Spoonflower Is Now Offering Sport Lycra!

The day has finally come.  Custom-print-on-demand fabric company, Spoonflower, is now offering sport lycra fabric!  Yippie kaiyay!  Now we can have leggings and sports bras and running tops in our own choice of prints!  

I find it incredibly helpful to know the tech specs and some basic info on any fabric for online purchase.  I also find that looking at the facts/specs helps me avoid making assumptions (which can result in costly mistakes or purchasing a fabric that just doesn't meet expectations) and minimize emotional buying shifting into educated decisions based on the garments I want to make.  Having this kind of detail on fabrics prior to purchase turns me into a customer.  Finding out it didn't meet my expectations afterwords, turns me away from a shop. 

Now comparing specs... isn't it interesting that the Sport Lycra is 2 x the weight per oz as the Performance Knit and Pique? And!! We now get 75% stretch as well as the other two knits at their 25% or 50% respectively! YAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  Freedom of movement and choices in knits for athletic wear. 

Images and specs from Spoonflower.com

Performance Knit 

$24/yard ($21.60 with designer discount)

100% polyester fabric with moisture management

Details

• 56" wide printable area (142 cm)
• 4.1 oz per square yard
• Optic white, produced in the US
• Estimated shrinkage: 1-2%
• Weft directional stretch is 25% maximum
• See details and images on the Performance Knit page

Uses

• Appropriate for athletic apparel

Care Instructions

• Wash separately in cool or warm water using a gentle machine cycle. Machine dry using a low temperature setting. If required, use an iron with a light touch on a synthetic setting only. Higher iron temperatures may result in color transfer and melting of fabric.

Performance Pique

$20/yard ($18 with designer discount)

100% polyester piqué knit fabric with a moisture-wicking, soil release finish

Details

• 56" wide printable area (142 cm)
• 4.5 oz per square yard
• Optic White
• Produced in the U.S.
• Estimated shrinkage: 1%
• Stretches along the crosswise grain 50%
• See details and images on the Performance Piqué page

Uses

• Appropriate for yoga tops, polo shirts, sporty dresses and skirts, headbands, scarves and more

Care Instructions

• Wash separately in cool or warm water using a gentle machine cycle and phosphate-free detergent. Machine dry using a low temperature setting. If required, use an iron with a light touch on a synthetic setting only. Higher temperatures may result in color transfer and melting of fabric.

Sport Lycra (NEW!!!)

$32/yard ($28.80 with designer discount)

88% polyester, 12% Lycra fiber with moisture-wicking finish

Details

• 56" wide printable area (142 cm)
• 8.4 oz per square yard
• 4-way stretch, 75% in width and 50% in length
• Optic white
• Estimated shrinkage: 2% in length and <1% in width
• See details and images on the Sport Lycra page.

Uses

• Appropriate for athletic apparel

Care Instructions

• Wash separately in cool or warm water on a gentle/delicate cycle, using phosphate-free detergent. Machine dry on a low temperature setting.

Best part? They offered a 1 day free sample. That's a $5 savings. Woo hoo!  I picked up a few samples of Schatzi Brown's prints because I've been drooling over her work for months.  I love her Nalu Tribe prints and pieces and would wear them proudly, but not one of them is made in my size.  Sew here I go!  Thank you for having your collections on Spoonflower!