncommon. I saw some lovely stuff on one site for $200/yd!

It frays easily, so read up on how to handle fray-happy fabrics.

Use a sharp needle of regular or light weight – 70/10 or 60/8. Use as fine a thread as you dare – my book says lightweight cotton thread, but I think you could get away with regular all-purpose thread.