To make sure your dress gives you the vibe you want, you have to know about the fabrics. Because the right fabric can give you the perfect vibe. Cloth-like chenille is both more popular and unique than the other fabrics. From making a dress to upholstery, you can use it for anything. However, it is common to have some questions that can be on your mind, such as what is chenille fabric? What is chenille fabric made of? Is chenille better than velvet? What is the chenille fabric used? Is chenille polyester or cotton? Is chenille fabric durable? So in this article, we will try to answer these questions for you.
Chenille’s word is from a caterpillar that’s furring looks like the yarn of this fabric. In a french word, caterpillar means chenille. Its yarn looks like the caterpillar’s fuzzy exterior. You have to use different types of fibers to make this fabric. You can use cotton, wool, rayon, silk, etc. This fluffy and soft textile has always maintained its quality in terms of both clothes and home decor. As it is soft to the touch. So you can say it would work in every way. Its fuzzy appearance makes it even more comfortable for you to use a vintage chenille fabric sofa or any upholstery.
To learn more about this fabric, here we will discuss with you some more points. All of them will help you to know about chenille fabric. All you need to spend a few minutes reading this article.
What is Chenille Fabric?
Chenille is one of those fabrics that are soft and comfortable. That’s why you can use these textured fabrics for both dresses and upholstery items. Mainly people use cotton fibers to make this fabric. However, synthetic fibers are also used to make this fabric in case you need heavy-weight clothes.
Chenille means a type of yarn that looks like a caterpillar once you have weaved it. After weaving, they will look different from one direction to another as it catches the light differently. You need to place short lengths of yarn between two core yarns and twist them together.
You can compare this fabric to the fleece fabric. For a lightweight one, you can use cotton chenille fabric. And if you are into a heavyweight, then there are also other options available that you might love to use. This fabric has a unique manufacturing process.
What is chenille fabric made of?
Some materials like Viscose Elastane, and Chenille fabric is also between the natural and synthetic fabric. You can use natural fibers such as cotton, silk, etc to make this fabric. Also, you can use synthetic fibers like polyester, acrylic, etc to make this fabric. But when this fabric was invented in the 18th century, synthetic fibers were not used. It is because it was not made at that time.
Not every fabric needs 100% same fibers. Some of them are blended to make the clothing soft. Because of the materials, you need different manufacturing processes. So overall, you can say chenille is a semi-synthetic cloth. It is made of both natural and synthetic materials.
Is chenille fabric durable?
Because of the construction of this chenille fabric, you can say it is durable enough for you to use it for a long time. It is also soft enough to make you wear it for a long time. That’s why you can say it is an appealing choice for you.
There are also nubby piles. So you can say it can hide dirt pretty easily. But while using this fabric, make sure to be careful about animal claws especially if you have a cat at home. Because this fabric can get destroyed by animal claws. Other than this problem, there are no issues.
But you can say, Chenille fabric is great. You can use it for a long time as a shawl, sofa cover, etc.
How to make chenille fabric?
In the 18th century, Chenille fabric was first made. Since then, overall these decades, the method of making this fabric has evolved over time. Now we will tell you about the recent process of making Chenille fabric. It will help you to know how to make chenille fabric.
Step-1:
To make chenille fabric, first, you need to place short yarn between two cores or yarns. And after then, you need to twist these yarns together.
Step-2:
Now you have to cut these wrapped yarn from loops into a pile. It will help you in the next process. If you don’t watch out for previous steps, then be careful. Because sometimes these piles can come to loss. And because of it, there can be patches on the fabric. It would be better to use low-melt nylon.
Step-3:
Now you have to put the yarn to steam. It will help the pile to stay put together.
Step-4:
After then, the yarn will be woven into chenille fabric.
That’s how you can make chenille. This fabric is best to use on sofas and winter clothes because of its materials.
What type of fabric is chenille?
There are different types of materials that you can use in Chenille Fabric. That’s why you can’t say it is 100% synthetic or organic. Because you need to blend together all the fibers while making this cloth. You have to use a variety of different fibers to make it.
