When it comes to buying fabric for your shirt, there are a lot of types of weave from which you can choose from. Once you have understood the weaves of the fabric, you will always be able to pick the right option depending on your preference. The most common weave of them all is broadcloth weave, which is very simple and is used for making shirts, blouses, and other plain clothing material. But before take a look at the types and uses, let’s understand a little more about broadcloth.
Broadcloth Weave Fabric
Broadcloth is a plain fabric that is used mostly in the dress shirt. It also resembles a lot with another fabric, Poplin, but there are still several small differences in them. The broadcloth weave has certain characteristics, which include flatness, smoothness, and almost no weaving patterns at all. It is also extremely light in weight compared to other fabrics. It can also be compared to the pinpoint fabric due to its characteristics. However, pinpoint fabric still has a bit more texture than it and it is also shinier and is less transparent.
Broadcloth dress shirts are quite popular, and people who want to look formal most of the time, prefer broadcloth weave over another fabric. The smoothness and plainness of the fabric give the person a very classy look. A good example of that is Nimble Made’s white dress shirt; it has a dense white color and is not too shiny at all. And with the comfort it provides, it is one of the best shirts which you can wear to work. Also, because it is one of the simplest fabrics, it provides more detail to everything from color to patterns and designs.
Uses of Broadcloth Weave
Broadcloth weave is used in a lot of clothing items from shirts to linings. Let’s take a look at a few examples of broadcloth weave garments:
Broadcloth Shirts
As mentioned earlier, the best example of the use of broadcloth weave is in shirts. The simple over and under weave pattern of the broadcloth makes shirts makes them perfect for a formal gatherings, weddings, and work. In most companies and government organizations, the uniforms of employees are also made of broadcloth fabric.
Broadcloth Skirts
Just like shirts, broadcloth weave is used in skirts as well. Especially if you are looking for those plain single colored skirts, it is a great option. Broadcloth weave is the perfect fabric cloth when it comes to sewing skirts for the summer season.
Broadcloth Blouse
Just like the broadcloth shirts, a broadcloth blouse is also great for formal occasions and work. Also, most of the female broadcloth blouses are tailored with added stretch, which makes them easier to wear. They also don’t very messy when wrinkled and can be fixed easily. Also, machine wash doesn’t pose any harm to broadcloth blouses.
Broadcloth Linings
Broadcloth is also used in the linings of various cloth items. If you are getting a formal custom suit made, then you can consider going for broadcloth lining because of its smoothness and lightweight.
Types of Broadcloth Weave
Broadcloth weave does not come in one material and has several different types as well; let’s take a look at a few of the major and most used types.
Wool Broadcloth
One of the most commonly used broadcloth weave fabric is wool. But unlike other broadcloth weaves wool broadcloth has different characteristics. While most of the broadcloth weave fabric follow one up and one down construction, this one follows two up and one down. And also, once the fabric is weaved, it goes through another process known as Fulling. During this process, the fabric is somewhat tested as it grows through the process of cleaning, shrinking, and is later made thicker with moisture. Heat and pressures are also applied to it for more thickness. It can also look like a napped fabric at times, but the manufacturers make sure that it is closely sheered and polished afterward.
Silk Broadcloth
Another most used broadcloth fabric is silk. This one is totally different from wool, and it feels a lot like cotton as it is very soft and lighter in weight as well. It also has more shine on the surface compared to other broadcloth dresses and can hold the creases on the dress very well. You can use silk broadcloth for fancy shirts and blouses. The best part about it is that it is not easily wrinkled and it can look fresh on you for quite some time. It is also easy to stitch, which means it wouldn’t take for your tailor to be done with it, and you won’t be able to find any pin marks on it either.
Cotton Broadcloth
Cotton broadcloth weave is not just the most popular type of broadcloth, but it is “the” most popular type of broadcloth. Most of the formal and dress broadcloth shirts in the market are made of cotton. And they have a very similar structure to the silk broadcloth, though they are less shiny. The cotton broadcloth wear comes in two different types as well. It is made of pure cotton, or it is blended with some rayon and polyester.