There is a fabric that smells like autumn to me. The moment the mornings turn cool I want to be wrapped in corduroy, the way I was as a girl in a little pinafore my mother made, the wales worn soft at the knees. Corduroy is cosy, hard wearing, and full of character, and it is a joy to sew once you understand how it is put together. Let us look at what corduroy really is, where its ridges come from, how to care for it, and the projects where it shines.
What Is Corduroy?
Corduroy is a durable cotton fabric with soft, raised ridges running along its length. Those ridges are not printed or pressed in. They are woven and then cut, which gives corduroy its plush, velvety surface and its unmistakable texture. It is warm without being heavy, it wears like iron, and it has a gentle nap that catches the light beautifully.
Understanding the Wales
The ridges have a lovely old name: wales. The number of wales per inch tells you how fine or chunky the fabric is. Pinwale, sometimes called needlecord, has roughly 16 to 23 wales per inch and is fine and soft, perfect for shirts and childrens clothes. Standard or midwale sits around 10 to 14 wales per inch and suits skirts and dresses. Wide wale has just 3 to 8 fat ridges per inch and gives you those bold, chunky trousers and jackets.
How Is Corduroy Made?
Corduroy starts life as a plain woven base with extra crosswise threads, called the pile, floating over the surface. After weaving, those floats are cut down the middle by machine, and the cut fibres are brushed up into the soft ridges we know. The cutting and brushing is what separates corduroy from a flat woven cloth, and it is closely related to the way velvet is made.
A Short History of Corduroy
You may have heard that corduroy comes from the French corde du roi, the cord of the king. It is a charming story, but it is almost certainly a myth. The name more likely comes from the English word cord plus an old fabric name, duroy, a coarse woollen cloth made in the eighteenth century. Modern cotton corduroy grew up in the mills of Britain, with Manchester such a centre of production that in some languages corduroy is still simply called Manchester. It dressed workers and students for generations, had a great fashionable revival in the nineteen seventies, and has been quietly cool ever since.
Corduroy Versus Velvet and Moleskin
Corduroy belongs to a little family of cut and brushed cottons. Velvet has a short, dense pile all over its surface rather than in ridges, so it reads as smooth and lustrous where corduroy reads as lined and textured. Moleskin is brushed rather than ridged and feels like suede. If you would like to understand the weaving underneath all three, our guide to warp and weft is the place to start.
How To Care For Corduroy
Corduroy is easy to live with if you protect its nap. Turn garments inside out and wash on a cool, gentle cycle, which stops the ridges flattening and keeps colours rich. Skip the fabric softener, shake the piece out, and either hang it or dry it on low. A soft clothes brush, stroked in the direction of the nap, lifts the pile again after washing. When pressing, lay the corduroy face down on a towel and press lightly from the back so you do not crush the ridges flat.
Best Sewing Projects for Corduroy
Corduroy is made for cosy, structured makes. Midwale is wonderful for an A line skirt, a pinafore, or a soft jacket, while pinwale suits shirts, childrens clothes, and dresses. The sturdier wide wale loves trousers, bags, cushions, and anything that needs to wear hard and look handsome doing it.
If you would like a first corduroy project, our 30 minute easy skirt looks lovely and grown up in a midwale cotton. Here it is to get you started:
When you are ready to shop, you can find a good range of corduroy fabric in every wale from fine to chunky.
Tips For Sewing With Corduroy
Tip 1: Mind the nap
Corduroy has a direction. Run your hand along the wales: one way feels smooth, the other rough. Cut every piece with the nap running the same way, usually with the smooth direction running down, or your finished pieces will look like different shades.
Tip 2: Use a walking foot
The pile can make layers creep as you sew. A walking foot feeds the top and bottom together and keeps long seams even.
Tip 3: Choose a sturdy needle
Wide wale and multiple layers are heavy going. A fresh size 90 or 100 denim needle punches through cleanly and prevents skipped stitches.
Tip 4: Press with care
Always press from the wrong side on a towel, and use a press cloth. Pressing the ridges flat from the right side is the one thing that will spoil a corduroy make.
A Cosy Classic
Corduroy rewards a little understanding with years of warm, characterful wear. Respect the nap, give it a sturdy needle, and keep your iron gentle, and it will reward you every autumn. For more fabric know how see our sewing tips and tricks, read about its cousin moleskin, and browse our free sewing patterns for your next project.
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