But if you are talking about comfort, then most of the chenille cloth makers use cotton fibers for it. So in this way, you can say it is a natural fabric. As it is lightweight, so you can wear it comfortably without any problems.
On the other hand for a sofa or any upholstery thing, you can use synthetic fibers that will make the chenille fabric heavyweight. So you can say it is also synthetic fabric.
Some of the chenille fabrics are blended with both natural and synthetic materials. They have both mixtures of these materials in a perfect ratio. That’s why you can say chenille fabric is a semi-synthetic material.
How to wash chenille fabric?
To wash chenille fabric, you can do it like regular clothes that you clean. However, if you are talking about bathrobes, blankets, or any type of clothing, then you have to follow some rules. It is better to do dry cleaning of the chenille Because it can make the cloth look worse than you think. So here we will tell you how you can wash chenille fabric.
- Firstly you can wash the fabric in a washing machine with a regular cycle. You can use a regular fabric cleaner.
- Now to dry this fabric, you have to lay it in a flat shape on the drying rack you have. If you don’t have a drying rack, then you can hang the fabric to dry naturally. Make sure not to put it in a dryer.
- After drying the fabric, you can steam it. It will help you to remove all the wrinkles. In this way, you can also remove all the bacteria and odor from the cloth.
That’s how you can wash easily chenille fabric at home. It is not that difficult if you know the right procedure. Make sure not to go rough while cleaning the fabric.
Is chenille upholstery fabric washable?
The answer to this question is no. You should never ever put your chenille upholstery into the washing machine. Because once you have put it into the machine, it can cause shrinkage. It will prevent the upholstery cover to fit into the pillows. So you should keep this point in your mind.
All you can do is spot cleaning and maintaining your sofa at home. But if you are talking about washing it, then never do this mistake. Instead of cleaning by yourself, you should seek professional help. You can hire a professional cleaner to clean your chenille upholstery fabric.
Chenille Fabric Advantages and Disadvantages
You can use chenille fabric in many ways. It is a great fabric to use for your daily life. However, like everything, there are also some advantages and disadvantages of this fabric. So here in this part of this article, we are going to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of chenille.
Chenille Fabric Advantages
- Chenille fabric is soft to the touch. So you will feel comfortable while using it for upholstery or maybe a cloth for yourself.
- It has a good drape. So you can say it will cover everything well.
- There is a slight sheen on this fabric. That’s why you can say it will give a velvety and luxurious vibe.
- Chenille is durable and thick. That’s why you can use it for a long time than you think.
- Also, it is water-absorbent and resistant to abrasion. That’s why it doesn’t take dirt easily.
- It retains heat. And also, you can use this fabric for multi-use. From clothing to upholstery covers, you can use them for anything.
Chenille Fabric Disadvantages
- It can be hard to maintain chenille fabric. Like, washing and all the other things.
- This fabric is prone to stretching and distortion. That’s why it will be hard for you to watch out all the time.
- Also, there are many reasons for this fabric to cause shrinkage. In this way, you can damage the fabric while cleaning.
What Are the Characteristics of Chenille?
Like the other fabrics, there are also different characteristics of the chenille. And here we are going to talk about them.
- Chenille is soft and fuzzy to touch That’s why it will be comfortable to hold.
- You will get a nice soft drape from this fabric. And that’s why it is so popular nowadays.
- Although this fabric can shrink and stretch, but it is durable enough to use for a long time if you don’t take care of them carefully.
What do we use Chenille for?
People use chenille fabric for different reasons. Some people use it to make tunics, shawls, gloves, sweaters, cardigans, and robes. Because of the drapey feature, you can use it for clothing.
Some people also use this fabric for bedspreads, carpets, and quilts. This fabric is ideal for multi-use. So you can use them for these things.
Conclusion:
Chenille fabric looks great on everything. From clothing to bedsheets, it goes well with everything. Although sometimes it can be hard to maintain this fabric. Hopefully, now you have understood what is chenille fabric and its useful information. And this article has been a great help to you.